Old Clothes and Stale Coffee

Chapter 62 - Maiirita Ka Lang

Chapter 62 

“Haay... naunsume pa ang experiment ko...” Prof. Antonio sighed.

“Was that your brother-in-law?” I asked.

“Oo, at balak pa `ko’ng akusahan na sinisiraan ko raw ang kuya ko sa harap ng mga anak n’ya! Tarantadong `yun! S’ya lang ang sinisiraan ko sa mga pamangkin ko, hindi si kuya!”

“And, from what I heard, it seems your brother had problems when he met his fated pair?”

The professor looked at me and sadly shook his head.

“Ganoon na nga...” he answered sadly. “Masaya silang pamilya, kahit ayokong aminin, napaka saya ni kuya sa piling ng asawa n’ya. Halos`di ko sila nakitang mag-away, at kung magtampuhan man sila, laging si Louie ang nagpapakumbaba at sumusuyo kay kuya.”

The professor sighed once more. 

“They were a perfect family, hanggang sa makita ni kuya ang fated pair n’ya, at mula noon, sumama na ang lagay nilang mag-asawa, lalo na ang health ni kuya,” he continued. “Hindi kasi n’ya kayang iwan ang pamilya n’ya, kaya kahit nanlambot s’ya, nanamlay, at halos mamatay, hindi pa rin n’ya iniwan ni Louie na ayaw din s’yang pakawalan.”

“But he lived through it, right?” I asked. “You said before that he died of cancer.”

“Mahabang storya, Habibi,” he touched my face gently, “minsan, ikukwento ko sa `yo ng buo ang lahat, okay?”

“Tell me when you return,” I looked him straight in the eye. “I want to know everything about you, professor, as well as the people closest to you.”

He sighed once more and held me close to his chest.

“Okay, if that is your wish.”

“Yes, it is my wish,” I quickly replied, “you owe me a wish, right?”

“Sige, pag-uwi ko mamaya, magkukwento ako sa `yo,” he said, smiling at me sadly. “Sige na at baka magreklamo nanaman ang tarantado ko’ng bayaw `pag late ako’ng dumating.”

He went to the lab and took out a large bottle of alpha suppressants from our stock.

“Mukhang may kakaibang nangyayari kay loko, 300 capsuls ang laman nito, at huli ko s’yang binigyan noong December, nakakapagtaka at naubos n’ya agad `yon, kahit pa dalawang beses s’yang uminom nito araw-araw.”

“Perhaps he’s having trouble with an omega?” I suggested.

“Malabo, mula nang mawala si kuya, naging monghe na ang isang `yun,” he chuckled, “ni `di na s’ya tumitingin sa mga omega o babae man.”

“Then perhaps an omega is troubling him?”

“Ayun, mas posible pa. Mayaman si loko, sikat at may itsura din naman kahit ayokong aminin. Kaya nga nagustuhan s’ya ni kuya, eh. Malamang may naghahanap ng sugar daddy, he-he-he,” he laughed evilly. “Either that, or he’s going senile.”

“Perhaps I should go with you to give him a check-up?”

Prof. Antonio suddenly faced me, his eyes wide open.

“Ha?! Naku, `wag na! Ayokong makita ka ni Louie, at siguradong pipintasan ka lang nun! Matapobre `yun at pintasero, at saka chick boy din `yun! Mayabang at malandi!”

“I thought you just said that he haven’t even looked at another omega or woman ever since he lost your brother?” I frowned at him.

“Basta, hindi mo magugustuhan ang loko’ng `yun! Maiirita ka lang! S’ya ang pinaka nakakairitang alpha na p’wede mo’ng makilala sa balat ng lupa! Makipag kita ka na sa lahat, `wag lang sa kan’ya!”

I stared at the professor.

“You just don’t want me to see him and get bonded, don’t you?”

“Ha? Anong pinagsasabi mo?!” he laughed nervously, “Ba’t naman kayo magbo-bond! Hindi naman totoo ang fated pairs, ha? Sakit lang `yun! Sobrang OA na pheromones!” he went on.

”Okay, go ahead and meet with your brother-in-law,” I sighed in resignation. “Do you want me to drive you to Makati.”

“No thanks, mag b-book na lang ako sa GrabMe.”

The professor left after that.

I went back to the lab to continue my experiment. First, I had to take some ingredients from the professor’s hidden store room, so I pushed at the shelf on the corner to opened the secret door. Once inside the room, I took the ingredients I jotted down on a piece of paper, and placed them on a small basket I had with me, while crossing them off my list.

I was about to leave the room when I accidentally dropped my pen which rolled underneath the refrigerator  at the end of the room. It was the one which was exclusively for DOME’s samples.

I went down on my knees to retrieve it, but it seems it went all the way to the back of the fridge, so I decided to move the whole thing instead.

I held on to both sides of the fridge and gave it a tug.

I was surprised when I heard something fall on the floor with a soft thud.

Using my cellphone’s flashlight, I took a peak beneath the fridge and saw something dark at the back. It was probably stuck between the fridge and the wall, and was dislodged when I moved it.

I pulled the fridge all the way out and found a thick leather bound journal behind it. In front of it were the words;

D.O.M.E. PROJECT

etched in big, bold letters. Beneath it were written the words;

Dominant Omega Mutated Enzyme

I stared at it for some time.

I felt excitement swell inside me as I turned the cover and flipped through the pages and saw the professor’s small, cursive handwriting on every page.

“Oh... my god... This is unreal... could it be the professor’s journal?!”

I quickly picked my pen from the floor and placed the fridge properly back into place, taking the journal with me.

This is the find of a lifetime!

I totally forgot about my experiment and went to our room instead, to find a good place to sit. I went to the professor’s study table, sat on his comfortable chair, and opened the journal to its first page.

Property of Ericson Antonio

I flipped to the next page and saw the first entry in his journal.