Marceline.

     Based on what Rid told me, the face of what I’m holding right now belongs to Marceline from the cartoon show Adventure Time.

     Heck, the last time I watched a cartoon show was years ago, spongebob pa nga yata at bagong gising ako nun.

     Alam niyo yung mga early morning cartoons sa tv?

     Yung minsan tagalog pa magsalita yung mga characters?

     Huling nood ko ata nun is 4th year highschool, absent ako nun kasi nilagnat ako tapos kami lang ni Mommy ang naiwan sa bahay.

     Nainis pa nga ata ako nun kasi Daddy told me na cartoons were only for kids’ daw before he left for work. Ayun pagkatapos nun I never watched cartoons again – but maybe, nabago na isip ko.

     Anyone who wants to, whether a full-grown adult or a 4-year-old kid, can watch cartoons whenever they want to.

     Well, Madrid still watches daw from time to time, minsan kasama niya yung Kuya niya o kaya yung bunso nila, si Rylee.

     I adore that about her.

     Speaking of Madrid. I can’t stop myself from thanking her for today.

     Andami niya lang ginawa at nagawa para sa’kin- at one point I thought na I shouldn’t have asked her to come with me. Pero that was quickly set aside kasi narealize ko na kung hindi ko siya kasama kanina, baka lang hindi na ako nakauwi ng buo.

     Una’t sa lahat, ewan ko ba kung bakit Mandaluyong City Med Center ang napili ko nung nagtanong ang homeroom teacher namin kung saan ako magpapamedical.

     Gi picked Manila Doctor’s which was much closer.

     Pangalawa, yung kaba ko kanina bago ako kuhaan ng dugo- sobra sobra lang naman!

     Nakakahiya tuloy kay Rid at nakita niya pa akong nagkakaganun dun kanina. Namutla daw ako, pinagpawisan, natulala, ang ewan lang!

     I probably look so weak to her now. The her I am pertaining to is no one other than Madrid-

     Jusko it could’ve been Ning or Gi or si Ate o kaya kahit si Mama, pero wala, siya pa nakakita sa’kin in that state.

     I remember the way she held me when my body started closing on itself nung makita ko yung syringe na gagamitin ni Ate kanina. Hindi ko pa nga nararamdaman yung kamay ni Ate na nakahawak sa’kin pero parang sobrang sakit na nung buong pagkatao ko dun habang naka-upo – the things we do for school nga naman.

     When I closed my hand into a fist like Ate med-tech asked, I also held tight with my other hand dun sa kabilang armrest. Well not until Rid took that hand and held it with hers- which did help a lot kasi mas nakakakalma knowing na may kasama ako.

     Ayun, after nun, my world started crumbling apart.

     Tinali na ni Ate yung blue rubber thingy sa upper arm ko, pinitik-pitik na niya yung area na pagtutusukan ng karayom and when I saw her taking the cap off of the syringe, dun na ‘ko napapikit.

     I don’t know when and exactly how but I was aware na I pressed myself towards Rid when I felt the needle piercing thru my skin.

     I stayed there the whole time knowing na baka pag gumalaw ako eh gumalaw din yung kamay ko, ano dadagdagan ko yung sakit?

     Yoko nga!

     I stayed there and she stayed too. I even felt her other hand going to my shoulder to probably soothe me away from the agony I was in.

     I only had two things in my mind when I felt her warmth near my face.

     One is that she smelled like that one bench cologne that always catches my eye whenever we go there (whether it was the dark blue one or the one meant for babies with the bear in front of it),

     And two, ang lapit ko lang sakanya.

     With her standing up and me sitting down, it’s safe to assume na I was snuggling up next to her