By Ardy & Dave
Then Mary Joy approached me and whispered a statement to me. As I listened to her whisper, the more my mood immediately changed. I could not hold the tears which started to roll down my face. Dave asked, “Ma’am, unsa diay iyang gisulti nimo? Nganong gahilak man ka? Unsa diay ma’am?”
Dave asked me three times the same question with the same passion, “Nganong gahilak lagi ka ma’am? Naunsa man ka ma’am?”Dave wanted to bring me out of the house. I felt ill at ease at the situation. I wanted to run outside, but I didn’t want people to notice that I was in tears with what Mary Joy told me. It was a request she whispered to me. “Ayaw pasabut nila nga gahilak ko, Dave,” I said as I pretended to wipe my nape with my shawl simultaneously covering my face with the same material.“Unya na ta mag estorya, lagiiiiii. Basta ayaw ko pugsa karon, please….. please lang,” I insisted to Dave.I also didn’t want Dr. Macuno and her team to realize that I was down that very moment, especially that in the entire trip that we had, from Tagbilaran to Pilar, all of us were in high spirits.I remember waking up very early in the morning that day as it was agreed upon by our team and the team of Dr. Macuno that jump off time was 6:30 a.m. and meeting place was at the Figaro across the Bohol Tribune office, right there at Maria Clara St. So, at 6:00 a.m. the Ashira Properties Development Corporation van was already parked in front of my house with Randy, the driver, making use of the waiting time, by wiping the vehicle to have it real shiny during our road trip. Yes, to me, it was a road trip and an escape from the many months of following the “stay home” instruction which I imposed upon myself with this pandemic threatening almost everyone, young and old.At 6:15 a.m., with a hungry stomach, we started with our”Mary Joy journey”. The drive through café at Tagbilaran was very inviting at 6:45 a.m., so we sped towards the “order by the window” counter and off we went to Pilar at 7:00 a.m. sharp, munching our packed breakfast of longanisa, sunny side up egg, fried rice, hot choco and joyful hearts to see Bohol and its wonders after months of “quarantine”. Our trip to Pilar was super cool. The conversation on the way was monopolized by Dave and me with Ruth, my secretary simply affirming my statements with her “Yes, ma’am!” and “Bitaw pud, ma’am!” Ruth knows when to say “No!” to me but most of the time, she dances to the music of my moods. I think, that is one of the roles of a secretary and a private assistant. And to think that Ruth has eight children with the eldest aged 20 and the youngest, five. I am blessed with a brilliant secretary who has a photographic memory with a keen sense of responsibility. While she did not finish college, as marriage was more enticing than her diploma, her having graduated valedictorian in high school and a dean’s lister in her college years, make her an equal to her boss. She plays the roles of secretary, financial wizard, friend, confidante, shock absorber to perfection. I will never let go of her. Last year, when she was operated on for some naughty stones in her gall bladder, I brought to her hospital room almost all things and food SHE DID NOT REQUEST. And I was the last person who told her, “Please wake up after the operation,” before she was wheeled into the operating room. There are even times she would tell my two sons not to bother me because I was asleep and sleep is a vital ingredient to my energy. What with the editing and the talking and the browsing and the FBing that I do. All of these have become a second nature to me – with the help of Ruth.Ruth, who has been with me for the past 10 years, is somebody who knows the reasons for my laughter and my tears. As she saw me letting go of my tears after Mary Joy told me something, she scribbled some notes on her mobile phone, and gave me the signal to read the message that she sent me.As a browsed the words on my phone screen, she guessed it right. She knew why I cried. And as I read her message, I cried some more.Dave noticed again the “rain” on my face. He asked again, why.I was brave and definite, this time to answer him. I told Dave silently but firmly, “Gusto gyud ka nga mahibaw nganong gahilak ko? Sigurado ka? Dili kaha ko nimo duyugan sa akong mga luha?. Galing ug mas kusug pa ang mga agas sa imong luha kay sa akoa. Dili kaha ka magmahay ug mahibaw ka? Andam ka na? Andam ka na gyud? (To be continued)