Dawn was barely breaking as Lukring sat the table for their breakfast of boiled rice and fried tuyo. She have prepared the dirty laundry in a rattan hamper inside her bedroom of their small but neat nipa hut near the foothills of Mt. Tralala. She wants to reach the creek earlier than usual where she washes the laundry. Leaving the foods covered by the kitchen table, she skipped her breakfast to be there. She wants to catch glimpse of the man that make her days full of colored flowers and birds sing. Teban will be there by now, taking an early swim together with his carabao, getting ready for the day’s plowing in the paddies.
Teban was awake before the roosters crowed. He barely slept that night; replaying over and over the events happened the night before. He met this shy lady at a benefit dance and it made his heart beats louder than a stampede of horses. He learned from his cousin the lady’s name was Lukring and she was a neighbor, who lives only a few blocks away. His cousin told him that she washes her laundry at the creek by the big rock near a bamboo clump. He was too shy to ask her to dance, so he might try meeting her in a different way.
Teban was already there when Lukring arrived. Pretending not to notice, she laid the hamper down by the wooden board to prepare her laundry, sat on a small upturned powdered milk can which she will use as dipper and soap holder, and began to wash.
Teban thought she did not notice him on the other side, despite his splashing the carabao noisily. He gathered his mighty courage and riding high on the carabao’s back, he heads valiantly for the lady of his dreams.
Lukring’s heart was beating fast as her knight in shining armor approaches. What could this handsome Lochinvar ask? How would she reply? Could she even utter a sound in her trembling lips? Could she ever tell these butterflies in her stomach to stay calm? As soon as Teban reaches the washing platform, he dismounted and asked her. “Umm… aaaah… aaaaahh…” while doing the hand sign “Can I help you do the laundry?”, and all Lukring could say is smile shyly and nod her head in agreement. They washed together silently for hours until they finished all the clothes and rinsed them with clean water.
Lukring put all the clothes back at the hamper and prepared for home. Teban stood up first and hand her her crutch. He tied the carabao, carried the hamper for her as they walked home together hand in hand.
People say that love is blind.....Yet who needs eyes to feel the passion and pleasure that love unfolds.
True love doesn't need words, true love can speak for itself.
