“Ano Pards, sasabay ka ba sa ‘min magsimba?” Maja seated herself across Kim at the dining table. It was 8:30 AM and Maja was all dressed, ready for church, while her friend was still in her tank top and shorts.
Kim sipped her coffee and shook her head. “You go ahead. I’m not in the mood to face him.”, she muttered.
“Uy! Mukhang galit na galit ka nga!”, Maja teased. Kim looked at her, not comprehending.
“Kasi ‘pag galit ka, umi-English ka.”, Maja pointed out. Despite her sullen mood, Kim smiled at her friend’s observation. She was right. The words just come out when the situation arises. And she loved it that Maja was always upbeat no matter what.
“Mamayang hapon ako magsisimba, Pards. Maglalaba lang muna ako.”
“O sige. Eh in a few minutes, andito na yung dalawa. Susunduin niyo dapat sina Ate Liz, di ba? Anong sasabihin ko sa wizheart mo?”
“Bahala ka na. Sabihin mo masakit ang ulo… o tulog pa … or better yet, umuwi na ng Pilipinas.”
“Gaga.” Maja laughed. “’Nga pala, dadaan si Tita Lulu before lunch. Iiwan ko na sa ‘yo ang share ko ha.”
“Sige, ilagay mo na lang sa taas ng ref.”
The doorbell rang and they exchanged glances. Kim stood up and pointed to her room. Maja nodded and waited for Kim to escape to her bedroom before she opened the front door.
“Hi Hon.” Matt kissed his girlfriend’s cheek as he entered. His eyes quickly scanned the area. “Si Kim?”
Xian hesitated, then leaned on the wall near the door.
Maja rolled her eyes. “Malamang tulog pa yun. Ayokong istorbohin at baka ako ang mapagbalingan.” She then pulled out some bills from her wallet and placed them on top of the ref.
“Let’s go?” She asked Matt and they both turned to the glum-looking Xian who simply nodded in response. Letting out a deep sigh, Xian turned to the door but not without noticing Kim’s favorite coffee mug with a teaspoon inside, on top of the dining table.
“Hmp! Bahala ka diyan.” Kim scowled at her cellphone after reading and deleting Xian’s nth text message since last night. She sat at the dining table with her laptop while her clothes were in the washing machine churning away. The doorbell rang.
“Hi Tita Lulu.” Kim smiled as she let in an elderly woman who smiled back. Lulu Noorhayati Akmad, their landlady, was a Malay local married to a Filipino Muslim from Cotabato City. She met her would-be husband, Ezzat, when he was taking his masteral degree in KL some 30 years back. Lulu and her family owned several condo units in Bistari, as well as in other condominiums in KL. Normally, they wouldn’t take in non-Muslim tenants but they eased the rules and took in more Filipinos regardless of religion. As Ezzat would say, it was their way of helping his “kababayans”. All their Filipino tenants fondly call her ‘Tita Lulu’, opting for the customary Pinoy moniker instead of the more complicated Bahasa counterpart.
“Eh, where is Maja?” Tita Lulu was inspecting the walls for any signs of wear and tear. Her long-sleeved, floor-length tunic with flowery prints flowed as she walked across the living room.
“In church, Tita.” Kim entered her bedroom and reappeared shortly with some bills in her hand. She got the money Maja left on ref top and then counted everything.
