THE
OPEN DOOR
“I am Emilio Distrongkar from Bauko,
Mountain Province and I am taking Bachelor of Arts in English” he formally
introduced himself to the creative writing class. He has a mocha complexion, a
Mexican of race yet in his vein runs an Igorot blood. His light brown eyes show
he is not that competitive, not an excellent student. Yet, of the following
days, he made a name, yes, he proved that he is good and have a will. He is the
star in the class. His works are damn creative and appreciable. Every work he
made blows the mind of every students and the teacher. Yet, in his deep eyes
mark the bile of his past and the chase of expectation from his parents- a
foster though.
He calls her mom upon receiving his
prelim grades from his six subjects. He expects that his mother would
congratulate him upon him enumerating all the eights but then he was so
disappointed. “Better take a ride and be home if you cannot do it anymore. We
expect more from you, we never dream of having you this kind of grades. It is
not competitive.” He cannot accept that even his known mother did not
understand him. Yes, for the past years, he made his parents be proud of him
but not this time. “Well everyone commits mistake. No one is perfect though.”
He dropped a tears and
everything stops. He feels the emptiness in his head. His mind is wandering
nowhere and so he is trying to move but he really cannot. The rays of the sun
penetrate the room and as it warm his face, his eyes make a tick. His eyes
circumnavigate the spacing of the tables, chairs, and cabinets up to the ridges
and the curves of the ceiling. All were so strange to him. The windows reflect
not the usual tree he sees every morning rather a layer of structure,
”squatters?” A dew of tears flows from his eyes. “Am I abducted? Raped? Kidnapped? I am not in my place.” His
intuitions bother him.
The rankling of the iron hinge
disturbed his mourning moment. He was so frightened. “Oh!Emilio, it is good you
wake up” a deep but gentle voice came from big mama’s mouth. “By the way, I am
Martina” she introduced.
“Why…” he moved back his butt
“How could I be possibly here?”
“You probably forgot everything
after more than 48 hours of sleep.”
“2 days? I must be at school
now. Where are my things?”
“In you left, seek everything in
the drawer.”
He found his phone. He was surprised
to see not a single but more than a hundred calls and text. He didn't bother to
open them. “Pretty sure my mother is in rage until now.” What surprise him most
is there are no more things in his bag. “My money, shit, my mother’s money,
Manang, did you see my wallet?” and the lady shakes her head.
He feels a little of
nervousness. “Damn it” he breathes deeply. He even cannot remember where he had
spent the money, in case. “Emilio, I found you in the street feasted by the
four big drunkards.” Emilio shattered. He frowns through the window, “and
then.”
“They took all your gadgets, its
good they left your phone, they took you wallet and your books.”
He snaps. Oh yeah, think he
remembered it. “My mother was not contented with my performance in my classes.
She is expecting a grade of nines but what can I do? That is the till of my
best. I received the money from her that day and to ease some pain I call my
friends to have a little pleasure at Mr.Luis. I am drunk, I guess. I really
don’t know they have a left plans for me.”
His pride cannot swallow him. He
is not used to be absent in class even though he is suffering a severe
condition. Any single lesson was never missed by him. “I cannot enter my class. I am really ashamed. Pretty sure, I miss a
lot of lesson and they will all laugh at me when I fail.”
“Emilio, take your rest and
tomorrow you will enter your class” the lady.
“No, I can’t. I am absent for
almost four days starting the day you take me until tomorrow.”
“But.. Why?”
“I know my mother knew it
already that I did not enter the class for three days. I will travel back home
as she said. I will explain everything to her for sure saying it in a call
won’t make her believe it. I just broke their expectations from me. They forced
me to take AB English and they expect me to show outstanding grades. I am
always chasing their expectations and those days are long gone for me to follow
it” he cried.
“I know how hard it is to
achieve your parent’s dream and wishes for you. All their expectations that you
need to achieve is for your own sake but it is not necessary that you really
need to do it perfectly. Son, the only thing I can advise you is explain to
your parents in the very righteous way. Let them feel that you are not a
perfect person who doesn't have weaknesses, them alone have.”
Emilio grins and embrace the big
mama. Her fats really encourage Emilio feel that this place is very open for
him.
“Emilio, if you feel like
leaving home, another door is open for you. If your family opens their door
wide open for you to pack all your stuff, mine is an entrance for a new life, a
new hope and a new beginning.”
