"Bei, may free time ka ba next week?" Jia asked in the middle of our weekly dinner dates in the new restaurant we tried out. It's been several weeks since Jia's birthday.
"Why?"
"Magpapatulong sana ako maglipat."
I munched on my food slowly as I looked at her intently.
"You sold the condo already?"
"More like swapped. May friend ako na ibinibenta rin niya condo niya so we decided to swap na lang. We settled 'yung kulang and processing naman na 'yung papers."
I nodded. "Just tell me when. I'll free up my sched."
"Thanks, Bei."
I knew Jia needed support even if she didn't say it out loud.
On the day of Jia's moving out of her condo, I saw how she struggled to pack away some of her personal things. Things that had to do with Miguel. She put it all in a box that she labeled with his name.
I tried redirecting her attention when she seemed like she was about to cry by asking trivial things about her other stuff. It worked most of the time.
After some time, Jia was all packed and ready to go.
"Bei, sa car mo na lang natin ilagay, ah," she said. I agreed.
We put all of Jia's boxes inside my car. Like all of it.
"Is there a reason everything is in my car? Not that nagrereklamo ako, ah," I said after putting the last box on the passenger's seat.
"Wala na space sa car ko, eh."
"What?"
"Andoon mga gamit ko from the house."
"Not judging you pero ang dami mo palang gamit."
She rolled her eyes. "Boyfie took the whole backseats."
It was my turn to roll eyes at her. Such priorities.
We drove to her new condo and parked our cars side by side. We took the boxes to her unit first which several trips. And when it was the last trip from the car to her unit, Jia turned to me.
"Beaaaaa," she said in a sing-song manner.
I kept a poker face.
"What?"
She grinned. "Thank youuuuu! Gagawin mo rin naman, eh!"
She then took the last box and ran off.
"Jia!" I yelled. But she only turned to me and stuck her tongue out.
I grumbled as I was left to carry Boyfie. He was such a huge-ass panda. Very heavy.
Who the fuck's idea was it to give Jia something as enormous as this?!
I scolded myself in my head.
Jia was keeping the door open for me when I got to he unit. I glared at her but she only chuckled.
"Thanks, Bei! Love you!"
"Love you mo mukha mo!" I grunted as I put Boyfie down on the space in Jia's living room especially reserved for him.
I was about to sit down and cuddle the bear when I felt Jia's hand clutch at the back of my shirt.
"Anong gagawin mo?" she asked while raising an eyebrow.
I rolled my eyes.
"Magpapahinga lang po. Siguro naman you don't mind sharing Boyfie with me, diba?"
