MARCH 12, 2023・SUNDAY・10:34
Hamza takes a deep breath and presses the call button on her phone. She props it against a stack of books on the coffee table.
"Sure na gyud to?" Gabbie asks.
"ARE WE REALLY SURE ABOUT THOSE RESULTS?"
"Oo. Pero ambot. Mao man tong naa sa Google. Pag isa lang ka linya, negative," Maya explains as they gather around Hamza on the couch.
"YEAH. BUT...I DON'T KNOW. THAT'S WHAT GOOGLE SAID. IF IT'S JUST ONE LINE, IT'S NEGATIVE."
Pamela takes a seat, still looking at the result on the pregnancy test in disbelief.
Hamza looks at her and offers a reassuring smile. "Pangutan-on lang gihapon nato akong ate ha. Paniguro lang. Kabalo man to siya kay naga-med school man to siya."
"LET'S STILL ASK MY SISTER, OKAY? JUST TO BE SURE. SHE KNOWS STUFF BECAUSE SHE'S AT MED SCHOOL."
Pamela nods.
Hamza's sister picks up. She's drying her hair with a towel.
"Gwapaha sa imong ate Hamz uy," Gabbie whispers.
"YOUR SISTER IS SO PRETTY, HAMZ."
Hamza forces a small smile and nods. "Hi te," she says, a bit uneasy.
"Hi Hamz! Kumusta?"
"HI HAMZ! WHAT'S UP?"
"Okay lang te. Nakita man to nimo akong gitext ganiha te no? Kato te. Naa lang unta mi mga questi—"
"I'M OKAY TE. YOU SAW MY TEXT, RIGHT? SO YEAH. WE JUST HAVE A QUESTIO—"
"Taysa, Hamz. Hinay-hinay lang." she chuckles, glancing at her phone screen. "Kinsa mana imong mga kauban?"
"WOAH, HAMZ. SLOW DOWN."
"WHO'S THOSE PEOPLE WITH YOU?
"Erm..." Hamza hesitates. "Mga amigo nako te. Kani siya si..." she looks at Maya.
"MY FRIENDS, ATE. THIS ONE'S..."
"Hi ate. Nice to meet you. Ako diay si Maya."
"HI ATE. NICE TO MEET YOU. I'M MAYA."
"Gabbie!"
"Mariz. Nice to meet you ate."
"Hello, ate ni Hamza. Ako diay si Pamela."
"HELLO, HAMZA'S SISTER. I'M PAMELA."
"Nice to meet you, girls. Ako si Samira. Igsoon ni Hamza. First question: asa inyong mga hijab?"
"NICE TO MEET YOU, GIRLS. I'M SAMIRA. HAMZA'S SISTER. FIRST QUESTION: WHERE ARE YOUR HIJABS?"
The girls are taken aback and turn to look at Hamza.
Hamza rolls her eyes. "Joke rana niya."
"SHE'S JUST JOKING."
Samira bursts into laughter, joined by the other girls.
"Sige na te," Hamza interrupts. "Katong gimessage nako sa imo ganiha."
"LET'S GO, ATE."
"ABOUT THE MESSAGE I SENT YOU EARLIER."
Samira nods and clears her throat. "Tama. Down to business. So unsa gani to siya? Pregnancy test?"
"RIGHT. DOWN TO BUSINESS. SO WHAT IS IT? A PREGNANCY TEST?"
Hamza nods.
"Kinsa ang nagtake sa test?"
"WHO TOOK THE TEST?"
Everyone points to Pamela.
"Unsa pud ang result?"
"AND WHAT WAS THE RESULT?"
Pamela looks at the other girls.
"Negative yata," Maya says.
"I THINK IT'S NEGATIVE."
Pamela shows Samira the pregnancy test instead.
"Okay." Samira takes her time examining the test through her phone screen. "So okay. Napansin nako nga murag naglibog sa results. Ani na siya pagbasa okay? One line kay negative tapos two lines kay positive."
"SO, OKAY...I NOTICED THAT YOU'RE CONFUSED ABOUT THE RESULTS. THIS IS HOW YOU INTERPRET IT, OKAY? ONE LINE IS NEGATIVE AND TWO LINES IS POSITIVE."
Maya nods.
"Pero depende gihapon na, mga langga. Kay naa'y ubang mga pregnancy test nga lahi siya ug style sa mga results nga ginapakita nila," Samira explains, her voice filled with reassurance. "Pero good news, langga, dili ka buntis."
"BUT THAT DEPENDS SOMETIMES, MY DEARS. BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER PREGNANCY TESTS THAT HAVE DIFFERENT WAY OF DISPLAYING THEIR RESULTS."
"BUT GOOD NEWS, DEAR, YOU'RE NOT PREGNANT."
Instantly, the girls erupt into cheers, their happiness and relief palpable.
"Sure na gyud na te?" Hamza asks.
"AND YOU'RE SURE ABOUT THAT, ATE."
"Oo. 98 to 99 percent accurate gyud nang mga pregnancy test."
"YES. PREGNANCY TESTS ARE 98 TO 99 PERCENT ACCURATE."
"Pero nganong naga-suka man ko kada buntag te? Tapos malipong pud ko," Pamela asks.
"BUT WHY DO I THROW UP EVERY MORNING, ATE? AND I ALSO GET DIZZY SOMETIMES."
"Hmm." She thinks for a while. "Stressed ba ka, langga?" Samira asks.
"ARE YOU STRESSED, MY DARLING?"
Pamela looks at her friends and shrugs.
"Panagsa man gud, pag high ka ug levels of stress, naa ka'y mga symptoms ana nga mura pud ka'g nabuntis. Like abdominal bloating, magsakit imong tiyan, magsuka ka, malipong ka. Panagsa gani, dili naka magka-period. Nagakaon man kaha ka ug tarong?"
"WELL SOMETIMES, WHEN YOU HAVE HIGH LEVELS OF STRESS, YOU MAY EXPERIENCE SYMPTOMS THAT MIMIC PREGNANCY. LIKE ABDOMINAL BLOATING, STOMACHACHES, NAUSEA, DIZZINESS, AND EVEN SKIPPING PERIODS. DO YOU EAT WELL?"
Pamela doesn't reply.
"Erm...kato. Pagkaon sa gyud ug mga vegetables ug fruits nga rich in iron. Dapat stay hydrated pud ka always. Pero kato, mas nice gihapon nang muadto gyud ka ug doctor in person para ma-examine gyud ka ug tarong. Tapos ma-advisan pud ka niya ug tarong."
"ERM...YEAH. YOU SHOULD EAT A LOT OF VEGETABLES AND FRUITS RICH IN IRON. ALSO, YOU HAVE TO STAY HYDRATED ALWAYS. BUT YOU SHOULD STILL CONSULT A DOCTOR IN PERSON SO THAT THEY CAN EXAMINE YOU PROPERLY. AND THEY CAN GIVE YOU PROPER ADVICE."
Pamela nods.
"Tapos kato...relax lang pud. Life is short, so i-enjoy lang."
AND ALSO...JUST RELAX. LIFE IS SHORT, SO ENJOY IT."
Gabbie puts her arms around Pamela.
Pamela leans on Gabbie's shoulder.
"Kato lang akong ma-advise. So..."
"THAT'S ALL. I THINK. SO..."
Hamza turns to look at the other girls and asks, "Okay na to no? Pam?"
"ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THAT, PAM?"
She nods. "Salamat, ate Samira."
"THANK YOU, ATE SAMIRA."
"No worries. Tanang amigo ni Hamza, amigo na pud nako."
"NO WORRIES. ALL OF HAMZA'S FRIENDS ARE MY FRIENDS AS WELL."
"Salamat te," Hamza says, a bit coldly.
"THANK YOU, ATE."
"So okay na ta ninyo ha? Matulog nako, mga langga, kay quarter to 10 na dinhe. Sayo pa ko ugma para magstudy."
"SO ARE WE GOOD? I HAVE TO SLEEP NOW, MY DEARS, IT'S QUARTER TO 10 HERE. AND I HAVE TO WAKE UP EARLY TOMORROW TO STUDY."
"Asa diay ka run te?" Gabbie asks.
"WAIT, WHERE ARE YOU NOW ATE?"
"Chicago," both Hamza and Samira reply simultaneously.
"Wow," Gabbie says.
"Okay! Bye bye na! Ingat mong tanan." She blows a kiss.
"OKAY! BYE BYE! YOU ALL TAKE CARE."
The girls also wave and say their goodbyes in response.
"Hamza, love you," Samira says.
Hamza simply nods and ends the call.
The girls look at each other and then collapse onto the couch, sighing with relief.
"Wow, Hamza, gwapaha sa imohang ate uy," Gabbie points out. "Buotan pa gyud kaayo."
"WOW, HAMZA, YOUR SISTER IS SO BEAUTIFUL."
"AND SUPER KIND."
Hamza doesn't reply. She just smiles coldly.