Sadelle

I arrived at around three in the afternoon. Since it's the first day of the  Intramurals, there aren't a lot of activities yet. A long held tradition in our university is to have an official opening ceremony for Intrams. Usually, it takes place the whole afternoon with different segments. The highlight of today's ceremony would most likely be the Cheerdance Competition, as it always is, which starts in the late afternoon to mid-evening.

Considering that I'm not heavily invested in all this sports fiasco, I didn't bother coming earlier, however, I arrived just in time for the open house at the university gym. Meaning to say,  the torch lighting ceremony had already ended. Walking my way from the main gate, I saw some stalls preparing their spaces as I passed through our long covered walkway. Different stalls lined up my stare. I saw the usual university booth selling merch with our school logo, coffee booths, mini bazaars, and snacks and pastries. Aside from this, on the other side, I see the differently decorated bulletin boards of co-curricular and extracurricular organizations. There were some who changed up their designs in relation with this year's Intramurals theme, while others left the old designs they have from whoever knows which themes they are.

Though not yet crowded, I see more students checking out the stalls and some sitting by the nearby benches waiting for them to finish preparing to buy something, or passing by time before waiting for the competition to start later today.

"Pumasok na tayo sa Gymnasium. Bukas naman na..." one of the students sitting by the benches mentioned as I passed by them.

I saw another student shook her head from my peripheral vision. "Maaga pa. Konti pa lang ang nandoon."

Turning left halfway through the walkway, before reaching the end of  the stalls closer to the church, I passed the pedestrian lane and headed to the pathway going to the cafeteria. While walking, I scanned my gaze around the luscious green trees surrounding the university from both sides of the walkways. These guardians of nature help add more beauty and depth to the energy of the university. Makes it feel lighter, in some way.

Further stalls caught my gaze on my way to the cafeteria. I even saw one stall selling pasalubongs as if we're tourists on some sort of trip in a summer capital. Students from different year levels filled my gaze in the cafeteria. I heard some of them heading to the gymnasium in order to find good seats. If some students are already heading to the gymnasium, does it mean the college councils are already there?

In order to know, I decided to go visit the ArtScies council office in hopes of sighting Yuan. I didn't prepare myself for days just to fail at this moment. I passed by the staircase in the adjacent building to the cafeteria and headed to the second floor.

When I reached my destination, I saw the familiar door of the Faber room. I walked by the bridging ramp and skipped the room, heading to the passageway to the different council and organization offices to the side. The second door to the right had a sign labeled Arts and Sciences Council Office placed on top of it.

The door was open so I decided to peak sideways and give a knock.

Three students were inside the room - two girls and a guy. I think they're all officers of some kind. One of the girls was typing something on her laptop, seated in one of the council desks. Well, they only had two and they weren't really wide, just of decent size.

The other girl and guy were sitting by the rectangular table in the middle of the room. I saw scattered things plastered on the table ranging from personal belongings to papers. I have no idea what they are for. Just beside the door, a small green couch is resting with two bags placed on it.

"Good afternoon," the girl by the table greeted me and I saw the two other students look in my direction. "May kailangan ka ba?"

Before I could answer, my gaze landed on the girl sitting by the desk and saw her face change from a focused, relaxed expression to one of annoyance and subdued disapproval.

Huh. She looks familiar. Where have I seen her?

Knowing that I came here for Yuan and not a trip down memory lane, I ignored her stare and looked at the girl who asked me a question earlier. The guy sitting in front of her gave me a quick look as he returned to playing on his phone.

"Yes. Do you know where Yuan dela Torre is?"

The girl by the table, with short hair and a clip on her right side, turned to the other girl from earlier - the one giving me distrustful stares.

"May meeting ba si kuya Yuan, ate?" she queried and I looked at this girl giving me malicious stares of dislike as I saw her long wavy hair grace through the upper part of her body.

She shook her head, her attitude a bit stern. "Tapos na kaninang alas-dos ng hapon, pero kani-kanina lang may pinuntahan siya. Magkasama sila ni Pres. Why are you looking for him?"

"I have a concern addressed to him," I shortly answered, still standing by the door.

The girl with short hair answered me. "Pupwede ba namin matanong ano yung concern? Kung council related, puwedeng kami na ang magsabi sa kanya..."

"No, thank you," I replied. "It's a personal concern. Alam niyo ba saan siya pumunta?"

Now, the girl with the long wavy hair cleared her throat and stole my attention. "No, we don't. Balik ka na lang bukas."

What is with the attitude? Girl, if you're angry with the world, don't let it out on me. I have no patience for pests of your kind.

I was about to give her the treatment she deserves when someone called my name.

"Oh, Sadelle, bakit nandito ka?" a few steps away from me was Yuan walking to their council office holding a tub of food mix with a familiar logo from one of the cafeteria stalls downstairs.

Not answering, he walked by me and I felt his height tower over me as he swiftly passed by the door. Placing his food on the table, he looked at the girl with the long wavy hair.

"Hintayin daw natin si Pres bago pumuntang Gym. Natagalan 'yon kasi bumili pang drinks. Teka lang, ah," he motioned to the three of them at the end of his sentence.

Turning to face me, he walked to the door, and I walked forward so that we were covered by the wall and not seen by his council mates.

"May sadya ka?" Yuan queried as I faced him once we were hidden and not close enough to the door to be heard inside.

I gave a curt nod. "I have an offer for you." I spoke, claiming dominance in the conversation.

Slowly, a ghost of amusement registered on his face. Then, I saw him place both hands inside of his pockets as he leaned sideways on the wall and did a cross-legged stance. "Alam mo, para akong nakakalibre ng sitcom sa'yo. Kung anu-ano din lumalabas diyan sa bibig mo, 'no," he responded, his tone sounding entertained.

My left eyebrow twitched. "What sitcom? Are you calling me some kind of joke?"

"Ha? Paano ka naman napunta diyan?" he replied, confused by my answer as I saw his brows crease.

"You said - actually, it's not important - the only thing we should be discussing right now is my offer," choosing to ignore his dim-witted remarks, I went straight to business: transacting my offer.

He removed both hands from his pocket and crossed his arms in front of me, the same amused expression still on his face. "Sige, let's say I want to hear what your offer is," he started off and paused for a few seconds. "What offer would this be, and in what relation should it affiliate with me?"

I stood straight, in character for my business mode persona. "I appeal to reopen the discussion concerning  which party the book rightly belongs to. Let's make a contract. In the said contract, we shall state our understanding of the book's content and appeal our reasoning for why ownership of the book must fall to either of us." I laid out my opening argument.

He looked at me, dumbfounded. He stood there, silent, for almost a good minute, before going back to his senses.

"Whoa," a chuckle escaped his lips. "What do we have here, an aspiring law student?"

I bore him a vexed look. "No, what we have here is an offer. You know what, for someone supposedly high-up in the college council, you don't seem so..." I threw him a head-to-toe look. "Intelligent."

He blinked at me, astounded by my vivacious offense at his court. "Well, thank you for the honesty?" he replied, sounding confused but at the same time appreciating my answer. "If I remember correctly, I already appealed the reasoning for why my book should stay with me. 'Di mo ba natatandaan? Baka lasing ka n'on?"

What is with this guy and his comebacks? They're like a combo meal you never want to order even if they're served for free.

I was about to answer when I heard people talking behind me. I gave a sideways glance to my right and saw three students walking to the room in front of the council office. They were probably members of the said organization's office.

"Hi, Kuya Yuan!" one of the students, a guy, greeted him.

The other two, another guy and a girl,  gave him a smile and waved.

"Salamat pala ulit, Kuya, sa pagtulong sa'min d'on sa Meditations. Nahirapan kaming intindihin si Descartes, tapos takot din kaming magtanong kay Prof Rivera," thanked the girl as the other two guys agreed with her.

The other guy spoke. "Oo nga, Kuya, parang nangangain ng tao si Prof."

Yuan gave a friendly nod to them as he let out a small smile. "Sige lang, tanong lang kayo sa aming seniors pag may 'di kayo maintindihan. Takot din kami kay Prof. R dati, pero masasanay rin kayo." 

If there's something that'll never be gone from different universities, it's the existence of scary professors. Usually, there seems to be a certain representative for each program. Other times, there are some teachers that become more known in the university because of how intimidating they are, and at the same time, how students appreciate the knowledge they get from these lecturers. That's the case for Professor Rivera: she's become an image of intimidation and appreciation for students in the university. Even if you're not under her class, you will know about her existence.

Speaking of Professor Rivera, she's from the Philosophy department. I looked at the three students who seemed to be similar to me: a freshman student.

They nodded at him, showing strong belief in his assurance before giving me a quick look and entering the room in front of the Council Office.

Is he a Philosophy student?

"Saan ulit tayo natigil?" he asked, going back to our conversation as he faced me. "Ay, oo. Lasing ka ba n'on?"

My brows were almost in union as I gave him a stare that could pierce through his body if I had been gifted the ability of doing so. "Ikaw ang mukhang lasing," I shook my head before getting carried away and forgetting my main purpose of talking to him. "Going back to our topic, what do you say about my offer?"

He tilted his head, looking at the ceiling, seemingly thinking about my question, before boring his gaze into my eyes. "Hindi ko alam, ah, pero sa pagkakaintindi ko, kapag may offer, ibig sabihin may makukuha ka rin pabalik. You're leveraging something for the other person, while still considering your own benefit. With your initial offer, it seems as if I have nothing to gain from it. Parang puwede ko na nga lang ibigay sa'yo yung libro kapag ganyan, tutal lugi naman ako sa offer mo."

I tilted my head a bit to the side and widened my eyes a bit, feigning a surprised look. "I don't mean it that way, but if you insist, Yuan, I wouldn't defy your decision. I'm not one to complicate things."

He looked down and chuckled again before raising his gaze another time. "Right, and I'm a clueless schnook. Alam mo, Sadelle," he paused for a bit and looked behind me as I heard other students leaving and talking to each other about the competition. "Enjoy the Intramurals. Unang araw ngayon, lapitan mo sino man sa mga kaibigan mo at magsaya kayo. Manood kayo ng Cheerdance Competition." He encouraged, which I know is a cheap shot at taking my focus away from the book.

I was still about to answer when I saw someone walking behind Yuan, holding a tub of food mix on one hand and an energy drink on the other. He was quite tall, but not taller than Yuan. He looked prim and proper with his glasses highlighting his serious eyes.

"Yuan," he called.

A bit startled, Yuan faced his direction and nodded.

"Sa council?" The guy, which I presume is our council president, asked.

"Ah, hindi. Kakilala ko lang, may tinatanong," Yuan explained and the guy nodded before going into their office.

I cleared my throat, making Yuan face my direction. He gave me a questioning look. "So, what's your decision?"

He looked at me, but it seemed like he was trying to gauge the reasoning behind my offer. Then, he nodded to himself before a hint of a mysterious smile appeared on his lips.

"You know what, you gave me an idea. Tutal ayaw mong tigilan ang libro, hindi na kita pipilitin. However, I have my own offer to make. Do you agree with it?"

Now, I was the one confused. "What's the offer? Wala ka pang sinasabi sa'kin?"

He nodded at me, still smiling. "Nadale mo. Ano, payag ka?"

May sinabi na ba siya? What will I agree with? I don't even remember him offering me something!

"Ayos ka pa ba?" I couldn't help but ask.

Tumawa siya. "Oo o hindi lang. Akala ko ba gusto mong makuha ulit ang libro? Kaya, ano na, payag ka?"

This conversation wasn't going anywhere and I didn't have the patience to find a map of clearance for it. Instead, I answered: "Fine, but you better make sure this offer of yours is sensible."

"Magkita tayo bukas, sa Gazebo. Alas dos ng hapon," he informed and before I could answer, he followed up with another statement. "Sige na, kumalma ka na diyan. Manood ka ng competition o kung ano man," he said as he patted me on the shoulder and gave a parting nod before going back inside of their office.

Still befuddled, I haven't been able to process the last conversation I had with him about my...or his offer. I don't even know what's the offer to begin with, and would there even be any offer given.

That's not the most important thing now. At least, I have a chance at having my book again. The details of its how is still not clear to me yet, but my ambition and determination will lay the groundwork for me. Considering that I've achieved my goal for today, I didn't see any point in staying in the university much longer.

I took my phone out of my bag and checked what time it was. It was already thirty past three, probably why I see the students getting out of their offices to go to the Gymnasium. There's usually around an hour of open house before they close the gym gates. I decided to leave and pass by the staircase I went up earlier. On my way down, I even encountered two cheerleading participants in bright colored costumes running the opposite direction from me.

The day was over for me as I accomplished my goal. Besides, I'm not interested in cheerdance or competitions of any kind. Following this notion of thinking, of course, I decided to go home and have my own enjoyment.

Like usual, I stayed in my room as soon as I got home and watched one episode of a series on my laptop. By quarter to six, I prepared dinner. About an hour after, I ate, washed the dishes, and kept the viand under a mesh food cover for Mom to eat later.

Going back to my room, I decided to have a body shower and slip into my pajamas right after doing my night face and body rituals. I made myself comfortable under the soft covers of my blanket as I watched another episode of the current series I'm binging, looking at how both characters shook their hands as they sealed the validity of their deal.

"Oh, ano na mangyayari ngayon? Do we write a contract or something?" I asked as soon as we sat down in the free-spaced gazebo.

The other gazebo has some students sitting inside, eating and chatting with one another. Most of the students are wearing their sports attire. For Arts and Sciences players, they wore uniformed red-colored council jersey shirts and shorts. While, the others wore outside civilian clothes - like me, since I didn't register myself for any sport to play this Intramurals.

Yuan removed his bag behind him and placed it in the adjacent space on his side. He was a bit sweaty, and as it turns out, he had been under the heat of the sun for the most part of the morning. Then, at one in the afternoon, he was out in the field with his council friends enjoying watching a game of soccer between two different colleges, while also seeing which college they may fight for the next soccer game involving our own college.

He had a face towel resting on his right shoulder. I, on the other hand, was sweat-free with my black sleeveless shirt under my thin soft green, bolero cardigan, black flare pants, and plain white sneakers paired with my usual white tote bag.

"Actually, there would be no contract," he started and I raised my brow at him. "My offer for you is this: I'll explain what the book is about to you," he added.

"Are you implying I didn't understand what the book is about?"

He shook his head, looking stern with his disapproval. "Hindi ganyan ang ibig kong sabihin. Ayaw mong tigilan ang libro ko, pero ayaw mo rin sabihin bakit gusto mo 'tong makuha pabalik. Ibig sabihin, may nakita ka sa librong 'to na ayaw mo pakawalan. Hindi ko man alam ano yun, pero ang alam ko tuturuan kita."

"Tuturuan mo ako?" I snorted. "I wasn't aware I needed a teacher," I answered, sarcasm dripping in my tone.

He shook his head again. "No," there was confidence in his tone. "You gained an appreciation for the book. Kaya, ngayon, tuturuan kita."

Rolling my eyes at his nonsense, I posed another question: "Goodness. Fine, let's go with your statement. Since I appreciated the book, your fitting response would be to teach me about it?" I asked, reiterating what he said to me and he nodded. "Okay. Do you know the middle ground between appreciation and teaching that I'm not seeing here? Well, let's call that the connection. I'm not seeing the connection in this nonsense of yours." I uttered straight to his face.

He leaned on the space behind him as he crossed his arms. "I believe the greatest form of appreciation is reciprocity," his concise answer made him seem like a monk sharing his philosophy.

"What, is the lesson starting now? Inaasahan mo bang hihimayin ko isa-isa 'yang sinabi mo, ha?"

He laughed as he shook his left hand at me. "Sinasabi ko lang na imbis ibalik ang libro sa'yo, tingin ko mas masusuklian ko ang interes mo sa libro sa pagtuturo sa'yo."

I looked at him and checked to see any hint of deception from his expression but couldn't find any. He seemed completely truthful about what he said. This was someone who thought that the best way of repaying another person's appreciation is by imparting his knowledge and alloting his own time for someone else.

By the act of teaching me, he believes he can be of service to showing gratitude for the efforts I went through trying to get the book again.

This was...confusing.

Why would you even go out of your way to show someone your appreciation, or even gratitude for that manner? A simple thank you would suffice.

"Natahimik ka na diyan. Hindi ko rin naman iniisip na wala kang naintindihan sa libro. Pero, tutal akin 'to, tapos may annotations ko pa, hindi ba mas magandang sa'kin mo mismo maririnig mga rason kung bakit gan'on ang mga sinulat ko?"

"If you put it that way, that doesn't seem so bad," and for the life of me, I couldn't remove the curiosity of the idea behind those annotations.

"Then, is my motion of offering to teach you...accepted?"

Well...it's not the best idea there is. Yet, then again, he seems sincere with his action of wanting to teach me.

I cleared my throat. "I second that motion." Then, a question popped into my mind. "Paano mo naman plano simulan ang pagtuturo mo?" 

There's still a part of me that cannot and would not believe that he was the person who wrote those annotations. However, I also couldn't just cut the itch of knowing the workings of his mind.

How was he able to come up with those annotations?

What beliefs are etched in his being? How does he see the world? Why am I feeling all these changes just from reading the book and his annotations?

"Teka lang," he answered as he opened his backpack and started rummaging for something inside and then brought out the familiar black cover that's been on my mind ever since I got hold of it.

I looked at the book as he placed it on the table when suddenly, we heard a phone ring.

Yuan checked his bag again and brought out his phone, answering a call from someone. Then, his tone changed into surprise and he started answering with urgency before ending the call.

He gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry, may laro kami. Kausapin na lang kita sa susunod, Sadelle," he explained as he placed the book inside his bag and zipped it close before standing and walking a few steps away from me before I stopped him.

"And when would that susunod be? Mamaya niyan, 'di ko na makita libro ko," I answered as I realized that my book was getting away from me again.

He scratched his head. "Uh, kailan ba? Ano..." he scrunched his face as he couldn't decide on a day and time. "Sandali, nasa ArtScies ka ba o hindi?"

"Yeah, I'm a Biology freshman," I answered, confused by his question.

What does that have to do with our conversation?

"O, ayun naman pala, eh. Suportahan mo council natin. Come on, watch the game! Besides, I can tell you more about the book afterwards."

I raised my brow at him again. I've long benchmarked dreadful short interactions with students of this university, a rowdy Soccer game wouldn't fix my indifference against them.

Nuh-uh. I need a day and time set for this next meeting, which most definitely won't be in an open field.

"Uy, tara na!"

I looked at him and saw that he was holding my book showing it to me as he was slightly waving it in my direction. I took one exasperated sigh as I stood from my seat and saw him signaling me to follow him as he started half-running to the direction of the field. Of all the things in my life, I never imagined a book being so worthy of a motivation for me to do stuff like this.

"This is preposterous," I mumbled, dragging myself out of the gazebo as I unwillingly followed him to the field.

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