Huh?

My Best friend, Her Boyfriend, and Me…

The winds are blowing strong…its cold and you thought,
“sarap matulog!”
You were about to lie on your bed when the phone rang.
“bwisit!”
was all you can grumble as you stood up to answer the phone. It was your best friend and she was crying on the other line, you just said
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
She was crying so bitterly and… admit it, you feel her pain. She said…
“ I love him so much! I’d die if he leaves me!”
You felt,
“Duh? Ok ka lang?”
You feel like laughing and then all you had to say was…
“Tigilan mo nga yan! Drama mo naman!”
You can’t help it! Tinawanan mo siya…but…you feel a bit of conscience inside and naisip mo …
“Why did I say those words? Ang sama ko naman!”

Your best friend continued her sobs and you were about to say sorry when in split of seconds, she was gone on line. You put the receiver down, you went back to your room and lied down on the bed, thinking, thinking andthinking. Your eyes were sore, complaining to have a sleep when…

"rriiinnnggg!" ( Obviously, the phone rang!)
“hmmp! Sino na naman kaya ‘to?”
You rose and answered…
“Hello!!!”
“Hey, can I ask you a favor? I really need your help please?”
It was your best friend’s boyfriend…
“Ano na naman?”
You felt so annoyed.
“I need to go to the hospital kasi yung friend ko naaksidente, pwede drop-by ka dito sa bahay? Tonight lang please?”
He pleaded so kindly and sweetly that you had no choice but to say… “Sure, kaw pa!”
Then, in just half an hour, you saw yourself in front of the gate of your best friend’s boyfriend’s house and you said to yourself….
“Tama ba ‘tong ginagawa ko?”
Then you went inside.
He just left for the hospital and you were watching T.V.
It was half past eleven already. It started to rain and you felt the coldness of the air,
“Now I can sleep! Wala na istorbo!”
You closed the windows and the doors, then…
“tok! tok! tok!” (a knock on the door)
You thought…
“Bumalik na siya? Ok na siguro yung friend niya”
You stood up and opened the door.
“O! Why are you here? Basang-basa ka ng ulan ah! At hating-gabi na!”
It was your best friend, all wet up from the rain, her clothes were dirty and she looked pale and miserable.
Then she looked at you with her eyes all swelled up from crying and said in a cold voice…
“Ikaw? Bakit ka nandito?”
You felt like your best friend is having doubts of why you are in her boyfriend’s house but you couldn’t speak a word so you went into the kitchen to get a towel.
“Magpunas ka nga, bakit ka ba nag-paulan?”
Your best friend sat at the corner of the sofa and again, she looked at you, just looked at you long. You were going to explain why you were there when the phone rang.
“Sagutin ko lang ha”
you said to her,
“Hello? O! What happened to your friend? Ayos na ba siya? Nasa hospital ka pa?”
You looked at your best friend and signed that her boyfriend is on the line, but she just looked at you, just looked at you.
Then, her boyfriend said in a gloomy tone,
“Punta ka dito sa hospital, yung best friend mo, iniwan niya na tayo… nag suicide siya, punta ka dito…”
He cut the line. The receiver of the phone fell from your hands as you turn your back and looked at your best friend who looked at you with all her wet hair in her pale face and her muddy clothes. At the dark corner of the house, she sat staring at you and whispered in a hushed voice…

“Why are you here?…”

…and then stared at you, just stared at you long…

-ano gagawin mo?

by: Jessa P. Salle, 2004