flipflop (completed)

11. wow

"Diego....dude.....sabi ni Ma'am Cora....yung....huy!....are you okay? Bakit ka numumutla? OH SHIT!" Joey cradled Diego in his arms as he sat on the floor of their work station. He called for help and Diego was brought to the clinic.

"Nahilo lang....mainit kasi...." Diego said when he came to.

"Kingina! Don't do that again! Here, drink some juice" Joey offered Diego a bottle of juice.

"Ano ba kasing nangyari?" Mai asked. They were at their usual lunch table.

Without warning, Diego rushed out of the cafeteria. Startled, Mai and Joey just looked at each other. Joey later found Diego in the garden outside their office, sitting alone on the park bench under the trees.

"....huy! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine....I'm fine...." Diego replied.

"O eto...." Mai gave Diego a paperbag

"Ano to?"

"....lagi ka na kasing nahihilo...." Mai said as she sat beside Diego

"Candy?" Joey said.

"....s....salamat....." Diego replied after looking inside the bag.

"....h....how did you know?" Diego asked Mai much later on that day on their way home. Joey had gone home with his girlfriend.

"....babae pa rin ako...."

"....pero...."

"...oo, babae ka rin....I guess its intuition? I don't know.....but yung mga hilo-hilo mo made me think...."

"...oo nga e....napapadalas na talaga yung pagkahilo ko....di kaya...."

"....why don't you use that to find out?"

"....natatakot ako...."

Mai looked at Diego in the eye and smiled. "I understand.....Ricci will understand...." she said and rubbed Diego's shoulder. "...teka....may naisip ako...."

"....okay....I'll file for a leave for Friday....ikaw rin?"

"Okay...."

"Eh pano si Joey?"

"Yaan mo na yun....balitaan nalang natin after...."

Dei nodded nervously.

"Wag kang mag-alala, I'll be there......"

"Thanks Mai..." Diego smiled and dropped his shoulders.

=      =      =      =      =      =      =      =

"O, I heard nahimatay ka daw sa office kanina?" Ricci said as she prepared dinner.

"Ah...eh...o...oo...oo....ang init kasi these past few days..." Diego replied while changing into house clothes.

"....oo nga e....it's been so hot.....remind me to put more ice in your water bottle tomorrow...."

"....eh ikaw....hot ka rin e...." Diego hugged Ricci from behind like he always does. His hand brushed on her front. "....bakit...?"

"....diba sabi ko mainit....eh di....."

"....hmm....does that mean what I think it means?"

".....hon, I'm in a house dress the whole day because it's very warm....it doesn't mean I have to wear anything underneath, right? Nasa bahay lang naman ako buong araw....." Ricci wiggles her eyebrows.