Therrie's Thirty Days of Temperamental Cycle

Chapter 7: Joy Part 2

"I think we need this," Arkin offered, entering the room. Inabot niya kay Therrie ang isang bote ng Smirnoff. Hindi naman gano'n kataas ang alcohol content no'n, but that would make her feel numb at least for a moment. Just to forget about what she needs to deal today.

Therrie drinks the bottle like she usually has it for breakfast. Hindi naman niya iyon madalas ginawa, but it seems like it's the best time to do it now. She has been prohibited to drink alcohol for the past two months and last night feels like the first time for her.

"So, what do you want to tell? Dapat ba akong mag-ready?" biro pa ni Arkin, just to lighten up the mood. Therrie can't seem to ride his jokes, it's funny for her, but the emotion to laugh at it doesn't seem to get on it.

She had too much fun last night and now that it's gone, this is the consequence she has to pay—not actually to pay for, but this is what she has been dealing with for the last years of her life. Nakasanayan na lamang niya dahil sa paulit-ulit na pangyayari.

Humugot nang malalim na hininga si Therrie. "I just want to confess to you that I have a boyfriend..."

"Shit," he hissed when Therrie put that thing out in the air. Napabitaw rin ito nang malalim na hininga. He drinks his bottle, shaking his head, realizing the mistake he did. "I'm sorry, Therrie. I didn't know. I should've known better—"

"No, it's not your fault," Therrie said, reaching out to his shoulder. "Wala ka namang ginawang masama. You did nothing wrong there and I actually made the first move so please don't put this on yourself. I'm just dealing with something within myself that I feel like no one would understand. Not even my own boyfriend and my best friend who just chose to betray me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Arkin said, sighing.

Therrie smirked. "You don't have to be sorry about that. Nangyari na 'yon at wala naman tayong ginawang masama. Well, I actually did kaya sumama ako sa 'yo rito kagabi."

"Oh, really? So, you're a fugitive?" he asked. Nakatitig lang ang dalaga sa mukha ng lalaki. Nang ma-realize ni Arkin na para bang may iba sa tanong niya ay agad itong umiling. "No. That's not what I really meant. I just thought that..." He sighed. "Just tell me what you're up to so I don't have to think about it."

Therrie laughed. "Sure... but I hope you won't feel weird about it."

"Don't worry, I've seen shit," he admitted, laughing, breaking the tension.

Therrie chuckled and then took a deep breath to get some courage to confess why she was running away. "Okay! I have an unknown disorder which I'm still figuring out what could it be. I was in a mental health facility and I admitted myself there to learn my condition, but two months passed and nothing changed. I'm still me and I still have no idea who am I today."

"I see..." Tipid na sagot ni Arkin. "But are you alright now? Do you feel any—you know, something bad or whatever you're going through? Should I call an ambulance?"

Agad na umiling si Therrie. "No. Don't ever call an ambulance. They might figure out where I am now..."

"Yeah, that's dumb. But I'm curious, how did you manage to get out of that facility? Isn't it heavily guarded?"

"It does, but not most of the time," aniya. Napangisi na lang din ito nang maalala kung paano niya kadaling nalusutan ang mga tauhan do'n. "I took the chance the other day when an electric interruption occurred. I've been there for two months so I already know the places where I should be. With the help of someone there, I managed to escape because the system there isn't working for me. I think what's best for me is to discover it by myself, not being trapped there."

"You're such a crazy woman—oh, my bad, that's such a bad term to use," Arkin apologized.

Therrie laughed, shaking her head. "No, that's fine. I don't take offense to it. I already got used to it."