Chapter 27
Euclid walked barefooted on the shore of the Balesin Sea in Quezon province. The cold morning sea breeze kissed his sun-tanned cheeks. It’s been two weeks since he and his father transferred to this place for hiding. He doesn’t know why they had to leave their house in Cebu for good, but because his father refused to talk about it, Euclid chose to keep his mouth shut.
He found a long tree log near the water, the low tide waves reached their end on every approach. Euclid decided to take a seat on the trunk and watched the sun rises from the ocean. This is another day for the transferee education student, Euclid.
“Hey!” A woman shouted from his behind. “Hey, Mister!”
Euclid looked over his shoulder and found a girl sitting on an improvised wooden bench under a tree. She was waving her hand as if calling him to come over. Euclid knotted his forehead and ignored her. His father warned him to beware of women on this island. Most of them were luring tourists with their beauty and stole their money eventually.
But, he’s not a tourist. And, he doubted that he even looked wealthy with his worn-out cotton tees and washed denim pants. He might be mistaken as a fisherman because of his tanned complexion.
“Hey, didn’t you hear me?”
Euclid looked up at the woman, who was now towering over him with her five feet or more height. She propped her hands on her small waist and raised an eyebrow at him.
“Are you deaf?” she asked and sat beside him on the log.
“What do you need?” he asked, looking away from her.
“Nothing,” she chirped. “You’re new?”
Euclid didn’t answer. He doesn’t have time to talk with strangers, especially to a random girl who doesn’t even know how to fix her messy hair.
“This is my favorite spot here—”
“I’m not interested,” he cut off. “And, please leave me alone—”
The girl pushed him into the water right at the moment that the waves came to them. Euclid cursed under his breath when the saltwater soaked his clothes.
“What’s your problem, knit-wit!” he shouted as he got up.
“You have no right to tell me to leave this tree trunk!” she shouted back. “This spot is mine!”
Euclid’s brows furrowed. “Really? Do you have your name on it?”
The girl smirked. “Look underneath.”
The line in his forehead deepened. He turned the log to the side and underneath it, a carved name of Maria was written on the wood. “This is absurd—”
“And, real,” she said and sat on the log again even it was already wet. “What’s your name?”
“Why would I tell you your name?” he asked back. “I don’t even know you.”
“I’m Maria,” she said and smiled. “Now, you know me.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know you personally—”
“If you tell me your name, we’ll start to get to know each other personally,” she said, not taking her eyes off him. “Every relationship starts with one hello.”
“You didn’t say ‘hello’ to me, brat. Why don’t you go home? It’s too early for children to come here at the shore,” he said and started walking away from her.
“Hey, where are you going?” The girl shouted from his back. “I’m not a kid! You see, you’re just a few inches taller than me and…” she hesitated. “My boobs grew larger now.”
Euclid stopped on his toes. He can’t believe what he heard from her. “Do you often say that to every man that you encountered here?”
The girl ran to his side. “The what? That you’re taller than me?”
He cupped his forehead. “You should get home. I think it will rain soon, and the sun is not coming up.”
“Wow! How did you know that? Are you some kind of a weather reporter?” she asked, eyes were wide in amazement.
“Do you go to school? Predicting the weather by clouds was taught in eighth grade,” he said and looked at the dark clouds spreading. “Those were cumulonimbus—”
“Would that monstrous clouds bring a storm?” the girl asked, bothered expression was all over her face.
Euclid chuckled. “Hey, what’s with that look? It’ll bring just moderate showers—”
“Is it a heavy rain?” she asked again. When he looked at her, she lowered her head. “I-I’m sorry… I don’t go to school.”
“Why?” he asked. “How old are you?”
“I’m sixteen…” she replied hesitantly. “I went to the school when I was eight, but after the 4th grade, my father died, and my mother told me to stop studying…”
“I’m sorry…” he said. “My name is Euclid.”
The girl looked up at him. The warm smile was back in her pretty face. “Euclid? Just like the color of those bad clouds?”
He laughed. “They aren’t bad. They poured rain for the plants to live. And, releasing water was their purpose in this world.”
“Why your parents name you Euclid? Is it because you refused to smile always?”
Euclid studied the girl’s face. “You’re too nosy for a sixteen-year-old girl who’s insisting that she’s an adult already,” he said, and when the girl didn’t speak, he laughed. “My full name is Euclid.”
“Euclid…” she repeated. “That’s… a terrible name.”
He paused, then a moment later, he burst out laughing. “You’re so vocal of what you think.”
“Is it bad? My father told me to always be myself. In that way, I will find the person that truly loves me,” she said in a sad tone. “But I think it’s not a good idea. I don’t have friends because of this attitude—”
“That’s the reality of life, Maria,” he said and patted her head. “Do you want to learn more about clouds?”
Her eyes widened. “Will you teach me predicting the weather?”
Euclid cocked his head as he thinks. “Not really predicting the weather, but it will help you read the clouds and their purpose. Why are you so worried about rain?”
Maria looked at the clouds over the blue sea of Balesin. “Because my father got lost in the ocean during heavy rain.”
***
