Muli (An Agnes-Jerry fic)

FOUR

Jetlag hits Agnes a couple of days after arriving in Manila, when she and Daisy have practically strolled through the high-end malls near their hotel. They have done quite some shopping as well, especially for a gift for Tita Nena, so now Agnes is just enjoying the bed.

Daisy doesn't mind her jetlag and wants to explore the city (read: meet guys). Agnes, ever apprehensive about the combination of headache and traffic in Manila, tells her to go ahead, while she stays in the hotel.

They will be flying to Bacolod the following weekend, and there is a lot of time to kill. Maybe she can go check out the museums? See one movie a day? Go to the preschool she used to teach in? Or maybe even visit her old friends.

Then again, aren't most of her friends in Manila the ones she shares with Jerry?

----------------------------

On Wednesday afternoon, the Natividad household is bustling with preparations for that night's dinner. It's Jerry's birthday, and while he'd rather keep it low-key, celebrations like this afford him time to catch up with select family members and friends.

He and Alie are in his nieces' bedroom, watching TV as he fixes her hair when Melissa walks in, having pressed the child's dress.

"Kuya, tumawag na ba sina Agnes?" she asks as she hangs it on the handle of one of the drawers. "Papunta na raw ba sila?"

"Ha?" Jerry looks up as he gently turns Alie so he can work on the other side of her head. "Saan?"

"Anong saan? Dit -- Hindi ka nag-imbita?!"

He frowns. "Anak, keep still," he whispers to Alie, then he turns back to Melissa. "Bakit?"

"Anong bakit? Birthday mo, Kuya, tapos hindi mo man lang sila in-invite?"

Jerry shakes his head. "Alam mo baka may ibang lakad sila ni Daisy..." With deft hands, he's done with the braids and he inspects if they are even. "Besides, for sure hindi na natatandaan ni Agnes 'yon."

--------------------------------

"O, saan ka na naman pupunta?" Agnes asks. She has just woken up, after a random videos of adorable babies on YouTube in the wee hours while waiting for Daisy to come back. The door swung open then at four-thirty AM.

And now, not even twelve hours later, her best friend is at the door again, caught with her hand on the knob, dressed to impress and made up. Wearing a skirt and a guilty smile.

"I'm meeting Sam."

"Sam?"

"The guy I was with kahapon?"

"You mean until kaninang madaling-araw?"

Daisy smiles like a schoolgirl. "We're going to have late lunch."

"Ah, late lunch."

"He's staying sa katabing hotel and... I would ask you to come kaso..." She wrinkles her nose. "Ang ganda mo, baka... alam mo na." Then checks her watch. "And I'm going to be -- "

"Go," Agnes tells her. "'Wag masyadong magpapaumaga." As the door is about to close, she adds, "Be very careful!"

She sighs once she is left alone, thinking about what she could possibly do to pass the time that day. She could go back to sleep, and suffer a terrible headache as a consequence. She could take a long bubble bath, then a walk at the hotel's garden. She could order from room service and stuff her face with late, late brunch in bed.

She could read, she could watch another movie, she could go to the mall.

Or she can just go ahead and work.