Marven’s First Novel, chapter #13

“Dusting Off”

The next day, Aldo did as promised and showed up at Beatriz's church. His shadow slightly dimmed the added natural light coming from the outside and caught the attention of the people inside. Naturally, they turned and looked back to see who has arrived and saw it was a visitor. Aldo stood by the door, wearing a medium-sized horizontally-striped collared shirt that perfectly fitted his torso and enhanced the shape of his arms, bell-bottomed jeans that were fit at the thighs but spacious at the legs, and sneakers that went perfectly well with his pants.
Beatriz was already there, and she was the first to stand up to meet and welcome Aldo. She was wearing a formal blouse, skirt, and shoes. She immediately went up to Aldo and extended her hand which Aldo took. Beatriz pressed his hand warmly and firmly, uttered some pleasantries, and asked him to get settled. Next came up behind her the pastor and his wife who each shook his hand and uttered pleasantries. The pastor said he was glad that Aldo showed up. Aldo responded bashfully. When the pastor and his wife both returned to their seats in the front row, Beatriz led Aldo to the seat he chose which was the bench at the back row that Cassandra cleaned yesterday. There Aldo settled, and Beatriz sat with him to accompany him in whiling the wait. Other parishioners who were already present also welcomed Aldo from where they sat by looking and nodding at him and greeting him mutely with a wave of hand, after which, they would go back looking before them, waiting, and watching the musicians get their instruments ready for praise and worship.
Obviously, Aldo came early. He and Beatriz chatted as they also busied their eyes watching the musicians rehearsing a little bit, minimally and not fully. They also saw the mild-mannered Oliver going to and fro busily, helping with every detail that can be attended to. When the fellow is not busy, he just waits at a seat in the front row. Aldo and Beatriz sat by the front window. Thus their face could hardly be seen because they're against the light. Suddenly, Beatriz heard the voices and footsteps of a small crowd outside which sounded familiar to her. Instinctively, she stood up and said to Aldo:
"Wait here. I'll just meet the brethren outside."
"Can I come with you?"
"Sure. Come on."
Aldo followed Beatriz outside in the street; and there, he saw a family smiling at her who welcomed them warmly and shook each of their hand. "Good morning, Ma'am Beatriz," they greeted.
Noticing Aldo in the background, she introduced him to them. The family extended their hands towards him which he took one by one. When he came to the father, Aldo said:
"Nice to meet you again, tatay (father). Don't you somehow remember me, sir?"
The man tried to recognize him, and he did. But it was his teenage daughter who answered:
"I remember him. He was the man who passed our house carrying an envelope, the man who traveled on foot from the municipal hall."
"It's you," said the father. "Good to see you here, mister. How are you related to Ma'am Beatriz?"
"We're classmates back in high school," Beatriz answered. "And he might just become our member here, but it's up to him."
Aldo continued greeting others. "Hi, ma'am," he said to the mother. "Hi, young lady. What's your name?"
"Ingrid," the teenage girl answered.
"Are you studying? What year are you?"
"Yes, Aldo," Beatriz answered. She's currently one of my students in the public school."
"Oh. How are you, little guy," Aldo now greeted the toddler.
"Well. Shall we come inside now?" Beatriz said. "Let's go. Let's go, Aldo."
The group turned around and made their way inside. Being in the nethermost, Aldo noticed another parishioner coming. He turned around and saw it was Mauricia walking towards the church.
She was wearing a roundneck cotton shirt underneath a perfect-fit thin jacket, equally fit denim jeans, and pointed shoes. In addition, she was wearing large glasses before her eyes.
As soon as he recognized her, he immediately called her attention. "Good morning, Mauricia," he said loudly.
Mauricia looked his way and responded, "Oh, hi, Aldo. Good morning. Glad you made it today."
"Of course. Anything is possible as long as it's for you."
"For me? Should it really be for me?" Mauricia replied in a tone somewhat already irritated at the ill-timed flattery.
"Right. You're making a lot of sense. But mostly, it's for you. Because otherwise, why would I go here? Right?" Aldo waited for her right there in front of the fence.
When Mauricia got to him, she stopped and stood beside him.
"Do you know Ingrid and her family?" Aldo continued.
"Yes. They're members here... long before I came."
"I just feel very delighted to see them. I don't know why."
"Why?"
"I once came across their house when I walked from the municipal hall homewards. It's just feels memorable."
"What? You did that?" Mauricia slapped her palm on her forehead. "Oh, come on, Aldo."
"Sorry."
"No. It's okay. Sorry for my reaction."
"I'm an explorer. Remember? I've been exploring since we were classmates. Perhaps you already heard of it back then."
"Yes, I did. But until today?"
"It's in me. Okay? I like to walk. I like to bike. I like to sail. I don't want to be beyond that. I'm contented being like that. I'm not going to change for anyone. Okay?"
"Okay. That's you. I mean..." Mauricia drew back and eyed him from head to toe. "It just doesn't look like you. What a pity."
"I know. But what can I do? I have an odd combination of traits. And it seems to do me more harm than good. But what can I do?" Aldo changed countenance; and as if just joking, he gave free rein to lamenting.
"Don't feel bad about it. Okay? I'm sorry." Mauricia tapped Aldo's shoulder.
"Sometimes, I would dream about that particular trip that I took but in a different and more magical perspective. It's more spectacular in the dream like the other one I had sailing in a blue sea on a cloudy day around the sands of what looked like Arabia and then stopping by magnificent edifices. I'm getting sentimental right now. I think I'm going to cry."
"Well, don't cry. The day has just started. And I think the service has already started. Come. Let's go now inside."
As they entered, Aldo pointed to the bench Mauricia cleaned yesterday. It was still vacant. Again, Aldo settled on the spot by the window; and Mauricia sat beside him.
The service started with some singing. It was followed by an invocation and other short speeches. It was then followed by more singing, a thing they call "praise and worship". Beatriz was one of those who sang. She was right there at the front row. She is really busy and serious with this church thing. She does almost everything. Cleaning, welcoming people, singing, teaching children and youths as she mentioned earlier. And who knows what else? He didn't know her to be a musician back in high school. But being now a Math teacher, perhaps she got to learn a few concepts in music, and this is what she applied in her own vocal chords and probably taught to her youths. There seemed to be an abundance of microphone, and those who can sing and love to are given a mic aside from the few vocalists on stage.
The singing and a few more short speeches were followed by the sermon. From the back row, Aldo and Mauricia listened attentively to the pastor speak; but sometimes, they would chat quietly when either one of them finds something to talk about. Sometimes, their chat is continuous that they would already miss a lot. Thus, there they sat, one clinging his or her ear as another opens his or her mouth and whispers something. Sometimes, they would giggle at each other. But after that, they will try to be quiet again and listen attentively. That's what they busied themselves with until the sermon and the entire service is finished.
At noon, at the end of the service, everybody in the room blessed each other and shook each other's hands, young and old. The pastor again came up to Aldo, pressed his hand warmly, and invited him to come again. As he left, Beatriz now joined Aldo and Mauricia; and the three chatted a little bit more, or rather conferred because of the way they stood around fixated on the floor.
"So what do you think?" Beatriz asked Aldo.
"I think it's okay."
"Then I guess the idea of coming back will no longer repulse you."
"I guess so."
"So can we expect you next time?"
"Uh... yeah," Aldo said hesitantly. Or maybe I'll just show up when I feel like it."
"Come anytime you want. Our doors are always open for you."
After this, Aldo said goodbye, broke away, and went outside into the street. Out there, the sun already shone differently because it was already noon. A slight fresh wind blew. The hour now reminded him of lunch and food, and therefore he started to feel a slight pang of hunger. He was also reminded of his long-unfinished woodworking project. He has been distracted so much from this by a certain love that came his way, a one-sided love affair, it turns out, if he can even call it that because he has nothing. Or maybe he turned to woodworking to distract himself from the love he allowed himself to be overwhelmed by or rather forced himself in because he can't but deem its object worthy. Besides, she's beautiful. It's easy to fall in love with her.
As he was about to walk away from that place, he heard Mauricia's voice saying, "Aldo, wait." He looked back and saw her coming out to him.
"I'm going home already too. Let's walk together."
"Okay... But isn't there something else you need to do to wrap things up back there? You know... like what Beatriz does, in order to help her?"
"I'm not as much needed there as she is at this point. I can't do what she does. I'm just new here just like you."
When Mauricia has joined Aldo, they started walking away from that place side by side. When they reached a certain spot in the street where a pickup truck is parked, Mauricia stopped and consequently Aldo.
"What is it?" Aldo asked.
"Are you hungry? I suddenly felt like having lunch outside instead of at home. Would you care to join me?
"Uh... actually... you guessed right. I'm actually getting a little hungry already."
"Great. Then come with me. I'll treat you."
"Oh. Are you sure?"
"Yes. I would very much like to go on with this. Since you're here, maybe you can accompany me."
"No problem with me."
"Great. I'll take care of everything. You don't have to worry a bit."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Absolutely."
"Okay..."
Mauricia approached the left side of the vehicle and entered. Then the engine roared and the right door was opened. Then a voice from the inside said, "Come in."
Aldo did as told and entered.
Inside, they both fastened seatbelts.
Once set, the engine roared once more and the whole thing moved, first, slowly along that street and then, when it turned left into the main road, at full speed until it went out of the neighborhood. Once out in the main road of the adjacent city, Mauricia said:
"I'd like to take you to some fine dining, to a place much nicer than what you might have gotten used to until now."
"Great. Whatever. It's up to you."
"I don't think we've ever done something like this before."
"No, we haven't. All of our romance took place in the school grounds."
"If ever, this would be the first time we would go out. To be honest, I'm very curious as how this would turn out."
"Probably disastrous. Because I'm quite boring. I warn you. But who cares? I don't care."
Mauricia was puzzled and dumbfounded for a few seconds. "You don't care that I might get bored?"
"I don't, to be honest. We can still turn back. We haven't gone much far."
"Don't you want to want to go out on a date with me?"
"I'd rather prefer a simple conversation or a heart to heart talk on a street corner. You'll see. After this, you'll regret you ever invited me. I guarantee you."
"You don't care even if I wanted to do this for you?"
"Well... I don't care about me. I care about you. There's a difference between the two. I mean, you were a part of my life."
"Were?"
"Or rather are. Makes no difference."
Mauricia turned left from Mercedes Avenue and then went on and on until they reached Fort Bonifacio.
Next, they were seated at a table of a fine restaurant opposite each other. Mauricia was listening intently, as was indicated by the sincere eyes behind large glasses and the way she rested her chin on the palm of her hand made even more delicate by the sleeve of her jacket, to Aldo talk as the latter speaks his mind.
“You may be the closest friend I have left. Beatriz, next,” Aldo said in conclusion.
“Has it come down to that? I’m sorry you had to deal with your loneliness alone. If only I was there for you. But then, if I was, I would be useless. I was also immature back then, way immature.”
“I have a few acquaintances, thank goodness. But it turns out they're mere acquaintances, not ones whom I can share what's in my heart with. Now, since you've known me the longest, I was hoping it could be you. Because you'd understand me better.”
“Have you gotten in touch with your old closest friends?”
“I’m not sure if they're still my close friends, and I'm not really anxious to see them again. Especially now. Because why bother with them when already here is you? You’re more than enough to me.”
Mauricia smiled. “You're flattering me too much. Well you’re no other person to me, definitely.”
“Thanks. I wish we could go back to that time when you and I had no other else to rely on and had no other world but each other.”
"Okay..." Mauricia scratched her forehead.
“Now that you’re back in my life, I want to know you more. I want to know you better. I want to share my life with you. Why would I look for it in a stranger whom I met just recently? I don’t want to look anymore. I’m tired. You're here now. Maybe my home is with you.”
“What are you trying to say?"
“Would you be willing to relive our past romance with me and make it even better?”
"Well, we're living it right now, I think... and yesterday and the day we saw each other again at the bookstore."
"No. I'm talking about now and the next days, months, years, even forever."
“To be as lonely as you?”
“No. For us to be happy together.”
“I don’t know,” she sighed exasperatedly. "Let's just focus on the now. Shall we? And let's see where this leads to. You're posing difficult questions." Mauricia turned away and sipped from the glass. "In the meantime, let's enjoy this food and switch to other topics."
Thanks to the supposedly-lighter Sunday traffic, they got there fast. Aldo has put food in his stomach before it even growled.
When they were done there, they enjoyed the outdoors of the area just a little bit. Next, they were seen sitting inside a movie theater at a moment when the big screen was playing a long series of trailers. Suddenly, Mauricia moved closer to Aldo and rested her head sidewards on his shoulder. Aldo was surprised and looked sidewards at her.
"Wake me up when the movie has started," Mauricia said.
"Okay... Why? Are you taking a nap?"
"I'll just focus my mind on the movie itself. You know... attention span, information overload..."
"Okay. Fair point." Aldo watched quietly.
Mauricia continued resting her head on Aldo's shoulder with eyes closed. After a minute, she moved a little bit more closer to him and wrapped his back and chest with her arms and rested her head in his bosom like she did before as if it was pillow.
"What's up right there?"
"It's very cold in here."
"Really?"
"Didn't you notice it?"
Aldo minded the temperature. "Yeah. It's a little cold here; and I think for a good reason."
"I'm freezing."
"Oh, you have a flu again? All right. I'll nurse you back to health once more. Move a little bit more closer."
Mauricia did as told and pressed herself into Aldo.
Aldo rearranged her arms and head in a way that's more comfortable. He pulled out the glasses from her face and handed the thing to her and said, "Keep this for the meantime."
She slid the thing into her coat pocket and again rested her head against his bosom.
When she has settled comfortably, he said, "Why are you acting like this?"
"Acting like what?"
"Like we're back together. Are we back together?"
"Well, we're dating. Aren't we? It's a date. Isn't it?"
"Yes, it is. I believe so."
"That's your answer."
"Would you care to be specific? I'm very slow today."
"Well, have we ever broken up? I can't remember."
"No. We simply parted ways."
"Then that's it. Nothing changes."
"So we're back together?"
"What does the official status matter? That's just for high school. What's important is that you're here and I'm here and we're sharing nice moments together."
"All right. Okay." Aldo was dumbfounded, appearing convinced, and allowed this to sink for about a minute while staring at the screen. Then he opened his mouth again. "So we're back together. You've decided to be with me again."
"Yes. You're starting to annoy me."
"Okay. I just want to everything to be clear. Labels matter to me. Because if I'm aware and convinced of my status with you, then I'd have to forget anyone else and concentrate myself in you."
"Very romantic."
It was already late afternoon when they came out of the movie theater. At that point, Aldo already requested for them to go home; and off they went. Before they crossed the bridge over Pasig River, Aldo requested Mauricia to turn right to the road that leads to San Joaquin and Kalawaan. Mauricia was surprised but did so. She asked why. Aldo answered:
"The roads we always take going to the city and back home already bore me. Maybe we can go home a different way. I know one which I know you haven't been to because it's new. Trust me. It will be awesome."
"Okay. How did you know about this detour?"
"I'm an explorer. Remember?"
"Right." Mauricia just went on and on straight for a very long stretch until they covered the said areas and Aldo now asked him to turn left.
"I noticed that here's nothing here but factories," Mauricia said.
"Yeah. That's why this area seemingly looks quiet," Aldo replied.
They are now somewhere in Ibayo Tipas or Ligid Tipas. Mauricia went straight on in the main road until the scenery changed from being in the middle of factories to being in the middle of neighborhoods. The road became slimmer as Mauricia turned straight right. From this point on, she went cautiously slow because they have entered a neighborhood and people, even children, are on the street.
They are now in Napindan. Mauricia kept her cautious pace until Aldo now asked her to turn left. Here, the scenery of a neighborhood continued but also ended and transitioned into one that resembles a field. This point seems to have been considered the back end of that neighborhood for many years and decades. But now it had access to the area Mauricia is about to approach.
The concrete part of this road ended and gave way to one of pure soil that served as an isthmus connecting that neighborhood to the newly-paved long stretch of highway of also pure soil and a few gravel. On both sides of this bumpy dirt road are grassy fields which is the original state of what this isthmus reclaimed. What then lay before them was the still unseen surface of the new highway in horizontal view, a narrow creek or irrigation beside it about 2 to 3 meters wide, the blue sky and white clouds above, and the newly-constructed bridge to the left crossing the Napindan River which is the extension of Pasig River.
When they reached the creek, Mauricia turned left to a sort of service road of also pure soil until it turned right under the bridge. Mauricia kept to it and beside the highway until the road naturally led her to the elevated dike of the highway, and there she parked her pickup truck. The engine of the vehicle stopped, they unbuckled their seatbelts, and out they went into the open area. Then they stood at the edge of the dike and looked at the fields before them. Aldo's face beamed with delight considering he was able to take Mauricia in this place without even planning about it.
"This looks exactly like the fields in our neighborhood," Mauricia said.
"It's because it's just adjacent to the fields in our neighborhood," Aldo replied. "We're actually a few hundred steps away towards home. We'll be there shortly. You only have to go through this country road along the melon fields, and then we're home." Aldo pointed at the thing he mentioned to the left. He was still smiling as he talked, naively confident that his discovery somehow impresses his companion.
Next thing, Mauricia was standing at the edge of the road, beside which, is the creek that caught her attention earlier. She wanted to see it up close; and there she was, basking in the sun and looking closely at the water whose little waves and ripples reflected the mellow sunlight and underneath which was she able to observe the movements of some fish as the latter swam fast in short distances like in an aquarium.
Aldo, on the other hand, was still on the dike walking back and forth on a loop crossing his arms and acting as if freezing. He kept doing this until Mauricia turned around and saw him swinging his bell bottoms left and right and shouted at him, saying:
"What are you doing? You're looking weird."
Aldo replied, "I'm just trying to feel the wind blow."
"Is it windy up there?"
"A little. That's why I said I'm trying. You know what? It might turn out windier up there on the bridge. Why don't we go?"
Both of them proceeded towards the bridge, and they met on top. It was indeed windy up there. And there, they saw a fuller view of what lay below, which is the river going out into the gigantic basin which is the lake, the latter sitting serenely at the feet of the mountain range and of a few more mountains a little to the right, and the pristine meadow looking exactly what is depicted on paintings and book illustrations and is now coming to life before their very eyes. Never have such elements of nature been put together so harmoniously than on that specific specific hour of that specific day that Mauricia couldn't help but be mesmerized at them, as could be seen in her face, which Aldo observed. They don't look like that on any given day especially during cloudy and rainy days, but now they looked different. The ruins of an old concrete house which Aldo have seen as a teenager and which he called Stonehenge was still there and still in the same condition.
"I think I'm getting now what you said to me earlier this morning. It's like I'm dreaming."
"Are you? Great. Thank you. That's what I felt too when I first came here and saw it, and it stuck to me ever since. I don't know what's with this lake and these mountains, but they always felt magical to me since I was a child. I mean, since I was still an impressionable little boy."
Mauricia came back to her natural disposition.
"What about you?"
"I think it's just okay that they're there."
"Right... By the way..." Aldo turned around.
And so did Mauricia.
"Do you see these houses?" Aldo pointed to the neighborhood beyond the fields. "I think I've always seen these before on an afternoon like this when I was a child. And they looked so far away. But now we just came out of them. I know it's very trivial, but I just want to point out that observation." Then gazing back at the meadow, they continued talking about different topics until they observed that the wind has started to blow heavily from different directions and already brought dust with it.
"Now it's getting windy. I like it. But it seems to be a little bit harsh."
"Yeah. I noticed. I don't think this wind is normal. It looks like it raged all of a sudden. Look at what it did to my glasses." Mauricia accordingly showed Aldo.
Aldo saw that it was thick with dust and said, "Yeah. I see. Keep it now. Will you? Stop wearing it." Then he faced the meadow, rested his hands on the rail, and observed and felt the movement of the wind. Then he turned back to Mauricia and saw her dusting off her eyes.
"This wind is serious," she said.
"If we go from here, we'd still be hit, I think. Let's just let it pass. Here. Let me cover you." Aldo held both her hands and drew her towards himself and himself towards her at the same time. Then he pressed and buried her head into his bosom until her nose and mouth became muffled that she almost couldn't speak.
The wind continued to blow forcefully and brought along with it dust, and it hit them.
"Yup. This wind is serious," Aldo said.
"I think it's an ipo-ipo (whirlwind)."
"Yeah. I think so too. The last time I saw it was when I was a child or probably when we were teenagers when it hit our house and rattled our roof. I remember that too was full of dust."
Aldo kept covering her until they heard some people in the neighborhood near the ferry station screaming, "Ipo-ipo!"
At that point, the dust has already settled from where they stood and Aldo walked away and started to spit out the dust that seeped into his tongue. Then he dusted off his face, hair, neck, arms, and entire clothing. Margaret did the same thing to her apparel because her face and hair were spared.
When he thought he was okay, he ran to Margaret and attended to her.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Mauricia kept thumping the dust off her clothes.
"I knew this would end up disastrously, and it did. I'm sorry I put you through this. We could have gone straight home, and yet I insisted on you to take this stupid detour."
"It's okay," was Mauricia's simple reply.
"But it's quite an adventure. Don't you think?"
"Adventure?" Mauricia snickered. "Let's just hope something like this doesn't happen again."
"Of course. I'll try my best. From now on, I'll try my very best for you."

tentatively titled, “Dusting Off”
from The Simple Adventures of a Simple Simpleton
by: Marven T. Baldo