Wherever you will go

Chapter One

Nagising ako ng 9:35 AM.

Not bad, considering what happened last night, although I should have woken up an hour ago.

I stretched both my arms. Lumagatok ang mga buto ko sa likod at daliri. I should try going outside. I should try walking my dogs. Unlike me, they can't get cooped up inside this huge house for too long.

They must be starving by now.

Dali-dali akong bumangon, kahit pakiramdam ko mas mabigat ang pull ng gravity ng earth ngayong umaga. I sluggishly dragged my body downstairs, who knew walking down the stairs could feel like you're hiking down a mountain when you have clinical depress—

"WOOF WOOF!" A huge dog tackled me as I reached downstairs. "Aries!" Napalitan ng masiglang ngiti ang kanina'y nalulukot kong mukha. "Oh my god!"

Nahirapan akong pigilan ang pagbagsak ko sa sahig, isang 75-pound Golden Retriever ba naman ang nakadamba sa akin.

"Down, boy! Down!" I ordered him and he thankfully got the message. "Good boy." I cooed, messing up Aries' already messy fur.

Katatapos ko lang ayusin ang nalukot kong t-shirt nang may naramdaman akong maliliit na paws na tila kumakalabit sa paa ko.

"Hellooo, my beautiful babieees!" Isa-isa kong hinimas ang ulo ng makukulit kong pug, shih tzu at maliit na askal.

Nalipat ang tingin ko sa mga prescription pills ko na nakakalat sa dining table ko. Bumalik ang tingin ko sa mga aso sa paahan kong sina Capri, Libra at Gemini. Their happy faces look up at me like I'm the sun and they are pretty little sunflowers basking in my ray of light to stay alive.

Yep, they are totally worth it.

3:40 PM

I'm in front of my laptop, doodling a new design for my work. Well, mostly doodling on my tablet distractedly. I can't seem to wrap my head around the idea that my client wants. Aries is sitting perfectly still in front of me— na para bang alam niyang ginuguhit ko siya.

Mabuti na lang at natapos ko nang iguhit ang cute and wavy na buntot ni Aries nang bigla siyang mapatakbo sa may pintuan at ikinuskos ang kanyang mga paa doon.

"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!" Maligalig niyang tahol sa pinto.

"What's gotten into you, Aries?"

I looked at the time, it's almost 4PM. Oh, kaya naman pala. Ganitong oras madalas naglalako si Mang Hipolito ng kanyang world famous Spanish Bread, Pan De Coco at Bicho-Bicho.

He knows how much I love Mang Hipolito's bread, especially the Pan De Coco kind. I beckoned Aries to come to me at agad siyang lumapit.

"What a sweet boy," I said, rubbing his ears. His eyes rolled back and he sighed happily beside me. "Thanks for reminding me to eat, bubu. Today's no good though."

Eating baked goods has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, but not after a major breakdown. Somehow eating food suddenly becomes a chore the day after a depressive episode. Yeah, try explaining that to a sweet and innocent dog.

I sighed and tried to get back to work again but to no avail. The sunlight from the windows is now drenching my workstation with a pleasant mid-afternoon hue. The cool air and cheerful noises outside are somewhat tempting. Mukhang hindi rin mapakali ang mga aso kong kanina pa palakad-lakad, they could use a little workout. Should I go outside?

Beep! Isang notification galing sa laptop ko ang pumigil sa train of thoughts ko.

NEW VIDEO FROM VICE BORJA!

Aww, to heck with graphic designing, I'm delving deep onto fangirling.