At What Price (Completed)

XVIII

#AtWhatPrice 18

"Sa panahon na malinaw na malinaw ang pagkakaiba ng tama sa mali, hindi talaga katanggap-tanggap na pumagitna ka lang." -K. King.

•••

I was eating my burger habang andito kami sa condo ni Margot. She prepared it with lots of tomatoes, lettuce, and onions. Maaga pa uli at dito kami nakatambay ni Nailea.

I poked a straw on the milk box I purchased at the convenience store before going here. Pinapakinggan ko silang mag-usap habang gumagawa ako ng powerpoint presentation sa laptop ni Margot.

Their topic is about the latest trending case. Tangina... napakasama ng ugali. As someone who came from a university who will literally open your eyes to society's shortbringings.. mahirap maging bulag, pipi at bingi.

I might be a bad student.. but atleast I'm not a terrible citizen. Plus iskolar pa rin ako... I will always thrive and aim for the best. To serve the country.

Pero kahit naman taga-san ka pa... it's just basic humanity. Why would you turn a blind eye and let the injustice reign?

"Tangina, wala silang pake. Nagagalit lang sila dahil nahuli 'yung kawalanghiyaan nila sa kamera in broad daylight. Mga demonyo." Margot stressed out.

"Even if they investigate though, baka mas pagtakpan pa. Alam mo namang enabler... well, karamihan." Nailea said.

"Know what's f-cked up? Sobrang sahol na nga nagagawa pang i-justify ng iba when that wasn't legally nor morally defensible."

Hay. Hirap naman. Hindi na nabago ang sistema, lumala pa. But being surrounded by people who's fearless enough to stand for the powerless... it eases me to know that there is hope.

Thank god with Margot's power, we can help them them. Medyo risky dahil may distant relatives siya na... well, dangerous. Nailea and Margot never fails to speak up in social media too. Hindi naman kailangan, pero kung hindi sila ang gagawa... sino?

To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if Margot ended up as a lawyer instead of a businesswoman like what she always aimed for...

"Ewan ko ba sa bobitang 'to, sumuporta sa BLM pero bulag sa sariling bansa!" Margot reacted nang may instagram personality na nagkakalat.

"May pa-let's choose peace and love pa nga! Yung idea ng peace niya may nagsa-suffer naman in silence. Ang kyut ng utak, ang liit!" dagdag pa niya.

"Well.. reality is often depressing." I said as I took a last bite of the healthy burger.

Margot groaned in frustration. "Ka-stress! I'll just make some green tea with jasmine." Tumayo siya papunta sa kitchen. "You guys want some?"

Maka-ilang chika pa then we proceeded to finish our school works.

•••

Lumingon kami dahil sa nangyayaring ingay.

Ah. May rally pala. Call for justice and accountability.

Hadwin stared at bit and whispered, "Damn.. that case is f-cked up. Tapos mas mataas ang salary range nila kaysa sa healthworkers..." he hissed in annoyance.

Palabas na kami ng campus. Nakita ko siyang kumakain ng proben, mukhang pauwi na rin.

"Hadwin, dadaan muna ako sa grocery. Mauna ka na." Wika ko nang maalala ang inutos ni nanay.

"No. I have time. Samahan na kita."

Mukha namang okay sa kanya so I nodded. Dumaan kami sa eskinita para lumusot at pumasok sa pinakamalapit na grocery.

"Anong bibilhin mo?"

"Basic toiletries lang. Pati mga paninda ni Mama..." Inabot ko yung mga biskwit.

He was the one holding the basket. Sabi ko ako na pero okay lang daw.

Pagkatapos ko kumuha ng kailangan, naghanap din ako ng para sakin. Some marshmallows, milk in a carton box, and some snacks.

"Sunflower seeds?" tanong ni Hadwin nang ilagay ko yun sa basket.

"Yeah. They're easy to carry with me plus they contain protein that can give me energy for the day. Saka masarap naman."

"Right. A better alternative than energy drinks. My niece gets energized with chocolate." He tsked. "Ayaw naman i-consume in moderation, nag-aalala ako baka magka-diabetes."

"Make her listen to you, doc."

"Wait, tigil ka muna." sabi niya bigla.

"Ha? Why?" Nagtaka naman ako.

Lumuhod siya. My eyes widened.

Oh. Yung sintas ko. It was untied. I was wearing the white kicks Margot's brother gave me.

He took the time to tie it tightly. Somehow, all the time he was dping that I was holding my breath. When he was done, I gave him an appreciative look. "Thanks." I mumbled.

He shyly grinned that made his dimple appear. "Tara na."

Namili pa ako ng iba at pagkatapos ay pumila kami sa counter. Medyo mahaba ang pila dahil maraming tao ngayon. May holiday celebration kasi bukas.

"Hadwin. Matutulog ako ah." I told him.

"Ah. Edi ngayon na 'ko mag-sharing?"

"Go. Matagal pa naman 'yung pila."

"Hmm... ALL, CLL, AML, CML." He enumerated.

"Abbreviations? Shortcut?"

"Yep."

"Ano naman yan?"

"Four major types of leukemia." Even his eyes smiled as he said that. Ang passionate niya talaga sa field niya.

"It includes acute lymphocytic
leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), acute myelogenous
leukemia (AML), and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)." Inisa-isa niya.

"Di ka nalilito?"

"Not really. I've gone into this a lot so I memorized it by now."

"Wag mo na i-expand. Full na capacity ng memory ko ngayon."

He laughed. "Sige lang."

"Do you know kung gaano katagal mo lang pwede ma-encash ang cheque?" It was my turn to ask.

"Hmm... four months? Six months?"

"Yep. In banking practice, a check becomes stale if not encashed within 6 months from the time of issuance. Pero even after three months, pwede nang mag-issue yung business ng stop payment order para ma-cancel yung check."

"Ah. I'll take of note that."

"You should."

"Strict naman, ma'am."

"Matalino ka naman, ser."

"Sakto lang."

"Humble."

"Tayo na."

"Ha?" medyo nawindang ako.

"Tayo na. Turn na natin magbayad." He giggled when he realized I might thought about something else.

I looked away, trying not to be embarrassed. "Sabi ko nga."

Get a grip, Claudia.

---x---

A/N: I didn't mention any names or cases with what the trio is talking about so don't fire things at me. Kung may naiisip kayo, sa inyo yan. But yes, I based it on a real case. Hint: few days because Christmas of 2020, 2ne1.

Also, respect to every Filipino healthworkers. Nirerespeto kayo ng buong mundo. Sana mas ma-appreciate din kayo dito...