He was tensely waiting the results of the tests he took earlier in the day. He was trying to focus his attention on reading local magazines at the lobby of Mylene’s office.

A good half an hour later, Mylene called him in.

“So what am I?” Gerald said as he sat down on the chair in front of her. “A man or a possum?”

Mylene beamed back at him. “You’re a strange young man, what are you talking about?”

“Possums have very low encephalization quotient or EQ. That means, relative to their brain and body sizes, rodents have very low brain capacities...very dumbc creatures. Men on the other hand, have the highest EQ's.”

“Where did you get that information?”

“I read it on a book a couple days ago...” replied Gerald. “My brain is a repository of useless information, I’m afraid.”

Mylene laughed.

“Yes...you really are a genius...” chuckled Mylene.

“So what did your test say?” asked Gerald.

“As expected...you scored very well...”

“How did I do exactly?” Gerald asked.

“Well, I am pleased to inform you sir, that you scored 158 on the Wasserman’s IQ test. Actually, it’s the highest I’ve seen anybody score...”

“Really? So, what does 158 indicate?”

“That you are highly gifted...” said Mylene curtly.

“Wow, I didn’t know I am that intelligent...” he answered. “Had I known I would have gambled on casino...like that guy on the movie where he won loads of cash by counting cards...”

Mylene was in fits. He was so naturally witty. “Mr. Garcia, you’re not yet old enough to go in a casino and second of all, do you have any money to gamble away...”

“I was thinking of borrowing yours...”

“I’m poor as you...” replied Mylene. “Working for a non-profit organization doesn’t necessarily make your rich...”

“Nor does having high IQ...” Gerald sniggered.

This brought tears to Mylene’s eyes. Gerald just assumed it was from the laughter. Truth was, Mylene felt for him.

As their laughter died down, Marlene looked at Gerald.

“Gerald, I want to discuss with you...something else,” Mylene said.

“Ano po iyon?”

“Like I said,you scored really high on certain aspects of intelligence such as logical reasoning, math skills, spatial skills, understanding analogies, verbal skills...” Marlene explained. “But what surprised me is that you scored low on another type of an EQ test. This time it's the Emotional Quotient or the Emotional Intelligence test...”

He looked shattered. “What does it mean?”

“Gerald, emotional intelligence is the person's ability to understand his or her own emotions and the emotions of others and to act appropriately based on this understanding...researchers found out that IQ alone is not enough. TO be successful in life, a person has to be very well rounded, both intellectually and emotionally.”

“You mean to say I’m an emotional ?”

“No...it simply means you lack the necessary rudimentary social or emotional skill set to make good judgements. It has something to do with how you understand your feelings and acting rationally based on those feelings...”

“So you mean I’m a sociopath?”

“No, of course not...” Mylene reiterated. “But do you have moments that you have trouble expressing yourself...your feelings of anger and frustration perhaps...”

Gerald nodded.

“How about friends?” asked Mylene. “Do you have lots of them?”

Gerald shook his head.

“See...” Mylene said as she held his hand. “EQ is an important measure on how you deal with other people in society. For example, it can be a gauge on how well you keep lasting relationship with the people around you. Unfortunately, this area of your intelligence... did not grow as fast compared to the other aspects of your development...”

“But why?” Gerald said. “How did I do that to myself?”

“It’s not your fault...” Mylene explained further. “You have been exposed to a lot of emotional blows in your life, Gerald. Not having your dad around you may have impacted and stunted your emotional growth...not having many friends your age may have contributed too...many things can factor in...”

“No, I don’t believe this...” replied Gerald. His eyes were full of hurt.

Mylene felt guilty. “Fortunately, emotional quotients are a work in progress. As you grow older, hopefully this aspect would catch up to the rest of your abilities...”

“How do I do that, Ate Mylene?”

“I am not an expert on this field, Gerald, ” admitted Mylene. “But I know of somebody who can really help you...”

“Who?”

“My sister...” Mylene said.

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Agot woke up the next morning with a bad hangover. The Jack Daniels she drowned her sorrows in finally took its toll.

She rolled over the clean, crisp white blankets with a grunt. As her vision cleared, she saw her husband Enric putting on his clothes.

Enrico Santos was a handsome man for his age. At 40, he still has the body of a 25 year old. He is tall and stately for a Filipino. Agot always gushes at the fact that through the years, Enric is the only guy she ever knew who can rock a suit.

“Good morning...” she said sweetly.

“Oh, hi honey...” Enric greeted her. He sat by the bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead which instantly made Agot smile. She felt better already.

“What time did you go home last night?” asked Agot.

“A little past one a.m.” Enric answered.

“I called your office yesterday...”

He quickly turned around, looking bothered. “Oh yeah? What did Kathy say?”

“She said...you went to see a client for dinner...” rambled Agot.

“Ahh...yes I did...”

“Who were you with?”

“We had these new clients interested in making an investment on the Cebu property we acquired last year,” Enric explained. "We got carried away with our conversation...the old goose dragged on and on..."

Seeing that he had problems choosing a tie, Agot jumped out of bed and made the selection for him.

"Thanks, honey..." he said appreciatively.

“By the way, I really wanted to talk to you yesterday...” Agot said as she sat on the bed's edge.

“What about?”

“The thing that we feared that would happen...” replied Agot. “Well...it finally did.”

“They fired you?” Enric exclaimed.

“No, they didn’t...but they suspended me...”

“For how long, honey?”

“They said they’ll reassess my case in August...”

“That’s good...” Enric beamed.

“What do you mean, that’s good?”

He once again sat beside her on the bed. “Honey, it’s not that we need the money from your job. I can very well take care of you and the kids. You now would have the rest that you craved for. Plus, you can now take time and care for kids...”

Frankly, Agot was fearing that. She was an expert on the field of developmental psychology yet she didn’t have a single clue of how to take care of their children.

“How about my career?” Agot protested. “The fulfillment I get out of it?”

“Honey...while your career’s on hold, you need to care for your family too. Treat it as an extended vacation. I know you’ll have a blast out of it. The kids will surely be glad of it.”

“I don’t know if I can do it, Enric...”

Enric placed his arm around her and held her close. “IT’s a chance for you to get to know your kids better. You should be jumping at this opportunity, honey...”

“We both know that those kids are not exactly crazy about me...every one of them, you know that.”

“Well, it’s about time that you change that...”

“What if they won’t give me the chance?”

“They’re still young...they still love you unconditionally, you’ll see...”

“Kim hates my guts...”

“All the more reason to try with her then...” beamed Enric.

Agot wondered if she still has the emotional capacity to change her kids’ feelings for her. She truly believed that it’s a little bit too late to change things now...too many scars have been created.

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Agot spent the rest of the morning being bummed out and bored. While the kids were at school, she was left with the task of cleaning a house that is very well-maintained.

She felt useless once more.

She forced herself to watch TV but nothing good was on. She tried reading a book, but her restless mind won’t let her. She tried the treadmill but soon discovered that she was too depressed to exercise.

Near lunchtime, she was at the end of her wits. Fortunately, her cellphone rung.

“Hello?”

“Ate, this is Mylene...”

“O, Mylene napatawag ka?”

“Ate, are you free for lunch?”

“Oo naman,” said Agot. “You couldn’t have called on a better time. You know what...I was really looking for things to do...”

“Bakit ate?” asked Mylene.

“It’s a long story...but all I can say is right now, I’m no longer working...”

“Oh my gosh...are you okay?”

“Oh...don’t worry about me, sis!” Agot explained. “I’m fine! Just a little bored...but I’m really fine!”

“So, you’re free for lunch?”

“Sige ba, but what is this lunch all about?”

“I want you to meet somebody...”

“Who is it?”

“Basta...you’ll be interested in him...”

“Lalake?” Agot sniggered. “Hoy, may asawa na kaya ako...”

“Loka-loka...” said Mylene. “Bata pa kaya tong kasama ko...”

“Ano naman ang problema niyan?”

“I’ll tell you when you get here...basta I know, you’ll be the perfect person to help him.” said Mylene.

“Sige...I’ll be there...” Agot said as she hung up.

She instantly wondered who it was Mylene wanted her to meet. Hopefully, it was not one of her indigent clients she had picked up from the streets.

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March 26, 2009