Until August

Chapter 4

"Evening, Lucas!" Bungad sa akin ni August nang magkatagpo kami sa looby. Mukhang tulad ko ay kakarating niya la'ng din galing ng trabaho. Dumapo ang tingin ko sa dala niya, sa balot no'n ay makikita ang kilalang logo ng isang fast food chain.

"Hey, good evening, August. . . dinner?" Tanong ko at muling ibinalik ang tingin sa kaniya.

Sinilip niya ang hawak bago ako tugunan nang nakangiti, "Oo, late na rin kasi, hindi na ako makakaluto pag-uwi ng bahay."

"Oh, right," tanging nasabi ko na lamang.

At first, I thought it was just a one-time thing, maaaring dala ng pagod kaya hindi na siya makapagluto pa para sa sarili niya. 

And it didn't take long for me to notice a pattern with August. 

Every time I came back from work, stepped out for a break, on my way to grab groceries, or when I was just taking out the trash; each time, she'd greet me with that same friendly smile, but my eyes would inevitably drift to the bag she was holding. Hindi alintana kung agahan man, tanghalian, o hapunan iyon. Halos makikilala ko na ang lahat ng fast food na mayroon nang dahil sa kaniya.

"Hey, Lucas!"

"Hey," I said as we made our way through the hallway, I couldn't resist adding, "So, what's on the menu tonight? Chicken nuggets again?"

She looked at me, chuckling softly. "Actually, bago na 'to. Shawarma burger. Nakakaumay naman kasi kung manok palagi."

Kumurba ang labi ko. Was she really eating fast food every night? I couldn't shake the thought that she might not be taking care of herself as well as she should. Maybe it was the nurse in her, or maybe she just didn't have the time to cook—not that it was any of my business, though.

"Of course," I said, nodding with mock seriousness. Sinubukan kong isawalang-bahala ito.

But it got to a point where I couldn't ignore it anymore. 

Whatever the reason, I felt a growing urge to do something about it. I didn't want to come across as overbearing or judgmental. May kaniya-kaniya naman kaming buhay. So, who was I to intervene?

But then again, who was I to just stand by and do nothing?

I found myself in the supermarket, pushing a cart down the aisles with more intention than usual. Hindi ko akalain na ang simpleng alok ko ng lutong-bahay kay August noong unang araw ay naging isang misyon na para sa akin. I wasn't just grabbing the usual staples anymore, I was on the lookout for ingredients that I knew she'd enjoy and that would hopefully steer her away from all that fast food.

Sumunod na mapadpad ako sa kusina ay nagluto ako ng Pinakbet, I decided to make extra—a lot extra. Habang hinahalo ang mg rekados ay hindi ko mapigilang mapa-isip kung magugustuhan ba niya ito.

Paano kung sobrang alat? Masiyado kayang matabang? Lahat iyon ay naghalo-halo na rin sa isip ko.