Winners

Losers, what we call the heavily insulted and discriminated group. The bell rang, it was lunch time, everyone raced to the canteen, and there she was. Sitting on that cold chair with her hands between her thighs, staring relentlessly on the tiled floor. I hurriedly closed my math notebook and all I could imagine was food, I needed to eat. I saw her. Pity greeted me with a smile. "I'll eat in a while, wanna' come with me?" I said.

"Uh, no thanks, I'll stay here nalang,"

"Oh c'mon! Dali na! Get your food, let's eat downstairs." I coaxed her.

"Hindi, I'll eat here nalang."

"Want me to join you? Hati tayo diyan gusto mo?"

"Hehe, sige na nga..." she said with a forced smile.

She sat on her chair, her eyes never made contact with mine. For her, this was an awkward moment. I tried to catch her eyes, trying to assure her that I am comfortable with this moment but her eyes were concentrated on the cold adobo that surprisingly made my mouth water. She gently filled her spoon with food and ascended it to her mouth, her hair was in the way, but she didn't mind.

"Bakit ka naman nandito?" I asked her even though I knew what she'll say.

"La lang," she mumbled with food still in her mouth.

She handed the spoon over to me, I took a bite. She chewed. Suddenly, her face went into a grimace, a tear went down her cheek. She was crying. She was afraid to show. There was pain all over me like a dagger through my heart. I ached for her, for what she felt. She placed her hands over her face, her tears penetrated through. She was lonely. So incredibly lonely that it made her burst into tears.

"Ey, ok lang yun." I tried to comfort her.

She did not answer.

I handed her my hanky, fortunately unused. She dried her tears.

"Ok na ko."

I knew she was not. I knew what she felt. The yearning to talk to somebody, the yearning to be accepted, the yearning to be just be like everybody.

"Tara, libre kita coke. Ok lang yan, let's eat downstairs, tara."

And there we were, alone, eating...