Chapter 9
1262 Words
Chapter 9 - You Can't Fire me. I'm Not Working For You.
I took the garbage bag containing the professor's broken mug. Pedro and Pilar both grinned at me while the interns looked relieved. I left the laboratory and went to the maintenance room in our floor.
“Excuse me?” I asked the person who was assigned there, “Do you have any glue with you?”
“Glue with me?” he repeated, looking nervous.
“I need something to fix a broken ceramic mug.”
“Oh, I see, you need epoxy!” he went inside his room and returned, carrying two small tubes of glue. “You need to mix it, very good, okay? Then stick back together, leave for one day.”
“Is there something that would set faster?” I asked him.
“You need a set? That is a set, mix one and two to make epoxy glue equals three!”
“No, I mean... wala po bang mas mabilis pangdikit?” I asked him in Filipino.
The man’s face lit up and grinned at me.
“Abay, marunong ka palang magtagalog, eh! Ba’t `di mo agad sinabi?!” he scratched his head, “muntik nang dumugo ang ilong ko sa `yo!”
“Pasensya po. May mas mabilis po ba pangdikit?” I asked again.
“Abay, meyron, p’wede ang super glue, kaya lang, eh, hindi matibay. Mas maganda iyang epoxy, tatagal `yan basta’t gamitin lang nang wasto.”
“Okay, thank you,” I look at the name on his uniform, “Larry. Do you mind if I fix this here?”
“Walang-anuman! Sige, d’yan ka na sa mesa ko magtrabaho.”
I spend the rest of the night placing the pieces of the broken cup together. Mr. Larry helped me with the solution, showing me how to apply it and how to smoothen it down to hide the gaps where small pieces of of the cup where missing.
After an hour and a half, the cup was whole again, and I took it back upstairs to let it dry.
“Dr. Abdel, we thought you went home already,” said Pilar when she saw me.
“I can not leave without the professor. How is he?”
“Still inside his room,” she said, “He hasn’t moved since he went in. Pero at least, mukhang mahaba ang tulog n’ya ngayon,” she added. “By the way, may binigay na memo mula sa taas, para sa `yo.”
She went to the bulletin board by the main entrance and took a piece of paper from it.
“Tungkol po sa expo na magsa-start sa Thursday, three day event po s’ya, kailangan nating magpadala ng representatives.” She looked up at me and smiled. “If you need an assistant, I’m free for all three days.”
“You can go with Pedro, then.” Her smile quivered. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I went inside the laboratory and made my way to the middle where Prof. Antonio’s room was located. Like what Pilar said, the professor was still lying face down on the couch.
I went to the pantry instead and placed the mug on top of the microwave oven. Most of the cubicles here do not have locks on them, so I was able to enter his office. I went to his side and was about to wake him up when I heard him whimper.
“Are you awake, Prof. Antonio?” I asked.
He didn’t stir. When I looked closer, I noticed he was asleep. His eyes were swolen, and he was holding something in his right hand. An old photograph of a young man and a little kid. The man looked like him.
I took off my lab coat, placed it on top of him, and stepped out of the room.
“Ano pa’ng ginagawa mo rito?”
I was rudely awakened by someone kicking the couch I was lying on.
“`Di ba’t pinalayas na kita?! Umalis ka d’yan sa sofa ko!”
”Since when did this couch belong to you?” I sat up straight and yawned.
“Everything here is mine. Now get out! Sinisante na kita!”
“You can’t fire me. I’m not working for you.”
“Kung gayon, irereklamo kita kay Godzilla! Hindi ako babalik dito hanggang `di ka n’ya pinapauwi sa pinanggalingan mo!” he took his bag and walked away from me.
“Prof. Antonio, I am sorry. Please accept my sincere apology, I had no idea the mug meant a lot to you.”
“Wala ako’ng paki, basta’t umalis ka na.”
“I can make it up to you.”
“Ano naman ang gagawin mo? Ibibili mo ko ng bagong mug? Papalitan mo `yung tinapon mo?! Tingin mo kaya mo’ng pantayan ang – “
“I fixed it for you.”
I gently pushed him towards the pantry.
“A-ano ba?! `Wag mo nga `ko’ng itulak! Alis!” he squirmed.
“I just want to show you...” I pointed at the mug. “I fixed it for you. I am sorry for trying to get rid of it.”
He was silent for a while, then reached for the mug.
“Careful, it is still setting.” I said, stopping his hand.
“Masyado ka kasing pakeelamero, eh!” he yelled as he pulled away from me. “Lahat na lang pinakeelaman mo! Mga damit ko! Mga gamit ko sa bahay! Pati ayos ng kuwarto ko at mismong porma ko pinakeelaman mo rin!”
“And I am sorry, though your fashion sense still needs much improvement.”
“Ano, makiki-elam ka nanaman?!” he continued yelling at me.
“If you would let me.”
“Hindi! Bawal na! Ayoko’ng may nanghihimasok sa buhay ko at sa trabaho ko!”
“Even though I was able to secure the 500 million budget for our division?.”
He stared at me wide eyed.
“Seryoso? 500 ang bigay nila sa `tin? Akala ko 150 lang?!”
“It seems you weren’t listening.”
“Eh, pano kasi, may tarantadong nagtapon sa mug ko!” he sneared.
”I have already asked Pedro and Pilar to make a list of all the equipment we need.”
Again, he goes silent.
“Magsama ka ng PET scanner, CT scanner, at MRI sa listahan.”
”Is that allowed?”
“Oo naman, matagal na`ko’ng nag rerequest sa kanila n’yan, ultrasound lang ang binigay nila sa `kin. Mas kailangan natin ang PET scan ngayon para ma-sundan ang changes na nagaganap habang nabubuo ang omega womb,” said the professor. “Kung may malaking kuwarto nga lang ako sa bahay, bumili na `ko ng sarili ko, eh.”
“How about the living room?” I suggested.
“Kailangan sealed room. Radioactive ang CT, remember?”
“Okay, I’ll add those equipments.”
“Gusto ko yung 128 slice na CT scanner ha.”
“Anything more you want to avail”
“Anong oras na ba?” he asked.
“It is currently 4:39 am.” I replied, looking at my watch.
“Gusto ko ng almusal.”
- Writer
