Sunset on Her Porcelain Skin

She texted me suddenly saying she wanted to go somewhere. I couldn’t say no, as she was the love of my life at the time. We weren’t exactly sweet on each other a lot, but we both knew that we cared for each other dearly. She wanted to go to Marikina’s Riverbanks on a date. I’d obliged and we set a date for it.

           Although I rarely go outside, I’m always up for an adventure. Commuting isn’t fancy, but I find it really fun. I love to look at the bustling city, seeing people walk around with their own purpose in mind. Everybody’s got somewhere to go. Riverbanks isn’t particularly far, but it is quite the trip. We’d met and my eyes met hers once again. She doesn’t dress exactly like a girl’s girl, but I liked her just the way she was. She made me feel comfortable in her presence, like I could be who I am with her.

Anyway, our first ride was the train, and we sat down. She put her head on my shoulder, which felt comforting. Our second ride was in an FX, and she knew where to go. She mostly led me along the trip. I’m not one for dates or planning dates, I just liked the company of the person I loved. Our last ride was a jeep, and we sort of overshot our drop-off because of me. That was alright with her, but she punched my shoulder lightly in an endearing way.

          Riverbanks was a beautiful place, the grass rolls down a hill that stops at concrete riverside. There were kids that road their skateboards, couples sitting on the grass, and people just strolling along, perhaps contemplating. She told me she wanted to go shop for clothes first, and I went along with it. I like clothes, as it tells something about the person. Style is really important to personality. And watching her pick out clothes was a dear, I found it cute. I was fairly tired from all the walking, but not tired enough to collapse. We found the food court in the mall and ate. After eating, she decided we should ride bikes. 

          Now, the place where the bike rentals were was really far. Like a long walk along the riverside. I remembered the first time we were here, the walk was exhausting. It was sometime around the afternoon, probably around 3 or 4 o’ clock. We arrived at the bike rentals, and I really didn’t know how to ride a bike. She got on quick on hers, effortlessly peddling and cruising. This was a challenge for me. I looked at the bike and wondered how people stayed upright when it moved. How could something so thin support a person’s weight and maintain balance? It boggles the mind really. I got on and started peddling with great effort, and got over a little distance. I had struggled greatly.

Why don’t people just run if they want to get somewhere? I’d rather not be sitting on a thin metal death trap just to get somewhere. Sweat was dripping down my chin and my back was wet. This was exhausting. But at a point where we were riding along the riverside, I saw the sun setting. It was beautiful, and I couldn’t forget that moment. I remember the orange-gold sunset resting above the horizon, while she and I rode directly into it. The sun illuminated her skin beautifully. As we approach the horizon, we stop and rest. 

        After that, we returned the bikes and walked to go and commute. We walked down a quiet neighborhood, and it was fairly dark already. I hugged her from the back and told her she was my favorite person. Then we never had a date after that, and things were never the same again.

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