Attention

TEASED

"Good night, nangnang," Irene said quietly.

"I love you..." she added as she exited the room.

Fiona did not respond. She turned her back on her mother and ignored her until she heard the door close.

___

It's 4 am, and everyone is still asleep except for Fiona, who can't fall asleep. She has already had several glasses of milk, but sleep just won't visit her.

"Come on, pillows! Give me a nice long nap, or even a short one will do. Hindi ako pwedeng magpuyat!" Fiona shivered and buried herself in the pillow.

"Maawa ka naman sa baso at isang latang gatas, Fiona; you've finished everything in the kitchen!" she scolded herself.

She tried to sleep, and after several attempts, she finally drifted off.

....

At 6 am, someone knocked on her door. The knock went unanswered. The knocking on the door grew louder and louder, but Fiona wasn't bothered by the loud knocking.

"Iha, ikaw nalang ang hinihintay sa sala, gising na, alas sais na," yelled a senior maid outside her door.

Another round of knocks echoed through her door.

"Please, huhu. Gusto ko lang matulog. Why can't you leave me alone?!" Fiona pleaded, burying her face in the pillow. She tossed and turned in bed.

"Iha, kakain na daw." She said again. Fiona groaned.

Feeling extremely lazy, she crawled down from her bed until she reached the door. She twisted the doorknob, and when she opened it, she lay down on the floor, making it clear that she still wanted to sleep. The housemaid chuckled, knowing that Fiona was still sleepy.

"Why are you bothering me? I want to sleep! Anong oras na ba?" groggily asked Fiona.

She pulled the blanket with her foot and placed it over her body.

"Alas sais na. Kanina ka pa hinihintay nila sa mesa. Maaga kayong aalis ngayon," said the maid.

Fiona frowned. "For pete's sake. I only slept for about an hour and a half!" she crawled, peeking outside her room. She could hear people talking downstairs.

"Tell them I'm not hungry and I want to sleep," Fiona commanded, but the maid remained at her doorstep.

"Please, manang. Maawa ka naman sa 'kin oh. Isang kalahating oras lang ang tulog ko." Fiona pleaded while playfully teasing her. She begged, her puppy eyes fixed on her.

"Kung hindi ka lang cute, sige, sabihan ko sila basta huwag ka na humiga diyan sa lapag, iha masyadong malamig," she informed.

Fiona nodded and quickly jumped back into her room, like a frog.

Before she could even close her eyes, someone called her again. This time, it was Irene. She could recognize the voice. She immediately pretended to be asleep and covered herself with the blanket.

"Fionabella? Are you there?" Irene called out from outside her room.

She knocked repeatedly, but Fiona ignored her. Irene decided to just enter, thinking that Fiona might be in a deep sleep. Fiona heard her door being opened and then heard footsteps.

When Irene finally entered her room, she noticed a pile of empty glasses. Fiona sneaked a peek. Irene realized that the glasses were filled with milk.

"Nagmana nga naman sa 'kin. Ang arte. Bakit kailangan pang gumamit ng maraming baso kung pwede namang lagyan ulit ng gatas." Irene whispered, cracking up. Fiona rolled her eyes as she heard her.