Fatima Riarte only had one cardinal rule. And it's to never fall in love with her friend, Rigo Riorson.
Despite the meaningful glances and the silent pleas of the heart, their relationship never materialized.
Not until that one night.
But when a mis...
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Chapter 6
Soup Dumplings
The weeks flew by very quickly that Fatima barely felt the days go by. But she sure felt the brunt of her first trimester. She was just a little over 9 weeks pregnant, but her little dumpling was already giving her such a hard time.
Fatima would often feel bloated, and her morning sickness still continued that even the smell of peanut butter (which was her favorite spread) made her want to empty the contents of her stomach. Hindi niya tuloy makain 'yong peanut butter kaya pinaubos niya kay Rigo nang magpunta ito isang araw sa dorm niya. Sayang naman kasi at ayaw niyang itapon.
Now that she was feeling a little bit better, she decided to cook soup dumplings. It was one of her violent cravings that didn't make her sleep at night at alam niyang pupunta si Rigo kaya dinagdagan na niya para may makain din ito. She did feel bad about making him eat all the peanut butter.
She pressed her phone that was lodged between her ear and her shoulder closer so she could hear Rigo's voice on the other line, all the while stirring her soup with a ladle. "Anong oras ka pupunta?"
There was a beat of silence from the other line. A pause. An unnerving halt. Kumunot ang noo ni Fatima at inalis sa balikat niya ang telepono para tignan kung binaba ba nito ang tawag. When she saw that he was still there, she tried again. "Rigo?"
"Ha? Ah, baka hindi na ako makadaan kasi busy kami sa project, Fats. Daming deadlines. Alam mo na."
Padabog na binaba ni Fatima ang sandok at pinatay ang apoy ng niluluto niya. She gritted her teeth in annoyance and tried to breathe through it. "Okay. Bye." She ended the call before she even heard his response.
It was obvious that he wasn't being truthful. Hindi niya maintindihan kung bakit hindi na lang nito sabihin ang totoo na ayaw niyang pumunta. She could've saved up the extra dumplings she cooked for him for another day. For her cravings.
After a few exhales, Fatima tilted her head up to stare at the ceiling. She was a mess of a person. Hindi dapat siya nagalit at pinatayan ito ng tawag. But she couldn't stop the sudden surge of hurt spreading inside her heart's crevices, taking a hold of her whole being.
Umilaw ang phone niya sa muling pagpasok ng tawag ni Rigo, pero inabot niya ito para patayin ang tawag.
Umiling siya at humawak sa tiyan niya. Napangiti siya ng maalalang may nagugutom na siguro at kailangan na niyang kumain kahit naiinis pa rin siya kay Rigo. "Kain na lang tayo ng dumplings, anak."
Fatima ladled her soup in a medium sized bowl and placed her dumplings on top of it as neatly as she could, before grabbing the remote control to open her TV. One thing about her when she's at home is that she needs to watch something while eating, because as Rigo insists "mabagal" siyang kumain.
