They were at Kenny Rogers Roasters the next evening for an early dinner before going grocery shopping. Xian chose macaroni and cheese and steamed vegetables for his side dishes, while Kim chose mashed potato and corn and carrots. Their orders had just arrived when Kim felt the call of nature.
“Xi, CR lang ako saglit. Kain ka na.” She stood up but Xian held her arm as if to stop her. “O, bakit?”, she wondered.
“Bilisan mo ha, mami-miss kita.” He donned his dejected puppy look.
“Sira.” Kim giggled, pulling her arm away to escape to the toilet. Xian was noticably more touchy-feely all day, not that he wasn’t that way before, but it was obvious after their steamy date last night. She blushed at the memory.
Back at their table, she noticed that he had already sliced their chicken into bite-size parts, ready for eating. “Para ‘di ka na mahirapan.”, he explained as she sat down beside him.
“Wow, ang sweet naman… bakit di ka pa kumain?”, she asked.
“Syempre hintayin kita … alam mo namang ‘di ako makakain kung wala ka.”
She giggled. “Ang drama mo… kain na nga tayo.” He grinned from ear to ear. Using his fork, he picked up a piece of chicken from her plate and fed it to her.
“Ay Kim, sa Thursday na pala yung team building ng division namin. Inagahan nila kasi magle-leave yung big boss namin eh. Overnight sa Cameron Highlands… bale Friday afternoon ang balik namin.”
“Sayang naman… kasi imi-meet ko sana sa Thursday yung ibang friends ko sa Kalinangan --- si Sally, si Carlo… 3 weeks na sila nagtatrabaho sa Cyberjaya… eh may training sila dito sa KL. Gusto ka sana nila makilala.” Kim fed him some corn and carrots.
Xian gave a lopsided smile. “Next time na lang… teka, sino yung Carlo na yan? … guwapo ba yan?”
“Selos ka naman! Oo guwapo nga …. Pero may asawa na.” Kim laughed.
Just then, a little Chinese boy about 2 years old wobbled over to them apparently in search of his companions. He was so adorable that Kim was tempted to pinch his chubby cheeks but a little girl, apparently his older sister, whisked him away, saying something in Cantonese. Xian followed them with his eyes as they walked away.
Xian turned to her. “Ikaw Kim… ilang anak ang gusto mo?”
Kim regarded him for a minute. “Bakit parang ang seryoso mo bigla?”
He took her hand, holding it tight. “Kailan ba ‘ko hindi naging seryoso pagdating sa ‘yo? … Wala ka nang kawala sa akin Kim, tandaan mo ‘yan.” And he shoved a spoonful of macaroni into his mouth, his eyes never leaving hers.
On Monday night before going to bed, Kim chatted with Sally through Facebook to confirm their Thursday rendezvous and to get updates on each other’s lives. Sally was one of her closest friends within the Kalinangan Youth Group which Kim joined when she entered college, and they went on many an outreach program together. Maja, who was Kim’s best friend in school, was not a member of Kalinangan and instead opted to join the school’s pep squad.
And then Kim received a notification. Sally had added her to KalinanganYG, a private FB group for past and present members.
“Ang daming pictures!” Kim exclaimed to herself. There were dozens of albums with dozens of pictures inside, taken during their various events through the years, and organized according to year. Kim picked the year she last attended any of the group’s events – 2008, right before she left for Malaysia.
