midsummer by manuel arguilla

this is a story about the meeting of a man and woman at an area that cradled the well. i want to ignore other facts, like how it was in a bubble because it ignored the dilemmas present in the age in which it was crafted. i mean, who cares right? people have the right to write whatever they want. and readers need to be entertained once in a while, even when the world has turned dark and gloomy. and mind you, arguilla never forgot his responsibilities as a writer. he wrote of socio-political issues, and with those compositions he was able to "vindicate" himself as a writer who knew he also had an obligation other than to amuse people with his words.

anyway, i think what was most evident in the story was the sexual tension. it was really there but nothing was crass about it. it was even made palpable in a most subtle way. or at least that's how i would like to interpret it. it was obvious they liked each other. it was seen in their moves, how they were dealing with discomfort, and how, by some twist of fate, they eventually got over that discomfort and started talking to each other. it was good that despite their raging hormones, they still managed to let their conservative side get the best of them. they made a few, considerably forward moves but those were not particularly aggressive. they were within the boundaries, so to speak. the desire for each other was really there, and subconsciously both of them did something for that desire (like not letting each other slip away immediately) without thoroughly compromising what they believed in.

this story is kinda cute. reminded me a bit of a short story that made a parody of the first meeting of romeo and juliet. the author of that story portrayed romeo and juliet as teenagers in a party. they liked each other but didn't really know how they'd approach each other and the confusion translated to discomfort but in the end the desire prevailed :D