Someday Soon, With You

Chapter 33

TRISTAN JAMES

What a terrible liar, he thought. He was just driving after having dinner with Mira. At least hide the coffee jar before saying you don’t have the coffee. He shook his head. She really is hopeless. She told him she ran out of coffee with three full jars behind her with labels coffee, creamer and sugar. He shook his head again. She might be really shocked about him moving away. He can’t help it. It’s work. The thing is, she has the talent to make people around her worry. Is that a survival ability? People just tend to take care of her. Even Andrei in his busy schedules doted on her. He sighed. He’s involved himself too much. He already told himself, choose the less complicated way. He parked the car at the garage and went inside. “Mom” he called.

“She’s already asleep” his brother answered him.

He nodded. He handed him his car key. “Thanks” he told him.

“You know, I thought you’ll have a little more free-time before your flight” he asked. He didn’t answer. “Where were you?”

“I just had dinner with Mira” he answered.

Anthony looked sideways. “Didn’t she have a boyfriend? The fireman?”

“They just broke up” he replied. He didn’t know how else he would say it. His big brother, his hero, tried to take his own life for a girl.

Anthony seemed to catch what he’s thinking. “Oh. You’re looking out for her” he said smiling a bit sadly. “That’s so nice of you” he said before sitting back at their sofa. Anthony doesn’t stay as much at their house. He has an apartment of his own. But looking at him, he seemed to be going back to his usual self before everything that’s happened to them.

“I wasn’t just looking out for her” he told him. It has been so long since he opened up to him. Sometimes he feels guilty for being a bit closer with Andrei than him. “I have a bit of a crush on her. That’s the reason I don’t want seeing her sad” he added.

Anthony smiled at him. Feeling touched that he shared that to him. “You’re on friend-zone” he teased him.

TJ laughed. “I am” he answered before going upstairs.

MIRA

Mira woke up. Her eyes puffy. She got out of bed and looked at her phone. There were e-mails about the job she applied. She opened them and saw schedules for exams. She took a bath and chose comfortable clothes. She’ll go around looking for a new apartment. It is practical to just go back to their old family house. But, at her state now, she might just go crazy with loneliness. That house is full of happy and sad memories for her. She sighed. She’ll also buy some groceries. She really needs to find a job now, she only saved three months-worth of emergency fund. She already used one and currently using the second. Any more than this and she might be forced to use her savings. And it’s not that much. She might really end up in streets this time. She looked at her supplies. She listed shampoo, conditioner, tissue, panty-liner, and then she stared at her sanitary napkins. There are still three packs. That could still last her until next month. In situations like this, being irregular isn’t so bad. She continued listing before going out.

Mira went to the apartments near the places she applied. She’ll just have to do her best in the exam and later the interview and when she got hired, she’ll take one of the units. She told the landlady of the best apartment she saw that she’ll come back. She went grocery shopping before riding a cab back to the apartment. It’s not so heavy so she went to the coffee shop first carrying her groceries.

“Same order?” the same crew from yesterday asked her.

She slightly laughed. “Yes. The usual please” she smiled at her.

She’s becoming a regular there now, maybe she can joke about getting a loyalty card. She sat on the same spot she’s been sitting. She looked at her phone. She remembered TJ. It’s so rude of her not to offer him coffee after he took the time to cook dinner for her. She sighed. Shall I text him? She asked herself. She started typing her passcode when her vision started to blur. And it’s pitch black. She touched her eyes. It’s open but she can’t see anything. She’s started to panic. She closed her eyes and then open it. Still nothing. She closed it again and when she opened it, she saw Andrei. Her forehead creased. “What are you doing here?” she asked him. She looked around and she was lying on a hospital bed. She’s in a hospital! “What am I doing here?” panic all over her.

“Calm down. The staff from the café called me. I am the first on your contact list” he started explaining. “You collapsed” he continued. “I hope it’s nothing serious, they just finished running some test”

“Did you tell anyone I’m here?” she asked.

“No” he answered. “Do you want me to tell anyone?” he asked.

“No” she quickly answered. Andrei nodded his head. Four staff came in the room, that’s when she scanned the whole room, it’s a private room. There are three sofa, two single and one long sofa, and a center table. There’s a dining area and even a fridge. She also saw a door that might be a comfort room. The room is big. There’s even a humidifier just near her bed. She doesn’t know how much this will cost. Maybe Andrei will shoulder this again. She sighed. She can’t keep asking Andrei for help like this.

“Hello, Mira. How do you feel?” the lady doctor asked her. She stopped thinking and looked at her.

“I feel a bit dizzy, but I’m fine—” she stopped. “Where’s my grocery?” she suddenly asked Andrei.

Andrei smiled at him, “I had it brought to the apartment. Don’t worry” he said. She nodded. “How is she? It’s nothing serious, I hope?” he asked the doctor.

“No. In fact, I want to congratulate you, mommy. You’re seven weeks pregnant” she smiled at her.

Mira stared at the doctor. “I am?” she asked holding her tummy.

“Baby’s not there” the doctor told her. She reached her hand and put it a little lower her stomach, “she’s here” she continued. “Or he” she slightly laughed. “I will be prescribing you vitamins, you’re anemic, so you have to take ferrous sulfate—”

“Wait, did you ultrasound me?” she asked.

“We did. When we saw the indication of pregnancy in your urine test, we proceeded at ultrasound” the doctor answered.

“Is my baby okay? I’ve been sad these past few days, or weeks. Did that affect him? Is he okay? Is he healthy?” her barrage of questions.

“Yes, mommy. The baby is okay, the heartbeat is good. We only have to take care of our health. As I was saying, you’re a little low blooded, we have to fix that. And sleeping late is not allowed anymore”

The doctor went on with her instructions, quite frankly some of it didn’t sink in because she was so overwhelmed. She’s pregnant!

“Congratulations Mira” Andrei reached her hands. She cried. “Hey, that’s not good for the baby” he said rubbing her back.

“It’s just, you happen to be the first on my list. But what if she called Archi? Or Aro” she squealed. They're all A's.

“You don’t want Archi to know?” Andrei asked.

“I can’t. What if he takes him?” she told Andrei. “No, Archi’s not like that. But still” she told herself. Andrei was just staring at her worried. “And then there’s the hospital bill, I can’t keep depending on you like this”

“Mira” Andrei called her. “If there’s anything I regret most in my life, that’s not being able to help the people I love when they need it most. This is for my sanity. Please don’t reject my help. And for me, you’re family” he said at her holding her arms. She stared at him, speechless. “Plus, now that you’re having a baby, you can make me his godfather” he volunteered himself grinning.

Mira smiled. She’s so touched of how Andrei’s taking care of her all this time. “Thank you” she said and hugged him. Andrei rubbed her back while hugging her.

Andrei drove her back to his apartment after the hospital released her. “Mira” his tone sounds like he’s about to scold her. “You looked for an apartment?” he sounds betrayed.

“I can’t stay here forever” she explained.

“No, but you can’t leave now. You’ll have to move, and carry stuffs and clean and everything” he reprimanded her.

“Yeah” she agreed. “That was before I learned about the pregnancy. So, I will have to ask you if I can stay a little bit longer here” she smiled at him.

He patted her shoulders. “Just until he graduates in college” he laughed.

It's been a few hours since Andrei left. He prepared food and milk in the kitchen before leaving. She didn't know what she did to deserve a friend like him. She took her phone and started typing.

Hi Aro. Is Tita Dolly busy? I want to talk to her, if she has the time.

And sent.

Yes, please. She’s been thinking so much about you I’m beginning to worry if I’m just adopted.

It’s Aro’s reply. She laughed.

Can you drive her to the café we always meet? And sent.

And please don’t tell anyone. And sent again.

Copied. I’ll drive her there 2pm tomorrow. Aro’s reply again.

She replied okay. It’s long overdue, but she needs to apologize to her. She’s been thinking about the time she accused Dolores that she only pushed her to make more friends so that she’ll not be alone when Aro comes back. It’s insensitive and she’s been carrying it the whole time especially, that pushing her to make more friends turned out to be very helpful. She found friends that’s willing to go through so much just to help her. She checked the time, it 9:30 in the evening. She prepared her clothes for tomorrow and went to bed. She needs to train herself to sleep earlier so she can wake up earlier. It won’t be hard since that’s how she’s always been. Her routine just got broken when she broke up with Archi. She also needs to walk a few times a day so she won’t swell so much when she gets bigger. She turned the music of her phone and chose the ‘Merry-go-round’. It is from the sound track of Howl’s Moving Castle. Ghibli music relaxes her and a few moments later, she drifted off.