3

"Grace, let's change rooms." Sabi ni Abbie pagkatapos umalis ng mga lalaki na nagkarga ng kanilang mga gamit papasok sa kanilang apartment.

Grace stopped pushing the big cartoon in front of their rooms. She stood up, fan herself and laughed.

"Don't take me as a fool. I know what's in your mind and your reason of changing rooms with me. I just forgot to tell you earlier and my answer is no."

"Ayy! Grace. Sige na!" Abbie said stomping her foot and hugged Grace. Todo pacute pa siya at paglalambing sa kaibigan.

"No." Sabi ni Grace saka ipinagpatuloy ang pagtulak sa malaking karton papasok sa kanyang kwarto.

Ngumuso si Abbie sa kaibigan at nagdramang umiyak pero hindi natinag si Grace at pinagsarhan pa siya ng p***o.

Wala siyang magawa kundi ang ngumuso na lang habang nakatitig sa nakasaradong p***o ng kaibigan. Ngumiti naman agad siya nang binuksan nito ulit ang p***o.

"I knew it. You really can't say no to me. Ayieehh! I love you."

"I love you too but you are wrong. I' m taking this room."

Ngumuso ulit siya saka inirapan ang kaibigan.

"I was thankful that you passed our test papers but..."

"But what? If you are thankful to me then you should change room with me."

"Hehehe. No. I love my life."

"Ya!" Sigaw niya sa tunog koreano.

"Mwo! Mwo!" Sigaw din naman ni Grace.

"Change room with me. Please?"

"Hehehe. No. There is a seven eleven nearby. I'll treat you a beer."

"Being thankful doesn't always mean to treat me. Just change room with me."

"You don't like?"

"When?"

Ngumiti si Grace.

"At five. We'll order food at food panda. Okay?" Itinaas pa ni Grace ang kamay.

"Okay! Call!" Parang nakalimutan na ni Abbie ang kanyang problema saka itinaas din ang kamay.

"I was born as a badass so why die a loser!" Malakas niyang kanta bago pumasok sa sariling kwarto para mag-ayos din ng kanyang mga gamit.

Josh shook his head annoyingly as he poke his ear.

The loud and sharp voice of the girl made him more annoyed. He can't believed that the owner find another tenant again in the other apartment. He already spoke with the owner before and paid the monthly of it so that the owner will leave it free but he can't believed that the owner returned his money for this month. He doesn't like noises because his ears are so sensitive that he can hear even small voices coming from the other apartment and he can tell that his eardrums are now beginning to burst out.

He hit his study table loudly with his palm as he clenched his hand.

"First day of moving and they are already so f*cking annoying. Argh!" Inis na sabi niya saka tumayo at naglakad palabas ng kanyang apartment.

He wanted to scold them but he came back when he saw the time. It is still three-thirty in the afternoon.

Naglakad siya papunta sa ref at uminom ng tubig saka malakas na bumuga ng hininga pagkatapos nilamukos ang wala ng laman na plastic bottle.

Lumipad ang kanyang tingin sa kanyang cellphone nang tumunog ito sa ibabaw ng mesa.

Agad namang humupa ang galit niya nang makita ang tumatawag.

"La, kumusta?" Malambing na bati niya sa kabilang linya.

He heard his grandmother let out a deep sigh. Sa pambungad pa lang nito sa kanya ay alam na niya kung ano na naman ang sasabihin nito. Kaya napabuntong-hininga na lang din siya at hinintay ang sasabihin ng kanyang lola.

"I went to your cousin and you know what..." Humagulhol ito na parang bata bago ipinagpatuloy ang sasabihin.

"He... He... Is really gay. Ahuhu! C-collie is really gay. We can't do anything about it anymore. He even married a man before coming back here... Josh... Josh... Grandma is not forcing you anymore this year to marry, okay? But please atleast... Atleast... Bring atleast one girl at home. Please tell me. You are not gay. Okay? You're our only hope now. Ahuhu!"

Bumuntong-hininga ulit si Josh saka napahilamos sa mukha. Everyone thinks that he has a quiet and perfect life but they don't know nothing is more annoying when you're whole family are forcing you to get married just because you already hit the last date of the month.

Yes he is only thirty-one and they're already forcing him to get married and have a child before it's too late for him.

"Mamalu... Stop crying now. Remember what the Doctor said. You must not stress yourself."

"How can I not be stress when I just have a man as a daughter in law? Ahuhuhu!"

Mas lalo siyang napahilamos sa mukha.

If he see Collie he will really beat his ass. He knew long time ago that he is gay but he can't believed that he got himself married. Now the pressure is on him.

Their three grandmothers will pressure him even more now.

"I am not gay."

"How can I believe that when you even moved away from us? Who knows you are also living with a man there. Oh Timothy! Timothy! Ahuhuhu! Please guide Josh's soul. Don't let his heart turn to be girly. Collie is enough. Ahuhuhu!" Tawag nito sa yumao nitong asawa.

"Mamalu..."

"Ahhh ... My heart. My heart..."

Napahilamos ulit si Josh saka walang magawang pumunta sa kanyang kwarto para magbihis.

"I'm coming." Sabi niya saka pinatay ang tawag.

"Stay here, okay?" Sabi niya kay Nate bago lumabas ng kanyang bahay.

------

Abbie opened her can of light beer and drank from it.

"I heard that the professor is known to be the ice flower God of the campus. He`s very strict in terms of time that even seconds does matter a lot to him. Everyone said that he is the actual guy who believes that time is gold. His every seconds count."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Oh my God! Good thing you really let me picked the other room."

"Hoy! Anong pagkakaiba non? Kung katabi pa rin natin ang apartment niya?"

"Oo nga noh? Ay basta! Atleast distansya pa rin ako ng konti sa kapahamakan."

"Gaga!"

"Sabi kasi ni Tita na ilang beses daw may pulis na kumatok sa p***o ng tinitirhan natin ngayon."

"Pulis? Bakit?"

"Sabi ni Tita dahil daw maingay."

"Maingay? Yon lang?"

"Sabi pa ni Tita ang sumbong daw ng Professor sa pulis malakas daw ang mga ungol na naririnig nito sa apartment natin."

Hindi niya mapigilang masamid sa beer na iniinom niya.

"Pfftt! Lahat naman siguro mapapaungol sa makamundong kabaliwan." Sabi ni Abbie saka tumawa na sinegundahan naman ni Grace at naghigh-five pa sila.

"Umungol din kaya tayo?" Sabi niya maya-maya na kinatigil ni Grace.

"Huy! Gaga ka ba?! Ayokong ma-tsismis ha. Baka sabihin nina Tita at Mommy na kaya pala tayo palaging magkasama dahil may relasyon tayo. At saka ayoko na Abbie. Wala pang pasukan pero ginagalit na natin ang professor. Paano kung siya ang magiging professor natin sa mathematics? Buti sana kung ikaw lang. Eh paano kung sa ating dalawa ako lang ang under sa kanya? Nah-ah! Ayoko! Twenty-four na tayo loka-loka kaya kailangan nating magseryoso kung ayaw mong umabot tayo ng trenta sa college."

"Ikaw lang... Sa susunod na taon na naman ang katapusan ko." Mapait na sabi ni Abbie saka tinungga ang kanyang iniinom.

"Ya!" Malakas siyang pinalo ni Grace sa braso.

"Aray naman! Muntik pa tuloy ako masamid."

"Eh gaga ka kasi. Magseryosohan nga tayo."

"Okay... Dapat may pangako tayo. Simula ngayon ay hindi na natin iisipan ang one year na yan, okay?! Sasamahan kita sa kabaliwan mo. Deal?"

Tumawa si Abbie saka nakipag-high five kay Grace.

"That's my best friend! Cheers para sa pangako!" Maligayang sigaw ni Abbie saka itinaas ang bote na sinegundahan naman ni Grace.

Glynn, broher of Grace, shook his head while looking at them from afar.

"Stupid." Bulong niya bago naglakad palayo.

------

Josh looked at Collie angrily. Kanina pa niya ito pinapatay ng tingin habang nakaupo sa tapat niya sa malaking hapag-kainan nila katabi ng asawa nito na nagngangalang Liam.

Napapagitnaan siya ng kanyang dalawang lola na sina Lola Susana at Lola Rita na kambal na nakakabatang kapatid ng kanyang lola Liling.

He can say that their family is a bloodline of loss and unfortunate creatures dahil ang dalawang kambal niyang lola ay hindi na nakapag-asawa matapos sabay na namatay ang kani-kanilang mga asawa nang sabay itong lumipad papunta sa New York para daw magbakasyon. Duda siyang bakasyon lang ang gagawin ng mga ito dahil minsan na niyang nakitang naghalikan ang dalawang asawa ng kanyang mga lola sa likod ng mansion nila. Sumunod naman ang Nanay ni Collie na nag-iisang anak ni Lola Susana.

Samantalang siya naman ay nag-iisang anak din ng kanyang mga magulang. His father died because of too much work as a Doctor while his mother died because of too much stress and loneliness and decided to follow his father. Like him, his mother is also a well-known math Professor at a young age. Ang lolo Timothy naman niya ay isa ding kilalang mathematic Professor sa paaralan na pinagtatrabuan niya ngayon.

Inirapan ni Lola Susana ang kanyang apo saka inis na naghiwa sa beef steak nito sa plato.

Josh smiled before he took the knife and fork of his Lola Susana and cut the meat by himself.

"Thank you, apo." Malambing na sabi ni Lola Susana sa kanya.

"La, I am your real grandson." Sabat ni Collie sa kanyang Lola Susana pero inirapan lang siya nito dahil nagtatampo pa rin ito sa ginawa ng sariling apo samantalang tahimik lang naman na nakayukong kumakain si Liam sa tabi ni Collie.

"It must be nice to get married, right?" Pagpaparinig ni Josh kay Collie.

Umingos si Lola Liling na kinalipad ng tingin nilang lahat dito.

"It already happened. We can't change it now because no matter how we force him to be a man his heart would still stay the same." Sabi ni Lola Liling pero sa tunog tampo na boses.

"Aww... Thank you mamalu." Malambing na sabi ni Collie.

Itinaas ni Josh ang kilay sa kanyang pinsan.

"How happy you are. It must be a nice feeling to get out from the pressure of having an offspring, right?"

Ngumiti lang si Collie sa sinabi ni Josh saka hinawakan ang kamay ng asawa nito na nananatili pa ring nakayuko habang kumakain.

"We will have a baby if we want but in your case... I think you need to get hurry. Mana ka pa naman ni Lolo Timothy na may limitasyon ang edad sa sperm fertility." Pang-aasar ni Collie sa kanya saka tumayo at naglakad papasok ng kanilang kwarto kasama ang asawa nito pagkatapos magalang na nagpaalam sa mga matanda.

"You!" Sabi niya saka ikinuyom ang mga kamao sa mesa.

Agad naman siyang pinakalma ng kanyang lola Rita sabay hawak sa kanyang kamay.

"Don't mind him, okay?" Malambing na sabi ni Lola Rita sa kanya at hinaplos pa ang kanyang mukha.

Kumalma naman siya at pilit na ngumiti.

"What you need to focus now is your work. A strong hard work. Okay?" Tumatango-tango siya sabay ngiti.

"A strong hard work to search for a woman that you will marry and bring in front of us."

Napawi ang ngiti niya sa sinabi ng kanyang Lola Rita. Akala pa naman niya nagmamalasakit ito sa kanya pero iba din pala ang pakay.

Inayos niya ang sarili at tumayo para magpaalam nang magsalita si Lola Liling.

"I will have a surgery in one condition."