Niki and Andy

Chapter 3: I'm Waking up at the Start of the End of the World

The food Andy brought Niki lasted for a week. He promised he would bring her more on the first of January so Niki didn't spend much on food from Christmas up to then. As promised, Andy went to her place again on January 1. Dala uli nito ang isang backpack na may lamang damit pang-isang araw at isang ecobag na puro pagkain.

"Ano'ng oras ka uuwi bukas?" tanong niya rito habang inaayos nito ang mga tupperware sa loob ng ref.

"Sa isang araw ako uuwi."

"Why?"

"Birthday mo bukas," sagot nito. "Speaking of which, do you have any plans tomorrow?"

Niki shrugged. At her age, normal nang hindi mag-celebrate ng birthday. Paulit-ulit na lang kasi. At bakit naman siya matutuwang tumanda na naman siya nang isang taon? "I'll sleep," she told him.

"Kahit ilang araw kang matulog maghapon, hindi ka na tatangkad, Niki."

She stuck her tongue out.

–

@jewelngsilangan and 2 others liked your post.

@jewelngsilangan commented on your post.

@jewelngsilangan Happy birthday @nikifrancia!! Happy new year to you both!

"Really? You had to choose that picture?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at Andy. He snapped a picture of them a while ago while they were out strolling at the nearby park. They just had a big dinner and wanted to digest the food they just ate. Naka-leave sila ni Andy hanggang kinabukasan. He would go home to spend the weekend with his family while she would sleep away the rest of her Christmas vacation.

"Yeah. I looked good in that picture."

"Birthday mo ba? Dapat pinapili mo 'ko," himutok niya. It was not an ugly picture, but she could have definitely posed better.

Niki received a lot of greetings from her social media accounts. Wala pang alas dose ay tunog na nang tunog ang phone niya dahil sa mga mensahe. Some of her friends even called her and she had to explain to each and everyone of them why Andy was with her. It couldn't be helped that the old rumors about them would resurface.

Andy sat down on the bench nearby and Niki followed suit. He let out a sigh. Busog pa rin si Niki. Hindi pa bumababa ang kinain niya. She knew Andy felt more bloated because he ate more. She didn't know why he stopped walking though. It was not a rigorous walk that would warrant a rest.

"Tinawagan ka ng parents mo?" tanong nito maya-maya.

Niki shook her head. "They don't have my number."

"But they know your online accounts. They didn't contact you?"

"I've blocked them."

Bumuntong-hininga ito. Niki knew Andy wanted to say something about her situation. He had expressed his concerns a few times already. And it would always end up with them fighting about it. So, he was probably restraining himself from starting another argument.

Andy is a big family guy. He grew up in a loving home. Expressive ang pamilya nito. They share their feelings with one another. They say sorry if they did something wrong. Forgiveness also comes easy for them.

He couldn't understand why she couldn't be the bigger person.

"Niki... it's been years."

"Don't start."

He leaned forward slightly, eyebrows furrowed with concern. "I'm just saying that maybe you're–"

Niki got up and started walking away. She didn't need to hear the rest of it. Gusto ni Andy na patawarin na niya ang pamilya niya. Andy believes that one should tolerate their family despite everything. There is no sin too big to not forgive. No pain too unbearable to not forget. His filial and familial loyalty were the product of his good upbringing.