Chapter 6

Message Thread

Yuchi picked up her phone before running to her room in sheer embarrassment.

She was biting her lip to prevent herself from squealing and freaking out. Kasi baka marinig pa siya ng mga pinsan niya, or worse, si Chigo.

She even left Ulysses at the living room looking a bit confused before she stormed off.

Yuchi threw herself on the bed as she buried her face in a pillow, letting out a confined shriek. Hindi niya rin mapigilan ang pagpadiyak ng paa niya sa sobrang hiya.

The high pitch vibration almost scraped her uvula, making her swallow hard. Napakapa siya sa may bandang lalamunan niya saka siya tumikhim at lumunok ulit.

It hurt a little, but screaming actually helped. She was clearing her throat when her eyes wandered off to her phone.

Or not . . .

She ran her hands on her face when she remembered the picture Haley had just sent out.

She wanted to scream again.

Nakakahiya! Ano ba! Did I at least look decent there? Or madungis ba face ko? Hindi naman ako madungis, right? She wanted to check her phone again but remembering that the first thing she had ever sent him was her picture makes her skin crawl.

It's too late na, hindi na rin ako p'wedeng mag-unsend, she cried. And even if she does unsend it, Dr. Montellano has already seen her picture.

Wala na ring point, ungot niya.

Yuchi kept squeezing her pillows when the door squeaked open.

"Tita Mochi?" Haley called.

Nagtalukbong siya sa kumot. Naramdaman niya rin ang paglundo ng kama nang umakyat ang pamangkin niya.

"Tita Mochi . . ."

"Not now, beebie."

"Tita Mochi, are you mad at me?"

"No," she answered.

"Ayaw ba ni Mommy sa hair mo? Did she say it was ugly? Did I do a bad job?" her niece asked again.

"No, beebie."

Inalog siya ni Haley sa may braso. "Then what did she say, Tita Mochi?"

She sighed. "Nothing. Hindi mo naman kasi na-send kay mommy mo."

"No! I sent it to Mommy!"

She got out of the blanket. "Hindi naman, beebie, e. Look!"

Yuchi opened her phone. "That's not your mom." Turo niya sa screen. "Wala 'yong picture niya dito sa may circle."

"But . . ." Haley's lips quivered. "I know I sent it to Mommy."

"Hindi nga."

"Are you mad, Tita Mochi?"

"No, beebie. Hindi ako galit."

"You sound mad."

"I'm not mad."

"Sorry. I thought it was Mommy. I don't know how to read yet. I only know letter H and A and L and E and Y," sabi ni Haley.

Yuchi released a breath. She couldn't be mad at her niece, and of course, it was an accident, and she knew that Haley had just started learning her alphabet.

"Sige na. It's okay. Don't cry, I'm not mad."

Her lips quivered even more as her eyes marbled and gleamed. "Promise?"

Yuchi smiled faintly, pulling her niece to a hug. "Promise."

Haley's cheeks were pink and plump and she smells really nice and she's really cute, Yuchi couldn't help but give her a kiss on the cheek.

Her niece sniffed back her tears and she wiped off the budging tears at edge of her eyes.

"Don't cry na. It's not your fault," sabi ni Yuchi.

"Then who saw your pretty picture? I thought it was Mommy."

"You sent it to Dr. Montellano."

"Dr. Montellano?" A crease appeared on Haley's forehead. "Who's that, Tita Mochi?"

"Remember your favorite doctor who gave you lots of huge popsicle sticks?"

"Oh!" Her eyes widened. "Dr. Favorite?"

"Yes. Siya. But why Dr. Favorite?"

"Because he's a doctor and he's my favorite! Dr. Favorite!"

"Ah . . ." Napatango si Yuchi.

"What did he say, Tita Mochi! Did he tell you you're pretty? Did he like your hair? Did you say I did it?"

Namilog ang mga mata niya sa sunod-sunod na tanong ni Haley.

"Wait, beebie. I didn't tell him anything yet."

"But what did he say?" Haley took her phone. "Read it to me please, Tita Mochi."

"He said I'm pretty," she said, blushing.

"See! I told you you're pretty! Dr. Favorite agrees!" Haley beamed. "Look, Tita Mochi, may heart sa picture mo. What's that?"

"Oh . . ." She gulped. "It's just a reaction you send sometimes."

"A reaction?"

She nodded. "Yup. Look here, may thumbs up, and may thumbs down, may laugh reaction, may question mark, may heart—"

"So does that mean he loves it?"

"Ha?"

"Heart is for love right, Tita Mochi?"

"Ah, oo," Yuchi stammered.

"He loves you?"

Mas lalong uminit ang pisngi ni Yuchi sa mga tanong ni Haley.

"No, beebie. It's just a reaction he sent out."

"Then why is it a heart?"

"I'm not sure why."

A thought suddenly lingered. Oo nga, why did he sent out a heart reaction?

"You should ask him, Tita Mochi."

"No na, beebie—"

"Haley?" A voice called from outside. "Beebie, nandito ka ba?"

"Mommy!" she beamed, running to the door.

Sumunod din naman si Yuchi para sumalubong sa pinsan niya.

"Mommy bee! Daddy bee!" Agad na nagpabuhat si Haley sa daddy niya.

"Kauuwi n'yo lang, Ate?" Yuchi asked.

"Oo. Kararating lang namin. Sabi ni Uly umakyat daw si Haley dito, e. Akala nga namin natutulog kayo," sabi ni Marty.

"Ah . . ." Yuchi nodded. "Hindi naman, nag-uusap lang kami ni Haley."

"Daddy, hug!" Haley requested.

Harley smiled, doing what his daughter asked. "May sakit ka pa ba, anak?"

"Yes. Sakit pa ng throat ko, Daddy bee."

"May pasalubong kami sa 'yo ni Daddy mo sa baba," sabi naman ni Marty. She also hugged both Haley and her husband.

"Akala ko sa Friday pa kayo uuwi, Ate?"

"Ah, oo. Kaso hindi kami nakatiis dito kay Haley. Tapos isa pa 'tong tatay niya. Miss na miss agad ang anak."

"Ikaw din naman," Harley mumbled.

Marty was about to pull away when Haley placed an arm around her mom's neck. "No, Mommy bee. Hug lang."

Yuchi smiled.

Nagpaalam muna sila Marty na maglilinis dahil galing sila sa labas. Haley also came with her parents.

Yuchi closed the door when they left. She sat on the bed, staring at her phone lying face-down on the bed.

Kinuha niya 'yon saka tinitigan ulit ang reply na nakuha niya.

Pretty, he typed.

Then there was the blue bubble on her photo with a pink heart.

She sighed.

[iMessage]

Dr. Montellano

4:48 p.m.

Yuchi
You sent an image.

4:52 p.m.

Dr. Montellano reacted 💕

Dr. Montellano
Pretty

5:23 p.m.

Yuchi
Hi! Sorry, wrong send lang. Haley was supposed to send it to her mom because she braided my hair. And thank you rin.

5:25 p.m.

Dr. Montellano
Haley did a good job.

Yuchi
Yes.
She did.
Sorry ulit.

Dr. Montellano
It's fine.
You look pretty, Miss Chandria.

Yuchi
Oh.
Thanks.

Dr. Montellano
You're welcome!

Yuchi
😊

Yuchi blinked. She couldn't believe he complimented her again. But maybe it's more on the hair? she thought. Especially when she just told him that Haley did her hair.

She was about to lock her phone when she noticed that he was typing something.

[iMessage]

Dr. Montellano

5:27 p.m.

Dr. Montellano
Do you go there often?

Yuchi
Where?

Dr. Montellano
Bar.

Yuchi
No.
Naaya lang ako that night.

Dr. Montellano
I see.

Yuchi
How about you?

Dr. Montellano
Same answer as yours.
Naaya lang din ako that night.

Yuchi
Okay.

Dr. Montellano
Did you have fun at least?
When you went back inside.

Yuchi
No. I went home.

Dr. Montellano
Did your friends drive you home?

Yuchi
My cousin did.
He's the one who tagged me along.

Dr. Montellano
Okay. That's good to know. Did you drink the medicine I gave you that night?

Yuchi
I did.
Thanks.

Dr. Montellano
You're welcome.
Hope it helped.

Yuchi
It did.

Dr. Montellano reacted 💕

Her teeth unclenched, releasing the lip she hadn't realized she was chewing on.

Yuchi scrolled up through her phone with her heart thumping in her throat.

Did this really happen? We . . . talked?

She scrolled up and down again, rereading the whole thing.

We really talked?