Madrid Squad

Ide-a

   Mikee sat in her car dancing to her jam on the radio, her bag on her side. Every few seconds, she would peek out of the window to check if she was at her destination yet and each time she would squiggle her impatient butt because the answer was no. She'd tell her driver to go faster.

   "Mikee, nakapasok na tayo sa subdivision nila Sir Ruru," the driver says.

   "Kuya Fidel, bilisan niyo po nang konti, please?" she said almost begging.

   The driver laughed at her eagerness and impatience, "Aba, eh, masyado ka yatang excited, Ineng? Anak mo ba yung si Amir, ha?"

   "Kuya Fidel, talaga. Siyempre sabik ako dun, baby boy namin yun eh."

   "Oh siya, baba na."

   "Ba-bye po!" she exclaimed and hurriedly grabbed her bag. She ran to the gate and rang the doorbell numerous times.

   Ruru opened the gate with a straight face, "Ringing the bell once was enough, you know."

   "Sorry, excited lang. Nasaan si Amir?" she bounced.

   "Nasa loob kasama ni Kylie. Pasok ka," he invited her in and opened the door for her.

   Kylie was on the carpeted floor squatting and bouncing little Amir in her arms. She smiled at Mikee, "Hi, Mikes! Amir say hi to Ide-a."

   "Hi, Ky!" she kissed her cheek. She, then, turned her attention to the chubby baby, "Ikaw, Bunsoysoy, namiss ka ni Ide-a. Halika!"

   Kylie willingly passed the infant to his godmother and got up to snuggle with her husband. Mikee blew raspberries on the baby's nonexistent neck making him squeal in laughter.

   "Tawa-tawa ka diyan ah! Happy ka nandito si Ide-a, ha? Happy ang baby rehav namin?" she cooed.

   "Hoy, Mikaela, anong 'namin' sa amin si Amir, di ka kasama," Ruru joked and hugged his wife tighter.

    "Ky, oh! Yung malandi mong asawa. Nag-aano lang ako dito, pa-epal! Diba, Amir?" she turned her attention back to her godson as he happily clasped his hands around her nose.

   "Ru, ang sama mo," Kylie laughed.

   Ruru rolled his eyes in a joking manner, "Sige, magkampihan kayo pero di niyo pa rin made-deny na wala naman si Mikee nung ginawa natin si Amir."

   That earned him a hard slap on the chest from the wife, "Yung mga sinasabi mo ah. Baka nakalimutan mong tatay ka na at nandiyan lang yung anak mo."

   "Matagal na siyang tatay, Ky," Mikee smirked.

   Kylie's forehead creased and her head shot up to her husband's, "Ezekiel, may iba ka pa bang anak before Amir?"

   "Ako," Mikee laughed. "Baka mag-away kayo dahil sa hirit ko."

   "Pag nagkataon, kakalbuhin talaga kita," joked the long-haired father.

   "Bad ka! Say it with me, Amir. Bad ka," she coos the babe.

   Amir giggled and flailed his arms in joy. He seems to be enjoying all the attention Mikee was giving him.

   "Baba isn't bad, ain't that right, Bruv?" Ruru said looking at his son.

   "Bruv? Kingsman rubbed off on you, yeah?" Mikee laughed.

   "Obvious ba?"
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   "Love, let's go do it na, please?" Kylie pouted at her husband trying to persuade him.

   "Luh, anong gagawin niyo?" Mikee cocked her eyebrows.

   "A video for my channel," she replied bluntly.

   "Dumi ng isip mo, Mikes!" Ruru laughed.

   "Uy, di kaya. Wala akong sinabi ah. Ikaw ang madumi ang isip."

   "Che! Dun tayo sa studio, Love," Ruru says and drags his eager wife upstairs to their third floor.

 
   "Ano, Bunsoysoy? Ikaw at ako nalang dito, anong plano mo, ha?" she talked to the baby as if he could understand. The baby let out a toothless smile at his godmother and Mikee couldn't help but marvel at the infant's charm. "Smile ka lang diyan, ha? Paano naman ako? Nga-nga?"

   Mikee continued bouncing the baby up and down like a frog in her arms. She put the baby down on the soft material of the carpeted floor and he rolled on his tummy. Amir stared at his godmother squishing his cheeks and he let out a happy baby noise which made Mikee's heart feel warmer than ever.

   "Ikaw ha, gigil mo si Ide-a, Amir. Halika nga dito," she picked him up again and peppered his face and neck with slobbery kisses causing Amir to become uncomfortable and whine. His lips quivered and his breathing was in batches like they were controlled by a remote. Sooner, if not later, his laboured breathing turned to full-blown cries.

   "Amir, don't cry. Bakit ka umiiyak?" she cooed. "Huh? Baket umiiyak ang baby namin? Sabihin mo kay Ide-a dali. Huh? Sino umaway sa'yo? Resbak ka ni Ide-a?"

   He made incoherent noises as if replying to Mikee with his face still distorted. Mikee acted like she understood and nodded along like a mad woman.

   "Resbak ka ni Ide-a, huwag kang magalala. Saan ba yan nakatira ha? Sabihin mo sa akin dali," then she made funny faces at the little one making him laugh again.

   His laugh was so utterly adorable, she wanted to squish him again. She looked around to see if Kylie or Ruru was around, then she gently bit the baby's foot. But it wasn't so gentle for the infant.

   His adorable little laugh became a huge fit of wails.

   Kylie and Ruru, that were in the third floor of that house, heard the cries of their offspring and shot up from their seats. They rushed downstairs and their arms came flying open for the baby.

   "Mikes, what happened?" Kylie asked anxiously while she ran her hands up and down her son's back as he was being carried by his father.

   "Sorry, kinagat ko yung paa," she apologized.

   "Ba't mo naman ginawa yun, Mikaela?" Ruru asked. His tone somewhere between anger and at the verge of laughing.

   "Eh, nanggigil ako. Kasalanan niyo naman kase."

   "Paano naman yun naging kasalanan namin aber?" Ruru raised an eyebrow.

   "Ang ganda kase nang combination niyo!"

   Kylie snorted.

   "Amir, sorry na," she apologized again. And almost like it was practiced, he stopped crying.

   "Oh diba? I'm the best Ide-a evaah!" she laughed.
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Please take a read on my new short story 'The Art of Letting Go'. It isn't a fanfiction but please do.