the rose,... dried up

(js prom '05 : 3rd of 4 parts)
...falling on the rooftop...
"erika, pwede ba kitang makasayaw?"
the girl stood up. we took a few steps to the floor...
"turuan mo ako ha! di ako marunong eh!" came my date's response.
i smiled back. oh baby tell me why you have to go...
"swerte ka kinakantahan kita..." i told her. and she acknowledged.
my first dance - with our class muse. nice start, gab.
when we let go, i took a look at my brooch - starting to wilt...
no, almost wilted..
but i didn't mind, and so i went looking for someone to dance with.
in one of the four corners of the hall, a pictorial was in process...
i joined in, of course. those were my classmates, for a fact.
after the pictorial...
"eileen, sayaw tayo, kwentuhan mo n ren ako..." facing a girl wearing red.
after getting the affirmative nod, we went to the dance floor.
the slow dance suddenly stopped, and a fast one kicked in....
thus quickening our conversation about the supposed to be king and queen of the prom. :)
the fast tunes, later, were halted, and i resumed to find a partner.
after four to five dances (or songs, say)...
young man...there's no need to feel down.. i said, young man, pick yourself off the ground..
wow. is this really a promenade? as that and other songs like that played on...
anyway, i didn't dance during that period. that's being crazy, in my opinion.
of course, that stopped too, and the next song seemed to say that that won't be repeated for the rest of
the night.
i inquired a friend of the time. he flashed his watch - eleven o' clock.
when i was dancing with a long time friend... i saw her. she was dancing with... david.
suddenly a rush of memories came... i was supposed to, let's say, "take her away" from him, when the case
arises that he asks her. but i was dancing with someone else... strike one, i said to myself.
my partner noticed that. "kanino ka nakatingin?" she asked, and glanced at where i was looking. "ahh...
so gusto mong makasayaw si kacie..."
my face turning into a shade of red, i responded with, "hmf. nagselos ka naman." i regretted it. *well,
at least they didn't dance for long. kidding aside...*
when the song finished, i offered an apology to her. "nyak. okey lng yun. nagkakahiyaan nga kami eh.
basta yung last dance ha!" was her response. painful? i never knew.
after a few more dances, i found a dear friend of mine - sol.. and asked her for a dance. the thing was,
i did not know that he was still dancing with another guy, but because he left her, i got the nod.
(well, why do you think i mentioned her?)
a few seconds later, i saw the charming lady i spoke of earlier walking to the dance floor with a very
close friend of mine.
i was singing to sol "til they take my heart away" when i noticed them. i told my friend "wala akong
planong isayaw sya... tingin mo?"
after a series of deep questioning, i looked at her straight in the eye.. "sige na nga."
silence in our part. i was still gazing at her, singing a song... "gab, ang ganda ng mga mata mo..."
i responded with a smile. that's the best i can do.
then, i looked past her and winked at rowell (my friend), for which purpose was obvious.
he got the message. "gab, pwede ko bang mahirap si sol ng sandali?"
(as a "law", when asked for a dance, one should comply...)
then we were left alone. the girl and i.
"okey lang ba??" i asked.
i didn't need a response. she put her hand by my shoulder, and there started all.
"oy. kamusta na."
"ayos lang."
"di na tayo nag-uusap ha..." she faced somewhere...
evading my eyes.
*know what, my father stressed too much to me about eye contact in communication. so i always was like
that. sorry...*
"oo nga eh. sorry ha... na-miss kita."
she looked at me. then turned her face somewhere else.
"nanginginig ba ako?" i asked her - i felt i was.
silence again. she stared at me. i was mesmerized.
"ano ba, gab?... hay. ang tanga ko talaga." she turned again.
"bakit mo naman nasabi?"
"ahh... ewan.."
"nahihiya ka ba sa akin?"
her feet stopped. she still didn't look.
"sino na ba?? para maliwanagan na ako."
"hindi ko alam kung mahal ko na siya." i knew what she meant. and who she was talking about. painful? i
never knew.
"gab, okey ka lang?" came her soft voice.
"hindi ehh.. nanginginig yata ako..." at last. we were facing each other.
i gazed into her eyes... a long, searching gaze...
then she turned away - again.
"nahihiya ka ba sa akin?"
the song came to an end. i just realized that i was singing to her.
she only smiled back. "oy, salamat ha."
"sorry talaga... sige.." as i let go of her. I HAD LET GO OF HER. painful? i never knew.
but that was strike two.
when i was asking someone again.. the lights turned on. darn. but i think it didn't matter, for the
moment...
as each minute passed, the last dance was approaching nearer and nearer.
and people were asking me every minute "nasayaw mo na si anna?," all answering them with a small snicker.
then came the last dance. *apologies for the redundancy*
well, she was dancing with someone else. so i had to ask him to have her. it hurts when anyone does that.
but i had to, say.......
and so we danced. "uy gab, salamat sa lahat..."
"um, wala yun..." ...was i blushing??
"nakita ko kayo ni anna nagsasayaw ha..."
"oo nga eh. haaay. akala ko nga iiyak ako sa harap nya.."
silence.
"gab... salamat talaga sa lahat..." she told me again.
the lights turned on.
"please, do not forget to sign in the attendance sheets..." came our adviser's voice.
a student talked to her in front - "attention everyone! we are extending this dance one hour..."
"oy gab! uulitin nten un ha!!!!" she shouted at me, and i smiled back.
of course. i waited for that. half an hour later....
"i'm sorry, but this next song will be your last dance. the parents have requested that this event last
only until twelve midnight..."
a groan was heard throughout the hall. but, we could do nothing. the lights were turned on again.
i approached her again. the last song played.
...skies are blue, red roses too.. i see them bloom...
.....until, when all was to end...
...and i say to myself...
"gab!" a dancing couple approached us.
it was eileen - and adam.
"switch daw.." and it happened as it was.
twenty seconds before the song ended... it all happened...
i thought of that happening, but wasn't prepared.
as she glanced back at me... i only managed to give a wink. now i know that was painful.
the song ended. i grabbed a souvenir pillow and walked away.
and took the pinned rose on my chest...