Old Clothes and Stale Coffee

Chapter 89 - Basta’t ikaw pa rin ang Habibi ko

Chapter 89 - Basta’t ikaw pa rin ang Habibi ko

It was a good thing that the aforementioned meeting was to be held at 1 in the afternoon. I was able to accompany the professor to his brother-in-law’s house in the morning.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the meeting?” I asked as we parked in front of Louie’s house, “The SGT kits have been your pet project even before I came to the Philippines, I know how much it means to you.”

“Tama ka, kaya nga gusto ko, ikaw ang pumunta sa meeting, eh, at baka mamaya malasin nanaman ang project natin kung sasama pa `ko,” he laughed, “alam mo naman na kung anu-ano nasasabi ko `pag naiirita ako.”

“Hmph. I know you simply just don’t want to go to the meeting.”

“Ah, Habibi, kilalang-kilala mo na nga talaga ako!” he grinned.

“Don’t call me Habibi.” I pout at him.

“O, sige na, mahal, halika at pakibukas ang trunk nang mailabas ko `yung gamit sa likod.”

He kissed me before he got off the car and took the ice box full of seafood we bought from Batangas. He brought a lot of shellfish and crustacians for the party, stating that his brother-in-law was allergic to them.

“Do you need help with that?” I asked as he hauled it to the driveway.

“`Di na... kaya ko na `to.”

It was Bless who opened the gate.

“Tito, welcome home! Dr. Abdel, tuloy po kayo!” he gave her uncle a hug and got a kiss on the cheek in return.

“Kamusta? Andyan na ba ang kapatid mo’ng sutil?”

“Wala pa po, tito, si dad naman nasa taas, tinutulungan si Josh, medyo nagkaroon kasi ng maliit na aksidente kanina.”

“Aksidente?” Eric frowned at her, “Bakit? Anong nangyari kay Blondie? Nalunod ba?”

“Blondie?” Bless laughted softly, “Tito talaga, ang hilig magbigay ng mga palayaw!” she added, “Medyo nasunog lang yung apron n’ya kanina, pero okay na naman s’ya, mukhang natakot lang.”

“Napaka malas talaga ng isang `yun!” Eric frowned and shook his head.

“Hindi naman ho, tito,” she took a look at the cooler we brought and smiled. “Ano po `yang dala n’yo?”

“Sea food, galing kaming Batangas ng Habibi ko, eh.”

“Naku, tito, don’t tell me, iinggitin mo nanaman si papa sa pagkain ng sugpo?” she laughed.

“Nya-ha-ha-ha! `Uy, hindi, ha, pasalubong ko talaga `to para sa inyo, malas lang ni Louie at meron s’yang allergy!” yet he laughed even more.

We made our way to the back yard where we met the rest of the guests, namely, a beta named Miles.

“Kaibigan ko po, tito,” Bless introduced him to us, yet the smile on her face and their shy glances told us otherwise.

“Huh!” was the professsor’s only relpy as he looked at the man from head to toe.

“P-Prof. Antonio! Dr. Abdel!” Miles said stiffly, “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet your aquaintance! I’m a big fan po!”

“Wow! Tito, ang dami mo’ng dalang talaba!” called Mercy as she opened the cooler.

“Op kors! Paborito mo ang oysters, `di ba? Tatlong klaseng keso ang dala namin, gagawa ako ng tripple cheesy garlic bacon oysters ko!”

“Tulungan ko na po kayo!” said Miles who seems too eager to please.

“Professor, do you mind if I go upstairs to speak with your brother-in-law?” I asked him, “I would like to ask them some questions and collect samples while I’m here.”

“Ha?” he looked at me, holding a large crab in both hands. “Anong samples?”

“I plan to continue my study on their relationship as fated pairs,” I explained.

“Ayan nanaman? Kumain ka na muna, mamaya na natin sila istorbohin...”

”But I need to leave by 12 to get to the lab in time for the meeting,” I looked at my watch, “and it’s already 10 am.”

“Haay, sige na nga...” he handed the crab to Miles and even wiped his hands on the other’s apron. “Kayo na muna rito, samahan ko lang ang Habibi ko sa taas...”

“Professor, stop calling me Habibi.” I frowned at him.

Eric simply laughed.

“Kunwari ka pa, eh, ikaw nga, bumalik sa professor ang tawag sa `kin,” he said after washing his hands.

“Didn’t you tell me that you get shy before other people?” I reminded him.

“Tama ka, kaya nga Habibi pa rin ang tawag ko sa `yo, eh.”

”Then what if I start calling you Eric? Everyone would think that I’ve lost my respect for my professor.”

“Okay, Dr. Abdel, `wag ka nang magalit!” he gave another laugh as we climed the stairs. “Okay lang sa akin kahit anong tawag mo, kahit ghabi pa! Basta’t ikaw pa rin ang Habibi ko.”

I felt my face heat-up, though I couldn’t tell if it was a blush of embarassment, or one of anger. Eric just smiled at me and took my hand as we walked to the room at the end of the corridor.

But he didn’t knock on it. He leaned an ear to the wooden door and listened.

I saw an evil grin spread across his face as he did. He then raised his fist and knocked loudly at the door.

”Oy, Louie, `andyan ba kayo?” he called to the people inside. ”Naaksidente raw si Josh? Kamusta na s’ya?”

There was no reply.

”Nakaistorbo ba `ko?” Eric called again.

”Sandali nagbibihis pa si Josh,” we heard Louie reply.

”Okay, hintayin ko kayo rito.”

Eric looked at me, grinning, and raised his eyebrows a couple of times.

We waited outside for a while, they were taking so long that my precious time was being wasted.

”Are you done yet?” I asked, knocking on the door.

“Eto na kami.” replied Louie’s young mate, Josh.

Finally, the door swung open to reveal the deshiveled couple. Josh was only wearing a pair of boxers, while Louie, though wearing a shirt, had it on inside out. The scent of pheromones was evident in the air.

“Ang aga n’yo yata?” asked Louie, sounding irritated.

“Oo, kanina pa kasi nag-aaya `tong Habibi ko, may pupuntahan pa kasi s’yang meeting mamaya.”

“Kamusta na?” I greeted them in tagalog. “I came to ask you more questions regarding your pairing.”

“Haaaaaaay...” Louie gave an exagerated sigh, “Halika at sa baba na tayo mag-usap.”

“Tungkol saan po ang itatanong ninyo?” Josh asked as we went to the den.

“I have brought vials for specimen collection. I was not able to bring some before.”

I placed the brief case I was carrying on top of the coffee table.

“I also have a questionnaire and some solutions for experimentations...”

“Parang ang dami naman ata n’yan?” Louie asked.

“Give and take `yan, Louie, para sa tulong namin sa anak mong sutil,” Eric answered for me. I simply nodded.

“Don’t worry, this won’t take much of your time since I need to get back to the office at 1 pm sharp.”

“Naku, kung ganon, kailangan na naming magluto nina Bless...” Josh said.

“Hayaan mo na sina Blessing sa labas, mukhang kayang-kaya na nila `yun,” said Eric.

”Today is your heat, is that correct?” I asked the young omega.

“Opo, pero mukhang na delay s’ya ngayon...” he replied.

“Whoa, ang bilis mo naman!” Eric suddenly piped in.

“Idoit! It’s not that!” Louie hissed at him. “Nalimutan mo na ba kung ano `yung ni-request ko sa `yo noon?”

“What? What did he request from you?” I asked.

“Well, kung hindi s’ya buntis, eh, ba’t s’ya delayed?” Eric ignored me.

”It may be because they have been having s*x regularly,” I commented.

“P-paano mo nalaman?!” Josh asked me, his face turning a bright shade of red.

“Frequent s*x may lessen the heat an omega experiences. I am a bit curious though, since you have only known each other for two months...” I added, “It is also possible that a strong emotional stimuli due to stress may have disrupted your heat cycle.”

“Naging emosyonal ka ba?” Eric asked Josh who was starting to look lost. “Nakadama ka ba ng matinding lungkot, takot, gulat o galit nitong mga nakaraang araw?”

Josh’s face brightened up.

“Ah! Nang himatayin si Louie noong inatake s’ya ng alta presyon nang nawala si Nathan!”

“Inatake ka ng high blood?” Eric grinned at his brother-in-law. “Gurang ka na talaga!”

“Nahilo lang ako nang sandali!” Louie snapped at him.

They started bickering like small children, as I wrote a prescription for Josh.

“Here,” I handed him a piece of paper, “it is important that you have a healthy estrus cycle. A disruption may lead to hormonal imbalance which in turn can cause cysts, tumors, and hormone deficiencies.”

“Okay, salamat po doc!” he said, nodding at me.

“Now, about my samples...”

“Kukuhanan n’yo po ba `uli ako ng dugo?” he asked. “S-sandali po...”

He reached out his left arm,  looked the other way, and covered his blue eyes with his other hand. Louie even sat by his side to give emotional support.

“A-ayan... ready na po ako...”

I took his arm and took some blood samples, then took a swab and wiped the sweat from behind his ears. I handed him a vial after that.

“Please fill this with urine.”

“Okay...” he stood up and left the room.

“Now, Mr. Del Mirasol, if I may?” I reached for his arm which he readily held out.

“Ano ba ang balak mo’ng gawin sa blood and urine samples namin?” he asked me. “Baka mamaya kung saan n’yo `yan gamitin, ha?”

“Rest asured that this is all being collected in the interest of science.”

I took out another vial when Josh returned. He was busy dabbing his puncture wound with an alcohol pad.

“Would you mind smelling this for a moment.”

“Ano po `yan doc?” he asked with a smile.

“Just a pheromone sample.”

“Okay,” he simply grabbed it and took a whif.

If it was something poisonous he would have been dead by now.

“Wala naman pong amoy, ha?” he asked.

“Thank you.” I took it back from him.

It shows that he cannot smell the highly concentrated dominant alpha pheromone, meaning, he is not a dominant omega.

“Meron pa ba, doc? Mag-eexperiment pa ho ba tayo?” he asked bright eyed.

”That’s about all of it.” I replaced my paraphernalia in my briefcase. “Thank you for your cooperation. I shall be leaving shortly.”

“S-sandali lang po, doc!” Josh called to me.

“Ano, may tanong pa ba kayo?” Eric asked him.

“Kasi... hihingi sana ako ng payo tungkol sa kaibigan ko, Rome ang pangalan n’ya, at may kababata s’ya, ang pangalan, Jinn, pero sobrang yabang ni Jinn, kaya laging naiinis sa kan’ya si Rome, sobra nga, parang aso’t pusa sila kung mag-away, minsan pati kami ng best friend ko’ng si Aveera, nadadamay sa kanila, kasi kung makipag sigawan sila, para ba’ng kulang na lang mag-sapakan sila on campus...”

“Matagal pa ba ang nobela mo?” Eric asked, “Nagugutom na `ko.”

“Ah... sandali lang po ito!” Josh blushed.

“Just get to the point, Bhebhe.” Louie encouraged him.

“Well, ayun nga, nito lang, hinalikan ni Jinn si Rome, tapos, biglang nag-heat i Rome! Tapos, may naaamoy daw s’ya kay Jinn, kaya naisip ko, na hindi kaya...”

“FPS nanaman?” interrupted Eric, rolling his eyes. “Ba’t ba ang daming nakakahanap ng fated pairs sa paligid ko? Akala ko ba bibihira lang ito? Baka naman mamaya libog lang `yang nararamdaman ng kaibigan mo?”

Josh looked embarassed.

“`Oy, Eric, hayaan mo s’yang magkwento.” Louie said with a frown.

“Please go on.” I urged the young omega.

“So... ayun nga po... nalaman namin na matagal na palang nakakaamoy ng kakaiba si Rome kay Jinn, pero dahil naiirita s’ya lagi kay Jinn, eh, `di n’ya pinapansin `yun, at talagang magkaaway sila lagi! Nandidiri pa nga po si Rome at kinikilabutan `pag kinakapitan s’ya ni Jinn, pero, after that kiss...”

“It took a kiss for the pairing to manifest.” I said.

“Opo, at saka ang nakakapagtaka po, sabi ni Rome, matagal na raw s’yang nakakaamoy ng abnoy, kahit noong `di pa n’ya alam na omega s’ya!”

“He can smell a crazy peron?” I frowned.

“May baliw?” Josh asked back.

“Was this Jinn crazy?”

“Ha?”

“Ano ba `yan, `di na kayo nagkaintindihan dalawa!” said Eric who went between us. “Ano ba `yung abnoy na naamoy ng kaibigan mo?” he asked Josh.

“Ah... `yun daw ang scent ng paborito n’yang puto na gawa sa bugok na itlog, yun daw po ang naaamoy n’ya kay Jinn, bago pa man s’ya naging omega!”

“Hmm... interesting... and this Jinn, did he smell something unique from your friend as well?”

“Hindi ko pa po s’ya natatanong, eh, pero sabi ni Rome, tuwing nagkikita raw sila dati, sinasabi ni Jinn, amoy ulan daw s’ya.”

“Petrichor?” said Louie. “Amoy alimuong?”

“Amoy ozone!” Eric corrected him. “Ang alimuong, ay amoy ng tuyong daan na nabasa atapos ang ulan, ang amoy bago umulan ay tinatawag na ozone.”

”Hmm... very interesting indeed...” I could’t help but smile.

”Nako, alam ko `yang ngiti na `yan, Habibi,” said Eric who frowned at me, “hindi natin kilala ang mga `yan, baka makasuhan ka `pag nilapitan mo sila nang walang parental consent.”

”Then we will get their consent.” I faced Josh once more. “Introduce them to me.”

“Eh? Pero... bantay sarado po si Rome ngayon, bawal na silang maglapit ni Jinn...”

“I just need you to introduce them to me. I will take care of the rest,” I informed him.

“Well... sa Monday ng hapon – “

“Then I’ll be there on Monday.”

“Habibi! You have a meeting on Monday, remember?” Eric reminded me.

“Then I will postpone it.” I replied, “And stop calling me Habibi.”

“O-okay lang po ba `yun?” Josh looked worried.

“Yes. We shall be in your school on Monday afternoon. For now, I need to get back to the lab to work on these sample specimens.”

“Aalis ka na agad? Kain ka po muna, mukha namang nakapagluto na sina Mercy!” said Josh. I could actually smell the food roasting in the backyard.

“Perhaps some other time,” I replied. “Inform me when your heat comes, and do be cautious, since it might come back at full force when you least expect it.”

“Eh?” he looked worriedly at me.

“Just keep an injectable with you at all times to be safe.” I added before leaving the room.