“Kim!! Anak gising na!!”… yug yog ni auntie Pokie…

“Auntie… 5 minutes pa po!!”… hirit nya habang tinatakpan ng unan ang ulo…

But Auntie Pokie took away the pillow… “Hindi pwede…. May bisita ka… naghahantay sa baba….”…

Kim didn’t move from the bed… Inaantok pa sya…dahil di sya nakatulog kagabi…kakaisip…… “Auntie…hindi bisita sina Matt… mga bwisita yon… ang aga-aga…nambubulabog…Pakisabi, kita na lang kami sa school!!”…

“Sira… hindi si Matt… Gwapo yung nasa ibaba… parang kano!!”

Kim tried to open her eyes….but she still half asleep…that she couldn’t understand what Auntie Pokie is telling her…. She was mumbling….while getting off the bed… she taught it was Mel who disturbed her sleep… With her uncomb hair… Big black “Van Halen” shirt lasted through her middle thigh…..no shorts…no bra… eyes half close….she went downstairs to yell whoever tried to bother her sleep… kapag ganitong kulang ang tulog nya…masama syang iniistorbo…

“ANAK!! TEKA!!……”… Pigil ni Auntie Pokie…. Pero nahuli na ito… Nasa huling baitang na sya ng hagdanan…at ready ng tumalak ng manlaki ang mata nya…… She was stunned with a handsome guy right in front of her…

Ang bango-bango nitong tignan…. Bagong ligo… umaalingasaw ang pabango… he look good on white shirt and jeans… She felt butterflies inside her stomach…

“Anak!! Diyosmiyo… magbihis ka muna!!”… Agaw ni Auntie Pokie…may hawak itong tuwalya…

Saka pa lang nya naalalang wala nga pala siyang shorts… she look at herself on the full length mirror beside the stairs……. Her hair was a mess…. Her legs were flaunting… worst…. Her chest ……her twins…. SH**!!. She grabbed the towel from Auntie Pokie….tried to hide what she can hide from it…then tried to comb her hair using her fingers…..nakitulong na rin si Auntie Pokie sa pagsuklay ng buhok nya….

“Iho… pasensya ka na dito sa anak ko ha… Minsan talaga…naglalakad ng tulog ito…yun bang sleepwalking ba tawag don..”… but Gerald didn’t reply… “Iho?!”… tawag ni Auntie Pokie…

Gerald was frozen to where he was standing on… his eyes were stuck to the empress right in front of her… Yes… she’s not wearing any y nighties…nor even trying to seduce him….but OH Man!! She is definitely y wearing just those black shirt… Effortless from her side… but for him…she was the most beautiful damsel who landed in the earth…

“Iho!!”… tawag ulit ni Auntie Pokie… “Anak… inatake na yata sa puso itong lalakeng ito… Ikaw kasi eh…”…

“EH…Auntie naman kasi eh… Bakit di niyo kaagad sinabing may ibang tao!!”…

“Hoy…wag mo akong sisihin…ikaw itong hindi nakikinig…”… Nilapitan nito si Gerald…”Anak… imouth-to-mouth ko kaya ito…baka naubusan na ng hangin!! Sayang… gwapo pa naman din!!’…

“Auntie…….”… saway ni Kim…

Tila naman binuhusan ng malamig na tubig si Gerald ng marinig ang sinabi ng Auntie ni Kim…. “Okay na po ako…. “…tila nahihiyang sabi nito…”H-hi…K-kim”… nauutal na bati nito sa dalaga…

Hindi alam ni Kim kung pano itatago ang itsura sa lalaking nasa harap… “Ano ba kasing ginagawa mo dito!!”… sumbat nya para maitago ang kahihiyan…

“Anak… magbihis ka nga muna bago ka maglitanya diyan…!”… sabi ni Auntie Pokie… “Pupunta lang ako dyan sa tabi para bumili ng itlog. Iho… pagpasensyahan mo na ang batang yan…at talagang ipinaglihi yan sa sama ng loob…kaya laging naka Busangkol!! Maiwan muna kita ha!!”…baling nito kay Gerald…

Hindi maiwasan ni Gerald ang mapangiti….

“Anong nginingiti-ngiti mo dyan? Pano mo nalaman ang bahay namin?? Bakit ka nandito?” sunod-sunod na tanong ni Kim…

“You know… the view is not bad at all… I’m not sure if you’re seducing me or you just really want to flaunt your self to me… kasi kanina ka pa pinagbibihis ng Auntie mo pero di ka pa rin kumikilos dyan… but it’s ok… I really like the view”…kindat nito…

Kim’s eyes widened…. Pasalamat ito at gamit nya ang dalawang kamay para takpan ang sarili… kundi.. Naibato niya ang pwede nyang ibato dito… “GET LOST!!”.. sigaw nya habang pumapanhik pabalik sa kwarto nya.

“Whew!!”… buntong hininga ni Gerald. He couldn’t stop smiling… she’s cute… she’s y… but really have a bad temper…

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Kim’s trying to control herself… alalahanin mo ang bilin ni Mel…wag intindihin ang sasabihin ng ibang tao.. Eh ano ba kung nakita nya halos buong kaluluwa mo… so what kung napansin nya ang dibdib mo… So What kung nakita nya ang legs mo……… yun nga ba ang ipinupuntirya mo kim… oh baka naman dahil nakita ka nyang magulo ang buhok at amoy mabaho…. She sits in front of the mirror… naiimagine nya ang itsura ni Gerald… mabango… gwapo… macho… a fainted smile starting to show in her face… her eyes were twinkling… It suddenly hit her… OH no!! OH NO!! Oh no!! no…no… no… a big fat no…. pero sinong dinadaya nya… obviously sarili nya…kasi kahit anong tanggi nya… she knows…he’s starting to invade her mind…. Worst….her heart!!

Loud voices woke her up from his thoughts… She could hear her Auntie Pokie… talking about her… OH no!! “Auntie!!”.. she screamed… She stood up…grab her clothes…. Nagmamadaling pumasok sa CR… she could hear them laughing…. SH**….baka ibinebenta na sya ng buhay….. “Auntie”…sigaw nya ulit…. She knows her Aunt is desperate for her to have a boyfriend… katwiran nito…kapag daw nagkaboyfriend sya..baka magbago daw ang pananaw niya sa mundo… baka daw pagnagkaboyfriend sya…eh mauntog daw ang ulo nya at maging ganap na isang mahinhin na babae….

Nagmadali syang maligo at magbihis… hindi nya ugaling maglagay ng pabango…pero naglagay sya… lotion… nagpolbo…. Ano pa ba ang pwedeng ilagay?? … Tawanan na naman…. “Auntie!!””… mauubos na yata ang boses ko nito eh… Huling tingin sa salamin…. Ok na yata… medyo basa pa ang buhok nya…. She wore a small size of black RIVERMAYA shirt na bumakat ng konti sa curves nya… at cargo pants… Pwede na nga yata…… Tawanan ulit…. Waaaaaahh… “Auntieeeeeeeee!!”… nagmamadali na syang bumaba…

To her surprised… She saw Gerald wearing an apron that made by her on her Home Economics class…. He’s helping her Aunt to cook. She smiled……her heart just flew away….. Pano ba naman…he’s so damn cute with those apron on… plus the fact that he’s helping her Aunt…. Pogi points si Grinch…she thought…

“Alam mo Ge… Ipinamimigay ko na nga yang si Kim ko dyan sa kapitbahay namin… kahit yung lasenggero at walang trabaho pinapatos ko na, para lang magkaroon ng syota yang anak ko… pero suko ang lahat… marinig pa lang ang pangalan….masyado ng makailing.. Kesyo siga daw ang anak ko…na mukha daw gangster sa ayos… eh ang kakapal ng mukha… sila pa ang may ganang mamili!!”… hirit ni Auntie Pokie…

“Talaga ho??!”..

“OO… kasi yang anak ko…never been kiss… never been touch… kahit holding hands…wala!!”..

“AUNTIE!!”… saway ni Kim…

“EH totoo naman!! Pano tignan mo ang itsura mo… daig mo pa ang mga nasa banda… akala mo drug addict ka kung makaasta…”… kinalabit nito si Gerald..”Pero iho….walang bisyo yan… hindi naninigarilyo kaya hindi bad breath… Masarap halikan!!” ….pilyang sabi ni auntie Pokie…

“Auntie….tama na yan… kanina mo pa ako ibinebenta eh… para na akong bilasang isda nyan eh!!”…

Gerald’s smile widened…

“Eh totoo naman ah! Teka nga…tulungan mo nga si Gerald dito sandali…at may nakalimutan ako diyan sa tindahan”…

Kim took the knife and start cutting the onions…

“Hmmnn… Never been kiss??”… Gerald was laughing…” I’m right then!!”…

“Right?? Right ka dyan?!!”.. Kim stare at him… he was beating eggs… seems like he’s really good in kitchen work. Parang sanay ito… “Ano ba kasi ang ginagawa mo dito?… ang aga-aga mo! And pano mo nalaman ang bahay ko?”.. sunod sunod na tanong nya…

He look at her…with a grinch smile…”When I found someone Interesting…. I'll make sure that I tried to find my ways to know more about that person… I have my own research group!!”… and winked at her…

Her heart flew… she went back cutting the onions.. Ano ba ito… Kim… umakto ka nga ng tama!! She yelled to herself… but she couldn’t concentrate on what she’s doing…

“I love the apron… I heard you did this!! Love the skulls.. And don’t forget the face of Frankenstein!! Cute!!” .. he pointed out the Frankenstein picture in the middle of the apron.

“You think its cute?.. My teacher said… para daw syang pang- Halloween…”..she smiled.. Remembering the look of her teacher when she gave the apron to her…

“YOu should smile more…. Ganda mo!!”… he whispered to her ears… Hindi nya namalayan…malapit na pala ito sa kanya… She was stunned and felt nervous… that she cut herself with the knife…”ARAY!!”….

To her surprise…Gerald held her hand…guide her to the water faucet and put her finger through the running water…

“Accident prone ka ba?!! Lagi ka na lang napapahamak!!”… he said with anger in his voice…

“Galit ka??”.. she asked..

Gerald look at her… “No!! I’m just upset in the situation… I felt na lagi ka na lang naaaksidente kapag lumalapit ako sayo!! Malas yata ako eh!!”.. he grinned…

Kim was amazed… pinanood nya ito habang ginagamot ang daliri nya… She was supposed to took her hands back and do it to herself…but it just felt good the way he’s holding her hands… and taking care of the wound… She taught.. Ang sarap pala talagang may nagaalaga sayo. Who would have taught that the grinch was a darn good doctor… Here comes the small holes in her heart being filled again… Is this really happening…… “TOTOO ka ba??!”” she couldn’t help but to burst out the question inside her mind…

Gerald putting the band-aid on her fingers stops… “Totoong pano?.. Like if I’m real human?…oo naman no!!”.. he said smiling…then went back to her fingers… “There!!”..

To her surprise….he gave a quick kiss on her wounded finger…”It should be better now!!”. ..He stood up and went back to the kitchen.. “Just stay there.. Ako na ang tatapos dito… baka mamaya maputol na yang daliri mo!!”..

Speechless pa rin si kim… Speechless??.. Kim kelan ka pa naubusan ng sasabihin??… O sige na nga… sisihin mo na si Grinch… para lang gumaan ang loob mo… si Grinch na naman!! Si grinch ba talaga?? OO sabi eh!!…… si Grinch kasi!!!