Yuan
It was in one of those meetings, where I gave her fruits from my lola that I noticed her constantly checking her phone.
"Hinahanap ka na ba ng boyfriend mo?"
Missy looked at me wide-eyed, then chuckled. "Ang fishing naman nito. Pero haaaaaay."
"Ayan, ayan na ang juicy kwento!" I said, rubbing my hands together in excitement.
She sighed. "Wala naman kasing kwento talaga. May guy lang sa office. Showed interest and I liked him so I eventually reciprocated kahit na people were telling me that this guy was bad news."
"O, tapos?"
"Ayun. As soon as I showed na interesado din ako, nawala na. May iba na siyang fini-flirt sa office."
I cringed. "Ugh. Sorry to hear that."
Missy smiled sadly. "Don't be. Kasalanan ko din. I had an inkling he'd be like that and then may warnings pa from people. But, I didn't listen."
I hoped I communicated an understanding smile. "I hope it gets better. Text ba niya yung hinihintay mo?"
She blushed. "Oo eh. Hindi pa din ako sanay na hindi na ako ang tinetext niya."
"Iblock mo na yung number niya no? Kung gusto mo may magtext sayo, ako na lang gagawa. Madami akong load."
She laughed at that.
"And! To help you further, ipamimigay ko yung number mo dun sa mga scammer. Maraming manghihingi ng load sayo."
"Bwiset ka talaga. Kaya ka binabato ng Inay ng tsinelas eh." We laughed at that. Then, when we were settled, she asked, "Your turn. Ano yung tanga moment mo na sinasabi ni Inay?"
I blushed. "Haaaay. Well, kapag narinig mo na 'to, gagaan loob mo. Kasi malalaman mong may mas engot pa pala kaysa sayo."
She chuckled but said nothing, just waiting for me to continue.
"I dropped out of school for a woman I was so in love with at the time."
"WHAT?" When she recovered from the initial shock, she added, "But why? How? Who is this -"
"Hold on. Wait. Hindi pa yun. She's older eh. Got a job in the US... so ako sumunod. Thankfully, I had a US visa so I stayed around there to be with her for a bit. I tried to work odd jobs but I couldn't put together enough and wala akong kamaganak sa state na yun, soooo naging homeless pa ako."
She sat back when she heard it. "Oh my! Tapos?"
"Tapos wala... umuwi na ako kasi gutom na gutom na ako. Eh food is life... at the time, literally." I chuckled sadly, recalling those moments I tried to sleep on the streets but couldn't get more than a few minutes in before I worried I'd get mugged. "I called my parents and ang condition nila was uuwi ako. So I agreed. They booked me agad a hotel and I was out of there in two days."
"How long did that situation last?"
"Yung tumambay ako dun? Mga 2 months siguro. Yung nasa kalye ako nakatira, mga... two days."
"Ay shet. Akala ko naman ang tagal..."
"Hoy! Ang hirap kaya?" I protested.
Missy looked apologetic. "I know! Sorry, I didn't mean it as a put down. It's just that I thought mas matagal. But yes, two days on the street is tough. Thank goodness natauhan ka. Paano na yung girl?"
"I don't know. She never cared naman. Ako lang yung bulag talaga sa pagka-in love noon."
"And anong reaction ni Inay dati?"
"Nung umalis ako, sobrang galit. Hinahanap daw ako para putulin yung, ummm, junior ko," I said, referring to my male organ. "I called her one time to say hello and she said she was sad. Nung tinanong ko bakit, kasi daw pinanganak ako na yung utak nasa pututoy."
Missy gave a big laugh. "Si Inay talaga. How long before she forgave you?"
"Not long. As soon as I was home, pinapunta niya agad ako and gave me the biggest hug."
"Awwwww!"
"Tapos, sinipa ako sa gitna ng legs. Next time daw worse pa gagawin niya. Hahahaha! Kaya nagpaka-bait na ako. Knowing Inay, gagawin niya talaga yun."
"I love your lola. Ang win niya."
"I know," I agreed. "O there, now alam mo na kwento ko. Don't feel so bad. Pero wag ka magalala, ako na magtetext sayo. Kaming tropa of scammers."
"Ulul."
I laughed. "Joke lang."
"Thank you for making me feel better, Yuan."
"Welcome! Kung maisipan mong mag-pasa load, tatanggapin ko din ha?"
