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Another inescapable yawn came out of Mark’s mouth—the kind of yawn you would not want to come across if ever you’re going for a midnight run in a convenience store or getting a quick evening snack towards the several aisles of food. Mark has no choice but to continue to fret over his decision to placidly occupy space in an available table inside the nearest 7-Eleven na malapit sa apartment niya at during regular occurrences ay dinadaan-daanan niya lang naman.
As he grazed his lips over the lid of his cup of hot coffee—with stylish fonts forming the word City Blends —na ngayon niya lang na-discover na nag-e-exist sa 7-Eleven, he could not think of a better decision than this. During the whole 25 years of his existence, half of it was spent by him buying his daily dose of caffeine in either Starbucks or Tim Hortons. In Donghyuck’s holy grail of words na animo’y isang mabuting balita sa Bagong Tipan na palagi niyang nirerecite everytime na gumagastos si Mark, tila ka anak ng senador na may generational wealth na mamanahin sa paggastos mo sa pagbili ng kape!
Mark is relieved that he did not decide to travel further toward the nearest Starbucks branch and opted for the flashing colors of green, red, and orange of this convenience store instead. Dala-dala niya rin naman kasi ang kaniyang laptop kaya hindi na rin niya naisip na lumayo pa.
He stared at the blinking cursor of a blank document on his laptop screen, waiting to be filled up by a combination of words and letters. His five senses are all alive and maybe he has the coffee to blame for that. The brightness of the screen continues to flash his eyes, not to mention the different shades of light striking his peripheral vision. He can still feel the scent of the coffee in his nostrils, and the contrast between the frigidness of the laptop stand and the searing heat of the paper cup as his hand goes back and forth between the two. The residue of the caffeine continues to linger on his tongue. The monotonous voice of the cashier as she punches every product on the counter gradually comes as white noise every time the bell rings with the door opening, warning every fiber of who’s inside na may panibagong customer.
Just as he was about to type a nonsensical word, the doorbell chimed. Mark took notice of the scent that lingers around proximity. ‘Yung amoy ng kape at amoy ng hangin na binubuga ng uugod-ugod nang aircon sa loob ay nahaluan ng isang amoy na sobrang pamilyar sa kanya so it doesn’t take a second bago niya ito lingunin.
“Juicy Cologne amputa!” He can still hear Donghyuck—or Hyuck as he likes to call him kapag kukunin niya na ‘yung natitirang piraso ng balat ng lechon sa plato niya o kaya naman nakakalimutan niyang gawing 50% sugar ang milktea nito—when he gave him a bottle of cologne noong nag-exchange gift sila kasama ang Bernardo-Lee Family. Sinuhulan niya pa nga ang pinsan ni Donghyuck para makipagpalit sa kanya ng nabunot dahil gusto niyang malaman kung ano ang nasa wishlist nito. He was expecting of something grand or anything out of ordinary pero iisang salita lang ang nakalagay sa papel: juicy. Mark knew it was supposed to be a reference para sa Jollibee chickenjoy na all-time favorite ni Donghyuck, knowing na he is a certified enjoyer ng crispylicious at juicylicious na manok ng bayan. But as a joke, he decided to gave him anything but that.
(Spoiler alert: Mark ended up buying a bucket meal that day kasi hindi na niya natiis noong ngumuso ang binata at nagmukmok sa isang tabi na parang inagawan ng bubblegum.)
That scent remains familiar for Mark dahil as a June gemini na napakataas ng ego at hindi kayang lunukin ang pride, ginamit pa rin ni Donghyuck ‘yung pabango pero syempre hindi naman nito aaminin na nagustuhan niya ang amoy including the fact na hanggang ngayon ay gamit-gamit niya pa rin ito. Mark took a mental note to give him another one.
“Makoy, bakit andito ka!”
Ibinulsa nito ang hawak-hawak na papel, pilit isinisiksik sa masikip na puwang sa bulsa ng kaniyang hoodie. Agad lumapit si Donghyuck sa pwesto ni Mark at umupo kaharap nito.
“Paskong pasko nandito ka sa 7-Eleven! Magnonoche buena ba kayo ni ate cashier ng big bite?” Dere-deretsong tanong ng binata pagkatapos humigop ng kape na kanina lang ay iniinom ni Mark. Inabutan niya agad ito ng tissue para punasan ang natitirang bahid ng inumin sa itaas na labi. Tinanggap naman ito ni Donghyuck at nagpatuloy sa litanya. “Kaya pala tinatawagan kita hindi ka sumasagot. Akala ko tutulugan mo na naman ‘yung Pasko.”
Right, December 24 na ngayon—a few hours away from the festivities of Christmas Day. At bilang isang Filipino na ipinanganak at nanirahan sa Canada, who decided to go home to the Philippines and spend almost all of his teenage life studying here, all alone and all by himself, para kay Mark, Christmas Day is just another excuse for the loneliness to fester and the nostalgia to hit harder. Hindi katulad ni Donghyuck na may pamilyang inuuwian, nakakasama, at nakikita halos araw-araw, this is the luxury Mark could not even afford kahit na apo pa siya sa tuhod ni Henry Sy. So, yeah, spending the remaining hours before midnight here in the friendly interiors of the convenience store might not be a bad idea.
“I am working. Way behind na ko sa mga deadlines na need kong ipasa sa editor ko.” Nag-inat si Mark at saka uminom ng kape, backspacing a lot more than ever hanggang sa wala na talaga siyang masulat sa laptop niya at all.
“Pasko tapos nagtatrabaho ka? Hindi matutuwa si Mama Mary niyan!” Pumangalumbaba si Donghyuck habang pilit na binababa ang laptop screen. “Pumutok na ang panubigan niya at lahat so baka naman deserve na natin ng pahinga diba!”
Mark could not hold back his laughter. ‘Yung mga ganitong punchline ni Donghyuck ang talagang bumubuo sa araw niya. Parang climax ng isang kwento o kaya naman rising action ng isang pelikula, basta si Donghyuck ang bumanat siguradong mabenta sa takilya. He did not regret his impulsiveness of sitting beside him that one English class, at ‘yung pagsagot niya sa tanong ni Grade 10 Donghyuck kung umuulan ba ng maple syrup sa Canada (how did he even come across that conclusion?) , pati na rin ‘yung paglalagay niya ng isang sheet ng yellow paper sa bag ni Donghyuck dahil alam niyang wala na naman itong dala para sa EAPP subject nila. Those little things defined the greatest moment of his life which is having a Donghyuck in this lifetime.
“Ano ba ‘yang sinusulat mo na pati kapanganakan ni Hesus ay hindi ka mapigilan?”
“Just an article.”
“About?”
“Wala. Pretty cliche.”
“Ano nga!”
“About the pros and cons of falling in love with your bestfriend.”
Oh. A literal boom sapul moment. Kumbaga sa basketball, saktong-sakto sa ring, napakalinis ng tira, walang fast break fast break, tumira ng tres, pasok! Wala na gaanong tao sa loob ng convenience store. Bukod sa babaeng nagkukumahog sa pagkuha ng Nestle Cream at Del Monte Fruit Cocktail para sa kanilang fruit salad, tanging ang presensya na lang ni Donghyuck at Mark ang lumalanghap ng artipisyal na hangin sa loob ng tindahan.
“Corny nga. Ha. Ha. Ha.” Donghyuck just let out the most awkward laugh to ever exist in the Bible. Surely ay hindi proud si Lord sa kanya at malapit na siyang i-disown ng guardian angel niya na saksi sa mga katangahan niya sa buhay.
“Right. I told you so.” And Mark, the ever so dense Mark, just decided to sink in the words let out by his friend. His heart is palpitating like crazy and he chooses to pin it on the coffee that is left cold in the corner of the table. Alam niya naman na walang epekto ang kape sa sistema niya. He could only recall certain moments kung saan tinamaan ata siya ng caffeine.
Una ay noong kabibili niya lang ng kape sa bagong bukas na coffee shop sa harap ng eskwelahan nila at nakita niya si Donghyuck na tumatakbo papunta sa kanya. Tumatawid ito papalapit sa kaniya and he swears na narinig niya ang boses ni Sarah Geronimo na kumakanta ng A Very Special Love kasabay ng walang kamatayang slow motion effect while his figure is being pulled towards the boy running in his direction. He had the gravity to blame on that—baka nagkaroon lang ng kaunting anomaly sa space and time and dimension kaya parang nahahatak siya papalapit kay Donghyuck. He also had the coffee to blame on the sudden surge in the pulsation of his heartbeat—kahit hindi pa naman niya ito naiinom.
Pangalawa ay noong nakita niya ito unang beses sa loob ng classroom na nag-iikot ikot para manghingi ng yellow paper. Lagi naman niya itong naririnig para manghingi ng papel o kaya naman mang-solicit ng tigpipiso para makabili raw ng turon sa canteen, pero noon niya lang napagmasdan nang mabuti ang binata. Kaiinom lang niya ng overpriced na kape noon mula sa canteen pero hindi niya ma-decode kung bakit sumasakit ang dibdib niya.
At ngayon, habang nakaupo siya sa harap ng binata, sa malamig na temperatura ng paligid, ay nananaig ang malakas na pagkabog ng kaniyang dibdib na nagpapainit sa magkabilang dulo ng kaniyang tainga. When the coffee gets cold and there is no any cosmic error he could put the blame into, how does one explain the sparks and the butterflies and the whirlwind storm inside his chest?
“Pero kasi, wala namang matinong guidelines diyan. So I think you should not think too much about it and just write from the heart,” Donghyuck speaks. “If that even makes sense.”
“Yeah, I’ll take note of that.” He ruffles Donghyuck’s brown soft hair and the boy could not help but throw into a fit of giggles as soon as he felt the sensation left by Mark’s fingers.
“So I suggest na tumayo ka na diyan at pumunta sa amin para matikman mo na ang best Mango Graham in the city!”
Mark was reminded of the unsubtle reason why he decided to go to this place instead of traveling further. He wanted to knock on Donghyuck’s door exactly at midnight and give him his gift for Christmas, and maybe have a cup of coffee or two while his family talk about including him in the next day’s Christmas party. Perhaps it is unquantifiable, unmeasurable beyond the consciousness of science, how Mark just found himself gravitating towards the very space Donghyuck occupies. Is it the work of a gravitational anomaly, pushing beyond the physical dimension of time to dictate his affinity towards his bestfriend? Or is it just for a fact that we are merely humans, just a speck of packed atoms and molecules together that have a heart that beats, and beats, and beats?
Mark is not keen on finding his answers. But here’s the thing: the answer does not lay in every cup of coffee he digests, in the malfunctions of the universe as a whole, or even in the most cliche lines found in between books and movies. Nandito ‘yung sagot. Sa harap niya. Palagi.
“Ano? Tara na. Sumama ka na sakin.” Donghyuck suggests, finally retreating from leaning too much toward his friend. He was about to stand but Mark’s fingers reside in between the warmth of his hand. Donghyuck suddenly felt alive, awakening the senses of his corporeal being.
From the taste of the coffee that grew faint on his tongue to the smell of his hoodie that Mark gave him that one rainy day, up until the sparkles and glint in Mark’s eyes as accentuated by the lights of the convenience store from the outside. The warmth sinking in between every fiber of his being makes him so conscious of the fact that it is coming from the fingers intertwining his. He could hear the unfamiliar pacing of his heartbeat that not even the musicians could figure out the certain patterns in its rhythm. It’s Mark. It’s just Mark.
“Sabi ni Mama Mary deserve ko raw ‘to.” Mark sheepishly says, with forms of laughter coming in between his words.
“Sabi ni Mama Mary busy na raw siyang umire.” Donghyuck teases back as they share every piece of their happiness.
And once upon a time, in the most unconventional place to bare their souls, Donghyuck has already forgotten the pocketed list of ingredients needed for his Kuya Doyoung’s spaghetti and Mark has finally figured out the first word and the succeeding letters to finish out his article.