He Was My Cousin

Chapter 38

Sabaw update.

Chapter 38
A Beautiful Flower Cafe

"Bakit? Mamatay ka na ba at ako ang beneficiary mo?" tanong ko sa kanya. "Ang alam ko 'pag single, mapupunta sa parents, ah. Did you leave a will?"

Bumuga siya ng hangin. "Wow, panira."

Tumawa ako. I didn't even want to think about it. I didn't want to think about going there. If this were years ago, my heart would have fluttered. But it's not. Kasi iisipin ko pa lang 'yong sinasabi niya, parang ang unfair na. Bibigyan ko pa lang ng chance 'yung sarili kong isipin 'yung posibilidad no'ng sinabi niya, parang maling-mali na. I don't deserve any bit of him nor what else he had. It's just... not right.

"Sign it. 'Wag ka nang mag-inarte r'yan. You can sign it," susog ko sa kaya. He tilted a paper a bit and signed. Kahit medyo nahirapan siya ay napirmahan naman niya. It's just the pinky that had a splint, anway.

I drove him home after that. Nagpaluto pa siya ng instant noodles pagdating. I looked at him suspiciously when I saw the stocks in his cupboard. I might not be able to read Korean but I know how it looks like. Maraming bilog. Nakakita na rin ako ng ganitong noodles kay Pat dati. It's ramen... or ramyeon or whatever.

His cupboard freaking screamed Abby.

"Didn't know you liked Korean food..." sabi ko sabay lapag ng bowl sa harap niya.

"I don't. Pero pwede na. Their food tastes spicy, but kind of bland..."

"Where did you buy this?" pa-inosente kong tanong ko. I sat on the seat adjacent to his. "I might want to try it sometimes."

He shrugged his shoulders, "Bigay lang ni Abby." He lifted the spoon using his left hand, "Gusto mo? We can share."

Umiling ako. "So... nag-gogrocery na siya for you?" I asked, sounding casual.

Natawa siya. "Of course not." Hinipan niya iyong noodles. Medyo nahihirapan siyang kunin iyon dahil hindi naman siya kaliwete, but I let him be. Kaya na niya 'yan.

Kinuha ko 'yung jar niya ng assorted nuts sa gitna ng table at binuksan iyon. "So she just gives you stuff sometimes..." I deduced.

"Stop it, will you?" Natawa na naman siya. "Malapit ko nang isiping nagse-selos ka."

I didn't say anything.

Napatingin siyang muli sa akin, ang mga mata niya ay halos hindi makapaniwala sa iniisip niya. "Wait... Are you jealous?"

"I am," mabilis kong tugon. Nalaglag ang panga niya. I simpered, "Well... She didn't give me anything. Of course I'm jealous. Friends din naman kami, ah? Why didn't I get any?"

Humagalpak siya ng tawa. "Paasa ka."

He bent his head down to eat his noodles. I was just there, looking at him, wondering about all the millions of things going on inside my head... and the little ache in my chest. I sighed. Dumakot ako mula sa jar niya at kinain iyong assorted nuts.

Nang dumating ang Lunes ay sinundo ko si Paolo sa unit niya. I texted him earlier to remind him we'd go to the hospital in the morning. Doon sa orthopaedic doctor para maipagamot na 'yung bali niya.

Dr. Samaniego examined his hand and asked almost the same questions the ER doctor did, but surprisingly, Paolo was cooperating well. Maayos iyong pagsagot niya sa doktor. He wasn't glaring at him, too. Probably because Dr. Samaniego wasn't a douche unlike that ER doctor. May edad na ito ngunit bakas pa rin ang katikasan niya mula sa kabataan.

"You can opt for a surgery, Paolo," sabi ni Doc. "Lalagyan natin ng pin. You'd be able to move your fingers right away. Another option is, we'd put a cast on it for four to six weeks... If you'd ask me, of course I'd recommend the surgery, but if the nature of your job doesn't require much movement of your hands... then a cast is just fine."