one day, out of the blue, a man approached him claiming he was his father. silence filled his heart. he knew the man was telling the truth. the color and shape of their eyes, the shape of their faces, their voice, and even their height were almost the same. then, no sound, no heartbeat, no echo was heard. silence ruled. though surprised, no question was asked. the boy just smiled, for he knew that it was still better. better than being alone and walking bare footed ring! ring! apparently, he wasn’t alone. the telephone rang. once, twice. then, it went off. the room was silent once again. no sound, no heartbeat, no echo. nothing at all. he didn’t even bother to stand. actually, he was hoping and expecting that the telephone would stop without him answering. meanwhile, a thought crossed him. he closed his eyes and tried to grasp it further. he wanted this story. he kept telling himself, he wanted this story. remember. remember. remember.
lumabas siya ng bahay at napatingin sa mga dyip. kulang ang pera pambayad ng dyip kaya minabuti na lang na maglakad. nakakita ng karinderya, pero kulang pa rin pambili kahit kanin. nakakita ng kendi pero naisip niya, ibibigay niya ito sa pinakamahalaga sa puso niya. dumaan ang isang nanlilimos at naisipan niyang ilapag na sa palad ng matanda, pero hindi niya ginawa. nanghihina na ang kanyang mga tuhod at lumalabo na ang paningin, “kendi” sabi niya, pero hindi siya bumili. nakarinig siya ng pumuputok na mantika at napatingin siya sa fishball, nilanghap niya ‘to at nagpatuloy siyang maglakad. tagaktak ang pawis, inalok siya ng tissue ng isang tindera malapit sa eskuwelahan, naisip niya, malapit na, tinanggihan niya at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad.