Perfect Dad

New Digs

I love it. Love it, love it, love it.

Paula Loren Jugo murmured to herself as she stepped back to admire her handiwork. Not that there's much to admire. She had just finished arranging her belongings and little trinkets in her room at a condo unit she now shared with long time friend Janice.

She and Janice went to the same high school. Janice worked as a flight attendant on mostly European flights. She had put a downpayment on that condo a year ago and a couple of months back had finally moved in. Knowing that Paula worked at the nearby Reeves International School, Janice had invited her to share the 2-bedroom condo presumably to recoup part of the monthly rent especially since almost 8 months out of a year, Janice would be in the air or living in hotel rooms abroad.

Of course Paula immediately jumped at the chance. Yes, the rent didn't come cheap, but the time and money she would save not having to deal with everyday horrid traffic from Marikina would more than compensate. It was a really good deal all around.

She smoothed the covers on the bed one more time and satisfied with everything else, she moved back to the kitchen to unload the groceries she bought from the convenience store downstairs. Her phone rang just as she put the last carton of almond milk in the fridge.

"Hey!" Paula happily greeted the caller. "Oh, my God, Janice, your place is really lovely!"

"You mean 'our place,' right?" She corrected her.

"Yeah, our place." She knelt on the sofa giggling and pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the window overlooking the jogging path and playground below. Some of the residents were enjoying the cool night air brisk-walking or...yeah, jogging. And there were kids playing on the swings and slide, their laughter more felt than heard from her perch on the 10th floor. "It's such a blessing that this residence is so near my work place. Imagine, I can even walk to school everyday if I choose to."

"'Di ba?" Janice replied. "Although I don't think I'd walk, if I were you. I don't exactly relish sniffing all the pollution into my lungs."

"Nah." She waved the concern away. "I leave early enough, well before the rush hour. And my hours end right before the afternoon traffic too. It's all good."

"I suppose," Janice sighed. "Hey, sorry I wasn't there to welcome you when you moved in."

"No biggie." She shrugged. "Mang Bart had been super helpful and besides, I don't have too many stuff that I brought with me anyway. Just my clothes and some personal trinkets to personalize my room. If there's anything I need from the house, I could always go home on weekends to get them."

"True," she agreed. "Well, I'll see you in a couple weeks, though. We can celebrate then. In the meantime, anything you want from Brussels?"

"Hmm..." She sat down and picked up the TV remote control. "Can you just mail me a postcard from there? You know how I love collecting postcards."

"Sure. But if you think of anything else, just shoot me a message."

"Chocolates?" She piped in.

Janice just laughed. "Hay, naku, Polen. Ikaw talaga."

"How well you know me," she agreed.

She loved chocolate. And while she preferred Swiss-made ones, she wouldn't mind the Belgian variety straight from Brussels. No, Chocnut and Curly Tops were not on the same level. Those two were god-level favorites she thankfully could get anytime she wanted.

They shared a few more pleasantries and then hung up.

Paula looked at the clock. Almost 7PM. Still early. A swim and a workout, and then a smoothie for dinner before sleep. Tomorrow...ahh, tomorrow, she can allow herself a few extra minutes in bed before she had to get up to get ready.

Life couldn't be more perfect for her.