Crazy Steps

    Aivan got up from a long mat made of braided dried seagrass leaves. His four young siblings are still soundly sleeping. He glances at the old clock hanging at the wooden wall. It is almost twenty minutes before 7 in the morning. Then, he cooked two cups of rice from the rusty biscuit container. Their father left some coins for their entree before he left to ride his pedicab. Their mother left them four years ago after she went to Japan. She didn't even give any money to support their family. There was gossip that his mother remarried a Japanese man, or his mother's master hid her. It made Aivan stand up as their mother figure. He was the eldest among the five. 

  After he put the rice in the clean bowl, he took the coins and hid them in the pocket of his torn jersey shorts. Then, he glanced at the small mirror at the top of the three-layered plastic drawer cabinet. He put some little white gel on his hair and rubbed it playfully. He even winked and smiled at his reflection before he went out of their humble home.

  Cluster Two was very crowded, and it was the complete opposite of the road going to Santa Martha Homes. When he entered the gate, there were market stalls at every corner. There were vegetables, meat, fish stands. Well, his money was not enough to buy a half kilo of chicken nor a kilo of cheapest fish. A bundle of watercress was not enough to feed his four siblings. And, his siblings preferred meat from vegetables. He sighed and stopped for a while to look for some sari-sari stores.

  There was a beautiful girl who caught his eye. She was not that tall, more like a petite size. She had a fair complexion, a pointy nose, and chinky eyes. Her shoulder-length hair waved with the wind together with her knee-length skirt. Her smile shone like sunshine as she passed by him. However, her clumsiness went through her that caused her to fall. Luckily, Aivan caught her. They stared at each other for a while. Her sweet caramel scent tickled Aivan's nose. It made him almost sneezed. Good thing, he prevented himself. After she left without saying a thank you, Aivan noticed something on the road. There was a silver bracelet with rose quartz beads and gold plated key bead. Without any hesitation, he picked it up. A paper flew from his face. He took it also, and read it.

   The Private Sonata Academe was finding ten new freshmen to apply for a full scholarship. Private Sonata Academe was one of the popular private schools in the National Capital Region. Although the tuition fee was very pricey, it could even cost the downpayment of the brand new Toyota Vios per month. And, Aivan couldn't even afford to go there. For him, it was just a dream to pass the entrance test for the scholarship. His father already planned to let him stop taking care of his siblings. But, he didn't want to lose this kind of once-in-the-blue moon opportunity. He hid the pamphlet in his pocket, and run to the nearest sari-sari store.

 "Bro!" Azer called him. Then, he put his right arm at Aivan's left shoulder. "How are you?"

Azer was his basketball teammate in Junior's league of their barangay. He was Aivan's idol because he took the MVP title last the Summer inter-barangay basketball league. Azer has only a year before he will reach senior high. Unlike, Aivan who will enter as a freshman this school year.

"I will buy some food for breakfast." He took the coins from his pocket.  

Azer widened his eyes. "You cannot even buy a pack of noodles with that. Anyway, let's go to my home and Mita has already prepared a delicious breakfast for us."

  Well, Azer's family was a little bit hospitable to him, because he was his best friend. However, Aivan didn't meet the rest of the family. He only met Mita, who was the oldest in the family. She was the grandmother of Azer. Azer's mom was a teacher of Private Sonata Academe, and his father was a Public school teacher which was his former adviser. When they were almost near, Aivan could smell the savory smell of grilled pork belly. It made his stomach grumbled.

  Azer chuckled loud. That made Aivan's cheeks grew red. He didn't want to enter the gate, and Azer noticed his behavior. "Don't be shy, bro. You're always welcome at my humble home."

   It was his third time visiting Azer's house. The walls were made of cement, half of it was made of sliding glass. At the other side of the steel, gate was the small sari-sari store of Mita. Slowly, Aivan walked to the living room. He sat on the sofa made of Narra. Then, he thought of his siblings. They might be already awakened. He stood up, but Mrs. Alonzo saw him.

"You must be Aivan Santos that my husband is talking about." Mrs. Alonzo stared at him from head to toe. It made him to gulp as he began to get nervous. "You are the salutatorian of Class 2011 of J.P. Rizal Elementary School. Am I right?" 

"You are right, Mom". Azer jumped to sat near him. "Aivan, please meet my gorgeous and smart mom."

"It's nice... to see you, Ma'am". Aivan said with a quivering voice.

"Well, I have good news for you if you didn't enroll yet in any school." She handed the same pamphlet of Private Sonata Academe. But he refused. "Why? Don't you want to have this opportunity to get into the best school?"

 "Uhm... I've already read the pamphlet. But, I think my father won't agree to..."

"Don't worry." She gently tapped his shoulder. "I will be the one to convince him. Azer, can you bring down the reviewers?" Azer smoothly followed her orders. "These are already yours. You have three days to review, and if you will pass the test. Then, you can study without any tuition fee. It's for your future, young man. If I were you, I will not lose this kind of opportunity. And, I know that you are qualified to be part of the Private Sonata School."

To become a student of Private Sonata School was like a beautiful sound from Aivan's ears. He was eager to get through the entrance test as a part of the challenge. He thanked Mrs. Alonzo and Mita for a wonderful meal. Plus, he had some packed grilled pork for his siblings.

---~~---

   With the help of Mrs. Alonzo, Aivan's father finally agreed to let him get the scholarship at Private Sonata Academe. Though every night is a struggle for him to review and to do house chores, it didn't cause him to give up his dream. During the exam day, anxiety is beginning to run through his nerves. He just closed his eyes and recited a short prayer before entering the hallway of Private Sonata Academe. His left foot is about to enter the designated classroom when someone bumped into him. He's about to fall onto his knees when someone held his arm. Aivan could recognize the same caramel scent. Then, the girl in the uniform shyly looked away from him as he could see the pink color in her cheeks. The same chinky eyes that caught his attention. Too bad, he heard the bell. It means that he needed to proceed to the classroom.

         Aivan stared at the ceiling while biting his ballpen. In his imagination, he was offering a bouquet for the girl with chinky eyes. She happily accepted the bouquet and smelled it. Her quick smile made her heart thumped fast. But, his imagination came back to reality when he heard the proctor that they needed to pass the papers immediately. He had no other choice but to pass it without checking on his answers. Silently, Aivan sighed because he was not too confident if he will get the scholarship. Then, he sat at the nearest bench near the quadrangle.

      "Are you okay, Aivan?" Mrs. Alonzo approached him with a worried look. "Is the exam easy or not?" Aivan didn't give her any answer. "Don't worry." She lightly tapped his shoulders. "I am a hundred percent sure that you will pass." 

   "Mom!" The girl in the uniform ran towards them. "Do you have any spare change? I need to buy some lunch and I left my money at our home."

  Mrs. Alonzo opened her purse and gave few bills to her daughter. "By the way, this is my only daughter- Eliana Maurice Alonzo." Eliana pinched the side of her waist. "You must be hungry too, Aivan. Eliana, please free him some lunch too."

  "You don't have to, Ma'am." Aivan was about to leave them behind. But, Eliana grabbed her by his arm. His throat started to dry up. His cheeks turned red when their eyes met. "What are you staring at?"

"Nothing. You look cute." Eliana giggled that turned Aivan's cheeks even redder.