Niki and Andy

Chapter 12: Tit for Tat

Niki knocked on Andy's door on Wednesday morning. Madalas kasi na ito ang nagluluto ng agahan. She got worried when he didn't cook breakfast that morning. If he was busy with work, he would have let her know.

"Andy?" tawag niya. The door was still locked. "Gising ka na?"

She pressed her ear against the door and knocked again. Kung hindi pa siya makakarinig ng reaksyon mula rito, she would use the spare key to open the bedroom door. Thankfully, she heard a soft thud from inside and the shuffling of feet. Maya-maya, umikot ang doorknob at bumukas ang pinto.

Andy was hugging himself with the weighted blanket he bought a few months ago. Niki knew it was heavy, but also comfortable to sleep under. Nakapatay ang aircon sa loob ng kwarto. There was no air circulating inside. Napansin din niya na nakapatay ang PC ni Andy. It looked like he just woke up.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?"

Tumikhim si Andy at tumango. Niki instantly felt guilty because she knew there was a chance that it was her fault. Being sick with the virus was the worst. It made sense that she was a carrier. She met with Jake and Jake got sick the following day. And then, a few days later, si Andy naman ang tinamaan ng sakit. She was feeling okay, but there were asymptomatic cases so she could still be infected.

Inalalayan niya si Andy hanggang sa makaupo ito sa gilid ng kama nito.

"Nagpaalam ka na sa work mo?" she asked, to which he replied by shaking his head. Sighing, Niki took his phone. Iniharap niya iyon dito para sa facial recognition. Then she looked for the app he uses for work. As expected, ang daming chats kay Andy. There were some missed calls and text messages too. "Sasabihin kong may sakit ka. Sino rito yung direct supervisor mo?"

Tumikhim si Andy. "Sir Gino," sagot nito.

"Okay."

To: Sir Gino

Hi, sir. This is Niki, Andy's housemate. He just woke up. May sakit po sya. I don't think he can work today. He can't even get up. I'll ask him to update you kapag umokay na sya.

She showed the text to Andy before sending it. Nang tumango ito, saka niya ipinadala yung mensahe.

Humiga muli si Andy sa kama nito. He looked like a big burrito wrapped comfortably inside his blanket.

"Do you want to eat something?"

"No."

"Okay, pero magluluto ako ng may sabaw. I'll check your temperature later. Saka kailangan mong ma-swab." Andy was given a few home test kits by his company a few months after he was allowed to work from home. It was not that accurate, pero wala naman silang ibang choice. Andy wouldn't want to be quarantined someplace else. He would rather do self-isolation.

"Do you want me to tell your parents?"

Tumango ito.

"Okay." Niki composed a message on his phone and read it before sending it to his mom. Wala pang five minutes after, tumawag na ang ina nito sa phone. "Hello po, Tita."

Niki walked out to the living room to talk to Andy's mom. She closed the door behind her so he could sleep. Si Ponkan naman ay sumunod din sa kanya, probably to get breakfast.

–

Andy woke up a few hours later. Masakit ang buong katawan niya, masakit ang ulo... his throat was dry and he was feeling sluggish all over. Napansin niyang hindi nabago ang posisyon niya mula kaninang humiga siya. So that meant that he didn't move while he was asleep.

Sleeping was great. He couldn't feel any pain while he was out. Pero ngayong gising na naman ang diwa niya, kung ano-ano na naman ang naramramdaman niya.