IF ONLY I had the courage to slip a “good morning” into his inbox, I would have finally justified my sleep deprivation. I can only imagine the sensation of waking up with his name and response etched on my phone’s screen every day instead of a message announcing the Zoom link for my morning philosophy class.
“Human beings are curious by nature, right?” I heard. I forced myself to listen to the answers of my classmates, whose profile pictures were filled with smiles, pretentious as the way they answered for good grades. Maybe if I were as eager as them, I would have voiced my opinion as well.
I gazed at my new cat, France, from behind the laptop. I wonder if she was now friends with my dear flower at the far corner. The aroma of those petals often reminded me of the scent of catnips.
When I squinted, I felt my desk quiver and heard loud rings resonating across the room. I saw France slowly creep towards my desk. Her legs and tail were stiff. Her back raised into a downward slope, and her fur erected outwards. If cats were wise, according to the Egyptians, then why is this feline about to pounce on me?
“Echavez!” the professor yelled.
I recovered my senses and realized my friends had called me on Messenger to recite. “Sir?” I asked.
“Magbigay ng kasabihan ni Aristotle.”
“Ano po ‘yun?” F
