Patience and Affection

#7 - ❝The Test Of Patience❞

The early morning sun filtered through the thick canopy of trees that surrounded the small farm area on campus. This part of the university grounds was dedicated to various animal pens, where Agriculture students could learn about animal care, and occasionally, SSG members were tasked with ensuring everything was up to standard. Today, however, this area had a different purpose—one that Rhiannon and Isabel had carefully orchestrated as part of “Oplan: Ilayo si Wayne kay Lily.”

“Sigurado ka dito, Rhiannon?” Isabel asked, a hint of mischief in her voice as she glanced at her best friend. “Alam mong magrereklamo na naman ‘yan si Lily.”

Rhiannon smirked, adjusting the folder in her hands. “That’s the point. Besides, sino ba naman ang gusto ng ganitong trabaho? Eh di siya lang.”

The two of them stood just outside the peahens’ pen, a relatively spacious enclosure that was home to a small group of the colorful birds. The pen itself wasn’t dirty, but it definitely had a strong odor, and the peahens were known for being particularly temperamental, especially towards people they didn’t like.

Rhiannon and Isabel didn’t have to wait long before they heard the unmistakable sound of heels clicking on the gravel path. Lily appeared, dressed far too elegantly for the task at hand, her face already set in a displeased frown.

“Bakit ako ang na-assign dito?” Lily asked, her tone a mix of frustration and disbelief. “This isn’t even part of my duties as an SSG officer!”

Rhiannon raised an eyebrow, her expression remaining neutral. “Everyone has to pitch in, Lily. Besides, part of being an officer is doing whatever’s necessary to maintain the campus. At saka, this is a good opportunity to show your dedication to the school.”

Lily looked like she was about to argue, but Isabel stepped in, her voice calm and authoritative. “We’re all busy, Lily. This is just one of those things that needs to be done. Kung ayaw mo, we can always write a report about it.”

“Fine,” Lily snapped, her eyes narrowing as she reluctantly accepted the situation. “But this better not take all day.”

Rhiannon handed Lily a pair of gloves and a small rake, her face betraying nothing. “Just make sure the pen is clean and that the peahens are okay. Kailangan lang nating i-check kung may issues.”

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As Lily entered the pen, the peahens immediately began to stir, their beady eyes fixed on her. Rhiannon and Isabel exchanged a glance, knowing that this wasn’t going to be an easy task for Lily.

“Pwe! Ang baho!” Lily muttered under her breath, wrinkling her nose as she approached the birds. She moved cautiously, trying to avoid getting too close to the peahens, but they were already on edge.

Rhiannon pretended to focus on her folder, scribbling notes as she watched Lily’s every move. In reality, she was struggling to suppress a smile. This was exactly what she had hoped for—Lily out of the way, busy with a task she hated.

As Lily began to rake the ground, one of the peahens suddenly squawked loudly, flapping its wings in agitation. Lily jumped back, nearly dropping the rake in surprise.

“Ah! Ano ba!” Lily exclaimed, her voice rising in panic as the bird continued to approach her.

Isabel hid her grin behind her hand. “Calm down, Lily. Baka lalo lang silang magalit sa’yo.”

“Calm down? These birds are crazy!” Lily snapped, her frustration growing by the second. She tried to continue cleaning, but the peahens seemed to sense her discomfort and only became more aggressive, pecking at the ground near her feet and squawking loudly.

Rhiannon continued to jot down notes, though most of what she was writing had little to do with the peahens’ condition. She couldn’t help but enjoy the sight of Lily struggling, her elegant demeanor crumbling in the face of the peahens’ stubbornness.

As the minutes dragged on, Lily’s patience wore thin. She tried to hurry through the task, but the peahens weren’t cooperating. Every time she got too close, they would squawk and flutter their wings, causing her to recoil in frustration.

Rhiannon finally looked up from her notes, her expression deceptively kind. “Tapos ka na ba, Lily? Mukhang okay naman sila.”

Lily shot her a glare, clearly unimpressed by Rhiannon’s feigned concern. “Hindi pa,” she muttered through gritted teeth, though it was obvious she wanted nothing more than to leave.

Just then, one of the peahens, a particularly large and colorful one, strutted over to where Lily was standing. It eyed her suspiciously before making a low, threatening sound.

Lily froze, her eyes wide with fear. “Uh, Rhiannon, pwedeng—”

Before she could finish her sentence, the peahen suddenly lunged forward, pecking at her boots. Lily yelped and jumped back, tripping over the rake and landing unceremoniously on the ground.

At that moment, the peahen seemed to lose interest, turning its attention away from Lily and calmly walking over to where Rhiannon and Isabel stood. To Lily’s utter disbelief, the once-aggressive bird suddenly became docile, cooing softly as it nuzzled up to Rhiannon’s leg.

Rhiannon reached down to gently pet the bird, her expression completely calm. “See? They’re not so bad once you get to know them.”

Isabel couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. “Maybe they just don’t like you, Lily.”

Lily scrambled to her feet, her face flushed with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. She dusted herself off, glaring at Rhiannon and Isabel, who were clearly enjoying her discomfort.

“I’m done here,” Lily muttered, tossing the rake aside. “Next time, find someone else for this stupid task.”

Without waiting for a response, Lily stormed out of the pen, her heels clicking angrily against the gravel as she marched away.

Rhiannon and Isabel watched her go, both of them barely able to contain their laughter.

“Mission accomplished,” Isabel said with a grin, turning to Rhiannon.

Rhiannon smiled, finally letting out a small laugh. “That was even better than I expected.”

As they wrapped up their inspection and began to leave the pen, the peahens gathered around them, their earlier aggression gone. Rhiannon and Isabel walked back towards the campus, feeling satisfied with the day’s work.

“Let’s just hope she doesn’t try to get back at us,” Isabel said, glancing at Rhiannon.

Rhiannon shrugged. “If she does, we’ll be ready. For now, let’s just focus on the next part of our plan. We’ve got Max to think about.”

Isabel nodded, their thoughts already shifting to the next phase of their mission. They had successfully kept Lily away from Wayne, but the real challenge was still ahead—helping Maxwell come to terms with his feelings.

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