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I'm sitting on my bed, facing my laptop with JAWS installed, that's been my daily routine.. for.. well.. about two years now? Wow, look at how fast time flies. Haha.
I'm talking to someone on the phone, it's my bestfriend. And after more than 10 minutes of waiting for her to talk, I hear her sigh from the other line.. I guess she has read everything. So, yeah, it's her time to tell me what she thinks.
"Till next time?! Seriously?! Tell me you're joking." She can't seem to believe it. Oh my, I think she hated it? I can hear her still clicking the mouse of her laptop. "Wala na bang kasunod to?!"
"Baket? Are you done reading all the pages ba?" I ask.
"Yes." But I can still hear her clicks. She must have been forcing to scroll down the last page of that document I sent her thru email.. which is unluckily, hanggang dun na lang talaga.. Frustrated siguro?
"Then I think, you've read everything?" I answer, unsure.
"No way."
I just chuckle and she hears me.
"Fuck you best!" She swears at me, yeah. Imba talaga.. sweet niyang bestfriend noh?
"Wow.. Tinawag mo pa kong best kung mumurahin mo rin lang ako."
"Eh kasi naman eh.. Anong kalokohan 'to? Pagkatapos mong ipa-proofread lahat sakin yan for two months, tapos ganito lang? Okay ka lang?!"
"Wait.. what's wrong with it ba?" I pretend that I don't get what she means.
"What's wrong with it?!" She asks back. "Best, wake up.. kala ko ba book based on true story gusto mong i-publish?! You told me, you wanted to share your.. BITTERSWEET love story with the world, diba?"
Nice. (⇀ ↼ ) Talagang pinagdiinan pang sabihin yun? Oh eh ano naman kung bittersweet, it's as if "kami" lang ang nagdaan sa ganon..
She continues.
"Eh bakit mo naman pinatay sarili mo? Cmon, you're still alive and kicking.. and breathing!"
"I don't see anything wrong with it naman. I think I just ended it fine." My hand searches for the plate of sliced apple on my side and grabs for a piece.
"Magtigil ka nga. Yung totoo, pinaglihi ka ba ni tita sa ampalaya o mas lalo lang lumuwag turnilyo ng utak mo nung naaksidente ka? O baka naman nakalog masyado? Best naman eh.. I really hate this last part. So, please revise. Ayoko nang ganito. I want a happy ending, or kung di talaga pwede, please be realistic naman. Write whatever it is that actually happened.. I won't help you get it published unless you change this one.. Dito.. simulan mo pag-revise dito sa.. san nga ba yun?" She pauses, must be searching for that part where the tragic ending begins. "Dito sa may... 'Then on a sudden, the sound of the EKG began wailing.. in a continuous manner.' Starting from this point, palitan mo.. wala naman talagang nangyaring ganyan eh. Hay.. di ko lam kung maiiyak ba ko o kikilabutan dito sa pinagsusulat mo e. Masokista ka na, sadista ka pa sa mga magiging readers mo."
Hay nako. Kulet din nitong bestie ko noh? Mas marunong pa sakin eh proofreader ko lang naman siya, duh.
"Best, in case you forgot, I asked you to help me proofread all my drafts, at hindi para pakelaman kung ano itatakbo ng story ko. Kaya pwede ba, gawin mo na lang yung part mo? So, ano na nga, may typo ba ko?"
Demanding ko ba? Haha. Ganyan lang talaga kami mag-usap.
"Oy, let me just remind you, hindi lang proofreading nacontribute ko sa story mo noh. I told you everything I know para mafill-in kaya yung ibang details. In other words, partly co-writer mo na rin ako."
