Chapter 3 – Recitation

I walked through the noisy mall with my bestfriend Zephaniah, kasama niya ang kanyang very very charming pinsan na si Cloud, his cousin was a year younger than us

but since we shared so much in common, we became close friends instantly like he was a younger brother of mine.

Pagkatapos ng sobrang sayang pagshashopping namin, we decided to eat at the restaurant nearby—kumakalam na rin ang sikmura ko dahil sa gutom. The time flew by quickly but I didn't noticed it. Ilang oras na pala ang lumipas, masyado na akong nalibang sa pamimili, at paglalaro sa arcade.

I promised to Arjay that I'd be home by 10:00PM ngunit pasado 10:30 na ayon sa orasan ng aking relo. Lowbat na rin ang cellphone ko kaya hindi ko siya matext o matawagan man lang para ipaalam kung na'san ako, hindi ko rin naman mahiram ang cellphone ni Zeph kasi wala siyang load.

For sure, hindi niya na talaga ako papayagang lumabas sa susunod nang hindi ko siya kasama.

“Tulala ka nanaman, Freya. Parang ang lalim palagi ng iniisip mo” Zeph suddenly said that makes me back into my senses,

I was staring blankly at the clock while aimlessly twirling my fork in the spaghetti, para tuloy akong may mental health condition dito dahil bigla-bigla nalang akong natutulala sa kawalan.

“I'm fine, it's just—”

Before I could finish my word, Zeph's phone suddenly rang.

“Tumatawag si prof jay” nakatingin siya sa akin ng diretso habang patuloy pa rin sa pagring ang cellphone niya, “huwag mo nang sagutin” I said nervously as I pressed the red button on my bestfriend's phone.

“Nag-aalala lang yung asawa mo ate, umuwi ka na raw” pangingialam nga sa akin ni Cloud dahilan upang matignan ko siya ng masama.

He grinned at me. Mas lalo naman akong nabwísit kasi parang nang-aasar pa siya.

“Let's play billiards nalang pala, wala naman yatang balak umuwi yung isang ate dyan” nakangusong sabi ni Cloud na halata namang nagpaparinig siya sa akin.

I have this attitude na kung ano ang iniisip sa'kin ng iba ay gagawin ko talaga. So instead of going home, pinanindigan ko nga ang sumama sa kanila.

“Suree” I commented confidently, akala mo talaga ay marunong eh.

“Hinahanap kana yata ni prof jay te, umuwi kana kaya” pagkontra naman ng kaibigan ko, halata sa boses niya ang pag-aalala na siyang nakapagpangiti sa akin.

“Minsan lang naman akong makalabas ng bahay, and another thing is I'm gonna get scolded for breaking my curfew as it is, so syempre, susulitin ko na yung natitirang oras ko rito sa labas” mariin kong magdepensa sa sarili dahilan upang mapabuntong hininga nalang siya, “bahala ka, it's your life anyway”

And just like that, we headed to a nearby billiard hall na, it was my first time trying this so instead of hitting the balls I was supposed to shoot, the cue ball kept jumping off the table, tawa kami nang tawa ni Zephaniah. Mabuti pa siya, even though it was her first time playing too, natitira niya nang maayos yung bola.

“Mabigat yata 'tong stick ko eh, palit tayo” I said innocently. Humalakhak naman sila nang napakalakas, pati yung ibang naglalaro ay nakatingin na rin sa amin at tumatawa, gosh did I said something funny?!

“Ate anong stick te? Tako 'yan” Cloud explained, natawa naman ako sa sarili kong kat4ngahan. To be honest, ngayon ko lang nalaman na tako pala ang tawag doon sa stick ng billiards.

“Ehem excuse me, I'm Theo. Pansin ko kasing lumilipad yung—”

“Oo na, hindi ako marunong tss” ismid ko nga at saka inirapan ang matangkad at mestisong lalaki na nasa harap ko ngayon. “I just want to ask if you want to learn how to play billiards?”

“Probably I want to, why are you asking anyway? tuturuan mo ba ako?”

“yea, by the way, what's your name?”

“Freya” tipid kong sabi.

“Sige na, magpaturo kana te, kakalabanin kita mamaya ah” Cloud teased me, ang yabang palibhasa ay marunong siyang maglaro ng billiards. I just rolled my eyes at him.

As Theo was teaching me how to hold the cue stick, I was shocked when someone grabbed me by the arm, he pulled me away, forcefully. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makita si prof jay, namumula sa galit ang itsura nito kasabay nang walang pakundangan niyang pagsapak sa mukha ni Theo dahilan upang tumilapon ito sa sulok. My body was shaking, I was scared. Hindi ko man lang sila maawat buhat sa panginginig ng dalawa kong binti.

“How dare you to touch my wife?” he said very coldly, palapit nang palapit ang hakbang niya patungo kay Theo na ngayo'y namimilipit na sa sakit. “He's just teaching me how to play billiards!” I shouted but he just ignored me.

I can't even noticed the tears streaming down my face, ilang suntok pa ang pinakawalan niya kay Theo na halos mapat4y niya na ito.

“Stop!!!” I shouted again.

Matalim ang mga mata niyang tumitig sa akin na nakapagpatayo sa mga nagliliitan kong balahibo sa katawan,

“Quiet, class” saad niya sa may baritonong tinig na mas lalong nagpabilis sa kabog ng dibdib ko. The classroom finally fell silent.

I was brought back to reality when Arjay spoke. I knew that look of his. The one I didn't want to see again, bumalik nanaman tuloy sa isipan ko yung ginawa niya kay Theo sa billiaran noong 3rd year college palang ako, mabuti nalang talaga at hindi niya napat4y yung lalaking iyon.

He kept shifting his gaze between my eyes and sting lying on my desk now,

“What was that, Mrs. Montemayor?” he asked me.

“y-yung ano prof?”

“this” aniya kasabay ng pagkuha ng sting na nasa table ko.

“It's not good for your health. Is everything okay, Mrs. Montemayor? You're my wife, you can tell me anything. If you have problems, just talk to me. Don't drink that fvcking sting. It can only affect your blood pressure, heart rate, and even cause difficulty breathing” walang hiya niya ngang sambit at sa harapan pa ng buong klase, parang gusto ko nalang lamunin ng black hole. Pati ba naman energy drink, jusko po!

“Mrs. Montemayor..” pag-uulit niya.

“What?!”

“Is everything okay?”

“yea, everything's doing fine” I said with a low voice. Hindi naman nakatakas sa tainga ko ang malakas niyang pagbuntong hininga.

He returned to the front of the class and scanned the room again. I felt a wave of relief wash over me as his expression become calmer now,

“Good morning, I'm Rainer Jaz Montemayor but you can call me prof jay or prof arjay. As a licensed attorney, I will be your advicer and I'll be your teacher for constitutional law”

“prof, can I call you love?” one of the girl raise her hand and spoke confidently.

Kngina! Hindi niya ba narinig yung sinabi ni prof jay kanina na asawa niya raw ako?!

I looked at my husband, his eyes fell on me too. We locked gazes for a few seconds but I was the one who look away first, nakaka hipnotismo ang mga mata niya. Nakakatakot dahil baka kung anong magawa ko.

"Alright, class," prof jay began to spoke again, he ignored the girl from the back who is flirting with him. Tumingin naman ako doon sa babae at bahagyang ngumiti na siyang inirapan niya ako,

“Deserve, prof jay is only mine anyway” sa isip-isip ko nga.

“Before we explore the world of Constitutional Law, let's get one thing straight. You'll respect your fellow classmates and I'll respect you. Here's my rules—first, no phones during lectures unless it's an emergency. Second, no latecomers, if you're late, don't disrupt the class, see me after lecture and we will discuss the consequences. Lastly, let's keep the debates civil, no personal attacks, just constructive arguments. Is that clear?”

“yes, prof jay”

“Your grades will be based on quizzes, participation, and a final project. I'll provide more details on that later. Any questions so far?” he asked again, umiling-iling ang lahat.

All of us taking down notes. Nahagip naman sa sulok ng mga mata ko ang nakakalokong pagngiti ni Arjay, sobrang pogi niya talaga.

“ang swerte ni Mrs. Montemayor kay prof jay, sana all” I can hear the whisper of a girl from my back, kausap niya yata yung katabi niyang babae rin. Well, she's indeed right, I was the luckiest woman in the world because of Rainer Jaz.

Nanlumo nga ako nang biglang magdiscuss si prof jay, dàmn! walang paawat! First day pa lang but he's already teaching. Wala bang get to know each other muna?! Nakakapanghina.

“Ms. Agoncilio, can you tell me how constitutional law impacts the relationship between the government and its citizens?” prof jay suddenly asked, nakatingin ito sa babaeng nagfflirt sa kanya kanina.

Agad na napakurba ang kilay ko. Naningkit ang aking mga mata sa pala-isipang nabuo sa utak ko, “H-how? Kilala niya yung girl?! Hindi pa naman nagpapa introduce yourself si Arjay, hindi kaya magkakilala na sila?” I can't help but to overthink.

The girl took a deep breath. Naiirita ako sa kanya kaya nagkunwari nalang ako na may isinusulat sa papel kahit wala naman,

“Well, prof jay, constitutional law sets limits on government power and protects individual rights and freedoms. It ensures the government doesn't abuse its authority and citizens are treated fairly.” sagot ni ate girl, ang arte niyang magsalita kaya mas lalo akong nabanas.

Nakita kong tumango si prof. “Continue”

The whole classroom fell silent for a moment. I think Ms. Ate girl seemingly at a loss for words to add to her answer. Just then, Arjay called me by the surname, yung pagseselos ko ay napalitan ng kilig, highlight na highlight ba naman ang pagiging Mrs. Montemayor ko!

“yes po, prof?” I asked, smiling.

Sa katunayan, hindi talaga ako nakikinig sa tinuturo ng propesor pero heto ako ngayon, ngiting ngiti pang nakatayo na para bang alam ko yung sagot sa tinatanong niya.

“Support her answer” utos niya.

“Ano po ulit yung tanong niyo, prof?”

“you're not listening, are you?” he stated coldly, ngumiti naman ako sa kanya.

“You're always on my mind, and it's distracting me” pagbanat ko nga na siyang ikinatawa ng buong klase. I saw the annoyance on prof arjay's face as he looked at me, pakt4y!