Ca Celin carretela arrived bringing inside my brother and her wife.

Looking at her, she is beautifully

mesmerizing then she approached me spitting out the words “You are Baldo”. At that moment she
noticed Labang who’s chewing his cud. I placed my hand on Labang’s neck and give the go cignal for her
to touch him, she hesitated as she saw Labang’s long, curving horns but she proceeded and touched
Labang’s forehead lightly.

My brother approached us after he payed the fare. “Maria—” my brother utter. It was a beautiful name.
“Yes, Noel” she responded. Leon backward is Noel, pretty clever, it sounded good. My brother then
gestured where Nagrebcan is. They had conversation as carretela of Ca Celin left going towards camino
real route. We stood alone on the roadside as the sun was dipping in the bright sea and the blue sky was
drifted lazily in the gentle breeze. We also saw along the saw-tooth rim of the Katayaghan hills to the
southwest with fluffy white clouds. There’s a lot more like field swam.

Labang made a sound, loud and proud. As my brother and her wife laughed together hearing the sound,
then my brother commanded me to hitch Labang to the cart as they started a conversation. “Why does
he make that sound?" Maria asked, saying she never heard sound like that. My brother responded
“There is no other like it” “There is no bull like Labang” he proudly said.

I climbed on the cart and held Labang’s rope firmly to prevent him from bolting. But Labang won’t stand
still, that my brother Leon had to say “Labang” many times. When he was quiet again, my brother
climbed up to the cart. Maria, climbed up too, giving her hands to my brother as she step up. I gave the
rope to my brother as he instruct Maria to sit down on hay and hold on to anything. Afterwards, Labang
started leaping forward and as he slowed down my brother handed to me the rope. When Labang as
merely shuffling along, I made him turn around.

"What is it you have forgotten now, Baldo?" my brother Leon said.

I didn’t respond and just went to the direction where I had unhitched and waited for them. The sun had
sunk and down from the wooded sides of the Katayaghan hills shadows were stealing into the fields.

Our journey continued and my brother keeps on asking many questions like “who told me to drive
through the fields tonight?" “Why did i follow the Wait instead of the camino real?" so many questions
but the only answer is because "Father, told me to follow the Waig tonight.” He got tired and just turned
to Maria and ask her the possible motive of my father about directing to this route. He also asked Maria
if she have seen many stars before.

In the deep gorge the shadows had fallen heavily. On our way we saw from far distant a bunch of stars.
Gladness was vivid with Maria’s voice as she saw those stars. They reminisce their past conversation
about how my Brother Leon told Maria that Nabrebcan are full of stars that are bright and big compared
to Ermita Beach.

Now the shadows took fright and did not crowd so near. Clumps of andadasi and arrais flashed into view
and quickly disappeared as we passed by.
"Have we far to go yet, Noel?" she asked. "Ask Baldo," my brother Leon said, "we have been neglecting
him." "I am asking you, Baldo," she said. "Soon we will get out of the Wait and pass into the fields. After
the fields is home---Manong." I hesitantly responded. "So near already."

Silenced reinforced after that talks. When suddenly he broke out into song and the song was 'Sky Sown
with Stars'---the same that he and Father sang when we cut hay in the fields at night before he went
away to study. He must have taught her the song because she joined him, and her voice flowed into his
like a gentle stream meeting a stronger one.

Then we were climbing out into the fields.

"But it is so very wide here," she said. The light of the stars broke and scattered the darkness so that one
could see far on every side, though indistinctly. "You miss the houses, and the cars, and the people and
the noise, don't you?" My brother Leon stopped singing. "Yes, but in a different way. I am glad they are
not here."

"the camino real curves around the foot of the Katayaghan hills and passes by our house. We drove
through the fields because---but I'll be asking Father as soon as we get home." My brother Leon
explained.

Maria suddenly burst out words of fear. “I am afraid. He may not like me”. Then my brother Leon gave
her an assurance that she’ll be fine.

They finally arrived to their house and they were welcomed by Leon’s mother and sister. The first words
that fell from my brother’s lips after he had kissed Mother's hand were: "Father... where is he?"

My mother become serious and told my brother that he’s in his room upstairs and that his legs is
bothering him again (injured in the revolution).

After the talks I had to go back to the cart to unhitch Labang when Father called me. I met my brother
Leon going to bring up the trunks. As I passed through the kitchen, there were Mother and my sister
Aurelia and Maria and it seemed to me they were crying, all of them.

When I entered father’s room, he asked questions about their journey going to the house, monitoring
Maria’s attitude, behavior and actions. It seems like an observe on how Maria will embrace their place
as her home since she came from city.

The conversation between us was cut when my brother and her wife entered to meet Father. I leave
them to give some privacy.