AMACon3 30-Day Drabble Challenge

Fortune

PROMPT #5: Write about Maine and Alden obtaining a fortune cookie that they would never want to see come true.

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Traffic is at a standstill. He slows the car down to a stop behind a red Montero and drums his long fingers on the steering wheel. She lets out a loud sigh. He fights back the urge to roll his eyes. He's in a great mood tonight, but she obviously isn't, and this is his cue to ask her what's wrong.

"Nakakatatlong buntong hininga ka na ah," he observes mildly. "What's up?"

"Hmmm? Wala, wala."

He stifles a grin. Someone's being pabebe. "Menggay," he cajoles affectionately, twisting in his seat to face her. "Kanina ka pa tahimik—ever since we left the restaurant—tapos ngayon sigh ka ng sigh. Kilala kita. Something's wrong. What is it?"

She rolls her eyes theatrically, and he is impressed at how she manages to do it without getting cross-eyed. "Oh, I don't know," she spits out sarcastically. "Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm what's wrong. I'm the wrong flavor kasi, kaya eventually magsasawa ka rin, tapos iiwanan mo na ako."

He stares at her, completely baffled. What is she even on about?? "Ano?? Anong pinagsasasabi mo, Meng?? Hindi kita maintindihan."

She shoots him a venomous glare, furious. "Oh, please. Wag ka ngang mag maang-maangan, hindi bagay sayo. You know what I'm talking about!!"

"I can assure you I have no idea," he tells her calmly.

"Kanina! Sa restaurant! Yung fortune cookies!" She's so annoyed, she's finding it hard to form complete sentences.

Alden scratches his head. They had just enjoyed a delicious Chinese dinner. When the meal was over, he had leaned back in his chair and groaned, feeling utterly stuffed and satisfied.

"Look, they gave us fortune cookies," Maine had said. He groaned again. Go ahead and open them both, he'd said. He couldn't move.

"You will encounter a close call," she'd read out loud after cracking the first cookie open. "Keep your eyes open." She shrugged and laid the scrap of paper next to her plate. She was forever getting these kinds of warnings—she remembered the so-called fortune teller on Sugod Bahay who'd warned her that she would have an accident, prompting Alden to offer to move in with her, much to the delight of the audience—but so far, nothing had ever happened. In fact, Alden was much more accident-prone than her. She picked up the second cookie and crumbled it—and her expression changed.

"You will develop an insatiable appetite for mangoes. Give in to your cravings—indulge."

She gives him another dirty look. "That's what it said on your fortune cookie," she reiterates in an accusing tone.

Alden is still at sea. "Okay—and so?" The traffic starts to pick up, so he switches gears and maneuvers the car to overtake the Montero.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'AND SO'?! Next month na yung East Coast tour niyo for SPS, diba?! Kayong dalawa ni Ju—"

"Kasama rin si Ate Yan, sinabi ko na yun sayo."

"Oo, pero sasama rin sila Kuya Dingdong at Baby Zia, diba? They won't have time to hang out with you for sure. They'll be busy sightseeing as a family. So it will just be you—and her. What if—what if ma-tempt ka? What if magkatotoo yung nakasulat sa cookie? What if you give in to your cravings—hindi ko yata kakayanin, Den." And with that, her voice breaks and she bursts into tears.

Alden gapes at her as if she's grown two heads. Is this bawling, hysterical creature really his Menggay? Granted, she does have a tendency to overthink, and she can be a little praning at times, but never like this. And she is NEVER jealous—he is the seloso one, everyone knows that. What in the world is happening?

"Bibi ko," he says gently, as he turns onto a long stretch of road, finally clear of the traffic, and increases pressure on the gas pedal. "You have nothing to worry about. Mahal na mahal kita, Maine. I would never do anything to hurt you like that—tsaka ano ka ba?? Hindi ko na type si ano, noh. Jusko."

"W-WEH," Maine barks, still sobbing. "N-nabasa ko kaya yung mga interviews mo dati about her. Crush na crush mo siya noon ehhhhh."

"Exactly. NOON," he stresses the word. "Noon yun. I was just a stupid kid then. Past is pa—SHIT!!" A plump, middle-aged woman comes out of nowhere and suddenly darts across the road, and Alden has to slam hard on the brakes to keep from hitting her. He and Maine jerk forward in their seats, and he feels the seatbelt digging into his skin. The car behind them honks angrily, and the woman scampers off into the darkness.

"Oh my god, Den!!" Maine shouts. "Shit, that was close. Oh my god. What happened? Hindi mo ba siya nakita? Keep your eyes open kasi, babe."

His heart is pounding, the adrenaline still rushing through his veins. "Hindi ko naman kasalanan eh! She just came from nowhere! Grabe siya, kung saan saan lang kasi—wait, what did you say?"

"What? That was close?"

"No. You said keep your eyes open."

"Yeah—so what?"

"So that's what it said on the cookie, diba?"

"Oh. Yeah, that's right. OH!!" Realization dawns on her. "So maybe that was your cookie, not mine."

"Yeah, so that would mean—"

"The mango thing was for me?" She wrinkles her nose, mulling this over.

A thought has just occurred to him. Sudden outbursts of emotion, irrational jealousy, and soon, a craving for mangoes? Come to think of it, Maine hasn't quite been herself for a few weeks now.

"Bibi—kelan yung huling dinosaur mo?" He asks innocently.

"Huh? Random. Last month, nung ano...nung...teka—" She pulls out her phone and he waits as she taps open an app. Suddenly, her eyes widen. "Seven weeks ago na."

He stops at a red light and they stare at each other in silence for a long time. Then they both break into a huge grin.