Yuri was one of those girls who liked to be alone. One time, she went with her friends in Baguio City. It was the coldest time of the season and she did not bother bringing a jacket or a sweater. All she brought was a blue shawl that was as thin as her hanky.
There were five of them who went to Baguio. All of them girls. She counted again and regretted why she came. She hated odd numbers. And in this group, it looked like she was the fifth—the one with no partner. She’s close to the four girls but the tendency when you’re with a group that has an odd number is that one will always be left behind. In this case, that would be her.
The next morning, Yuri and her four friends decided to walk along Session Road. It was a busy day. A lot of people were heading on different directions. Yuri hated the crowd. It made her anxious.
“Yuri, aren’t you cold?” asked one her friends. She was wearing a red trench coat and black, knitted bonnet that covered both her ears.
Yuri shrugged and continued walking. She was not cold. But she noticed her hands were starting to dry and get numbed.
As they were walking, weaving through the thick crowd, Yuri slowed down. She felt so out of place. She watched her four friends getting a distance until all she saw was the vast crowd. She lost them.
She escaped the crowd and went to the other side of the road. There were less people. She went straight ahead and saw the park. She looked around and counted the people. She liked counting. One-two-three-four…. She repeated. There were just four of them. Yuri smiled. It’s an even number. She liked even number.
Yuri sat on the bench. She just sat there. Not knowing that her four other friends were dead tired looking for her. She had no phone. She left it in the hotel. She closed her eyes and felt the cold air touched her numb cheeks. She went into dreamland.
Yuri did not know how long she’s been sitting on the bench. But when she woke up, a man was standing in front of her. He was smiling and was looking intently at her. She did not say anything. He looked at her. He scanned her face down to her pair of blue Chucks. Yuri gave him a weird look. At his feet she noticed different kinds of sweets.
“Want to buy some?” said the man, still smiling at her.
Yuri went through the goodies. There were 15 kinds. It’s an odd number.
She went through the 15 kinds of sweets. Her eyes stopped on the peanuts that are coated with sugar. She loved peanuts. But she also liked the tamarind balls with sugar. She also liked the anchovies coated in sweet chili. She could not decide. She was starting to crave and salivate.
“I have no money,” she told the man. Her face was both apologetic and disappointed.
The man took some of the coated peanuts, put it in a small paper bag and gave it to Yuri.
“Here, eat it. Don’t bother paying,” he said and left. Just like that. He left.
raytsbaron 