CHAPTER ONE
872 Words
The plastic table outside Aling Nida’s sari-sari store was a battlefield of paper plates, melted ice, and crumbs of pancit canton. The summer air stuck to everyone’s skin — thick, humid, and faintly sweet from the banana cue stand nearby.
“Hoy, wag niyong kainin lahat ng lumpia, ha!” Mira shouted, balancing a plastic pitcher of juice in one hand. “Akin ‘yung may toyo sa gilid!”
Jamie raised her brows, grinning. “Sige, Miss QC! Special lumpia para sa future aircon princess!”
“Shut up!” Mira laughed, sitting down on the rickety monobloc chair that squeaked under her. “Aircon princess agad? Baka industrial fan lang ‘yung nandun!”
“Hindi ah,” said Aira, sipping juice through a cracked straw. “May garden daw sa likod ng bahay nila, ‘di ba? As in legit may grass. Hindi gaya dito, may damo lang sa kanal.”
The group burst into laughter.
“Eh di wow!” added Mark, their one token guy friend. “Next time na bumalik ka dito, baka ayaw mo na ng street food. Magkaka-cheese board ka na.”
Mira smirked. “Excuse me, kahit mayaman ako, fishball pa rin ang love language ko.”
They laughed again, the kind that comes in waves — shallow at first, then real. The kind that tries to drown out the sound of goodbyes hiding underneath.
A tricycle rumbled past. Kids shouted “Pabili!” from the store window. Somewhere down the street, someone was belting out a karaoke version of Tadhana.
“Ang dami kong ma-mimiss dito,” Mira murmured, half to herself.
Jamie heard her. “Hindi pa nga umaalis, drama queen mode na agad.”
“Hindi ah.” She made a face. “Na-sentimental lang. Imagine mo, dito ako natutong mag-bike, magtago sa ulan, mag-cut class...”
“Mag-cut class?! Hoy!” Aira pretended to gasp. “Kelan pa ‘yan?”
Mira just grinned. “Secret. Classified info.”
Jamie tossed a popcorn kernel at her. “Yabang. Feeling mysterious girl.”
“Duh. Lahat ng bida sa w*****d may dark past.”
They all cracked up again — the kind of laughter that feels like home.
---
As the sun sank lower, the light turned soft and orange. Mira’s friends started cleaning up, folding the flimsy table and collecting the plastic cups.
She leaned against the post beside the store, watching them. The world around her — noisy, messy, familiar — looked exactly the same as always, but it suddenly felt like it was slipping away.
Her phone buzzed. A message from her mom:
Anak, pauwi ka na? Maaga tayo aalis bukas.
She typed back quickly:
Oo Ma. Pauwi na. Konting chikahan lang kay Jamie.
Jamie noticed and slung an arm around her shoulder. “Ayan na, tinatawag ka na ng bagong mundo mo.”
Mira groaned. “Grabe ka, parang papasok akong ibang dimension.”
“Eh parang ganun na rin. I mean, QC? Bahay ng architect? New dad? New kuya?” She raised a brow. “Parang teleserye ‘to.”
“More like horror series.”
Jamie giggled. “Ano bang pangalan niya ulit? Si... Lance, ‘di ba?”
“Yeah. Lance Villareal.” Mira exaggerated the name, pretending to roll her R’s. “Sounds like may personal assistant siya sa bawat room.”
“Oo nga! Lance Villareal. Parang villain sa k-drama!” Mark chimed in, grabbing a Coke. “Tapos ikaw ‘yung sunshine girl na magpapabago sa kanya.”
“Uy, wag ka ngang nagpo-foreshadow dyan,” Mira teased. “Hindi mangyayari ‘yan.”
Jamie smirked. “Sure ka? Stepbrother mo, gwapo, tahimik…”
“Ew!” Mira laughed, but her laugh cracked slightly. “Pwede ba, Jamie? Stepbrother ‘yun. Family!”
“Step-family,” Aira corrected, with a playful wink.
Mira threw a tissue at her, then grinned to hide the blush creeping up her neck. “You’re all disgusting. I hate you guys.”
“Eh mahal mo rin kami,” Jamie said, hugging her again.
“Yeah,” Mira whispered, hugging back tighter than expected. “Mahal ko rin kayo, mga tanga.”
---
When they finally separated, the street lights flickered on, buzzing faintly. The kids had gone home, and the air smelled faintly of burnt charcoal and rain on pavement.
Mira took one last look at their little street — the cracked sidewalk, the faded blue gate of their condo, the flickering sari-sari sign.
“Next time na umuwi ako,” she said quietly, “baka may bago nang nakatira sa unit namin.”
Jamie smiled sadly. “Basta kahit saan ka mapunta, Mira, ikaw pa rin ‘yung pinaka-maingay sa room.”
Mira chuckled. “Of course. Hindi ako nagpapalit ng brand.”
They laughed one more time. And then, finally, she turned away, holding her half-empty cup of juice like it was proof that the moment happened.
---
As she walked home, the laughter faded behind her — replaced by the distant hum of traffic, and the sound of her own footsteps echoing down the narrow street.
Tomorrow, she’d wake up in a different world. But for now, this was still hers.
- Writer
