I remember those nights perfectly. I’d wake up crying from a nightmare and I get a sweater and creep out of the room. I fumble for the phone and dial your number. I press every digit correctly despite the darkness and it’s your little brother who answers. It’s 3am but I know you two are still awake. He hears my voice and knows it’s you I want to talk to so without a word he calls for you. I hear him screaming ‘Kuyaaaaa’. A minute later I hear your voice and you know I’ve just woken up from a bad dream so you brought your guitar with you. You wait for me to tell you every detail of the horrible images I had while I was asleep and you listen and make funny remarks just to make me laugh and make them seem less horrible. And then we fall silent for a while and all I can hear is you plucking away with your guitar, soothing me. I ask you to sing for me but you stubbornly refuse. I plead and I plead but you’re stern with your answer so I just let you play the guitar. I lean back on the couch and I find myself giving in to unconsciousness. ‘Bie?’, you call out and I give a faint ‘hm?’. You pluck a familiar tune. Kundiman by Silent Sanctuary. And at last, you heed my request and you sing the first lines of the verse.

Para kang asukal

Sintamis mong magmahal

Para kang Pintura

Buhay ko ikaw ang nagpinta

Para kang unan

Pinapainit mo ang aking tiyan

Para kang kumot

Na yumayakap sa tuwing ako’y nalulungkot

Kaya’t wag magtataka

Kung bakit ayaw kitang mawala

‘Yay’, I softly say. And you sing to me. You aren’t that good, but I love it anwyay. After you’ve finished I was half asleep and you call out to me again. ‘Bie?’ but I was too tired to answer. ‘I love you, nanayt’, you whisper. *click* and the phone goes dead. I put it down and I walk back to my bed and sleep like a baby.