AMA-Con: The Compilation

Never The Strangers

Written by: @bankingonkismet  

Prompt: Today it would be different/things lost and gain 

Prompt by: @kebemamma

***

he tapped away on her laptop finishing a draft for her food blog. Today she'll be posting a recipe on how to make a small batch of buttery flaky croissants in 24 hours instead of 3 days (yup, it takes that long). This is routine for her, day job on weekends, friends on Saturdays, blogging and dinner with the family on Sundays.

"Colleen. Napatawag ka? Paalis na ko dito for our dinner in a bit."

"Menggay, Asan ka?"

"Dito sa mall, sa Starbucks. Bakit? Anong nangyari?"

"I rushed Nanay to the hospital. Dito kami sa St. Lukes na----"

*toot* *toot*

Shit. Low batt.

Maine hurriedly gathered her things and rushed down parking lot to get her car. She was panicking, on the verge of tears while these run inside her head:

What happened to Nanay?
Lord, please please please, save her.
I hope it was nothing serious.
I hope she's okay.
Alam na kaya ni Tatay?

She frantically looked for her car in the parking lot, pacing back and forth totally forgetting where she parked it. She kept clicking on her key fob but was too distracted to place where the honking response of her car was coming from.

RJ was putting his groceries (well mostly junk food and soda) into his car's trunk, carefully organizing them when he heard a noise. Someone just opened the door into the driver's seat. His body tensed when he heard it and quietly grabbed a baseball bat from his trunk, one he always keeps for situations like this.

"Come on please. Ano ba? Bwisit naman oh." She's been trying to put her key into the ignition but failed miserably, now bursting into tears as she hit the steering wheel with her hand repeatedly.

He tiptoed towards the driver's seat with his bat ready to hit whoever was trying to steal his car. Then he heard it. Or her. Someone was crying inside his car while shouting at his steering wheel.

What is she doing in there? She doesn't seem to plan to steal his car. She's lithe and looked harmless to do so. Convinced, he eased his grip on his baseball bat, left it on the floor, took a deep breath and forcefully opened his door, his left hand on the handle and his right hand on the car roof, successfully startling Maine.

"What the--Hoy, anong ginagawa mo? Get away from me kundi sisigaw ako!"

"Ahm. Miss, this is my car."

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course this is mine. I'd know if this is my car or not!"

"Miss, this is my car." RJ repeated calmly, pointing at the windshield of his car. There sitting on the dashboard is an Iron Man action figure and on the windshield, an Iron Man plushie. Nope, this is definitely not her car.

"Oh my God! I am so sorry." She apologized profusely as she hurriedly grabbed her purse and laptop from the passenger seat and got out of the car. RJ still hasn't moved from where he was standing so as Maine stepped out of the vehicle, she hit her forehead with this.