Riptide

There's This Movie...

Cienne was freaking out about the SATs. How was she going to get into a good college if she wasn't even going to take the SATs? She would be a shit daughter-granddaughter if she cursed the timing of her Lola's sickness... But fuck it.

This all was just really bad timing.

They had to leave California in a month.

Their father called in this morning and he spoke to Ate Cha.

"It's really happening," Camille said.

After they took out the clothes from the dryer, they brought the hampers up to their room. They had to split the chores because their mother wasn't there to run the household. Ate Cha was making sure they were busy, busy, busy at home.

To make some compromise with their high school, having one more month left of regular class and exam finals, their parents bargained with the principal to have all the academic work to be done by the twins handed in a month earlier so that they would be free to go to the Philippines for summer break. 

"We'll be back before you know it," Cienne said.

"Three months is forever." Camille threw her arms up in exasperation. "I'm already dying at normal speed. What do they expect me to do now? I can't finish all this before May!"

"Just pray," Cienne said. Automatic advice from their parents. Since they were little kids, every time they came running to Mommy or Daddy, they would both simply say, "Just pray," before giving more specific counsel.

Camille gave her a pointed look.

"It won't be so bad," Cienne assured her twin. "Now do your work so we don't have to take it with us when we go there."

"Why does it sound like you're patronizing me?" Camille asked.

"Maybe because I am?" Cienne shot back, before smirking and throwing a clean pair of underwear so that it hit Camille smack in the face.

"Ay gag--"

Cienne hit her in the face again with another pair of panties.

"Fold mo na yan. Those are yours, by the way."

- - -

A week away from their flight, the house looked as if a stampede of bulls rushed into it. Clothes and books and boxes and packs of chocolate were everywhere.

They had an argument on how many SAT reviewers they were going to bring.

"Just one set," Ate Cha said firmly.

"But my notes on the margins!" Cienne piped up.

"One. Set."

And Ate Cha walked out, effectively ending the discussion.

- - -

After struggling to close one of her suitcases, she now sat on top of it, facing the mountain of Toblerone and Hershey's and 3 Musketeers, Milky Way bars & Almond Joys. How were they supposed to fit in all the stuff that actually   mattered   like, say, her SAT reviewers?

"Why do we have so much chocolate?" Cienne said.

"Everyone loves chocolate," Camille said simply from her end of the living room. She too was trying to wrestle a pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups into a balikbayan box.

"This is crazy," Cienne muttered.

"This is normal," Ate Cha said, re-entering the living room.

"Chocolate's way cheaper here, kambal," Camille supplied matter-of-factly.