DOC RJ, the senior physician, gave a twenty-minute orientation talk before we started transiting for our two hours journey up the mountain of Arayat, Pampanga. After the orientation, he introduced each one of us to each other since we came from different departments.Apat kaming license physician na nag-volunteer; two were surgeons, which includes me, two internal medicine doctors, four registered nurses, two licensed dentists, and two dentistry students. The rests were five nursing students.The whole trip was a hassle because the road was bumpy, but this kind of trip was worth it, especially when the reason was good.We arrived in one of the barangay in Arayat, Pampanga, just before dinner, and we were immediately greeted by Conrado, the barangay captain of their barangay. Conrado and some of his tanod prepared food for us in his humble abode to welcome us to their barangay."Maraming salamat po at ang baranggay namin ang napili niyong tulongan," magalang na sambit ni Kapitan Conrado

DAYS went by, and today is our fourth day here in Arayat, Pampanga. Nakakapagtataka na makitang nagkakagulo sa labas especially sa covered court. My eyebrows knotted when I spotted two pickup trucks and a familiar black mercedes benz in front of the court. The people, whether young or old, are lined up inside the court as if there's a celebrity inside."Doc! Good moning po," sabay-sabay na bati sa'kin ng mga student nurse nang makita nila akong papalapit sa pwesto nila.My lips peal a smile. "Good morning. . . What's happening in the court? May artista ba? Bakit ang daming tao sa loob?"They glanced at each other before they turned at me, smiling. "Hindi po artista pero mukha pong artista! They're having feeding program po,"My heart melts at that thought. "Really?""Opo, dra. . . May feeding program po sa covered court,""Oh," namangha naman ako. "Should we help them?" I asked."Sige po, dra. . ." We sauntered inside the covered court, and the first thing I saw was the logo of the

THE SUN arise with warmth and tranquillity. I woke up lightly, and this kind of morning was the best way to exercise and explore the beauty of this barangay. I quickly turned my head when I heard a knock on the wooden door.Nadatnan kong nakatayo si Reeve sa may bukana ng pinto habang nakahalukipkip. Ngayon ko lang napansin na humahaba na pala ang buhok nito habang suot ang gusot na puting sando at dark blue boxer shorts. Nalipat ang tingin ko sa malapad nitong balakat at ang namumutok nitong braso.The tiny hair on his legs looks sexy.Nang mas bumaba pa ang tingin ko sa katawan niya ay napalunok na ako dahil sa halatang umbok nito sa harapan ng kanyang boxer shorts. Damn, that bulge inside his boxer shorts!"Are you done staring at me, wife?"Napakurap-kurap ako at napaangat ang tingin sa mukha ni Reeve nang marinig ang kalmado ngunit malalim niyang boses. His voice took on a familiar cocky lilt.I raised my eyebrow even as the heat of embarrassment prickled my skin. "What are you

TRUE to his words, nanligaw nga si Reeve. Never in my life has someone courted me, but I'm not saying that I didn't experience having blind dates. I did have a few, maybe five or seven blind dates courtesy of my mom. When I started studying in medschool, doon ako literal hindi nakapagdate or nakapagflirt dahil masyado akong engrosed sa pangarap ko.I was too busy achieving my dreams to date and think about men.And somehow, I don't feel like dating because of what happened in the past that involved Reeve and me."Wife, your necklace." The bubble inside my dead burst when I heard Reeve's deep voice.I blinked when he fixed my necklace because it was on backward. He also strokes back my baby hair that was covering my face. Tumitig siya sa'kin saglit bago tumaas ang sulok ng labi niya."There you go," he muttered."T-Thanks." My cheeks flushed. His small gesture really makes me awe-struck.For me, those small gentures are more genuine than the grand gestures since you can plan or sche

THE first rays of sunlight lit up my room, indicating that another day had dawned. I rubbed my blurry eyes and walked to the window. I pulled up the white curtain, revealing the pearly glow in the sky.Today is a rest day for all the medical volunteers. The Areno's director— my mom, gave us a two days rest day after the one week we spent on the medical mission. Today is a great day to rest and enjoy the freedom from the battlefield of my work.I took a deep breath before I headed to the bathroom to wash my face. I mentally listed everything I thought of doing today— yoga, cleaning the whole house, grocery shopping, binge-watching a movie, and maybe I can learn how to bake something!I was hopping on the stairs wearing a pair of ombre sports bras and leggings. I tossed my hair into a bun. I was holding a yoga mat when I bumped into someone. It causes me to drop the yoga mat.Napahawak ako sa aking dibdib dahil sa pagkagulat. "I thought you already left!" My eyes dropped at my phone to