Midnights with Pierce Psyche Esquivel

Chapter 29

I was panting heavily as I rested my body on the concrete ground. The heat didn’t help at all but this is better than running laps for more than two hours now. Pero hindi pa tapos at nasa kalagitnaan palang kami.

“Here.” I looked up and saw Ejay handling me a cold water bottle.

Kaagad ko itong kinuha at binuksan para makainum.

“Salamat.” Hinihingal kong sambit at tiningnan ang mga kasamahan kong hindi pa tapos.

It’s been two months since we started this training and somehow I am now used to it. The difficulty was much harder than expected and we are still here, alive and hardly breathing.

Sumalampak siya ng upo sa tabi ko at pinanood rin ang mga kasamahan namin na hindi pa tapos. Kapwa kami naliligo sa pawis at hinihingal sa init.

“Tapos ka ng mag impake para bukas?”

Tumango ako. “Tapos na, ikaw?”

He shook his head. “Sisimulan ko palang mamaya.”

We’ve been physically training in the field but for tomorrow, it would be extreme because we will be out in the woods for two weeks. It would be my first time experiencing it and so far from what I heard, it would be more harsh and extreme.

We finished our reps for the day, and as usual, our sore muscles made us experience another level of hell. Akala ko mas gagaan ang pakiramdam ko na makakauwi kami sa sarili naming tirahan pero hindi, the pain in my muscles just made me lie down on my bed and do nothing.

Tapos na akong maligo at kahit papaano ay guminhawa naman ang nararamdaman ko, but tomorrow will be more painful and I should properly rest my body today, kung makaka pagpahinga ako ng maayos.

So far everything is fine for me. Even Brianna is doing just fine at kahapon lang ang huling tawagan namin. And for him…hindi na ako nakikibalita sa mga pangyayari sa buhay niya kahit sa internet.

Brianna only mentioned him twice and with all of the two, she mentioned that he is with her. Hindi ko pa rin maiwasan na makaramdam ng pait sa kaloob-looban ko, I'm just thankful than I’m able to forget him once in awhile. And I glad for this training for it made me busy all day…nakakalimot ako sa sakit kahit papaano.

Pumikit na ako pero biglang may kumatok sa pintuan ko. I groaned and forced myself to stand up in my bed. Dahan-dahan ang galaw ko dahil sa pananakit ng katawan ko hanggang sa tuluyan ko itong buksan.

Bumungad sa akin si Ejay pero napako ang tingin ko sa hawak niyang box ng napkin na balot pa ng plastik.

“Hindi ka magdadala nito? Hindi pa to nabawasan simula ng bumili ka.”

Alanganin ko itong tinanggap sa kanya. Pero wala pa akong dalang ganito.

“Thanks, nakalimutan ko.”

He smiled at me. “Mag iimpake na rin ako ng akin.”

Tumango ako at ngumiti pero agaran rin itong nabura ng mawala siya sa paningin ko. I closed my door immediately and tossed the box of napkins on my bed.

Kinuha ko ang cellphone ko at tiningnan ang petsa ngayon, at isa lang ang pumasok sa isipan ko na ngayon ko lang napagtanto.

I haven’t had my period in two months.

I was so busy with the training that I totally forgot about it. At ngayong nakita ko na hindi pa nababawasan ang nabili ko noong nagdaang buwan pa ay ngayon lang ito pumasok sa isipan ko.

Huminga ako ng malalim. I was supposed to have my periods in the second week of the month. Kahit kailan ay hindi pa iyon pumalya. I never had an irregular menstruation. And today is already the third week.