The Virgin Stripper

05

VV

Tatlong linggo na ang nakalipas mula nang mangyari ang gabing iyon. Sa loob ng tatlong linggong iyon, hindi ko na nakita si Elijah. Parang ginamit lang niya ang katawan ko, at ngayon, heto ako, nagpagamit. Inaasahan ko na lang na makikita ko ulit siya sa club.

Hindi na rin ako nagtatrabaho sa club, last week pa. Ayoko rin naman magtagal doon. Gusto kong magkaroon ng disenteng trabaho, makapag-ipon, at subukang bumalik sa pag-aaral. Kaso ang mahal ng mga gamit at tuition sa pag-vevet. May sponsor ako sa ampunan noon kaya nakapagpatuloy ako mag-aral, ngunit huminto nang itigil nila ang pagsosponsor. Hindi lang ako, kundi kaming lahat.

Nakapila ako ngayon sa isang klinika para sa interview.

"Ms. Villanueva," tawag ng babaeng assistant. Tumayo ako at sinundan siya.

"Good Morning, Ms. Villanueva," bati ng lalaking nakaupo. " I'm Doctor Francis," pagpapakilala niya.

"Ah, magandang umaga po, Doc Francis," umupo ako sa upuan sa harap niya. Saka inabot ko ang aking resume.

"Ms. Villanueva, bakit mo gustong magtrabaho dito?" tanong niya.

Kailangan tanungin yon? Eh obvious naman para magkapera.

"Ah, gusto ko pong magtrabaho dito dahil nag-aral din ako noon ng DVM but unfortunately hindi ako nakapagtapos. And before I go back to school soon, I want to have experience."

"I see, anong year ka huminto?" Ano ba ang daming tanong.

"Mag-5th year na sana this year kaso I stopped 2 years ago."

"3rd year? So you know some basics."

"Some basics lang," sagot ko na may ngiti.

"Okay...." he paused. "You're okay with any jobs right?"

"Yes po, any job would do."

"Okay, that's all. My assistant will call you soon," sabi niya sabay sarado ng folder sa kanyang kamay. "Thank you, sir," lumabas na ako ng kwarto at gustong kumain ng tanghalian dahil lunch time na. Saka ako nag-crave ng lutong bahay.

Pumunta ako sa pinakamalapit na karinderya na nasa harapan ng kliniko. Nag-order na ako at umupo sa bakanteng mesa para antayin ang aking order. Habang kumakain, nakita ko si Doc Francis pumasok at naghahanap ng bakanteng upuan. May isang bakanteng mesa sa harapan ko, kaya doon siya umupo. Ngumiti siya sa direksyon ko at tinitigan ako. Pagkalipas ng ilang segundo, nag-umpisa na rin siyang kumain habang busy sa kanyang cellphone.

Nang matapos kong kumain, biglang may kakaibang nararamdaman.

"Oh shit, anong nangyayari sa akin? Bakit ako nahihilo? Dahil ba ito sa pagkain? Wala naman akong allergies ah."Napatayo na lang ako at biglang umitim ang paligid.

UNKNOWN POV

Oh damn! The woman in front of me suddenly fainted.

I hurried over to check on her since no one seemed to notice she had lost consciousness. "Ms. Villanueva, are you okay?" I shook her gently, but she didn't respond. Without wasting time, I lifted her and took her to my car, laying her down in the passenger seat. Then, I quickly drove to the nearest hospital to get her checked out.

Upon arrival, I carried her inside, and some nurses helped me place her in a hospital bed.

After a few minutes, the doctor emerged from her room. "What happened, doc?" I asked calmly.

"Congratulations, sir, your wife is pregnant," she said with a smile.

"Oh, um, she's not my wife. Wait, she's pregnant?" I exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, she is," the doctor confirmed with a nod.

"Well, I suppose I'm not going to tell her that," I scratched my head, bewildered.

"If you say so, I'll inform her once she wakes up," the doctor smiled and walked away.

What the heck? This young woman is pregnant. I brushed off the thoughts and entered her room. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, I guess.

VALERIE

As I slowly opened my eyes, I found myself surrounded by white walls. Glancing to my side, I saw a guy standing there. But what was I doing here?

"Ah, excuse me po," I called out to get the guy's attention. Was he Doc Francis?

"Doc Francis?" I asked, feeling confused.

"Ah, dinala kita dito sa hospital dahil nahimatay ka kanina sa karinderya," he explained.

"I see, you're awake na," a doctor interrupted us as she opened the blinds.

I couldn't deny that this doctor was handsome, like one of those fictional characters.

"What am I doing here po?" I asked.

"Nahimatay ka nga," Dr. Francis replied with a hint of philosophy in his response.

"You're 3 weeks pregnant," the female doctor suddenly revealed.

I gasped at the sudden revelation. "How am I possibly pregnant? I haven't been touched—" I stopped, remembering what happened at the bar.

"I'll leave you guys; you can go home na rin."

"I better get going too, Ms. Villanueva. Do you want me to give you a ride?" he offered.

"Hindi na, I can manage," I replied, suddenly switching to English. I shook my head.

"Okay then," he left.

"Oh no, wala akong pambayad!" I exclaimed as I grabbed my purse from the side table. I left the room and went to the cashier. "Villanueva," I told her.

"Ah, ma'am, paid na po by Francis Perez po," she smiled.

He paid? But I don't even know him, and he doesn't even know me. Bakit? He's just my boss.

"Ah, okay, thank you."