Kissing The Wind

I saw Teacher Anthony. His hair was wet and he smelt of shave and manly perfume, like the scent he usually wore in school.

My throat went dry. School. I had a class. I smiled at him and looked away. “Good morning, Sir.”

A smile curled in the corner of his lips. “Just call me Anthony. I am six years older than you but I don’t like to hear you calling me Sir in this house.”Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“Okay.” I cleared my throat and looked at him sideways. “Are you going to school today?”

His shoulders shrugged. “There’s no class for today, Sydnee. The roads were full of waters from last night’s thunderstorm and the authorities were still cleaning the roads. The principal cancelled classes for two days.”

Good news then. But when I took a glance outside the balcony, I remembered the little nipa hut. Was the storm swept clean the little hut? I hoped not. My parents were still there.

“Let’s go downstairs. I’ll cook our breakfast and I’ll return you to your home after.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to go home yet.”

“You can’t stay long in my house, Sydnee. Your parents will freak out.”

My gaze held his for a few seconds and then I sighed. “I’ll send them a message. But I’ll stay here for a few days.” I blinked, cheeks flushed when I noticed how his brow raised. I cleared my throat and shrugged my shoulders. “Well… if you agree, Anthony.”

A chuckle escaped from his lips and then he grinned at me. “You must be hungry. Come.”

I did not let Mom knew where I was staying for the next few days. She knew I would not go home and she did not bother to argue with me to bring me back. That did not surprise me. Ever since, I knew that Mom and I would never have that mother and daughter relationship most of my classmates were enjoying in their lives. I did not mind that at all. But most of the time, I was envious.

Why should I bother myself thinking about it now? I sighed and shook my head, forgetting the thing I thought minutes ago.

I looked ahead and saw the sun shining from the east. It should be a bright morning but I told Anthony that I would not go to school. His brow raised and I reasoned out with him. In the end, he did not insist and just let me rest in the comfort of the cozy room. He reminded me of the things I need to watch out such as the upcoming parcel today. He wanted me to accept the parcel in behalf of him. I nodded.

The telephone rang. I glanced at the telephone ringing in the corner of the room. Anthony did not tell me that he expect a call today. But then, I walked towards the noisy thing and picked the call up. “Hello?” I asked.

There was silence before someone cleared his throat on the other line. “It’s me.”

I recognized Anthony’s voice. “Yes?”

“I forgot to remind you not to let someone in the house.”

“Of course,” I whispered and glanced at the balcony where the rising sun was displayed in all of its glory. “I know that.”

Then silence.

It was not a comfortable one so I cleared my throat and bit goodbye on the phone. Anthony reminded me to be careful and to call him if I needed something. Well, I did not know his number.

I received a chuckle from him. “There’s a number beside the telephone. You can call that one.”

I squinted my eyes on the number clearly displayed beside the telephone. Indeed, I saw a string of numbers there. “Okay,” was all I uttered under my breathe.

At last, Anthony bit his goodbye. I put the telephone down and sighed. My feet found their way towards the door and down onto the first floor. I found myself walking towards the kitchen.

I had not eaten breakfast yet. I woke up late. Anthony just knocked on the door earlier to bit his goodbye, but I stayed on the room until the sun rose in the east. I realized that Anthony drove to school before the sun rise.

There was nothing to do in his house really. I just watched television, thankful that Anthony instructed me how to turn on the device before he left. But after some time, I got bored so I turned it off and strode outside the house.

I did not expect to feel a faint fog lingered on my exposed skin outside the house. My gaze roamed around and I realized that Anthony’s house was inside a subdivision, although houses were separated from each other. The green bushes in each side of the huge gate meters from where I stood were swaying in the morning breeze. Some birds flew overhead and I heard their cries, cheering for the heat of the sun.

A faint smile curled in each side of my lips as I closed my eyes and felt the sorrounding moved around me. Cold air tried to swept me off my feet and my body fought its temperature. I shivered as sunlight roamed my body in a slow and steady pace.

It was my first time to stood and wait for the rising sun. In the past years, I did not have the luxury to do it. And those years passed by like a haze in my mind.

I did not realize until now that time could be sometimes slow if one would stood and wait for the nature. I thought life was fast but the pace was only in a person’s perspective. One should be wise enough to spend it.

My arms raised overhead and I opened my eyes. The sun had already rose in the east. Its rays stretched in the horizon like streaks of golden lights. I sighed again in contentment. If only life would be this slow and peaceful…

When the sun set on the west, I saw Anthony’s car made its way through the opened gate. I noticed that the big gate was automatic so I did not have to go outside and manually open that thing.

I just waited for Anthony at the entrance. Darkness started to engulf the neighborhood and the lights turned on like a show.

“Hey,” he greeted when he stalked towards me. “All is well?”

I nodded and smiled at him. “I’ve cleaned your house.”

His brow raised but did not say anything. We went inside and I noticed how his gaze roamed around the cleaned living room. My chest swelled with emotion that I only felt in that time. Proud and happy.

“This… you’ve arranged my things?” Anthony asked, bewildered at the drastic change of the house.

I sighed and shyly smiled while peeking at his amazed face. “I wanted to change your… err… house? Sorry, I did not inform you.”

“Why did you change it?” he asked and walked closer to the sofa. He laid his jacket there and turned to face me. “Is there any problem with the old arrangement?”

I gulped at the sudden change of his tone. He even crossed his arms against his chest. I bit my lower lip. He did not like it?

But I thought that the house were livelier now than the old arrangement?

“Sorry. I’ll change it back tomorrow,” I said and lowered my gaze.

Silence hovered around us for a few minutes before he spoke again. “Did I say I didn’t like it?”

My eyes shot at him and I blinked for a few times. “You… like it?”

A smile played on his lips. “Better.”