When Things Go South

Chapter 1. Do not disturb the bees

A/N: Please consider Sorsogon sa next roadtrip niyo to Bicol :)

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"Hello, ate, opo nandito na sa bus. Nakasakay na ako," Roxy said to Ate Ria on the phone as she hopped on the air-conditioned bus going to Sorsogon City.

"Ah basta magtext ka pag nandun ka na. Sorry kamo kay Bing na di ako naka-attend sa binyag ng inaanak ko personally," Ate Ria said apologetically.

"Ok na yun ate. Ako na bahala, ako proxy mo," Roxy assured, "Maiintindihan naman niya na kailangan mong magpakabayani muna diyan sa ospital."

"Sige, sige papasok na ako sa O.R. Thank you, bunso!" Ate Ria said.

"Ok ate, bye! Labyu!"

Roxy took out her ticket and scanned for her assigned seat. To her surprise, a mother holding a toddler is sitting on her seat. She approached the bus conductor kindly.

"Kuya, may mali yata sa seat ko, may nakaupo na kasi," she said.

The bus conductor took her ticket and looked at the seat number, "Nako Maam, na-double book yata sa ticketing."

"Ha? Eh meron pa po bang available na ibang upuan?" Roxy said.

"Sorry maam, wala na po. Punuan na. Baka next bus na lang po kayo," the bus conductor said.

"Hala kuya. Hindi pwede, baka di ako umabot sa binyag. What if tumayo na lang ako?"

"Maam naman, katorse oras nakatayo ka?"

Feeling frustrated and desperate, she scanned through the seats until she saw one unoccupied isle seat.

"Ayun, kuya, meron pang isa!" she said as she walked to the empty seat.

"Ay maam, hindi po pwede diyan, dalawa kasi yung binayaran ni Sir" the conductor scratched his head as he followed Roxy.

"Ha? Ang selfish naman nun, punuan na nga yung bus. Dalawa ba pwet niya ha?" Roxy said, becoming more and more impatient.

"I heard that!" the guy occupying the window seat said. He is wearing a dark gray hoodie, his face not too visible but his voice is all too familiar to Roxy.

Too stunned and confused to speak, Roxy stared at her possible seatmate for the next 14 hours. He pulled his hood off, revealing his face and said, "Alam mo Roxanne, you're so noisy."

"A-Archie? Anong ginagawa mo dito?" Roxanne asked, still puzzled why the last man on earth she'd expect to ride a public transportation is going to be his seatmate, and probably also going to the same destination as her.

"Magkakilala naman pala kayo eh. Sir, pwede dito na lang si Maam, sa tabi mo? Para wala na tayong problema, makaalis na," the conductor asked. Archie frowned, but he signaled for her to sit.

"Wala ka talagang kasama? Bakit dalawang upuan kinuha mo?" she asked.

"I'm actually avoiding noisy people. Pero umupo ka na nga diyan," he replied.

The bus conductor once again pleaded with Roxy to take the seat, not wanting anymore commotion. Left with no choice, Roxy took the offered seat and gave her silent thanks to the conductor and the man beside her.

As it was a night trip, the lights inside the bus dimmed and most of the passengers were asleep throughout the entire trip, except for the few stopovers. Roxy noticed that her seatmate hardly slept, fixated on the dark view outside the window but completely silent. She too wouldn't be bothered to start some small talk, despite of her growing desire to ask why Archie is riding a bus to the farthest province south of Luzon.