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Chapter Two

The Nosy Doctor

Lumapit ako kanila Stephen at sa bata naming pasyente...

I can't help it but to feed my curiosity. Hindi ko na alam kung kailan ito nagsimula. I wasn't really a gossiper. Gossip wasn't okay with me back then. Pero naging sobrang busy ako sa pag-aaral ko at med school, kaya siguro naging libangan ko na rin ngayon ang pakikinig ng chismis minsan...

Minsan lang naman.

I know that it wasn't all right. Pero wala na kasi siguro kaming ibang source of entertainment dito sa ospital pagkatapos ng mga trabaho rin namin dito.

But maybe one day I'll stop too and find other hobbies. But I'm really curious with Stephen and this kid now.

"Hi." Lapit ko sa kanila.

Parehong bumaling sa akin si Stephen at iyong bata na nasa hospital bed pa. Kailangan lagyan muna ng cast ang kanang binti niya dahil sa injury. Pero gagaling din naman siya at makakapaglaro pang muli ng soccer na gusto niya.

"Yes, Doctor Umali?"

Tumingin ako kay Stephen at bahagya lang ngumiti pagkatapos ay bumaling na rin ako sa pasyente namin para kumustahin din muna ito. "How are you," Tiningnan ko pang muli ang pangalan niya na nakasulat sa dala kong hiniram na record. "Shiloh?" I smiled politely to him.

"I'm fine now. Coach just got so worried that he really brought me here in the hospital. Even though I said that we can just do this in the school's clinic." Pagkatapos ay tumingin siya kay Stephen.

Nakatingin na rin si Stephen sa kaniya. "Mas mabuti nga na dito ka na agad nila dinala sa hospital. What really happened ba, Shiloh?" He asked the kid.

Papalit-palit na sa kanilang dalawa ang tingin ko habang nakikinig sa usapan nila.

Shiloh sighed. "Just an accident at the soccer practice, like I said. And like what Coach said, right?"

Stephen sighed this time. "All right. Just be more careful next time..."

And Shiloh just nodded to him.

Ngayong mas nakikita ko pa sila nang malapitan at nasa harapan ko lang ay nakita ko lalo ang pagkakahawig nilang dalawa. They have the same almond shaped and upturned pair of pretty eyes with pretty long lashes... Well, they have beautiful eyes. I remember when the six-year-old Stephen was introduced to me as a kid in the past. Ang mga mata rin niya ang una kong napansin noon. And they've got pretty blue eyes...

Ang sabi kasi sa akin dati nina Mama na nakapag-asawa raw ng isang foreigner si tita na Mama ni Stephen. Kaya naman naging iba ang kulay ng mga mata niya. Compared to most Filipinos like us. Pero iniwan lang din sila noong Papa ni Stephen...

Bukod sa magagandang pares ng mga mata ay pareho rin sila ng maganda rin at matangos na mga ilong. And even the lips kuhang-kuha rin ni Shiloh sa kay Stephen... Even the hair... And their fair skin color.

Mukhang mag-ama nga silang dalawa...

"Shiloh, this is Doctor Iris Umali. You can thank her for also helping us earlier in giving you first aid..." Stephen said.

Umiling-iling naman ako at halos ikaway ko pa ang mga kamay ko sa harapan namin. "It's nothing..." I just said.

"Thank you, Doctor." The kid already thanked me.

Ngumiti na lang ako.

"Uh, Doctor Guevarra, can we talk?" sabi ko na kay Stephen.

Tumingin naman siya sa akin at tumango. I excused myself to Shiloh to which he only nodded. At nagpatiuna na ako kay Stephen sa labas ng ward. Pagkatapos nang nasa labas na kami ay hinarap ko siya.

"Anak mo?" Natanong ko na rin siya.

Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa.

Dinagdagan ko pa ang tanong ko sa kaniya. "May anak ka na pala?" Because I didn't know, you see...

He just remained looking at me. Until he finally spoke. "And you said earlier that you're not nosy." Was what he said to me instead.

Umawang naman ang labi ko. Sa huli narealize ko na mukhang hindi rin naman talaga magseshare sa akin si Stephen. Kaya sa huli ay pinili kong magpaalam na lang sa kaniya at tinalikuran ko na lang siyang iniwan doon.

But Shiloh was probably really his son.

As if I just realized now that many things have already happened in the past years. Maraming mga taon na rin ang lumipas sa nakaraan. And it was already a long time ago since the day Stephen and I were first introduced to each other...

Pumunta ako sa kusina namin noong bata ako at naabutan ko doon si Mama na nag-aayos na ng lamesa. Probably for lunch. Our housemaids were also busy helping her. And I noticed that they were preparing a lot more of food than we usually have.

"Mama, you're preparing a lot of food?" My 9-year-old kid self asked my mom.

Bumaling naman sa akin si Mama sandali para sagutin ako. "Yes, Iris. We will have a visitor later. A friend of your dad and her son." Ngumiti sa akin si Mama.

Napangiti rin ako sa kaniya. "Really? Is it a boy or a girl?" I asked. And my kid self got a little excited of thinking of a possible playmate.

"A boy." Mama answered. "I remember that he maybe just a few years younger than you." She said.

Ngumiti pa rin ako. Wala namang kaso sa akin kung batang lalaki man o babae ang makakalaro ko. I also have an older brother. He's just a year older than me. Pero palagi rin siyang busy with Papa. They does things like go on fishing and without bringing me with them. Kasi siguro for the boys lang... Pero hindi ko pa rin maiwasan na magselos sa kapatid ko minsan... Kasi favorite siya ng Papa namin...

Medyo nawala ang ngiti ko. Until we already heard them arriving, our guests. "They're here." Mama said.

Sumunod lang naman ako sa kaniya in also welcoming our guests. I smiled to them as well.

"Oh. She's such a nice girl." Tita said, pagkatapos ko ring magmano pa sa kaniya.

It was the first time that I met them. Pero nasanay lang din ako na magmano sa mga tita ko at mga nakatatanda sa akin. I smiled to her.

"What's your name, hija?"

"I'm Iris, po." I answered politely.

She smiled before she turned to my Dad. At nakita ko ring ngumiti si Papa kaya lalo naman akong napangiti at natuwa dahil sa pagngiti ni Papa.

"Iris, this is my son, Stephen. I hope that you two could be friends." She said.

And that's when I turned my attention to the little boy who was just introduced to me. My first impression of Stephen was that he was just a small boy. But I felt happy and I wanted to hug him right away. He looked squishy...

"Hi!" I greeted him. "What's your name?"

"My name is Stephen..." He timidly answered.

Lalo pa akong napangiti sa kaniya. He looked so small. "How old are you?" I asked him.

"I'm six years old." He answered obediently.

I smiled and grabbed his hand. "You can call me your Ate Iris. We can play together starting now!" I said excitedly.

At pagkatapos ay nginitian lang kami at hinayaan na ng mga magulang namin.

After we finished eating dinner ay nakapaglaro pa kami ni Stephen bago sila umuwi na rin ng Mama niya pagkatapos that night.

Since then Stephen and I always played together in our house...

Back then I always acted like a big sister to the little boy Stephen. I even thought that I should protect him. Because he was small and needed someone to look after him and that's me.

A couple of years have passed. And Stephen started to stop calling me ate. I didn't know his reason at first. But maybe he just didn't want me to keep on treating him like a little child or a baby anymore...

"I will grow up too soon. And I'll grow up big and strong. I will even become taller than you, I know." He said this with full of conviction.

Hindi ko pa alam noon kung ano ba ang pinaglalaban niya. Pero ngumiti na lang ako sa kaniya at tumango sa sinabi niya.