The Greatest Supreme

[Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. We from XXX Airlines, welcome you to Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The local time is currently 9:07 a.m., and the temperature is 35 degrees Celsius, 95 Fahrenheit. Please stay seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign…]

I adjusted the time on my wristwatch as I heard the announcement. Then, I gently and silently fixed the belongings I brought on board around my seat. I also changed the prepaid sim card on my phone.

Anyways…

I was not alone on this flight.

”Hey, ” I spoke to the man beside me while his eyes were still closed due to motion sickness combined with the jet lag feeling.

”Later, Zekiel. I feel nauseous. ”

”….. ”

This is why I always wanted to travel alone.

And I recalled a scene two weeks ago…

* * *

Hey, can I go with you?

?

You see… I don even have plans for this coming summer vacation. And I just recently broke up with a cheating girlfriend. We didn even last for two weeks… I just want to unwind and relax, and I don wanna die in boredom.

Then live in boredom, Rin.

How cruel. So you
e gonna forget all I have done for you so far? Am I even a friend of yours? Rin had a slight grin on his face.

Oh, you
e going to guilt-trip me now?

Hehe.

No, Im just joking. Fine, you can join. Actually, I… no, never mind it.

Whats it? Hey!

There are conditions, but I can tell you now. Deal?

* * *

[On behalf of XXX Airlines and the entire staff, I would like to thank you for joining us on this journey, and we hope to see you on board again soon. Good luck with your day!]

We had already gotten off the plane, and the staggering Rin was holding onto my shoulders.

”Did you take the antihistamine I gave you? Stop holding me like a child. ”

Rin let go of his hands and fixed his posture.

”I already did. Haa, I really hate traveling. ”

”Then why did you come with me? ”

”…. ”

After some time, we already exited the airport. The weather was so hot, but the warmth gave me a sense of nostalgia. I removed my coat and placed it on my arm.

Rin grabbed a bottle of water from his bag and immediately emptied it.

He grumbled, ”Why the hell is the climate so hot? ”

”Stop complaining. You wanted to be here in the first place. ”

”By the way, since we
e already here… what are the conditions? ”

Ah right, a reason why I let him come with me in the first place.

”Hmm, thanks for reminding me. ” I gently smiled at him.

Rin narrowed his eyes.

”Actually, every time you make deals with me, I hate it. The deals are all damn suspicious. But since, you know… Im your dear friend, I always end up giving in. ”

I ignored him as he said that. I grabbed the phone from my pants pocket. Rin observed me as I did that.

I pushed my phones power button.

[You have an unread message.]

I ignored the notification.

Then, I moved closer to him. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer to me.

Click.

Rin had a dumbfounded expression.

”Thats it, the condition? To have a picture with me? ”

”Hmm, its part. Actually, it has something to do with my father. ”

”Oh right, your overprotective father. ”

I subconsciously frowned slightly at his words. But, I immediately erased the crease on my forehead with a smile.

Rin then asked, ”What are the other conditions then? ”

Haaa.

I opened my phone.

[You have an unread message.]

I swiped the notification bar and entered the phones password.

—Father: Already arrived in Manila? Let me see your bodyguard. | sent an hour ago.

I sent the picture I took recently to him. Then I swiped the screen all the way to the top of the conversation.

I gave the phone to Rin since I was already tired of explaining the whole scenario. I told him to read until the last message.

Rin received my phone and read the conversation.

After a while, he stopped scrolling. He glanced at me.

Hmm, did he…?

”So your father wanted to send a bodyguard with you, but you rejected it? But, he insisted since you have just recently survived leukemia… ”

Oh, not yet.

”…but you said that you already have a bodyguard. So… you want me to be your bodyguard? ”

”Wow, for the first time, you used your mind. ”

Rin frowned and sighed.

Well, it didn matter if I had a bodyguard or not. My father would not be able to stop me, anyway. I already have the best excuse, which was to join the international quiz show. I just decided to make Rin a bodyguard so that I could escape from the nags of my father. It was by chance that time when Rin asked me if he could travel with me, and I just took advantage of the situation… well I expected it though.

Then Rin spoke, ”But whats the difference between me as your bodyguard and hem as your bodyguard? No, in the first place, you shouldve chosen them since they
e more professional compared to me… I don even know how to fight. ”

”Then learn it. ”

”Are you jok— ”

”Im just kidding. Its just that they
e too bothersome and annoying. Most of my movements will be restricted. And theres no need to worry about being a
eal bodyguard. Youll just have to pretend to be one. ”

”…How? ”

”Just be with me. ”

Rin had a complex expression on his face. What was he contemplating so hard?

”As far as I know, Rin is someone who keeps his word, yes? And you agreed with the deal. ”

”I know and I did. ”

”Good. ”

Rin continued scrolling down through the messages. Yes, this was the moment I have been waiting for.

Then…

Rin exclaimed, ”You…! ”

”What? ” I replied to him while feigning ignorance of his reaction.

He moved his thumb and index finger as if he was zooming in on something.

”Whats with this picture? ”

”Hmm, want to retake? ”

Rin glared at me. Then he opened and closed his mouth several times until…

”…Forget it. Its just I looked so dumb, and you… its so unfair. ”

”Yes, you
e indeed ugly. ”

”Hey, Im at least above average, you know? ”

Reflexively, I looked at him. I mean, he was not wrong…

”Right, right. Give me back my phone. ”

Rin handed over my phone with an annoyed expression on his face. Then he spoke to me again. So many questions…

”When will the event be? ”

”Next week. ”

I think I know what he was thinking at the moment.

”Then we could— ”

”If you want, you can. However, I will be busy, so I can accompany you. ”

”You
e no fun. Whats the purpose of traveling all the way here if you don want to explore places? ”

”Ill think about it. ”

Rin continued with his talk, but I just simply ignored him.

At this point, we had already grabbed a taxi.

”Sir, AAA Hotel, please. Rin, please take care of my baggage and wait for me there. I need to go somewhere first. Lets just chat online. ”

I handed him my coat.

”What? W-wait, where? ”

”Just somewhere. ”

”…Fine. By the way, Im not your errand boy. ”

”Ill compensate for that. ”

”H-hey. ”

I closed the door of the taxi, and the vehicle began to move.

I glimpsed at my wristwatch. The time was 10:05 a.m.

* * *

I took the train, rode a jeepney, and walked almost a mile just to be here in this exact, familiar place. A place that seemed densely populated, noisy, and somehow sentimental to me…

I glanced at my watch; the time was 10:36 a.m.

”May kano oh. ” (Theres an American, look.)

I could hear the chatters of disheveled yet smiling children playing outside of their houses.

I looked around.

Nostalgic.

I was thirteen years old when we had to move here to the Philippines due to my fathers business. We stayed here for three years, and those years meant a lot to me.

In an instant, I somewhat vividly remembered the people I accompanied, grew with and laughed with while Im still here six years ago. I just hope that they are doing well now and that they are in good health.

In my absence, I have lost track of how much this place has changed. While I was in the United States, I also did not pay full attention to myself and my surroundings; I just knew that I was weak and sick. And when I recovered, I just casually moved forward, unaware that something was changing in me.

When I finally reached this place after more than half a decade, only then did I realize how much this place had grown, and I was enlightened that I had grown as well, really.

The fact that this place and I grew in separate ways made me feel melancholy yet satisfied, so much so that I couldn help but gently smile.

I could say, Im home, but no one was here waiting to tell me, You
e back.

Buzz, buzz.

I grabbed my phone from my pocket.

[You have an unread message.]

I unlocked my phone and…

—Father: Is that what a bodyguard looks like? | sent a min. ago.

—Father: You even look more like one than him. | sent a sec. ago.

—Father: Hes short, and hes ugly. Haha, what if hes a criminal? | sent a sec. ago.

Annoying.

Tap. Tap.

—Me: A bodyguard, not the stereotypical model who you
e looking for, yes? Im just tall, thats all. Plus, hes reliable. | sent a sec. ago.

—Me: If theres someone whos a lawbreaker, its you, not him. And please, don message me for a week. I need to focus. | sent a sec. ago.

—Father: Son. | sent a sec. ago.

—Me: Father. | sent a sec. ago.

I replied once more.

—Me: Thank you for understanding. | sent a sec. ago.

Haaa.

I turned off my phone. I was about to put it in my pocket when…

Buzz, buzz.

”…. ”

I swear…

I frowned at the persistence, no, wait.

—Rin: Damn, Im so tired because of you. Now, its all boring waiting for you. | sent a sec. ago.

Chuckle.

—Me: Oh, endure me. 😉 | sent a sec. ago.

—Rin: Chills. Stop it. | sent a sec. ago.

Rin was the only nagger I could endure, now that I realized it.

Funny.

Come to think of it, my life in the US was not so bad at all, maybe because of people like Rin.

Well, one of the real reasons why I let him join me on this trip… even though I didn personally experience it, I just knew the pain of being cheated on, no matter what the circumstances. Rin might be casual about it, but it stings. Maybe it was out of sympathy that I just wanted him to breathe.

What am I saying? I didn personally experience it? What nonsense.

You cheated on your child as well once you cheated on your spouse.

—Rin: I already ate lunch but buy me some local food. I wanna have a taste. | sent a sec. ago.

—Me: Okay. | sent a sec. ago.

—Rin: Woah. Are you actually buying it? | sent a sec. ago.

—Me: Its compensation. | sent a sec. ago.

I pressed the power button and put my phone back in my pocket.

I was about to leave the area when I felt a sudden nervousness. I stopped my feet.

What if someone was waiting for me here?

I looked around, left and right. There were no familiar faces here. No, it didn make sense in the first place.

This isn a TV drama, Zekiel, I affirmed to myself.

Wait, why did everything feel so normal yet so unreal?

Or… was it because of the upcoming competition? But, I never felt anxious about a contest before.

I looked at my wristwatch… It was already 11:45 a.m.

Why the…?

Dissociation? No, it couldn be, not happening.

There was an urban saying I heard before.

When the days and reality felt so regular yet so strange, and the time flew so fast yet felt so slow…

They are indications that the world is about to end.