400 Days After Fina

Day 430

400 Days After Fina by JellOfAllTrades
Chapter 12

Kate and I get out of my car and she runs to open the apartment door for us.

"Andito na kami!" Kate shouts when we got inside the apartment.

From her room, Angel appeared, wearing a simple black shirt and jeans. Her long black hair was kept in place by a yellow sunflower pin which oddly suited her personality.

"Hello," she smiles warmly at us. "Kumusta ang trabaho?"

"Okay lang," Kate answers, taking her heels off for a pair of indoor slippers. "Ikaw? Kumusta school?"

"Nakakapagod, as usual. Pero okay lang," Angel replied. She turned to me, "kumain na ba kayo?"

"Hindi pa. Dun na tayo kakain,"

"Aalis na ba kayo, ma'am?" Kate asked, opening the fridge and getting a bottle of water. "Tubig po?"

"No thanks," I reply with a small smile. "Kailangan na rin namin mauna, hinahanap na siguro kami ni Jaime."

Angel walked towards me before stopping to ask her roommate.  "Sure kang ayaw mo sumama?"

Kate shook her head. "Matutulog na lang muna ako. Ang sakit ng puson ko eh."

"May gamot ata akong nakita dun sa kitchen cabinet nung nagaayos ako dun."

"Sige, salamat." Kate muttered after taking a sip of her bottled water.

"Tara na?" I asked Angel and she nodded. I turn to Kate, "mauna na kami."

"Okay, mag-iingat kayo! Enjoy!"

We get out of the apartment and I heard the soft click of the doorknob locking behind us. Angel and I get into my car. However, before I start the engine, I reached for my bag at the back and took a small ziplock bag from it. I hand the plastic to Angel.

"Lumang phone ko, anjan na yung earphones, charger, and I've inserted a new sim card for you," I tell her.

"Hala, seryoso?"

I give her a smile, remembering how much time I spent waiting at the seaside playground for Fina to come around, precious time that I could have saved with a short text. "Para di na kita palaging kailangan puntahan. Isang text ka na lang."

"Hiram lang to ah? Ibabalik ko rin pag nakaipon na ako pambili ng bagong phone."

"It's yours. You don't have to return it. Luma naman na yan. Di ko na nagagamit."

She places the phone near her chest. "Salamat."

Our drive to the bar was spent with Angel telling me about her new first grade students learning new words. She was especially excited about how they can now spell the word beautiful. We were at the parking lot when she realized I haven't said much the whole time.

"Sorry, ang daldal ko."

"It's fine. I like hearing your stories."

"Talaga ba?"

"Yeah," I reply, shutting the car engine off. "You sound like Fina when she's talking about the kids sa ampunan."

"Oh,"

Inside the bar, the party is already in full swing. Jaime doesn't like exclusive parties so our mutual friends mingled with regular patrons. It's easier to find girls that way, too. The bouncer let us in and a waiter directed us to Jaime's table where we found my best friend being spoon-fed by his new girlfriend.

"Happy birthday!" I shout over the blaring music. I slid my gift over to him. It's not like I think he needs penis enlargement lotion, but I thought it would a great gag gift for him. Maybe he'll toss it out or maybe he'll pass it on to our less blessed friends. Nevertheless, I included a small box of condoms inside so it's not a totally useless gift.