If zombies were for real, then Kim would be one of them. She ate, slept, went to work – all the obligatory motions, but feeling numb. She had cried herself dry these past few nights, especially two nights ago at the exact time his plane was scheduled to take off. Maja told her Xian’s flight schedule, hoping against hope that she’d change her mind and ask him to stay. But her mind was set.
“Mas makakabuti ito sa amin, Pards.” She tried to convince Maja, and perhaps herself more.
Work was a welcome distraction. She immersed herself in the world of computer programs, where everything was pure, cold logic. It was the nights that were most difficult. In the quiet of her room, her heart would cry out in grief, screaming only one name. Now the weekend was rolling in, and she completely dreaded it.
Early Saturday morning, someone was at the door.
“Tita Lulu?” Maja was surprised to see their landlady. Kim looked up from her cup of coffee.
“*Selamat Pagi!” Tita Lulu was her usual cheerful self. She carried a paperbag with her and placed it on the dining table, smiling widely at Kim.
Kim gave her a weak smile. “Tita, is it time for rent again?”
Tita Lulu laughed, shaking her head. “No, lah. I brought soup for you. You heat for later, okay?”
“Wow, what kind of soup, Tita?” Maja peered into the paperbag.
“Chicken macaroni, Philippine style lah.” Tita Lulu learned to cook a lot of Filipino dishes from her husband, halal dishes of course.
“What’s the occasion Tita?” Kim asked her. It was the first time their landlady was bringing food with her.
The elderly lady sat down across Kim while Maja sat beside her. “I heard what happen.”, she said to Kim.
“What do you mean, Tita?”
“You and your *sayang…Xian lah.” She nodded seriously at Kim who smiled faintly in response. News does travel quickly.
Tita Lulu continued. “So I bring you food. I try to come everyday okay?”
Kim furrowed her brows. “Why Tita? No need to bring food.”
Tita Lulu waved her hands. “No no, you eat. You also Maja. I don’t want sick tenant lah. *Boleh?”
Kim nodded obediently. “*Boleh.”
Puzzled, the two girls shrugged their shoulders as their landlady took her leave.
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*Selamat Pagi = Good morning
*sayang = sweetheart
*boleh = can, possible
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mrs. Ana Marie Lim looked out the kitchen window as she prepared dinner. She sighed at the sight of her son shooting hoops alone on the basketball court beside their house. It has been almost a week since he suddenly appeared at their home inside the Pilipinas Shell compound in Batangas. He didn’t say much except to say that there was something he needed to do. Her instincts told her there was a deeper reason but she held her tongue. She knew that the right time to talk with him would come.
