A Hundred Days With You

T W E N T Y - T W O

"MALI NAMAN GINAGAWA mo eh! Kusutin mo muna yung bandang kwelyo." Sabay turo sa akin ni Venice ang collar ng puting damit na hawak ko.

"Why not just help me here?! Para mas mabilis akong matapos!" Padabog kong ibinagsak ang damit na hawak ko sa bilog na lalagyan na mukhang bathtub. What do you call this again? Pananggala?

"Palanggana kase!" She shook her head like I'm really disappointing. Malay ko ba? Eh wala naman kaming ganito sa mansion eh! At kung meron man, hindi ko rin naman malalaman kasi hindi naman ako naglalaba!

I was treated as a princess in a palace, tapos paglalabahin ako? And the worst thing is hindi naman akin itong mga damit! I am washing the clothes of a stranger!

"Wag ka na magreklamo. Diba hindi ka makatagal na walang pera? Edi maglaba ka para kumita ka."

"You are saying that because you're not in my position. You don't know how hard it is!" I picked up the cloth again and started brushing it. "And magkano naman ang kikitain ko dito, huh? One hundred? Two hundred? That's not enough!"

Nasa likod-bahay kami ng nagpapalaba sa akin dahil nga sabi daw ni Merida ay bawal malaman ni Mrs. Bernardo na nagtatrabaho ako.

"Puro ka reklamo. Kung kulang pa yun, edi kumuha ka pa ng maraming labahin para madagdagan ang kita mo."

"You're saying that like it's so easy."

She's just sitting in a monoblock chair beside me and just watching me work my ass off. Hindi ba niya nararamdaman na hirap na hirap ako?

I heard her sigh. "Okay, okay. Tutulungan na kita."

The inner me rejoiced but a part of me is saying that I shouldn't be glad, kasi dapat lang naman talaga na tulungan niya ako, so she's not doing me a favor and I don't have utang na loob from her.

"Oo na. Dami mo pang iniisip." Tumabi na rin siya sa akin at kumuha ng lalabhan niya.

THOUGH WE ARE REALLY noisy because we can't stop speaking ill about each other ay mabilis din namang natapos ang labahin and now I'm getting really tired. Gusto kong makauwi na sa bahay at matulog na lang pero malayo pa ang lalakarin namin.

While Venice here beside me is walking like she have so many energy. She's skipping like a kid while I'm walking slowly like a zombie. Bakit kasi walang washing machine? Edi sana mas napadali ang trabaho ko!

"Edi hindi ka niya kukunin para maglaba kung may washing machine din naman sila, baliw." Lumapit siya sa akin at hinila ang braso ko. "Ang bagal mo naman maglakad! Gusto ko na umuwi!"

"Diba you have some sort of a magical ability?" Napaayos ako ng tayo at nilingon siya. "Maybe you can use your powers and just teleport us into the house------"

"Baliw. Wala na akong ability ngayon kasi parang kagaya mo na lang din ako. Tao ako ngayon kasi nandito ako. At isa pa, kahit pa may kapangyarihan ako ngayon ay hindi ko pa rin ito pwedeng gamitin dahil bawal and also, I can't risk our safety."

I stared at her as she became serious. "Why? Is something bad going to happen?"

She nodded and started walking but her words made me stop on my tracks.

What does she mean by that? Don't tell me, there are evil spirits wandering around here?

"Edi hindi ko sasabihin."

I felt chills going through my spine with that words kaya napatakbo na lang ako palapit sa kanya.

"Meron talaga? Pati...dito?" I looked around, trying to find one but also wishing not to see one.

"They're everywhere. Just waiting for a mortal to control."

Dahil sa sinabi niya ay tulala lang akong naglalakad dito sa gilid. I can't take it out of my mind. I suddenly regretted asking and being curious about it!