My Valentine's Short Story #2. A RITE OF SUMMER by Cesar Polvorosa Jr. (published by The Philippines Free Press)

It was the beginning of Carlo’s summer.

He was sitting on the beach. The waves were gently lapping at his feet. It was a pleasant sensation. A few distant clouds were like wisps of cotton against the deep blue sky. Cool breezes sweeping in from the sea were playing with the branches of the coconut trees behind him. He closed his eyes to savor the moment. It turned out to be a good idea after all, to spend summer vacation in Iloilo in the Philippines.

“Okay, I’m coming,” came a faint but audible female voice.

Startled, he looked at the direction of the voice. He had a fleeting glimpse of a young woman in shorts running, the flash of her long shapely legs and her splashes along the shore as she disappeared into the shadows of the coconut trees. She had been wading around until somebody called her.

It’s her! She was that very attractive young woman he saw yesterday at the town plaza when he arrived in the car used by his aunt to fetch him from the Iloilo airport. She was such a sudden vision of loveliness that he was momentarily distracted. He didn’t understand anymore what his aunt was saying. Her image made a deep impression on him. She had raven black hair but distinctive and delicate Chinese mestiza features with pinkish alabastrine complexion. She was statuesque and the promise of her well fitting T-shirt and jeans will summon the muses themselves. His imagination run riot. Will he see her again?

Now, she’s here on this beach. He was glad he decided to spend summer vacation in Dumangas, the hometown of his parents. It would not be boring after all. The relaxed rustic and tropical atmosphere and the sight of a beautiful woman assured him about the wisdom of his decision. Just think of the possibilities!

He donned his shorts and Nike rubber shoes and jogged to the basketball court at the town plaza for a scheduled game. He was rusty after his absence from basketball during the previous year. Later, after having adjusted, a hustling Carlo quickly scored several points. The eyes of the spectators and the players started to be riveted to him. The girls were cheering him. He turned to smile at them. His face shook up when he met the admiring look of that young woman he saw earlier. She’s here!

He stood there, as though impaled in his spot, his heart throbbing hard and his legs became rubbery. The ball was passed to him and the spectators yelled “shoot!” His jumper did not even touch the goal. His thoughts were in turmoil. He was inexplicably weak and flushed in embarrassment. He recovered later but it was not the same anymore. Inside, he was mad at himself. He just finished his first year college and he’s reacting to the presence of that gorgeous young woman like a silly high school kid!

The very pretty young woman soon approached with Marcel, the friend of his cousin, Manny. His heart beat wildly again and more. So, her name is Elaine and she is from Manila and a business management student of Ateneo University.

“You’re a very good player,” she said honestly. He felt a bolt of thrill in his being at this compliment and smiled abashedly.

“Carlo!” It was Manny calling him. “Hurry! We’re going to have batchoy.”

“Batchoy?, what’s that?” he asked. Manny and his friends all laughed.

“You’ll find it delicious. Just come with us” replied Manny.

“Okay! I’m coming now.” He turned to Elaine. “I.. I’ll be seeing you.”

They were right about the batchoy. He did find the popular local noodle dish a great treat and just right to appease his hunger pangs after a hard basketball game. He particularly liked the ingredients of crushed pork cracklings, vegetables and chicken breast.

He tossed restlessly in his bed that night, finally throwing away the Tom Clancy novel he was reading. Always the image of that young woman kept haunting him. Her mestiza eyes were like limpid pools that could easily drown him and her nose chiseled to perfection was like a work of art. Her red lips inflamed him.

A few days later, he went biking on the sandy road by the beach. Still not used to the tropical summer he soon felt himself perspiring profusely and thirsty. He decided to go back and grab a pop at the nearest sari sari or small convenience store he could find. He was turning a corner on his way home when Elaine suddenly appeared like an apparition before him, likewise on a bike. He almost lost control of the bike.

“Hey you again!” she greeted him, flashing a smile.

“Hello Elaine! I’m glad to see you,” he responded.

“Are you on your way home?” she queried noting Carlo’s direction.

“No, no,” he said at once. “I am just going around the place.” He biked to her side.

“M-mind if I bike with you?” his heart leapt as he said that.

“Sure, let’s go!”, she replied and raced ahead. She’s so cool, so carefree, his mind mused. He caught up with her.

They raced along the beach and then slowed as they talked. His aunt knew very well her cousin with whom she was staying. Though growing up in different continents, they both like jazz, reading the same books, enjoyed the same movies and were passionate about the poetry of Pablo Neruda. She enjoyed very much his stories of growing up in Toronto, his description of hockey and how it was to be an Engineering freshman at the University of Toronto. He in turn was fascinated by her tales of Manila and the cool places to hang out. But she would not discuss careers except to say she is expecting a job offer soon.

He had been initially reluctant to come to the Philippines for his summer vacation. After the end of the winter term he wanted to fly to Vancouver and visit his good friend in high school who is now a student at the University of British Columbia ever since his family moved to the West Coast. But his parents prevailed on him to join a returning cousin as a chance to visit their ancestral homeland. The unsettledness of April weather in Toronto could not fully vanish the memories of the long cold winter but any thought of snow and bone chilling temperatures simply disappeared in this tropical paradise. It was sizzling, summer heat in all its glory almost all day long. How good it was to sweat and bask in the sunshine. Just as warm were the people- always smiling and friendly whether its his relatives, friends of the extended family or complete strangers in the streets.

They saw each other again for most of the week. They went beach combing and then observed the fishermen hauling in their nets with the day’s catch. And being two city youths ignorant of the countryside, they went hiking and exploring the surrounding farms and wooded hills and followed the course of the stream. He enjoyed the native delicacies but could not bring himself to finish one balut which is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly developed embryo inside much to the merriment of the locals. They went to parties in neighboring towns with their friends. They all had a good laugh with his accent when he spoke in Tagalog and the local dialect of Illonggo. Elaine would good naturedly rib him when he could not pronounce other Tagalog words. He observed that the young men were constantly showering her with attention. She was like a rose in a barren field. It made him so insecure. But to his delight she always stayed at his side as though they had been friends for years.

The summer weeks went by. The sun waxed hot, high in the heavens. The flowers bloomed and there was an abundance of mangoes - from which the town of Dumangas probably got its name. There were fiestas and picnics. In the evenings, there were dances, haranas or serenading of maidens and a lot of drinking of tuba or the palm wine. It was the best summer for him.

He felt that Elaine was already his girlfriend. So, one moonlit night as they sat in the garden of her cousin’s Spanish style house he simply told her that he liked her very much. He then looked at her with his eyes full of profound meaning that it can’t be mistaken for anything else. She averted his gaze. Meanwhile, he bent his face down and twitched his fingers nervously.

“I intended to tell you this in a few days’ time but I have to say it now, “she replied. “Carlo, I am not staying in our country. I’ll be going to the States very soon.”

He suddenly sat up rigidly, stunned at the revelation.

“What?” he exclaimed in disbelief. “W-why, what for?”, frustration already creeping into his voice.

“I will continue my college in UCLA. Eventually, I will settle there. I had very little choice in the matter. It’s my parents’ decision. Most of my relatives are already there.”

“Why haven’t you said these things before?”

She told him with some hesitation that she wants to be treated by the people around her normally and not be extra nice to her just because she’s leaving. Besides, nothing was absolutely certain until two days ago when she got her firm school acceptance.

“Would you behave normally towards me if you know I’ll be leaving soon for good?”, she asked him. Her voice appeared to quaver. “I hope you understand.”

“I get you,” he said weakly. He sunk down, leaned back on the trunk of the mango tree. He felt himself drained of all energy as he realized the futility of the situation. But an idea quickly came to mind and he sat back up.

“But what if you’re not leaving the country?”, he asked boldly, meeting her eyes intently.

“Carlo, what for? There’s no use answering that question…besides, call us old fashioned but we are not that way here where I’ll be your girlfriend just because we happen to know each for a few weeks.”

“Please ... give me at least the consolation of knowing since we won’t be seeing each other anymore.”

She looked away. Silence. A moment drifted away. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? You can tell can’t you, that I like you too ?”, she said quietly.

He smiled, sweetly savoring the moment. It confirmed what he felt inside. To love and be loved - is there anything greater than that?

Right now, however, it was a bittersweet feeling.

“It’s already late ...let’s talk again tomorrow,” she said almost in a whisper and got up.

It was a night alive under the moonlight. Hoarse drunken laughter and singing and the strain of a guitar drifted in with the light breeze. Insects joined with their own strange symphony. The fragrant smell of flowers pervaded the air. Walking home, he took measured steps, his shoulders slouched. It was mid summer- the summer solstice when the entire universe seems to celebrate the high point of life and yet he felt something inside of him died.

They did not see each other the next day or even the day after that. He took to reading pocketbooks and wandering alone on the seashore. He must forget this episode.

It was sunset at the beach on the third day. He stood, letting the waves touch his feet while he was gazing and admiring the glory of the setting sun. He heard somebody coming. That moment was frozen in time for him. It was Elaine.

“Hi, I haven’t seen you lately,” she said, smiling as she greeted him. It was just like before.

“I....”, he looked at her for a moment. It wasn’t easy. All the memories of that night of revelations came back to him and were vivid, painfully vivid in his mind. “There were some things that I had to do”, he managed to say.

They walked along the seashore in the twilight. There was an embarrassing silence between them. There was so much to say to each other and yet silence. How it exactly began is hazy but as their fingers brushed against each other it was natural for them to hold hands, and as they gazed at each other with longing, it became natural for him to slowly plant his lips on hers. She reciprocated tentatively at first and then with equal fervor.

Night descended fast. There was only the sound of waves.

They saw each other at the dinner hosted by Carlo’s aunt on the eve of her departure. It was marked by boisterous laughter and a lot of storytelling among the elders. Carlo and Elaine slipped out to the verandah quietly after dinner.

“I-I’m afraid I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning,” she said softly. There seems to be a trace of awkwardness in her voice which he noticed. Strangely, triumph took hold of him. Prior to this, she was the one who was composed, cool and self confident.

“So it’s, it’s good-bye then?”, he replied.

“Y-yes, we have our own lives to follow and some sacrifices are necessary.” He shuddered deep inside at those words. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”, she asked as he noticed his pensive mood.

“No, no why should I be?”, he said it heatedly, fast. “There’s nothing I can do about it right?”, he quickly added and was immediately sorry. “I’ll miss you,” he said in atonement.

“Carlo, I really enjoy your company.”

It was much too much for him. He wanted to finish and efface it from his memory. It was the most cruel thing : shearing a rose that was just revealing the promise of a full bloom. To dwell on it would only be too agitate himself needlessly. The moon sailed in the sky and the stars came out. There seems to be a sudden chill on this hot summer night.

He knew she’ll be leaving after breakfast so he sneaked out very early and hiked.

He started for home when it was nearly noon. She’s gone by now, gone, gone ... was all he kept on saying to himself.

He was a block away when he saw a car parked outside the house where Elaine was staying. Elaine - she’s still here! She was outside, hugging his aunt and her cousin and giving all those warm farewells to the friends and relatives who came over. Why do I have to come at this time? He asked himself dejectedly. He looked downcast but still he fixed his gaze. Elaine got into the car. For one brief moment, he saw again her face, looking in his direction as if knowing he was there. That beautiful face tortured him.

The car started and sped down the road. His eyes glued to the car, his heart thumping hard against his chest, until, slowly, slowly, exhaust trailing behind, the car became a dot, finally disappearing in the distance. He stood transfixed for awhile. Elaine, Elaine is gone.

Maybe later he will feel the full significance of this development but not now, not just yet. But why should he be in so much emotional disarray when it was clear that he and Elaine are taking two divergent paths of destiny from the outset? He was going back to Toronto in time for the Fall Term while Elaine was, he thought going back to Manila. Is the turmoil he felt because it is a story that is ending rudely at mid summer? They were meant to cross each others’ path only briefly. Is life a series of intersections?

Weeks later, he was on a ship bound for Manila. He had taken ferry rides before at the Harbourfront in Toronto and the BC Ferries from Vancouver to Victoria but those were short trips. This time, it’s an over night trip and there were several hours when he could not catch a glimpse of land. The ship knifed through the water with power and grace. Manila was still far away. His parents, relatives and friends in Toronto were still remote. They still belonged to another world. Almost all day he stood at the railing, gazing at the sea, shimmering at the brilliance of the sun. His thoughts just blurred by, just like the rushing water below him. He peered down into the depths wondering at the secrets that they hold. He decided to correspond with her. Maybe, just maybe there might still be a chance that someday, somehow, somewhere their paths will cross again. They will both be living in North America and maybe for the next vacation he can visit her in LA. In the meantime, they have email, facebook and YM.

During the second day he sighted the island of Mindoro. The mountains loom mysteriously in the far off distance. Rows upon rows of coconut trees blanketed the white sandy beaches. It was a fine day but soon, rumbling clouds hovered on the horizon. Not long after, it drizzled, then it rained hard, wrinkling the once placid face of the sea. Carlo looked up, startled, and brought out his hand to catch the raindrops. As quickly as it started, the rains ceased but the passengers did not return to the railing. From a distance, Carlo was a solitary figure, standing all along by the railing.

Carlo’s summer was over.