CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Aki's back

•••

Satan wandered to the casement window and peeked through the curtains. The sun was bursting through the white clouds cloaking the powder blue sky. Birds were flying high, indicating good weather. She swam her eyes down to the left, a cushion presumably dusty of disuse was on an unfenced yard, fronting it was a gray-haired woman armed with a vacuum roaring amid daylight. She turned right, there was a matte dark gray car approaching, whose owner she'd been expecting.

With her heart rushing from excitement, she burst off their room and made haste to the front door. The car parked in parallel to the five-step stairs heading to the spacious front porch. Her smile broadened as the driver charged out, reciprocating her smile with arms spread sidewards obviously wanting a hug.

"I've missed you so much, Aks!" she gushed, warming herself in the hug.

"I missed you, too! Kung alam mo lang!" she replied ever so energetically. "Ang hirap pa laging humanap ng signal do'n sa hotel na tinuluyan namin! Kung 'di ko lang bayad na 'yong buong stay namin do'n, magbu-book talaga ako sa iba!"

Satan squirmed out of the hug then claimed her best friend's hands. Just as they'd done when the other was away for a period, she roamed her eyes on her whole for a time to check for any injuries, wounds, weight loss, or whatever that identified with visible physical damages.

"Parang tumaba ka yata, Aks? Or is it just me?" she asked, turning her around as in a slow dance. 

"Totoo ba?!" she panicked, padding her body. "I was so stressed kasi sa Baguio!" She groaned. "Ang arte-arte pa n'ong huling bride, ain't naman pretty! Pabago-bago ng isip sa gustong maging design ng cake, ano'ng tingin niya sa 'kin? Tumatae ng pera para gawin 'yong sample pastries?! Imbyerns!"

They laughed out loud. 

"Oh, kumalma ka na." Satan squeezed her hands. "Tapos naman na. Never mo nang makikita ulit 'yong bride na 'yon."

"I wish!" she yelled with much irk. "Pero maiba us!" She squealed, her manicured hands covered her mouth for a second as she bumped her hips on hers. "Kung ako tumataba, ikaw, parang humahaba lalo 'yong hair mo? Nadaanan ko nga kanina on my way here. Akala ko hump, buhok mo pala."

She pulled her hair. "Ewan ko sa 'yo! Halika na sa loob, hinihintay ka rin ni Mama. Miss na miss ka rin n'on. Saka, we don't have much time to talk. May trabaho pa 'ko, remember?" 

"Wait lang!" She removed her hand from her wrist and rushed to her car.

From Aki's car trunk, she carried out several transparent stuffed eco-bags containing different delicacies only to be bought at their best in Baguio. Her eyes almost sparkled at the sight of her all-time-favorite Good Shepherd's ube.

"Pakipusod ng hair mo, Sissy," she yelled, taking the eco-bags in each of her hands, "ang haba masyado, baka mapatid ako on my way there."

"Ghad, Arkisha!" She laughed, nearing her to be of aid. She was pretty sure that with Aki's presence, her world would turn into a good kind of a mess again. 

Immediately upon kicking the two-door open, the faces of Hudas and Datdat greeted their eyes. Both were dressed up neatly for school. 

"O to the M to the G!" it was Lucifer. Her face scrunched up in apparent annoyance. "Why did you even think of returning to the land of the living, bitch?!"

"Because I can't last a day without seeing you." Aki giggled, even batted her eyes presumably to annoy Lucifer more. "Missed me?"

"What the--Mama! Mama! Mama!" she hysterically called out for her mother. "Mama, come over here!"

As though something snapped, her mother came running from the kitchen. Her hands and forearms were spotted with suds. 

"What's with the shout?! Ano'ng nangyari?!" Worry was evident in her shaky voice. "Is everything okay?!"

"Nothing's ok--"

"Nothing serious, Mama," Satan explained to hush her Mama's worry. "Someone's just throwing a tantrum here." 

Lucifer glared at her. 

Sirach's pair of eyes landed on each face in front of her just as if checking on them. It stopped and widened upon seeing Aki. "Aki, anak! You're back! Oh, how I've missed--"

"Notice me, Mama! I said nothing's okay! Nasa'n 'yong holy water natin?!" Lucifer cut her short, stomping her feet on the ground. Sirach was about to near Aki but stopped. "Basbasan mo 'tong impakta sa harapan ko!" She pointed at Aki. "Pronto, Mama! Pronto!"

Everybody laughed excluding the outbursting Lucifer.

"Lulu, your choice of words again," Sirach warned softly like always. "Consider yourself lucky that your father's not around to prompt you and I won't tell this to him. Otherwise, you'll be grounded again. Nasa'n na ba si Kuya Joma niyo? Hindi pa ba kayo magpapahatid sa school?"

"Kasi siya, eh!" she protested, throwing death glares at Aki. "She told me she can't last a day without me! It isn't the first time she'd done that, Mama! Nakakadiri! I feel so harassed!"

All laughed in chorus again. 

"Binibiro lang naman kit--"

"Shut up, you rotten piece of shi--"

"Lulu," this time it was Satan who prompted her. 

"Madala nga ulit si Bogart ko rito," Aki supplied, crossing her arms to her chest. "Gusto mo ba, Lulu?"

"Subukan mo!" she threatened. "Hindi ka na sisikatan ng araw!"

Hudas laughed aloud. "Ako gutto ko, Aki! Mitt ko na kati ti Bogart. Mitt na mitt na nga rin siya ng pwet ni Lulu, eh." He received a hard slap on the shoulder. 

They couldn't help to crack up, Satan particularly. She was there looking for hand and feet on Lucifer in their garden when Aki paid an unsolicited visit together with her English bulldog, Bogart. The leash accidentally slipped off Aki's hand and Bogart came after Lucifer who was just happily dancing and swaying through the beat of the music. Then the music was overshadowed by her mournful cry when her butt was bitten.

"Joma," their mother called through the intercom for one of their family drivers. "Pakihatid mo na 'tong mga bata sa school bago pa magkaroon ng World War Three. Salamat."

"Ay! Hala! Wait lang po, Tita! Hindi ko pa po naibibigay 'yong mga pasalubong ko sa kanilang dalawa." She crouched on the ground to rummage in the eco-bags. "This will be quick po. Ise-separate ko lang po."

Not a long moment passed, Aki handed plastic bags full of snacks to the two. Hudas thanked her to a great degree and had munched on the peanut brittle right there and then. Lucifer on the flip side was hesitant to accept it at first but eventually took it when told that there were lots of packs of her favorite Lengua De Gato in it. 

Satan's siblings left for school immediately once Joma reached the living room. 

Certain that neither of Hudas and Lucifer would come back to grab something forgotten, the three of them went to the kitchen for their long-overdue chat. Waves of laughter and hearty giggles filled the whole kitchen as they took turns to tell stories of their own. There were some moments of dullness, mostly when Satan and Sirach didn't get Aki's jokes. At whiles, when a story was never been heard or told prior, there would be complaints and silence of disappointments. 

Satan had proven once again that one's internal clock runs faster when happy--she had forgotten she has work to attend to. She sprang up from her seat upon risking a glance on her wristwatch. It was already 7:20 in the morning, forty minutes before her required time to be in for work.

"Ma, Aks, I have to go. Male-late na pala 'ko," she said. 

Although panic-stricken, she managed to munch on the one last scoop of her ube jam. What she did made the two laugh.

"Magbihis ka na, Sissy. I'll drive you there na lang," Aki suggested. "You're not good at driving when you're rattled pa naman. Susunduin na rin kita sa out mo since bibili naman tayo ng wines, beers, and jerkies for our no-longer-a-surprise slumber parteh this coming Saturyay!"

She didn't, for a second, think of rejecting her suggestion. Aki was missed badly by her and having her presence for another few minutes as she drove her to the site meant a blessing. 

"Oh my gosh! Sinetch?!" Aki pursed her lips somewhere outside the site where she had pulled over. 

"Who?" Satan followed where her lips were pursed. 

From where they were parked, she could make out of the collapsible table being swarmed by the carpenters. Sergio and Sixto were standing in a row on the side whereas Kean was out of sight. Under the table, seated at the very center, she saw a pair of legs, its milky-white complexion set itself apart from the rest. 

"The curly-haired one!"

"That's Architect Sergio Abraham. Sigmund's elder brother." She looked at her. "Why?"

"Girl!" She squealed. "Handa na 'ko sa panibagong yugto ng buhay ko! Tingin ko ready na rin 'tong bahay-bata ko--Aray naman!" She scowled, massaging the part of her head from where Satan had pulled her hair. "Pinauubaya ko na nga sa 'yo 'yong kapatid niya, eh! Saka may Kean ka pa! Akin naman na 'yang si Sergio! Share your ble--"

"Sira! Sinabunutan kita dahil sa sinabi mong ready na bahay-bata mo. Hindi mo pa nga kilala 'yong tao, oh, pagbuo na agad ng pamilya nasa isip mo. Okay ka pa ba?"

"Ay, suri." She shyly tucked her hair behind her ears. "Kikilalanin ba dapat muna? Akala ko kasi bago ang lahat, kailangan munang i-testing 'yong compatibility sa kama. Suri."

They burst out laughing.

"Puro ka talaga kalokohan." She tucked her bag to her arm. "Anyhow, I'll text you 'pag magpapasundo na 'ko, ha? Aagahan ko, don't worry. Para maipakilala kita kay Architect Sergio."

"Hala!" She buried her face in her palms real quick then turned to face her again, grinning from ear to ear. "I can guarantee you another decade of friendship, Sissy!"

"Ewan ko sa 'yo!" She glanced at her watch. Her mouth turned into a big O. "Hindi pa pala 'ko late?! I still have fifteen minutes of spare time. Akala ko male-late ako ngayon."

"Yup. 7:45 pa lang."

"Much better than being late, right?" She leaned close to her for a peck on the cheek. "Bye, Aks. See you la--"

"Why don't we consume the remaining minutes for a chat, Satan?" 

With Aki's smile, tone, and utterance of her first name: Satan knew where she was to drive the conversation. She cleared her now hurting throat, throwing her head on the headrest and wrapping her hand on her ring finger just as Sigmund adviced her to do whenever sadness strikes. Tightly, she closed her eyes, with no words waited for Aki to break the most triggering question of, how are you?

Aki reached for her hand. "How are you, Sas? Like, a real question this time, not just some sort of a filler I had always given because you always dodge away from it." She coerced a smile, glancing on Satan then back to the road. "How have you been lately?"

She contemplated for long, wanting to weave a response that would end the conversation in one strike. "Better. Sigmund's been of...g-great hel--"

"Let's remove him from the equation, Sas. Alam kong malaking tulong talaga siya. Pansin ko 'yon because every time we video chat I can see how well you've been doing compared to how you were when you hadn't met him. Pero 'yong ikaw lang. How are you 'pag wala siya? 'Pag tapos na 'yong check-up calls? 'Pag hindi mo na siya kasama? 'Pag ikaw na lang mag-isa?"

Dull throbs slowly progressing into sharp stabs instantly occurred in her chest, along with burning and searing sensations that moved up to her neck, jaw, and shoulders. 

"Surviving...like I always try..." she averted her eyes to the window. "Crying…like I always do…"

"Sas..." She guided her hand on her thigh. "Hindi pwedeng magiging okay ka lang 'pag nand'yan si Sigmund tapos 'pag wala siya babalik ka na naman sa dati. He may be trying to win your heart, yes, but fixing the damage somebody else left you with isn't his obligation. I know you're not aware of the reason why you allowed him to pursue you, but I hope deep down inside you it's not because of what you can get from him."

"Alam ko naman 'yon, Aki." She rolled her head to face her. "I'm not selfish, you know that well."

"But we tend to be selfish when we're desperate. We tend to be selfish when we're blessed with someone who can give what we're being desperate for. " She coerced another smile. "Nagawa mong tanggihan 'yong iba dati, 'di ba? I'll hand you the benefit of the doubt kay Kean since he's giving you no choice but allow him. Pero ano'ng meron kay Sigmund at hindi mo siya magawang tanggihan?"

"Neither do I know, Aki, okay? But I know three things for certain. One, I made a few attempts to turn him down but he always has his way with words that I end up letting be. Two, I don't and will never use someone to serve myself. Three, I know that neither Kean nor Sigmund signed up to be my personal crisis hotline."

"I'm so sorry." Aki scooped her into her arms. "Sorry if I had to--"

She shushed her, running her hand up and down her back. "I know exactly where you're coming from, okay? Naiintindihan ko." 

"Sorry pa rin… Sorry pati ikaw nadadamay sa katangahan ko dati…Tangina ko rin talaga madalas, eh… Rupok ko pa… Nakalimutan ko tuloy na pastry chef ako at hindi Psychologist para magpaka-therapist ako sa gagong 'yon. Hindi sana masarap ulam niya palagi."

Pulling away from the hug, she cradled her best friend's face in her gentle hands. Her heart broke at the sight of her shining eyes. If only she could turn back time, she'd do best to distance Aki from the man who scarred every inch of her. 

"That pain taught you a lesson tho. Let's just look at the brighter side, hmm?"

Her best friend nodded, thumbing her eyes dry. "Umalis ka na nga. Chupe na. Imbis na ikaw ang umiyak, ako pa tuloy ang nagdadrama rito."

"Hindi kita tatanggihan d'yan." She chuckled. "I only have a few minutes left before eight. Wala na rin 'yong kumpulan nila sa tapat ng site, lamesa't isang upuan na lang 'yong nakikita ko ro'n. I'm sure nagsimula na sila sa trabaho. I have to go now."

They kissed cheek to cheek. Satan hopped off the car promptly after. 

To her great surprise the moment she stepped under the slab frameworks, Sigmund was slumping on a hollow block at one corner. A smile slowly formed on her lips. To assure her eyes weren't playing tricks, she had rubbed them. Only then did she call,

"Sigmund?"

"Sasa!" He dusted off his bottom upon springing up from his seat. Wearing a wide smile, he neared her. "Buti galos lang talaga 'yong natamo mo sa noo."

"Mm." She smiled. "What brought you here pala?"

"Nagpasweldo 'ko. Ayaw na ayaw kasing humahawak ni Kuya ng malaking pera kaya ako laging sumasalo ng mga pasweldo niya kahit noon pa."

"I see."

The carpenters working for the construction of their projects weren't just from her team, Architect Sergio Abraham has his, too. Hers were always paid two days prior and her HR team at their firm had secured bank accounts for each, where they could do all the transactions from receiving to withdrawing their salary and other compensations being received by all the employees of Alejandro Constructions every payday. Her mother pioneered that kind of remuneration to both salaried and hourly-paid workers in their firm.

"Do you know what that means, Sasa?" He naughtily wiggled his eyebrows. Even thumbed the tip of his pointed nose then winked.

"Regular ang sweldo ng mga tauhan ng Kuya mo." She was confident she had hit the right answer.

He scowled. "Ibig sabihin n'on, makikita mo 'ko rito biweekly or monthly or kung gusto mo 'kong makita or kung miss na miss na kita or kung nasasagap ng radar ko na may umaaligid sa 'yong iba."

She laughed. Unsure of what to reply, she rather changed the topic to, "Wala ka yatang client ngayon? Your eyebrow piercing, outsize shirt, and khaki shorts are back."

"Wala." He stretched his arms and yawned. "Sa shop ang punta ko ngayon. Hinintay lang talaga kita." He craned his neck, by all appearances searching for something behind her. "May naghatid yata sa 'yo? Karibal ko na naman ba?"

"That's Aki. My best friend." She chuckled. "She insisted on driving me here to spend more time together. We missed each other so much since she just came home from four pastry caterings in Baguio," she explained. "By the way, earlier just now, you said you waited for me. Bakit?"

"Ah... 'Y-yon, ba?" he stuttered, all of the sudden blushing for a reason unbeknownst to Satan.

As she had observed whenever he shies away from doing or saying something and showing his reaction, he swept his foot to and fro the ground. His right hand was rubbing his nape while the other was pocketed.

"Huy." She poked his waist. "Sabihin mo na. Ano 'yon? Swear, I won't bite." Her brows fused in wonder as Sigmund frowned. "May nasabi ba 'kong mali?"

"I prefer that you'll bite." He frowned harder.

She jabbed him in the arm, laughing. "Ano nga kasi? May trabaho pang naghihintay sa--"

"Are you free this coming Saturday?" His face flared more. "Pero kung hindi, okay lang naman. There's always a next time."

"Sorry..." Her lips curved down. "My siblings and I are organizing a slumber party in our house this Saturday. Pa-welcome home party naming tatlo kay Aki."

"Ah...Siguro sa susunod na Sabado na lang or whenever you're--"

"You can join us if you want," she said on the spur of the moment. Was about to take it back but couldn't when Sigmund's face brightened up in an instant. "M-mas marami...m-mas masaya...'di ba? I'm certain Aki and my siblings will find your presence welcome, not to mention that you're a good friend to me."

"Nakakahiya naman." He rubbed his nape again. "Syempre ngayon na lang ulit kayo nagkita ng best friend mo. Tapos sa bahay niyo pa gagawin. Panigurado nandoon mga magulang mo. Kasama pa mga kapatid mo. Tapos hindi pa yata nila alam na ini-invite mo 'ko. Baka kung ano'ng sabihin nila. Baka pagalitan ka pa ng kapatid mong isa na medyo nalayo yata ang ugali sa inyong dalawa ni Datdat. Syempre tatanungin ka rin ng mga magulang mo kung sino ako. Pa'no, saan, at kailan tayo nagkakilala. Gano'n naman talaga, eh. Pinoprotektahan ka lang nila kasi hindi mo pa naman ako gano'n kakilala. Sagot ko na 'yong lechon at cochinillo, ha? Anong oras ba 'ko dapat nandoon? Since slumber party, dapat ba naka-barong ako?"

Nearly, did she run out of breath from laughing at his speech of a response, she initially thought was loaded with sense.

"Oh, ayan ka na naman. Ang saya-saya mo na naman," he pointed out. "Sabi sa 'yo madali akong kausap, eh. Kung gusto mo ng habang-buhay na ligaya, sagot kita. Kailan mo gustong simulan? Kating-kati na 'ko."

Another batch of laughter burst from her.

"I don't really know how you can do that effortlessly," she said after coping. "But anyway, we'll see you on Saturday? Nine pm?"

He saluted. "Expect me to--"

"Can I come, too?" a low manly voice unexpectedly chimed in, earning their gazes.

It was Kean.

•••

Feeling author's note:

A friendly reminder from Aki and Sasa, our partner/suitor/lover didn't sign up to be our personal crisis hotline. Let's not abuse their love. Stay well. ♡♡♡