MARCH 12, 2023・SUNDAY・9:21
"...mao to, mas ganahan pud ko nga mag-stay dinhe kang lola. Chill ra man gud siya," Gabbie says, nibbling on a loaf of bread.
"...SO YEAH, THAT'S WHY I LIKE STAYING HERE AT GRANDMA'S. SHE'S JUST SO CHILL."
Maya nods as she rinses a dish and carefully places it on the drying rack.
"Parehas karon. Pag-ingon nako nga mag-sleepover ta, wala'y labad. Sugot dayon," Gabbie says, sat at the kitchen table and nibbling on a loaf bread.
"LIKE WITH THIS. WHEN I TOLD HER THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE A SLEEPOVER, SHE IMMEDIATELY SAID YES. NO QUESTIONS."
"Aha diay imong lola karon?" Mariz asks as she slices some onions.
"WHERE'S YOUR GRANDMA RIGHT NOW?"
"Nag-outing sa Bukidnon kauban iyahang mga church friends." She turns to look at Hamza who is sweeping the floor. "Ako na ana, bb."
"SHE'S TOURING BUKIDNON WITH HER OTHER CHURCH FRIENDS."
"LET ME DO THAT, BB."
"Okay lang, bb uy. Dili man gud kaayo hugaw inyong salog," Hamza says.
"IT'S OKAY, BB. IT'S NOT EVEN THAT DIRTY."
"Okay thank you. Love you." She blows a kiss Hamza's way. "Maya, diba abroad man imong mama?"
"MAYA, YOUR MOM IS ABROAD RIGHT?"
Maya nods.
"Asa gani to siya nga country?"
"WHAT COUNTRY WAS THAT AGAIN?"
"Norway."
"Wow! Nindot baya daw dira. Diba dira makita to nimo tong mga Aulelia lights?"
"WOW! HEARD THAT PLACE IS AMAZING. IS THAT THE COUNTRY WHERE YOU SEE LIKE THE AULELIA LIGHTS?"
"Aulelia?" Mariz asks, baffled.
"Katong mga naga-siga-siga gud sa langit."
"THE ONE WHERE THE SKY IS GLOWING."
Hamza chuckles. "Aurora Borealis, bb."
"Aw, gani. Kato." She giggles. "Sorry gud. Nakita man gud to nako sa Tiktok."
"YEAH. I MEANT TO SAY THAT."
"SORRY. I JUST SAW IT ON TIKTOK."
Hamza shakes her head, still amused. "Kinsa pud inyong kauban sa balay, Maya? Abroad man kaya imong mama."
"AND WHO'S TAKING CARE OF YOU, MAYA? SINCE YOUR MOM IS NOT THERE WITH YOU."
"Si Ante Kakay. Igsoon sa akong mama. Bale, naga-uli-uli siya sa ilahang balay kay silingan ra man mi. Siya nagaluto sa among food tapos naga-hatod sa akong manghud sa school. Siya pud in-charge sa mga bayrunon sa balay," Maya says wiping her hands on the rag.
"MY AUNT KAKAY. SHE'S MOM'S SISTER. SO WHAT SHE DOES IS, SHE GOES BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN HER HOUSE AND OUR'S. WE'RE NEIGHBORS ANYWAY. SHE COOKS US FOOD AND SOMETIMES DROPS OFF AND PICKS UP MY SISTER TO SCHOOL, IF I CAN'T DO IT. SHE'S ALSO IN-CHARGE OF THE MONEY AND STUFF."
Suddenly, Pamela joins them in the kitchen, wearing Gabbie's clothes.
Everybody goes quiet and looks at her.
Gabbie, quick to think, hops off the kitchen table and gestures for Maya to start setting the table. "Erm..." She clears her throat. "Mangaon ta?"
"LET'S EAT?"
Hamza sets aside the broom and helps Maya with arranging the utensils on the plates.
Feeling a bit panicked since she hasn't finished cooking Pamela's food yet. "Gab," she says as she gestures towards the unfinished dish.
Pamela walks towards the kitchen table and finds herself a seat.
"Actually..." Gabbie walks over to the refrigerator to find food. "Nangaon nami ganiha pero gigutom pa man pud mi. Gigutom man ta diba girls?"
"WE ALREADY ATE EARLIER BUT WE'RE STILL A BIT HUNGRY. AREN'T WE, GIRLS?"
"Oo. Gutom kaayo," Mariz says, hilariously too forced and wooden.
"YEAH. WE'RE SO HUNGRY."
Everyone takes their seats around the table.
Gabbie manages to find some cold hotdogs in the fridge and places them on the table.
All of the girls fix their eyes on it for a moment, all confused.
In an instant, they explode into laughter, unable to contain the sheer absurdity of the scene.
"What the fuck?" Maya says, wiping off the tears from her eyes.
"Okay pa na siya guys, pramis. Breakfast na namo gahapon," Gabbie remarks.
"YOU CAN STILL EAT IT GIRLS, I SWEAR. WE ATE THAT YESTERDAY FOR BREAKFAST."
Pamela looks at her friends around the table. "Girls, salamat," she says; a smile on her face.
"GIRLS, THANK YOU."
The other girls share tender glances with each other.
"Ug sorry pud sa..." Pamela bites her lip and looks down, embarrassed. "...sa tanan. Kabalo ko dili dali nga maamigo nako."
"AND SORRY ABOUT..."
"YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING. I KNOW I'M NOT THE EASIEST PERSON TO BE FRIENDS WITH."
"Just a little," Gabbie jokes.
Pamela weakly laughs nods.
Mariz takes her hand and gives her a comforting smile.
"Pam," Maya starts. "Kuan ba..." She looks at the other girls. "Katong gabii."
"BY THE WAY...ERM..."
"ABOUT LAST NIGHT."
"Buntis ka Pam?" Gabbie interjects.
"ARE YOU PREGNANT, PAM?"
Pamela looks down on her empty plate and shrugs. "Dili ko sure. Pero feeling nako." She gently caresses her stomach. "Kay kada buntag nalang, naga suka ko, tapos panagsa malipong ra kog kalit."
"NOT SURE. BUT I THINK SO."
"BECAUSE EVERY MORNING, I THROW UP, AND SOMETIMES I GET DIZZY ALL OF A SUDDEN."
"Pero wala paka nagtest?" Mariz asks. She gets a notification on her phone and reads it.
"DID YOU GET TESTED."
Pamela shakes her head. "Makulbaan ko sa result."
"I'M SCARED TO SEE THE RESULT."
Mariz rolls her eyes and turns off her phone.
"Pamela," Hamza chides. "Unsaon nimo pagkabalo kung dili ka mag-take?"
"HOW WILL YOU KNOW IF YOU DON'T TAKE THE TEST?"
Mariz gets up from her seat. "Pam, mag-test ka karon."
"PAM, YOU'RE DOING IT TODAY."
"Unsa?" Pamela asks.
"WHAT?"
"Magtest ka karon. Manggawas mi ni Maya—Maya, okay lang?"
"YOU'RE GETTING TESTED TODAY. MAYA AND I WILL GO OUT—MAYA, ARE YOU FINE COMING WITH ME?"
Maya nods.
"Kato...Mamalit mig makaon nimo tapos pregnancy test sa botika. Okay ka ana?"
"AND YEAH...WE'RE BUYING FOOD AND ALSO A PREGNANCY TEST FROM THE PHARMACY. ARE YOU OKAY WITH THAT?"
Pamela hesitates a little, taking a bit of time to think about it. Slowly, she nods. "Sige. Okay," she says.
"FINE."
"Unya katong gislice nimo nga onion, bb? Unsaon man to namo?" Gabbie asks Mariz.
"AND WHAT ABOUT THAT ONION YOU SLICED, BB? WHAT DO WE DO WITH THAT?"
"Ambot. I-fried rice nalang siguro?" Mariz asks. "Kabalo mo mag-fried rice?"
"I DON'T KNOW. FRIED RICE, MAYBE?"
"DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DO IT?"
"Kabalo ko," Pamela says.
"I KNOW HOW TO."
"Okay na diay ka Pam? Wala naka'y hangover?" Gabbie asks.
"ARE YOU OKAY? HAVE YOU RECOVERED FROM YOUR HANGOVER?"
"Naa pa gamay. Pero okay lang. Gusto gani ko maglihok kay para mas paspas ko maulian."
"MY HEAD STILL HURTS A LITTLE. BUT IT'S FINE. I ACTUALLY WANT TO MOVE MORE SO THAT I CAN RECOVER FASTER."
"Sige." Mariz smiles. "Manglakaw naming Maya ha? Kamo na bahala dinhe."
"OKAY."
"MAYA AND I ARE HEADING OFF. YOU GIRLS, JUST DO WHATEVER YOU CAN."
"Yes ma'am!" Gabbie jokingly exclaims, doing a salute.
Mariz smirks and salutes back at her.