Silence. I kept my eyes closed, too embarrassed to do anything. I just waited there, sitting like a child that was like waiting for his mom. The silence broke when the crowd started gossiping. Instantly, I felt someone taking my hand.
My breath hitched. Gosh, please let it not be some weird stranger.
Too scared, I stayed in my position and didn't even peek at who the person was. "Geez, why are you so clumsy?"
I almost jumped in joy at the voice, it was the first time I was happy to hear it. Eion took my hand. I took it hesitantly.
I just stayed silent. My once green dress that shone so bright was now dirty, so dirty that the only thing left clean was the top part, the whole down was drenched in the dirt that it turned black.
Eion carried me bridal style, and handed me the foods to carry, "Here."
I looked at it. Everything was two. Not only one, but two. So he intended to give one to me, I see. He then grabbed the five heavy bags in his hands while carrying me, multitasking.
"We were about to go to a carenderia to eat them when you slipped. So stupid ever since."
I didn't talk, still bothered about the incident I just caused, and still too embarrassed to talk, especially with the gawking eyes of the people around us who witnessed the whole scene.
Eion ignored them and dragged us away from the crowd. Some even muttered about Eion's mom, him owning the resort, and some even asked about his dad. So he's really that famous here?
Once we were outside the market, his eyes searched for a tricycle that we rode earlier when we came here, still carrying me.
"Ok, let's go in." He said, now heading to the tricycle he found and still carrying me when I stopped him, "Uhm, Eion? You're still carrying me."
"So?" He looked at me.
"Uhm, I can get in myself?" I answered unsurely. I may have begged for his help earlier, but only I was just too embarrassed. Now that we are out, I can stand on my own two feet, thank you very much. It's not like I bruised myself or anything.
He eyed me up and down, and dropped me gently, "Oh."
I got inside the tricycle first at the back portion since my dress was still wet and I may get the front part dirty, he was still looking at me weirdly, almost like in a trance. "Now c'mon!" I motioned for him to get inside the tricycle.
He seemed like he woke up as he nodded his head quietly and went to sit also at the back and just across from me. I stared at him dumbfoundedly, "Uhm, what are you doing?"
"Sitting?"
I rolled my eyes, "Not that, I mean, why are you sitting here in the back? I only sat here cause the front might get dirty by my dress."
"So? I want to sit here." He said.
"But you'll get dirty?"
"It's okay. Mang Tricycle won't mind. Right, Kuya?" He turned to the driver.
"Po? Oh, of course, of course." The tricycle driver replied. "Are we all set na po ba maam, sir?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Okay, here we go!"
And off we set so fast. It was my second time riding this but I'm still amazed by it. The air was picking up my hair, messing it up, but it was fun.
"Here." Eion handed me a trash bag. I looked at it weirdly, "What's this?" Opening it, it was a tissue.
"I bought it since you asked for it."
I nodded my head and opened the package to treat my dress. It didn't do that much, just enough for a few small areas but the rest was still there since it dried up and was set on the dress now.
"Kuya, sa Alice's Karenderia po." Eion said to the driver, and the driver just nodded, "Okay sir."
"We're going to eat there," Eion spoke up to me.
I looked at him happily, "So it's we? Then you include me now?"
"Of course, stupid. Did I say you don't?"
Yes, you did Eion. You really did. But I don't have to tell him that.
We arrived at Karenderia just for a few minutes. Eion paid for the tricycle, this time again keeping the change. Wow, how much money does this guy have?
Alice's Karenderia. I read the huge sign plastered above the said eatery. We found a table for two and sat there. Eion went to the comfort room to pee, him saying I need to guard our table. I did as he told and waited for him to return so that I could pee.
He returned for a while and I went to do my business. When I returned he wasn't there. I looked around, no. But the food and the vegetables and fruits we bought were there at the table. He probably goes somewhere.
Eion got back a minute later. He sat across from me and fumbled through the foods he bought from earlier.
He opened the first cellophane and handed it to me. "Here, Eat." He took one that has this brownish, orange wormlike stuck in a stick and ate it.
I scrunch my nose in disgust, "Eww. What is that?"
"It's called isaw." He continued on eating since he bought a lot.
I averted my eyes to the ground. I'm afraid I'm getting sick.
Eion dropped his food to a plate and glared at me, "So you're picky? Fine, starve to death or eat this."
I looked at him as though he had lost his mind, "Duh, I can order." I retorted.
"You didn't bring your money."
Damn. He knows! I only got my cellphone with me, nothing more, nothing less, how could I forget?
I rolled my eyes. "Then can I borrow some money?"
"No. What makes you think I will?"
I put my hands on my hips, "Well, you just let me, a lady who wore a dress and a sandal go shopping in a wet market, without bringing her money along. And also, you just let me carry all that heavy stuff." I pointed at the bags.
"But you came along."
"Excuse me, correction, you, dragged me along."
He snorted, "Bahala ka na nga."
"What?"
He pointed at the foods, "These are delicious. Try it."
"No. I will eat once we get to the resort."
"Even if this is free? Even if I bought it for you to try something new? To try this country's pride of food?"
"Uhm, free food?" I asked, my eyes sparkling with the word, 'free'
He nodded. "Then, I can just eat all of this then, what a waste." He cracked open an egg partially just to its head and drank the juice inside, and put some vinegar into it, and ate the contents left. There was something yellow, and there was a strange black thing inside.
"Wait, let me...try." I grabbed an egg and did the same. "Wow," I exclaimed when I ate all of the contents inside.
I then grabbed a stick that had a weird look which disgusted me earlier. Now that I had put it inside my mouth, it...tastes good. I did not expect it.
Then I attacked something that's also in a stick. But this one was different from the wormlike, this one was brownish-orangish like in color but the structure of it was like...a chicken's foot?
The last one was something not so weird and I saw the cooking process of it earlier. It's just some egg, wrapped in flour and fried, giving off an orange look outside.
I drank some water when I finished 'trying' all, "So good! What are these?"
"The first one was balot, an unalive pekin ducks' child." My eyes widen at that. Eion smirked at my reaction. "The other one is chicken intestines, or isaw. The third is a Chicken's Feet, it's called Adidas. Then the last one is kwek kwek, egg in flour dipped in vinegar. Then this is just a peanut sparkled with some salt."