Kabanata 4
Child
"Can we talk?" I asked Ico after walking toward him.
Biglang napangisi ang katabi niyang doktor nang marinig 'yon. I remained calm despite the teasing grin that he had, so unlike Ico's poker face. The said doctor had hard features because he was at least half-Moroccan (if not full-blooded). He was hot as fuck, though. Parang biglang gusto ko ngang magpa-diagnose sa kaniya.
Ico was about to answer when the doctor stretched out his palm toward me and shoved Ico away with his other palm. Namilog ang mga mata ko dahil medyo malakas ang pagtulak niya. Ico cursed under his breath and glared at him although he was oblivious to it.
"Good morning, beautiful woman," he said, emphasizing the r in the word morning. Tumaas-baba ang mga kilay niya. Smiling, he said, "Today I am Doctor Raj Khasmi, a third-year resident."
I made a face but still shook his hand. "Okay? If you're Doctor Raj Khasmi today, who are you tomorrow?"
Awkward siyang humalakhak. "Good point! My Baba will like you!" Pinaningkitan niya ako ng mga mata. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? I shall introduce you to my family!"
My eyes drifted to Ico who had an annoyed expression. He met my eyes and sighed before tapping Doctor Khasmi's back as if telling him to stop his game of charades.
"Raj, stop," he warned. "You're embarrassing yourself. Besides, you're doing a Russian accent, not an Arabic one."
Nilingon siya nito at nginiwian. "Okay, Ico, chill! Nagpapapresko lang, e!" He frowned at him. "You're such a persona non grata!"
"And you're scaring her," he said icily.
Umiling si Ico at saka lumapit sa 'kin. He grabbed me by the wrist, something that honestly caught me off guard. He had such soft and slender fingers and I could actually imagine him saving a patient's life inside a surgery room through them.
"What a disrespectful intern," Doc Khasmir muttered under his breath, still with his fake Russian accent.
Naglakad kami patungo sa labas ng ospital at tumigil sa patio, 'yong annex ng cafeteria. It was bright and everything felt blinding there. Mahangin din kaya kinailangan kong sikupin ang buhok ko bago pormal na humarap kay Ico.
He let go of my wrist and stared at me. "What are you doing here?"
"I can ask you the same thing." Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "Sabi mo, next year pa ang residency mo, 'di ba? Ba't nagi-intern ka ngayon?"
"I volunteered," he said and inserted his hands in his pocket. "Plus, all I'm doing is scut work, stuff that most doctors don't want to do. Papers, getting lab results, getting doctors their coffee." He looked like he could go on forever. Stifling a smile, he added, "I'm allowed to watch surgeries, though, so there's that."
Lihim akong namangha dahil tunog dedikado siya sa ginagawa niya. When he paused and plastered a genuinely concerned look at me, my brows automatically furrowed. What was he concerned about and wow, did that mean that he knew how to care?
Of course, he should, right? Magdo-doktor siya! Isa pa, kanina no'ng kasama niya si Dr. Khasmi ay 'di naman siya mukhang gan'to kasungit. Maybe he's only like this with me because he's prejudiced against me!
"Ba't ka nandito? May nangyari ba?" he asked in a worried tone.
Ngumuso ako, 'di pa rin sanay na may pake siya. "Na-ospital ang kapatid ko. She fell from the stairs but she's okay now."
"Why did she fall? Does it happen often? How old is she and what's her medical history?" he spoke so fast I thought it was a rap. Nang matanto niya ang reaksyon ko'y umayos siya ng tayo at saka umismid. "I'm sorry, uh, I also diagnose some patients so it's a force of habit."
"Okay lang." Napasinghap ako't napaayos din ng tayo. "Tungkol nga pala sa offer mo..." I trailed off. He only stared at me so in a small voice, I continued, "Is it too late for me to accept it?"
His eyes widened in the slightest bit before he shook his head. It made me bite the insides of my cheeks.
"No, not at all."
Kinabukasan ay maaga pa akong naghanda dahil ang sabi ni Ico ay ngayong araw namin pag-uusapan ang kontrata ng gagawin naming pagpapanggap. Can you believe it? May kontrata ang gago!
Akala ko ay nagbibiro lang siya ngunit nang makarating sa summer house alas siyete ng umaga'y natagpuan ko siya sa terasa, nakaupo sa harap ng lamesang may kape at dalawang papel na kailangan ng pirma. Habang papalapit sa kaniya'y dama ko ang paninitig niya.
I was wearing a yellow summer dress which I paired with my worn-out platform boots. Meanwhile, he was in his blue long-sleeved dress shirt partnered with his black necktie. His hair was fixed sideways and he looked so far from the typical men I would go for.
Masyado siyang pormal at good boy. Ngayon pa lang nga ay alam ko nang mabo-bore ako sa isang linggong pagpapanggap namin at baka matuyuan pa ako ng laway matapos ang lahat ng 'to!
"Good morning, boyfriend," nakangisi kong bati bago naupo na sa silyang nasa harap niya.
He snorted and sipped on his coffee first before speaking. "Nakakain ka na?"
"Wow, concerned?" I joked.
"Not in the slightest bit."
He shifted his weight on his chair before sliding the paper toward me. There was a form of agreement on the first page whereas a blank paper was stapled underneath it. Napangiwi ako sa gan'tong kaartehan niya. Para namang tatakasan ko siya sa pa-kontrata niyang 'to, e!
Pinirmahan ko 'yong agreement form bago ni-flip ang papel para suriin ang pangalawang panid nito. Talagang blangko lang 'yon kaya nag-angat ako ng tingin sa kaniya upang magtanong.
"Ba't may blangkong papel?"
"We need to establish rules in this pretend relationship."
"Rules?" Inilingan ko siya. "Sus! Hindi na 'yan kailangan kasi 'di naman kita pagtatangkaan o kung ano man 'yang iniisip mong gagawin ko sa 'yo!" Nangalumbaba ako sa lamesa't matamis siyang nginisihan. "First of all, you're not my type."
He smiled without humor. "Good, because you're not my type, too."
"Wow!" I sounded offended which I didn't understand. Kumunot ang noo ko at lihim na napa-ismid. "Okay. At least nagkakaintindihan tayo."
"But we still need rules, Sunny," he insisted.
Inilingan ko ulit siya bago pinadulas sa harap niya ang papel. "Ba't ba obsessed ka sa rules? Nagsasayang ka lang ng oras, e." I leaned my face closer to him. "'Di ba may trabaho ka pa? This is a waste of time!"
"I'm a med-student who hopes to become a doctor someday," he said, staring at me with his serious eyes, "and for doctors, rules should be important. Without rules, we're playing God."
Napairap ako't napahilig sa backrest. "Let's just come up with three, then."
"Fine by me." He nodded and took out a pen so that he could write on the blank page. "Rule No. 1: Intimacy must not be implemented unless necessary."
"What if I need sex? Okay lang ang intimacy 'pag gano'n? Necessity, e." He looked displeased with my unsolicited joke but I still chuckled anyway. "Don't judge me! It's summer, dry season, tagtuyot!"
He sneered. "Necessity, Sunny. As in a family member or a friend of mine or yours is watching us. Sa kanila tayo magpapanggap."
I plastered an appalled look. Kung makapagsalita naman siya'y parang interesado akong maging sweet sa kaniya off-cam. I bet he never even kissed anyone! And I for sure wouldn't dare kiss his virgin lips! But hey, I could also benefit from these rules!
Ngumisi ako. "Rule No. 2: Boyfriend will provide girlfriend's necessities, such as money, clothing, food, transportation, house, emotional and moral support."
"I'm not your sugar daddy," he said a-matter-of-factly, creasing his forehead.
"That's my rule kaya labas na ang opinyon mo diyan." Nginiwian ko siya't matapang na tinignan. He's such a cheapskate! "'Di ka naman siguro malulugi gayong limang araw na lang bago ang family dinner niyo, 'di ba?"
"You're going to leave me penniless," he tsked, "but whatever you say, girlfriend."
He raised a mocking smile that I replied to with a sharp gaze. How could I leave him penniless when he's part of La Fortuna's richest lineage? The Benavidoses basically own this town!
Nagsulat ulit siya. "Rule No. 3: We are exclusive to each other, meaning," he looked up at me with a judging expression on his face, "you won't be kneeling down in front of Levi Suarez inside a CR just to borrow a fucking Aventador, Sunny."
I raised my arms in surrender. Ba't mukhang may hang-ups pa rin siya kay Levi? Tss. Ang boring niya na nga, ang dami niya pang arte bilang boyfriend!
"Okay! 'Di na 'ko luluhod kay Levi," tinaasan ko siya ng kilay, "pero mas lalong 'di ako luluhod sa 'yo."
He shrugged. "I don't fancy making women kneel, anyway."
"So what do you do with them? Make them bend?" I lifted a naughty smile. In a seductive voice, I added, "I can bend."
Napahagalpak ako ng tawa nang bigyan niya ako ng matalim na titig. Mukhang pinagsisisihan niya na yatang inalok niya akong maging girlfriend niya!
"There will be no bending nor kneeling happening between us. No sex. No kisses. No emotional attachment." He tilted his head and looked at me indulgently. "After Sunday night, we're done. You'll get your money and I'll get my freedom."
"Anong mangyayari pagkatapos natin sa contract signing na 'to? "
"Bibigyan kita ng pera ngayong araw. Get yourself clothes, decent ones."
Makahulugan ko siyang tinignan na siyang nagpakunot ng noo niya. What? It's 'cause he was acting like a sugar daddy already!
"I'm not being a sugar daddy," he explained as if he had read my mind. "Bibisita rito mamaya ang kapatid kong si Monty. I want you to look decent because we're going to have dinner with him."
He was oblivious to it, but his words were yet again laced with prejudice. Ibig-sabihin ba'y hindi ako mukhang disente ngayon? Granted, my dress was tight and skimpy but it was fine! Gusto kong umangal kaso naalala kong pwede ko namang ibulsa ang ibibigay niyang pera kaya nanahimik na lang ako.
"You're so serious about this, 'no?" tuya ko.
"The rules again?"
Mas maliwanag na ngayon ang kalangitan kaya nadepina lalo ang gwapo niyang mukha. Napakaganda ng summer house na tinitirhan niya ngunit masyado 'yong malaki para sa kaniya. Maybe that's why his brother's coming over? Nalulungkot na ba siyang mag-isa?
"Look," he heaved a deep sigh, "I just don't want to give you false hopes. Alam kong naiintindihan mo naman ang set-up nating 'to, but still, rules will remind us that this is business."
"False hopes? Really?"
He nodded. "False hopes are cruel, Sunny. That's why doctors need to say the ugliest truth to their patients."
He licked his lower lip and averted his eyes from me. Bakas na ang kakaibang ekspresyon sa mukha niya ngayon. I didn't know if it was hate or longing. Maybe both.
"False hopes are insulting," he continued in a grim tone. Binalingan niya ulit ako 'tsaka pinadulas ang papel sa harap niya papunta sa 'kin. "Another thing, I need basic information about you. Stuff like your full name, medical history, age, addre—"
"Teka nga!" agap ko't pinanliitan siya ng mga mata. "Ang arte na ng pa-basic information mo na 'yan, ah!"
I crossed my arms over my chest and blew a sharp breath, naririndi na sa mga requirements niya. I was going to be his girlfriend, not his patient! A fucking medical history? Did he think I had STD or something?
"What do you need to know about me anyway?" I hissed and arched a brow. "Nabigay ko na sa 'yo 'yong calling card ko, ah?"
"Kulang ang info roon. For example, your age." He stared at me expectantly. Then he said, "You're at least twenty, right?"
Ngumiwi ako't 'di makapaniwala siyang tinignan. "I'm eighteen, you fool!"
Umawang ang labi niya, gulat dahil sa totoong edad ko. He looked like he just witnessed a murder or a car accident before his eyes. Bago pa siya makapagsalita ay kinuha ko na ang kontrata at tumayo na.
"You called me a kid at the country club. I thought you knew," I simply said.
Nagsalubong ang kilay niya. "I was trying to insult you then. I didn't..."
He massaged the rim of his nose and stretched out his palm as if asking me to give him back the contract. Pinagmasdan ko lang siya. I heard him cuss under his breath before he firmly looked at me.
"Give me back the contract. I'm not going to introduce a child to my father."
I couldn't believe that he thought of me as a child. Nakalimutan ko na ang huling pagkakataong naramdaman kong naging bata ako. It was like my farthest memory started with me doing my classmates' projects for money. Ni wala akong memorya kung gaano ba dapat ang maging bata, 'yong walang problema at naglalaro lang.
But here was Ico in front of me, calling me a child despite thinking that I had sucked Levi Suarez's dick. Ewan ko kung matutuwa o maiinis ba akong tinuturing niya akong bata. One thing's for sure though, I needed to be his girlfriend no matter what he thought of me.
Mapaglaro ko siyang inilingan. "I don't care if you're old or you're supposed to be my Kuya." Itinaas ko ang kontrata at saka winagayway 'yon. "I need money, Ico. And starting today, you're my boyfriend."