Justin’s Reaction

Thursday, 29 April 2021

Justin had been stagnant for quite a while, and quite a while for me is more than a minute. It might not seem too long, but considering the situation, it felt too long. Then, from the shocked expression on his face, there was a change in his reaction, though I couldn't quite figure out what it was. It seemed as if he was contemplating on things, taking them all in, possibly considering whether he was dreaming or not, or whether he was crazy or not.

Whatever it was that he was pondering, I wish that his eyes would blink, just so that I could confirm he's still alive. "Bro, are you okay? I'm sorry I splashed you with cold water. I just wanted to get your attention, but then you've been immobile and I'm starting to worry now."

He blinked. Finally! He pulled up his shirt to wipe his face, then took it off. Topless and no longer disconcerted at the magical occurrence that he just witnessed, he settled himself on the grey English roll arm sofa and stared at the classic Korean painting that was hanging on the wall above his television. What's he doing? Is he analyzing the painting?

I sat on the sofa like a buddha facing him. "Bro, say something."

He blinked, sighed, then turned his head to face me. I waited for his blank face to manifest some emotion until a buoyant expression flourished through his beaming smile. "You have powers, bro! That is the coolest thing I have ever seen in my entire existence!"

I let out a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but respond with a smile. "The suspense almost killed me, bro, but it was worth it. I'm glad you believe me now."

"Yeah! Show me more, I love it! Does it only work on water or can you manipulate any type of liquid? Like…let's say you have a bowl of soup, can you separate it just like how Jim Carrey did in Bruce Almighty when he was testing his powers in reference to Moses parting the red sea in the Bible?"

"Hmm…that's a good question. I think I can manipulate any liquid that somehow contains water. So maybe that will work."

"How about we try it on the macaroni soup?!"

Justin's excitement was making me excited, too. We got up from our seat at the same time, and eagerly headed towards the kitchen. He fetched a bowl of macaroni soup from the pot, then held it in front of my face. I closed my eyes, inhaled and exhaled, opened my eyes again, then gestured my hand just like how Jim Carrey did in Bruce Almighty. While I was doing all this, Justin's doe eyes were gleaming, and he couldn't contain his bunny smile, which actuated his long dimples.

"This is too exciting!" His voice almost cracked from the high inflection.

The blue force emerged from my hands, and the creamy macaroni soup parted. Justin's mouth formed an 'O,' his smile got wider, and the gleam in his doe eyes magnified.

"This is really happening, bro! This is too cool to be true!"

I stopped and rested my arms on my sides. "That's not the only cool thing you're going to see. There's more."

"There's more? What other powers do you have?" He placed the bowl of soup on the kitchen counter and we both went back to our seats at the dining area.

Crossing my arms, I said with much confidence, "Well, I only have one kind of power which is aquakinesis. What I wanted to reveal to you that's even more exciting is that…I have a guardian."

"Really? What kind of guardian? An angel?"

"Nope. A talking crab."

He covered his mouth. "Holy shit, I wanna see it! Summon it!" His excitement was making me so grateful of my situation.

"Procopio, are you there? Can you show yourself to Justin please?"

Procopio was prompt as usual. He materialized on the table facing me, then he turned to face Justin. Justin's jaw dropped at the sight of him. "Hello, Justin. My name is Procopio, but you can call me Proc for short. Just like Eminem, Usher, and Sting, I don't have a last name, though I'm not a legendary musician. I am Uriel's guardian and I come from the Purple Sea."

Justin's mouth formed another 'O.' "This is all too amazing! Oh my God, I never thought the world could be so cool as this! Hi, Proc! Welcome to our world!"

"Thanks, Justin." Procopio turned around to face me. "We need to go back to your home before your family gets too worried."

"Oh, I kinda lied to his papa and told him that he's with a friend. I really thought he was with someone," Justin said as he carried his chair and sat beside me, so that Procopio didn't have to keep turning around to face whoever was talking. Since Justin and I just finished having dinner, the table didn't have much space for Procopio. Out of courtesy, Justin stood up to start cleaning the table, by putting the dirty dishes in the sink.

"By the way, why'd you have to talk to Serena? I thought I made it clear that I won't be seeing her anymore, just like you said you won't see Julia anymore. What made you think I was going to break that agreement?"

He went back to his seat as soon as he was done putting all the dirty dishes in the sink. "Well, that was the only thing I could possibly think of when I found out you didn't go home. I mean, how could I have known that you'd be spending your time with magical creatures in the Underworld?"

"Yeah, you have a point. Well, what did Serena say?"

"Nothing. I didn't even get the chance to talk to her much. When I went to the bookstore, I saw her waiting outside and she instantly recognized me. Then, she asked if I've seen you and that's when I found out that you didn't spend the night with her."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her I don't have any idea."

Suddenly, all the excitement of the evening that transpired because of Justin's jovial reaction to my power vanished into thin air. I felt anxious. "Okay. Now, that I realize it, I don't know how I'm going to explain the two nights that I didn't come home."

"I told him you stayed with a friend, so you gotta stick with that alibi."

I nodded. "It's getting late. I need to get back home. They might already be asleep at this time since it's past eight, but I still gotta show myself to Papa just in case he got worried."

"He was. He looked very worried when I bumped into him at the convenience store."

I felt guilty even though my absence wasn't my fault. "Alright, bro. We had a blast this evening. I'm glad I didn't have to keep this secret from you, but you gotta make sure no one else knows, okay?"

"Sure thing, bro. You know me."

"Thanks for the yummy dinner!"

"Anytime," he said to me. "It was nice meeting you, Proc." He gave him a sweet smile.

"Nice meeting you, too, Justin. Bye for now."

"Make sure you both go home safely."

"We will, bro. Thanks!"

Procopio and I left Justin's place. I rode my bike and he went invisible as he followed me home. It was so nice to feel the evening breeze. Although it took barely two days Underworld, I missed the breeze so much. I'm still mystified at the fact that I could breathe and talk underwater, and even move underwater just like how I can move here in my world as if it were a normal thing when it wasn't. Scientifically, all of that would've been impossible, but then again, there is no rational explanation for the existence of mermaids, mermen, and a talking crab, so what the heck. I guess, nothing is impossible.

When I arrived home and went inside, I parked my bike on the corner near the gate like I always do. There were butterflies in my stomach before I could even open the front door. It seemed quiet, but I could see through the transparent window's curtain that the lights in the living room were still on. That meant that someone was still awake and it was most probably my papa. Despite my growing apprehension, I wanted it to be him so that I could get it over with. I wanted to apologize for not telling him I wouldn't be home. Even if I did nothing wrong, I felt so anxious and guilty about it. I wonder how he's going to react when he sees me.

With my heart beating so fast to the extent of a possible cardiac arrest, I turned the knob and opened the door. It wasn't locked. If it was, I had a key on my back pocket, so that wouldn't have been a problem. When I got inside, my heart stopped at the sight of Papa. He rarely gets angry, but when he does, it's the scariest thing in the world. He was on the couch across the television and I could only see his back when he uttered two words that almost made me drop to my knees and ask for forgiveness. "SIT DOWN."

Oh, dear God.