My Farmer Boy...

M's a farmer - like the rest of his family and the generations before him, they have only known tilling land.

He said he was fortunate that he finished high school - but really, "ang plano lang talaga ng magulang ko ay magsaka ako hanggang sa mag-asawa at magpamilya na" M narrated.

Kaya lang naman ako nakapunta sa Maynila eh dahil sumama ako sa kaibigan ko - tumakas na lang ako kasi hindi naman papayag sila Nanay. Pero okay na kami ngayon, limang taon na din e. M continued.

I never doubted that he was.

His skin was sun kissed and tortured.

His palms were rough - like they've known hard labor forever.

And he had scars all over - from small cuts to deep ones.

When we were naked in bed, I started to trace my fingers from the scars in his hands, then to his arms, and then down to his chest.

Ang pangit, ang dami kong peklat. M

I just smiled.

Bawat isa nito, alam kong may kwento. ME

M just smiled but his eyes said otherwise.

-o0o-

I lived a secure life - no, we are not rich, but I did not have to do hard labor.

When I look at M, clothes and all, I could only see the sparkle and wander in his eyes and the light that his smile brings me...

A far cry from what his scars are trying to say.

-o0o-

Gusto kong malaman and bawat kwento ng isa. I said to M

Hindi magaganda, ikaw din. M said jokingly.

Wala naman kwentong-peklat na maganda e. I said

Hahaha - bago yun a: kwentong peklat. M said - and his face lit up again and seeing him, mine did too.

M has a hard exterior through and through but I know he is the gentlest of souls.

And again, for the first time, I wanted to care for someone.

Hindi na importante yung kwento, ang importante, lahat ng sugat na 'to ay naging daan pra sa sandaling ito - kasama ka. M

I wanted to comment on how good he is with weaving words pero I hesitated - I wanted to savor what he just said.

I touched the scar in his hand again and moved it to my lips.

-o0o-

Here's to those little moments that we live for.