Destiny's Game

5

It was almost the end of the school year. Nic and Belle were now in 1st year highschool while Rj and Carlo were about to graduate.

"Meng, ano yan?" Belle asked when she saw a reddish stain on the back of Nic's uniform near her shoulder.

"Pimple ata. Ang kati e." Nic said as she scratched it. She felt something ooze out. She wiped her fingers on her uniform skirt and adjusted her seating in the school service. Belle looked at her with a weird expression.

When Nic got home and removed her uniform to change into house clothes, she noticed another 'pimple' on her thigh.

"Mama..." Nic sat at the dining table. Mama was in the kitchen.

"O, mag-merienda ka muna tapos gawin mo na yung homework mo" Mama said as she laid a plate of puto and a mug of hot Milo for Nic on the dining table. "...teka, bakit ganyan ang ichura mo?" Mama said as she felt Nic's forehead.

"...nasa clinic po ako kanina bago umuwi...last period..." Nic said.

"Anong sabi nung nurse?"

"Humingi lang po ang gamot para sa headache..." Nic said but her face showed that she wasn't feeling very well anymore. Her eyes were starting to droop, and she had a few small red spots on her face. As Mama examined Nic some more and saw that there were also visible red spots on Nic's arms and legs. Mama moved behind Nic and peeped into her shirt. She then asked Nic if she could raise the girl's shirt. There were many more red spots on Nic's body.

"Apo, bulutong tubig ata yan e..."

"Bulutong tubig?"

"Chicken pox"

"Meron nga dito sa balikat ko..." Nic said as she reached to scratch her shoulder. There was another stain on her shirt. Mama examined it to confirm; a 'baby' pox next to the bigger one that had popped earlier, had just popped when Nic scratched it. Nic also showed the other spots she saw on her legs and thighs.

"Tapusin mo na yang merienda mo at pumasok ka na sa kwarto mo. Magpahinga ka na." Mama said. "...tatawagan ko lang yung duktor..."

From that afternoon, Nic was quarantined in her bedroom for two weeks.

Being the closest friend and 'last' close contact, Belle also got sick. In fact, several people in their school and school service also got sick. It was the end of the school year, too, so both and Nic and Belle were not able to take the final exams. Their grades suffered but they were still moved up to the next level.

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"Kanina ka pa parang giraffe dyan e..." Carlo quipped when he noticed that Rj kept on craning his neck and looking around the field and the park, about a week after Nic had been home quarantined. "Actually, nung isang araw ka pang ganyan. Ano o sino ba ang hinahanap mo?"