With what’s happening to our hapless country these days, still grappling with an unseen but vicious enemy for over a year now, I just felt I needed to write this one.
To our dear front liners and health workers here on FSS, this is for all of you.
Lagi’t lagi, Para sa Bayan.
Winarak
“Here’s to the ones that we got
Cheers to the wish you were here, but you’re not
‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories
Of everything we’ve been through
Toast to the ones here today
Toast to the ones that we lost on the way
‘Cause the drinks bring back all the memories
And the memories bring back, memories bring back you.”
WHILE the three of us were having breakfast kinabukasan na in fairness hotdog na at maling ang ulam. . .
“Mahal, maalat ang maling ‘di ba? Parang walang lasa,” tanong ko kay Krissy.
“Mayroon naman mahal. Bakit kaya ganyan sa’yo?”
I just shrugged it off.
Noong tanghali, nakaramdam ako ng flu-like symptoms and hindi ako makahinga.
Isinugod ako sa Philippine General Hospital and was tested for COVID-19.
Ako lang mag-isa ang nasa ward. May dumaan na babae who caught my fancy.
Tangina. Ang ganda. Lalo akong lalagnatin sa sobrang hot niya.
Ang nakasulat sa nameplate niya sa uniform pero actually sa mga naglalakihan niyang mga suso ako nakatingin:
Mia Reika O. Figueroa,
Physical Therapist
My RT-PCR test revealed grim news: I am COVID-19 positive.
I am one of the 127,703 acitve cases as of last Tuesday and part of the 1,869,691 cases overall in the country.
When will this dreaded pandemic end?
I don’t want my life to end but I admit it’s my fault why I got this lethal virus.
My son is too young to lose a father and my wife too early to be a single mother.
Kahit hindi kami naka-graduate ni Krissy dahil nga itinakwil kami at nagtanan noong nabuntis ko siya six years ago when were both 18, she managed to gain enough training and seminars kaya may mga certificate, including sa TESDA, kaya nakapagturo siya sa private school.
Most likely nahawa ako kay Ma’am, iyong chick na pasahero ko two nights ago na kinantot ko.
Habang nagpapahinga at hirap huminga, may isang lalaking nurse ang lumapit sa akin nag-check ng vital signs ko.
Kahit naka-PPE suit at halos hindi na siya makita at makilala, it was evident in his body language that he was damn fucking exhausted and tired from heeding the call of his noble profession.
Ang patuloy na bulag at bingi ay ang gobyerno.
Ilang anak pa ba ang mauulila sa magulang dahil sa COVID-19?
Ilang mga magulang pa ba ang mawawalan ng mga nanay at tatay at kapatid o mga kamag-anak, kaibigan, at anak?
Ilang mga pangarap pa ang mawawasak dahil sa pasakit na dulot ng blended learning sa mga mag-aaral sa Pilipinas?
Ilang mga teacher pa ang mala-layoff sa trabaho?
Ilang mga Juan Dela Cruz pa ang uuwi sa bahay na may dalang masamang balita? Wala na akong trabaho.
Ilang mga negosyante pa, tindero at tindera, at tsuper ang mawawalan ng pagkakakitaan?
Ilang mga nagmamahalan pa ang patuloy na hindi makakapagkita at makakapag-kantutan dahil sa tila walang katapusang lockdown?
Ilang titi pa ang patuloy na magkakasya na lang muna sa jakol at vidjakol sa telegram?
Ilang puke pa ang magiging mas tigang sa lupa sa Death Valley?
I dozed off past 11 p.m. pero ginising ng pantog ko around 4 a.m. para umihi.
Sa dulo ng ward ang CR, adjacent to the exit and hallway.
Katabi ng ward ng COVID-19 patients and area ng mga Physical Therapist.
Nakita ko si Reika na pasalubong sa akin.
She’s thicc and petite at 4-foot-11. Masarap buhatin, bayuhin, at putahin.
I don’t know what hit me, but Reika got me.
Fuck those eyes that can melt an iceberg.
“Sir, okay lang ka lang po ba? Parang hirap kayong huminga,” Reika asked while maintaining a distance.
“Medyo, miss. Hirap magka-COVID although mild case lang.”
“Get well po soon, sir.”
“I’m G.”
“Reika po.”
Four days went by and thank God Krissy and Ice were COVID-19 negative.
I was alone at the PGH so I searched for Reika on social media to keep myself busy while recuperating from COVID-19.
I found Reika and we talked via messenger, sometimes nagkikita sa hallway.
Reika was a University of the Philippines Manila alumna.
Both her parents are retired employees in Cavite.
Putangina. Kabitenya. Matapang ito for sure kagaya ni Miong at kaya kang ipaglaban.
Itong mga kagaya niya ay pang-harabas.
Not long after our intinial convo sa chat, naging naughty na rin ang usapan namin ni Reika, ranging from politics to green jokes to sharing of sex experiences.
After I recovered from COVID-19 and the day before my expected exit from the PGH, I asked Reika if puwede kaming kumain sa favorite niyang steak house around Manila.
I had to get going.
Tinanong ko si Reika if bakit parang iba ang turing niya sa akin.
“Reika, what are we?”
“You are married, G. We can’t be. Kung nakilala lang kita seven years ago, we could have had a fighting chance.”
“High school ka pa lang noon, Reika. Hahaha!”
“So? Sayang lang. I like you a lot, G but cannot be.”
I saw sadness and regrets in her eyes that time.
“Reika, just one night. This night.”
Sa Hotel JEN sa Roxas Boulevard. . .
Nilamutak ko ang mga naglalakihang suso ni Reika sabay supsop sa mga sobrang tigas niyang brownish na mga utong.
Pinalo ko rin ang maputi, bilog na bilog, at matambok niyang puwet habang kami ay naglalaplapan.
Plokkkk! Plokkkkk! Plokkkk! Pakkkk! Pakkkk!
The best para sa akin and ul…