story chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO
A LONG TALK WITH SARAH


Narrator: At UC Irvine, Sarah and Alex were entering a classroom with already five students sitting in different rows.

Sarah: Naku, girlfriend. Mahirap mag sulatan yan, o? Parang maraming kwentuhan sa bagong technology kung XBox yun usapan ko.

Alex: Bakit naman? Magandang topic yan eh.

Sarah: Pero marami mag salita tungkol sa historia, yun parts ang system, basta maraming isip para dyan.

Alex: Hay naku. Alam mo, mas mabuti pa kung susulat mo yun Xtreme Magic sing kesa sa XBox.

Sarah: Corny naman yun topic eh.

Alex: Bakiiit? Mas ok yan topic, noh? Diba ng commercial ka dati para dyan?

Sarah: Oo, pero di na ng labas sa TV ngayon.

Alex: Okay lang, basta you were AWESOME! (laughs)

Narrator: As they were taking their seats in the middle row…

Alex: Bakit tinawagin mo si Jay ngayon?

Sarah: Eh birthday niya ngayon.

Alex: Ah talaga? Naks naman. Batiin mo ba siya, ah? Kamusta kaya siya ngayon? Sana I greet ko rin siyang happy b-day (smiles as she looks up ceiling)

Sarah: Naku, alam mo, sobrang busy sa buhay niya ngayon. Ewan ko kung bakit.

Alex: Baka madami siyang papers o kaya projects. Anong major niya kaya?

Sarah: Sabi niya sakin graphic design eh. Ehh siempre kailangang na maraming projects para dayn. Art naman yan eh.

Alex: Girl, (points to Sarah’s cell phone) tawagin mo siya ulit. Baka sa break siya ngayon.

Sarah: Naku, kahit may break siya,di sasagot yun mga tawag ko. Siguro ng study siya. Haay… walang iba kundi ganyan. Puro study study. Talagang utak niya, o?

Alex: Eh malay mo naman. Sige nga. I try mo.

Narrator: As Sarah got off her seat, she went outside the classroom to dial my number.

*

Inside the bus, as I was looking at the beautiful young Filipina reading a thin-covered 400-page book, I heard my phone ringing. As soon as I picked it up, I read Sarah’s name again on the caller ID.

Jay: (answering cell) Hello Sarah?

Sarah: O hello, Jay? Oo, si Sarah ‘to. Bakit hindi mo sinagot ang tawag ko kagabi?

Jay: Eh kasi busy ako. Nasa hospital yun lola ko kasi.

Sarah: Ahh ganun? Bakit? Ano nangyari sa kanya? May sakit ba?

Jay: Hindi naman. Shortness of breath lang. Nothing serious.

Sarah: Mabuti naman. O, happy birthday pala, Jay. (smiles)

Jay: Ahh, bukas pang b-day ko.

Sarah: Ha? Akala ko ngayon. (as Jay laughs) Dib a nga ngayon?

Jay: Hindi, bukas nga. Kaw talaga, o?

Sarah: Ah ganun? Naku sorry, ha? Mahina ako talaga sa pag na memorize ang mga birthdates eh.

Jay: It’s all right. Don’t worry about it. (as Sarah smiles)

Sarah: May plans kaba sa b-day mo this year?

Jay: Umm… bukas pupunta ako sa Disneyland ticket booth para kukuha ko yun free ticket ko.

Sarah: Libre pang ticket mo, ah? Ganun ba mag gagawa sa Disney kapag may b-day?

Jay: Oo pero kailangang talaga gagamit yun ticket sa b-day mo. Hindi pwede sa ibang araw, sabi yun Tita Berna ko.

Sarah: Ganun ba? Sino kasama mo?

Jay: Umm… so far walang kasama.

Sarah: Ahh. Kung wala, pwede ba ako kasama?

Jay: (stretching eyes widely) Ikaw kasama ko? Really?

Sarah: Hoy, hindi date ang usapan natin, ah?

Jay: Whoa easy easy. (smiling and laughing) I never said this was gonna be a date.

Sarah: Eh yun reaction mo kasi, parang excited na excited ka na ng kasama ako.

Jay: (laughs) Ako, excited? Yeah… excited ako dahil I actually have someone to hang out with bukas. Kung wala, then I’d let that ticket go to waste.

Sarah: Mmm… (checks her watch, which read 11:58 am) Jay, kailangang ako umalis. Umpisan nang klase ko. Sige, bye bye.

Jay: We’ll talk later, ha? Oh what class are you taking right now by the way?

Sarah: Ecology. Kailan ka lumabas sa school?

Jay: Umm 5:50 pa. Ikaw?

Sarah: O sige. Ako, 3:45 pa. Tatawagin kita mamiyang gabi, ah?

Jay: Okie. Later. (hanging up)

Narrator: Afterwards, I looked back at the young Filipina who was sitting in the back next to the elder white lady.