Balance (ON HOLD)

4

(Richard)

"FAULKERSON!" an all familiar raging female voice was heard from right behind the door as it opens.

I then sat up and expected what would happen next. I would laugh, She got pissed, she's raging mad, she'll shut up.

Ooppss... Wrong expectation. Karma was on her side. I got wonderstruck, My mouth agaped and I stared at her with such awe. For some odd and peculiar reason, I was sweating even though the temperature is at 18 degrees because of the air conditon.

I saw her, furious as she stepped inside our office, raging like a dragon even, she was blabbing in front of me but all I heard was Blah-This-Why-Heck-Blah. All I could do was stare. I seemed to have been paralyzed at the moment. Wait... Paralyze and stare- oh.. I'm Stare-alyzed by this blabbering angry woman.

I looked at her hair, the strands the were laying around lose and free from the bun. Her red heated face covered with drying up sweat that falls to her moist neck and her collarbone that was visible due to her barely opened white blouse that almost served as see-through due to the absorbed sweat from her body that revealed her inside physique and her curves that go down up to her smooth looking legs and... What the heck am I thinking of?!

Mendoza snapped her fingers at me and called my name. "Hoy Hakari! Bingi ka na rin ba? Sabi ko loko ka! You deserve a consequence for mistreating me on my first day as your partner!"

All I could do was sigh and nod in agreement. Because if I defended myself, this lady would make my eardrums explode due to constant yelling.

"Fine. What do you want?" I asked.

She crossed her arms and looked back at me with those piercing yet calm brown eyes which was currently throwing sharp mental daggers at me.

"First! I want...Erm... Ugh... I wa-ehem!" she said through small coughs. Then before she could even continue her sentence, she continuedly coughed like a radio on repeat.

"Dammit!" She beamed.

Then she coughed a few more as she sat down on her chair a feet away from me. I looked at her back and saw that her clothes was drying up. Then it hit me.

"Shoot! Nicomaine! Change those damn clothes right now!" I told her with a bit of panic in my tone. I was quite worried... QUITE... Worried of her state.

"Ha? What are you blabbing about? Bakit ako magpapalit ha tuko?"

"Just change! You'll get sick if you dont change those clothes."

She coughed again and her reaction was quite uneasy. She stood up and coughed again. Maine pushed her chair back into the table and nodded at me as if to say goodbye.

"San ka pupun-taho siomai sumaw kimchi! Nicomaine!"

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(Maine)

I woke up with a cold feeling on my head, a heavy body, clustered nasal an. Esophagus. I felt shaken up and quite uneasy. I fluttered my eyes open and allowed my eyes to adjust to the lights around me. I touched the cold thing on my forehead and saw that it was a damp towel. I removed it and placed it on the bedside table.

I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes, then yawned and stared at the white walls, white sheets and the red and yellow gold life-size IronMan figu-.....

My eyes shot wide open and I looked around once more.

"Iron Man?" I asked no one in particular.

"Aww, dammit!" I am definitely in that egghead's room. Definitely, surely, no buts, no yets, no ifs.

I stood up and looked saw myself on the mirror. Omygaaaaaaad! I'm wearing a man's t-shirt and shorts! The yellow shirt was hanging Loose on me up until above my knee and I was wearing a black boxer shorts.

I then imagined what could have happened last night. We were in his room, he undressed me, then... Then... O my gosh. No. No... It can't be. I don't feel anything. I'm sure V Cut is still with me.

Yet, my clothes are different. Why so? Wala akong matandaan! Dammit! I opened the door and walked out of the room.

The moment I stepped out, I smelled a very relaxing and convenient odor that made my stomach rumble. The scent of tamarind, onion, pork, leaves... Ohh, Sinigang.

I followed the trail of the scent until I reached the small kitchen of the condo unit. Then, There lay a man in a white shirt and boxer shorts with his back to me as he mixes the viand on the stove.

I immediately got irritated for I already knew who this person is. I slowly walked to him and just stood behind him. And then:

"HOY FAULKERSON!"

"Ay sinigang ng kalabaw ng pusa ni jecker!" He exclaimed, trying to get a hold of the stove.

"Hoy lalake bakit ako nasa unit mo?!"

"Goodmorning Ms. Nicomaine. A simple thank you would pay off."

"Pay off ka diyan. Pay off your face! Why am I here wearing your clothes?!"

"Fine fine I'll answer. I'll just prepare lunch. Tiyaka natin pagusapan."

He grabbed two bowls and served it on the table for two on his dining area, just a few feet beside the kitchen. I then sat on one of the chairs and grabbed the spoon that he offered.

"Eat." Faulkerson commanded.

"Psshhh. Sagutin mo muna tanong ko!"

"One spoonful, One answer. Deal?"

I slowly nodded and glared in defeat. "So why am I here?"

"Kasi nahimatay ka sa office kaninang umaga."

I ate another spoon and he did too.

"Fine. Why am I wearing your clothes?" I asked again.

"Kasi you were drenched in liters of sweat kaya pinapalitan kita and those lose shirts and shorts are all I got. At malamang itatanong mo kung ako nagpalit sayo? Don't worry di ko gagawin yun, ever. Si ate Luce next door ang pinakiusapan ko."

I calmed down immediately at what he said. But as I ate another spoonful, I finally remembered what happened.

"Hep hep!" I beamed.

"Hurray?"

"Loko loko! May time ka pa magjoke eh ikaw nga dahilan kung bakit ako mainit, sinisipon at inuubo ngayon! Kesehodang pinababa mo ako sa first floor eh sira yung elevator! Meron naman pala each floor ng machine! Nako nababaliw na ko sa init at pagod paakyat! Good thing talaga that Jake arrived and kept me company."

"What the? Who?!" He exclaimed and slammed the spoon on the bowl.

"Jake. Officemate. Yung tinakot mo kaninang umaga."

He then fell into silence and drank his soup with his lips turned upside down. His ears were red and his eyebrows and wrinkling together to the middle. Para siyang naiirita na ewan!

I finished my food and he immediately took it and washed everything. Everything went silent after that conversation, for an unknown reason why.

Minutes later I watched on the television alone. But what I didn't expect was Faulkerson to sit a feet away beside me.

"Mendoza... What did Jake tell you?"

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Sorry for the late update! Just got home from a small island na walang kuryente and wifi so... Yeah deadbatt.

Please bear with the wrong spellings po! Thank you!comment your thoughts :)