BORROWED TIME

57

"From now on, you will hold on to this parallel bars para di ka na mahirapan sa exercises mo. You can take steps, lift your legs and bend your knees. Multiple repititions for twenty-five to thirty minutes. Gets mo?"

She just nodded habang mahigpit na nakahawak sa bars ang kamay niya.

"Okay, good. Para ka lang nagti-train for ballet. Let's start." I energetically said and then demonstrated what she will do. And then she followed suit.

I am so much happy with what Bea is doing. Her stance has improved so much, and she is already able to stand up on her own. She still has to work on her balance and body control but nonetheless, she has a big improvement over all.

Every time na nakikita ko siya while trying her best to recover faster, I am slowly being contented na I am staying at this kind of work every day for the rest of my life.

"Okay, treadmill na tayo!"

"Ha???? Teka lang! I'm breathing!" I hid my laughter when I heard her complaining.

Hingal na hingal na kasi siya after the parallel bars.

Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay at nag-cross arms kaya bigla naman niyang dinampot ang mga saklay niya.

"Ito na nga oh. Nagpa-hinga lang naman saglit!" she even whispered pero narinig ko naman.

She went to the treadmill using her crutches--by the way, she's not using her wheel chair now any more. She can walk using crutches kaya lang para siyang lasing. Sumusuray-suray minsan 😂

There's this one time we let her walk on her own only using crutches pero she failed her first fifty attempts kasi mas nauuna pa siang matumba kesa sa mga saklay niya.

But look at her now. She can walk with it without looking like a tipsy person.

"Did you drunk a lot of water before we went here?" I asked before we start. "You know it's important--"

"To you that you get hydrated before you work out." she continued what I was supposed to say. "Jho, I've been doing it for more than a week now. How can I forget?" she confidently said.

"Hay, oo na. Amin na yang saklay mo." inabot nia sa akin yung mga saklay niya tsaka ko nilagyan ang damit niya ng safety clip. In case if she lose her balance, di siya matutumba.

"Okay, keep your shoulders straight and don't look at your feet."

I started the treadmill and the speed is just two miles per hour. Since she just had surgeries, hindi pa masyadong magaling ang mga binti niya. So to avoid bruises, she is just walking slowly for a week just for now.

At mukha namang nag-eenjoy siya since she is just focused on walking. I can't read what she is thinking but I am pretty sure, she's having serious thoughts.

"Tired?" I asked her after her exercises.

I heard her deep breaths then she looked at me with sharp eyes.

"What do you think?!" aba masungit ha.

"Sinusungitan mo ba ako, Bea de Leon?" tinarayan ko rin para it's a tie.

She sighed. "Hindi po, doktora." parang batang sabi niya sa akin kaya natawa na lang ako.

I grabbed my phone from my pocket and saw twenty messages all from Nico.

Pero I set aside those and search for my phone's camera.

"Picture naman lodi!"

Kahit hingal na hingal na siya, humarap siya sa akin.