Destiny's Game

25

"Sino yan?" 13-year old Alexa was sitting in her wheelchair on the hospital deck.

"It's Doc Richard. Wala kang kasama?"

"Wala ata..." Alexa turned her head.

Rj approached her and sat on the bench next to her wheelchair. Alexa's hospital gown fell off her thin frame so Rj carefully fixed it.

"Salamat po"

"You're welcome. Kanina ka pa dito?"

"Opo. After breakfast...mas gusto ko nga dito e. Tahimik and hindi amoy gamot..."

"Ah..." they were on an upper floor of the hospital building with a spectacular view of the city below. In fact, the immediate surroundings had a blanket of thick foliage.

"Kayo po? Tapos na po ba ang rounds nyo?"

"Hmm..." Rj nodded.

"Ano po?"

"Uh...tapos na..." Rj realized that Alexa was blind. As Rj gazed upon the girl more, he observed that she was thin, fair, and that her wheelchair had a homemade oxygen holder attached to it. Her nasal cannula tube was barely visible on the sides of her hair.

"Ikaw si Doc Sungit?" Alexa inquired.

"Sabi nila"

"Tawag din ni Manong sa akin, Ma-oy..."

"Ma-oy?"

Alexa nodded. "Ilonggo sya for tantrums...lagi daw kasi ako nagrereklamo" Alexa explained. She paused to inhale "...nagrereklamo lang naman ako kasi masakit..."

"Alin ang masakit? Bakit ka ba nandito sa hospital?"

"May CF ako e...atypical CF...tapos, na-hospital ako kasi nagka-bronchitis na naman ako..." Alexa said plainly. Rj quickly turned his head toward Alexa as he remembered his sister Richelle. "So, eto, dinala ako sa hospital kasi hirap ako huminga at ubo ako ng ubo..."

"Masakit sa dibdib?"

"Opo...kaya ma-oy ang tawag sa akin ni Manong...buti nalang nasa school sya buong araw so di nya ako naririnig o nakikitang nagrereklamo pag inatake na ako ng ubo ko o kaya pag sumasakit yung tiyan ko...si Mamang naman, laging natataranta pag umiiyak ako. Buti nga na nandito ako sa hospital e..."

"Bakit naman?"

"May mga nurse na nag-aalaga sa akin...nakakapagpahinga si Mamang at Papang at Manong Joey...baby pa lang ako, bulag na ako tapos ayun, lagi akong may sakit...gusto ko nga sanang pumunta sa beach...maganda daw dun sabi ni Manong..."

"Hindi ka pa nakarating ng beach?"

"Hindi pa...mananahi si Mamang...tricycle driver si Papang...may maliit kami na sari-sari store sa bahay...si Mamang ang gumawa nung bag para dyan sa oxygen ko."

Rj noticed that the bag was old and tattered.

"Eh kayo, bakit sabi nila si Doc Sungit ka? Parang hindi naman masungit yung boses mo..."

Rj sighed heavily and leaned back on the bench. "Ganito na ako noon pa...tahimik lang..."

"Kapag tahimik, masungit na agad? Ngumingiti ka pa naman siguro..."

"Oo naman..."

"Siguro, dapat mag-smile ka more para di ka tawaging masungit...sinusubukan ko na ngang wag umiyak o sumigaw pag may nararamdaman akong masakit e...ayaw ko na tinatawag akong ma-oy...ang ganda ganda ng pangalan ko e..."