I was jogging in the park early in the morning when my phone suddenly vibrated. I quickly looked at it and saw it was my mom calling, so I answered right away.
"Hey, Mom," I said when I picked up.
"Hey, sweetheart! We have some big news for you. Can you guess what it is?"
"Um, let me guess... You bought me a ton of bags again?" I replied, knowing that was usually the big surprise.
"No baby but if you want, we can buy you one," she replied.
"No, thanks, mom. I have my own money now, remember? We've talked about this," I said, trying to sound serious so my mom wouldn't argue anymore.
"Okay, but the big surprise is we're going there this Monday." I was shocked because I thought their business in the States would keep them there forever.
"You mean here, as in the Philippines, mom?" I asked, trying to clarify what she meant.
"Oh yes, dear, and we're going to meet the Lim's on Tuesday, so be ready."
"Wait, wait, I'm still trying to sink in whos the Lim's exactly again, mom."
"Your dad's best friend, you probably didn't know about them because we went there. You were still little, maybe 5 or 6, not sure, sweetheart."
"But mom, I have a schedule on Tuesday; actually, that's my busiest day next week," I said. feeling a mix of frustration and confusion.
"Honey, we'll take care of that. All you need to do is be pretty and show up. You might even meet your future there," she said, continuing, "Remember Mikha? She's grown up now and also a hot doctor. You might end up falling for the heir of the Lims." I tried to remember who Mikha was. Oh, right—the one I spilled on when I was a kid, the crybaby! My God, is she still a crybaby? I wondered.
"Oh, okay, mom, whatever you said," I said because I don't have a choice already.
"Okay, bye, sweetheart, take care," she ended the call.
As I continued to jog and still wondered about Mikha, what is her state right now except for being a doctor and hot as mom being stated, is he still nonchalant? I wondered
As I walked back to my condo, I immediately opened the door and, to my surprise, saw my friends lying on my couch as if it were their own place.
"What are my dear friends doing here, lounging on my couch and messing everything up?" I exclaimed. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice me come in.
"Ate Aiah, welcome home!" Sheena said cheerfully.
"Ate Aiah, we were wondering—let's go to the bar later! I heard they have a discount!" Stacey added, excitement lighting up her face, while Maloi nodded in agreement.
"Oh, Ate Aiah, you seem deep in thought," Maloi said with a worried expression.
"Uh, I was just thinking about someone," I replied, trying to ease their concerns. The person on my mind was Mikha; I was eager to meet her again since it had been years since we last saw each other.
"Oh, are you sure?" Maloi said, still in a worried face.
"Of course, I'll cook for you what do you want, pancakes?" then suddenly Sheena interrupted.
"We want you to accept the proposal, ate aiah." I'm confused. What proposal did they give me?
"Pardon what exactly," I stated, because I'm pretty lost.
"THE BAR," they all said at the same time
"Oh, look, I'm not going to the bar again. You know that's not my thing plus the discount. Who cares about the discount when I pay all your liquors because you're all sober?" I said, having an expression like any mother has.
I immediately go to the counter to prepare some waffles and put out the ingredients in the cabinet and in the refrigerator when they suddenly hug me.
"Ate aiah, pleaseee just this once. I mean, do you even remember when's your last time that you went to the bar?" Stacey stated, still trying to convince me to go to this bar.
"Uhmm, yes, two and a half months ago," I said because I still remember that day as the worst hangover I have ever gotten in my whole life.
"Exactly ate aiah, that was a long time ago, so let's go na," Maloi stated, then Sheena said something again.
"You know, Ate Aiah, you can be a mother na, when is your plan to marry ha and build children?" she said. I was startled by what she had stated.
"What?" I've said in disbelief.
"Just kidding, ate aiah." She makes a peace sign.
"You know what, okay, but limit your alcohol, girls. Any man can harass you there, so be careful," I said as I put my hands in my waist, acting like a mother to them.
"Thank you, ate aiah." they all said in unison
I was heading to the office for an emergency meeting regarding the main hospital that needed to be discussed. Mom and Dad are busy with their trip back here, so I'm taking care of what they can't manage. I rushed to my car and started driving to ensure I wouldn't be late for the meeting. As I got out of the car, a chauffeur politely took my key to park it, and many staff members greeted me.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. Your meeting will start at exactly 1:30. I will prepare your things in the conference room," Malia said. Malia is Gelo and my secretary, and she's been working for both of us because she's excellent at handling tasks and is an expert in her work.
"Uh, Malia, can you do that a bit later? I have some questions that you might know the answers to. We still have 15 minutes, right?" I replied, hoping to get the answers I needed before Tuesday.
"Of course, ma'am," she responded.
I led the way through my office to talk to her privately. As soon as I got there, I sat down in my swivel chair.
"So, you've heard that Mom and Dad will be coming here, right?" I started the conversation.
"Oh, so it's confirmed, ma'am? I didn't believe it because you hadn't confirmed it to me," she replied while organizing my desk.
"Our family will be having dinner next week with the Lim's. My mother mentioned that this family is close to us because my father and Mr. Lim are best friends." I told her, trying to convey the story.
"But I'm really not very familiar with the Lim family, especially the heir. Would you mind sharing any information you have?" I continued, being straightforward.
"Uhmm, ma'am, I haven't heard much about their family, but I've heard about the heir," she replied. I wasn't disappointed; all I wanted to know was about Mikha.
"Please continue," I said, as I was really invested in this.
"She's actually a doctor here at the ARC Hospital, and based on the gossip I've heard, she's quite a womanizer. They say she loves to party and spends a lot of time in bars. People describe her as charming but also super dangerous because she can't commit to anyone. However, they've also mentioned that she's kind and a very good doctor," Malia said in a low tone. I felt disappointed because I had hoped she would have a better background.
"So she's a she?" I asked, still feeling let down.
"Actually, no. She's intersex, so 'she' and 'he' can both be used to refer to her," Malia explained. I was amazed; this wasn't new to me since I have a friend who is intersex as well, so it wasn't a big issue for me.
"Oh, I never knew that. Thanks, Malia. We should probably head to the meeting," I said as I got up from my chair.
Suddenly, my phone rang. I checked it and saw that my dad was calling.
"Malia, can you get my things ready? Tell the board that my dad just called," I said as I prepared to answer the phone.
"Hello, Dad," I said when I picked up.
"Hi, baby," he greeted warmly.
"Dad, why are you calling?" I asked.
"Why? Can't I call my daughter now?" he replied, sounding a bit suspicious.
"No, of course you can always call me, Dad. It's just that I have a meeting," I explained.
"I didn't mean to interrupt; it's just that I can't seem to reach our driver so he can pick me up from the airport on Sunday. I know you have a shoot that day, so I didn't want to disrupt your schedule," he explained.
"Oh, thanks, Dad. I'll tell my secretary to inform Mang Robert to pick you up at the airport," I assured him.
"Okay, take care. I love you, baby. Now, go to your meeting," he said.
"Okay, bye, Daddy," I said as I ended the call.
I hurried to the elevator, rushing because I was late for the meeting. When the doors opened, I quickly ran inside and flinched as I noticed I was about to bump into someone. I opened my eyes to find myself on the floor.
"Ouch!" I exclaimed to the doctor, but instead of helping me, he quickly grabbed his things and ran to the elevator. I felt angry because I was expecting an apology and assistance, but instead, he just ran away.
"Hey, you jerk! You should at least say sorry," I said to him, filled with anger. I was shocked when he replied, "Not my fault you're not looking. You should be more careful next time," right as the elevator doors closed.
I quickly got up and rushed to the meeting, opening the door to find the doctors ready to present. I immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, doctors. My dad just called to inform me about something. Please start the meeting," I said firmly as I took a seat.
The meeting began, but my mind kept going back to the doctor who bumped into me—she had red hair. If I ever see her again, I'll fire her for her lack of manners, I thought. Suddenly, someone called my name.
"Ms. Arceta," Dr. Guarez called me in a polite tone. "Are you okay, ma'am? You seem a bit buzzed," he informed me. I quickly felt embarrassed about my behavior.
"I'm fine, Dr. Guarez. You can continue the presentation," I said, trying to keep my composure even though I was struggling to focus.
"So, Miss Arceta, the issue seems to stem from the insufficient number of rooms and doctors. We need more because many patients come here, and we can't treat them without adequate facilities. This is why we propose adding more rooms and hiring additional doctors so we can treat everyone," Dr. Dela Cruz stated as he awaited my response.
"I can't make that decision, doctors. My dad usually decides about these matters. However, I will try to see if our budget can accommodate your request and propose it to him personally. Expect that this proposal will go to him immediately. For now, all you can do is find doctors who meet good standards, so if my dad agrees to the proposal, we'll be ready to proceed. You can wait for his response until Wednesday."
"Thank you, Miss Arceta, for listening to our proposal. Many doctors here are not getting enough sleep, which is why we suggested this topic," Dr. Guarez informed me.
"No problem. We can now dismiss the meeting," I quickly replied as I got up from my chair and left the room
I had just entered the conference room and made my way to Dr. Dela Cruz to inform him that I couldn't attend the meeting.
"Dr. Dela Cruz, I'm sorry, but I can't go to the meeting. They need me in the ER; there's a patient that requires my attention," I said, catching my breath after running through the conference room.
"Oh, but this proposal was yours... Okay, do your thing; I'll take care of the proposal," Dr. Dela Cruz replied, concern etched on his face because I hadn't had any rest since 3 in the morning.
"Don't stress yourself out, Dr. Lim," he said.
"Oh, you know I won't. Thanks again!" I replied, rushing out of the room.
As I hurried down the hall, I suddenly stopped when I saw a woman, also running in heels, who was not paying attention to her surroundings. She bumped right into me. Despite my own urgency, I immediately went to the elevator
I dashed to the elevator when I heard her shout, filled with anger, "Hey, you jerk! You should at least say sorry!"
I was really in a rush, and then I noticed that my lab coat was smeared with makeup. I mentally cursed myself, realizing I couldn't go to the ER looking like this. Adrenaline kicked in, and I snapped back, "It's not my fault you weren't looking. You should be more careful next time."
I felt anger rise within me; she had called me a jerk, but it was also her fault for not paying attention. I wondered why she was wearing so much makeup as I tried to wipe my coat clean with my handkerchief.
