Renegade

Chapter 28

"This is really a tricky topic, Clarisse. Wait, ano ulit 'yung meaning ng PPD?"

"Post-harvest Physiological Deterioration," sagot ko kay Alex habang tinitingnan niya ang printed copy ng outline ko. "It's technically a physiological and metabolical process in cassava after harvesting which leads to some bluish black discoloration near the wound sites caused by mechanical damage."

Naramdaman kong tumango-tango siya bago hinalikan ang leeg ko. I giggled with what he did and he laughed. He flipped the page of the paper he was holding while still reading it and from time to time, marking some important points in it.

Nakasandal naman ako sa dibdib niya habang binabasa rin ang outline niya sa kaniyang laptop na nasa may gilid ko. We were inside his bedroom, on his bed, and in spooning position. Nasa likod ko si Alex habang mahigpit ang pagkakayakap niya sa bewang ko at hinihigaan ko naman ang isa niyang braso na hawak ang printed outline ko.

The warmth coming from his body and his frequent small kisses on my cheeks, nape, neck and shoulders made me laugh and giggle from time to time.

"Alex! Huwag ka ngang malandi! Sabi mo mag-focus tayo sa outlines ng isa't isa," I scolded him when he inhaled my neck.

"Hmn... Ang bango naman kasi ng girlfriend ko. Pa-kiss nga?"

"Tapusin mo muna 'yang pagbabasa mo sa outline ko." Saka ko siya nilingon. Naningkit ang mga mata ko nang ngumuso siya at nagpaawa sa akin. "Ang harot-harot."

"Isang kiss lang e."

I giggled before I gave him a peck on his lips. Niyakap niya naman kaagad ako para lalong ilapat ang labi ko sa labi niya. My lips pressed on his lips for a couple of seconds before he loosened his embrace around my small figure. "Baka kung saan na naman tayo mauwi nito. Sige na, basa na ulit tayo."

"Sino ba kasi ang malandi," I teased him and he laughed.

"Fine. Ako na ang naadik sa labi mo."

And we started reading again. Mas encouraging pa lang magbasa kapag by partner.

"So cyanogenesis pala ang dahilan ng ROS accumulation sa may sugat na balinghoy."

"Yup. At kapag nag-accumulate ang ROS, magpo-produce ang cassava cells ng secondary metabolites including phenolic compounds like the scopoletin that is responsible for the vascular streaking during PPD," paliwanag ko sa pinaka-mechanism ng PPD na siyang topic ng thesis ko.

Alex looked at me with that proud and impressed expression on his eyes before he kissed my forehead. "This is a perfect topic. Wala pang gaanong study dito sa Philippines ng tungkol sa PPD ng cassava. I think most researchers are focused on yield improvement."

Tumango naman ako bago ibinalik ang tingin sa laptop ni Alex. "And I am beyond impressed with your thesis topic." Hindi ko naitago ang paghanga ko sa kaniya. "I mean, are you sure about this? Ang complicated nito. Do you really want to break the trait dormancy of capsaicin production in tomato? I think you will need some gene editing technology to execute this," tukoy ko sa napili niyang topic habang nanlalaki pa ang mga mata ko kasi ang hirap nung sa kaniya.

"Sabi nga ni Sir sa akin, hindi pa kaya ng university ang CRISPR-Cas9 kaya baka mag-agrobacterium transformation na lang ako."

Mula sa pagkakatalikod, pumihit ako paharap sa kaniya. Niyakap naman niya ako kaagad saka bumaba ang tingin niya sa akin. I am curious as hell on his thesis topic. "Anong vector gagamitin mo?"

He looked up for a while as if thinking before he returned his gaze at me. "pGEM T easy vector?"

I nodded before I grinned at him. "So, kapag successful mong na-activate ang mga genes ng capsaicin synthesis pathway, does it mean makaka-produce ka ng maanghang na kamatis?"