Stonehearts 9: Sapphire

One

Present. . .

I fucking hate him. Fucking hate him deep in my bones. If purge was real, he'll be the first one who I'd kill.

I stared at the online version of our join bank account.

P 0.00

My eyes were starting to well up, but my system was burning with rage and fury. If I ever fucking see him, I swear to god, I will run him over with my car.

Limas! King-ina, limas! Ni piso walang tinira ang hayup na 'yon!

"Ugh! Bakit kasi ang tanga-tanga ko?!" inis na tugon ko, gusto kong ihapas itong laptop ko sa pader.

Kung bakit pa kasi ako nag-aksaya ng panahon umiyak-iyak sa hudas na 'yon! Kung nang una pa lamang ay na-secure ko na ang share ko sa bank account namin hindi ako magkakaganito.

Ngayong feeling ko move on na move on na ko. Gumanda mas lalo, ganon! Akala ko nakatakas na ako sa kanya pero saksakan talaga ng kapal ng mukha ang animal! Inubos ang laman ng joint account namin.

Paano na ngayon 'yong clinic ko?

It was just starting now it's doomed to fail. The anger I was feeling earlier turned into a depressive state. It was going so well, so good. It was something I was proud of. Something that made me feel lucky, because not all can mix their passion and work. But it worked for me.

Tapos ganito?!

I am turning into a ball of crazy! Nagagalit nanaman ako!

"Doc, free ka? May bago kasing dating na kliyente. Full pa sila Doc Neri at Doc Fel. Nag-su-surgery naman si Doc Mico." sambit ni Annie, 'yong receptionist namin, nang binuksan niya ang pinto ng opisina ko.

"Sige, sige. Papasukin mo na sa consultation room, bababa na ako."

She nodded her reply and disappeared before I can even look at her again.

Muli kong ginawian ng tingin ang laptop ko, kailangan ko nang mag-isip ng iba pang paraan para masalba ang business ko. Hindi lang ako ang mawawalan dito kung saka-sakali.

Think, Fire. Think.

We're about to turn two in a couple of months. Maayos naman ang lahat. Hindi ko in-expect na ganito magiging ka-in demand ang clinic ko. With what we're earning, I can make my clinic stay afloat – that is kung wala akong pinapagawang extension project.

Cobi suggested it. Sabi niya kailangan ng magdagdag ng rooms, both consultation and wards, kailangan na rin daw namin magdagdag ng tao. King inang shit, nakinig naman ako. Hindi ko mawari kung bakit, eh wala naman kaalam-alam 'yon sa pag-bu-business!

Kaya 'yong perang inipon ko, nilaan ko sa pagpapalaki ng negosyo ko. When he said he wanted to invest too, I was hesitant at first. Should have listened to my gut feeling! Pero dahil mahal ko, noon, pumayag ako. It was his idea to put our money into one account, para hindi raw magulo ang pag-au-audit namin. Again, I listened!

Ugh! Bakit pa ako nag-doktor kung tatanga-tanga naman ako?! Ngayon hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin ko.

Napahilot ako sa sentido ko habang pababa at papunta sa isa sa mga consultation room.

Nang pumasok ako, may isang lalaki at batang babae na may bitbit na aso ang tahimik na naghihintay sa akin.

"Hello, good afternoon. Pasensya na kayo, medyo natagalan akong magpunta rito."

The guy smiled at me and nodded, "Col, why don't you tell the doctor what's going on with Potchi."

The girl, who I think is eleven years old, bit her lip. As if thinking what the right thing to say.

"C'mon, baby girl. It's okay, sabihin mo lang kung anong nalalaman mo and I'll try my best to understand." I coaxed.

She looked at ball of fur in her arms. The baby was sleeping but you can tell from the way it breathes that something is not going well.

I sat by the table and read their chart.

Name of pet: Potchi

Breed: Maltese

Name of Owner: Collette Salomea Almodovar

Complaints: t/c fever

Records: N/A; first check-up

"Kailan pa siya nilalagnat, Miss Almodovar?"

I saw her grimaced, "Col or Collete is okay, Doc. Miss Almodovar is my mom."

I didn't hold back the smile that took over my lips. This is kid is too witty for age.

"Okay, Collete. Kailan pa nilalagnat si Potchi?"

"I wasn't the one who said that, but I think that's what your receptionist assumed. Pero kaninang umaga, pagka-gising ko. I noticed she hadn't moved from her bed. I tried calling her but the best she did was to raise her head to let me know that she heard me. It was unlike her, because she usually she would wag her tail and have a jump with her little feet."

Tumango-tango ako habang nagsusulat.

"I also noticed that she hasn't eaten anything. I was worried so we rushed her here."

"I understand. We can check kung may lagnat talaga si Potchi. But, any activities? Events na first time niyong ginawa together? Or pagkain na naibigay sa kanya? May idea ka ba?"

"I walked her at 3pm yesterday instead of our usual 5pm. She was okay the last night. I don't know what happened."

I nodded my head and I knew instantly that it wasn't serious. Still, I did the routine tests and work up for Potchi, all of which came out negative, even her temperature is not that high.

When I called Collette and her guardian, I gave them the good news. "I already have the results and it's nothing serious. We don't have to worry about a thing. She just got overworked and exhausted from yesterday's activity that's why her temperature shoot up. Just continue to hydrate her, and she'll be good in no time."

A smile split the little kid's face into two. She's such a good fur mom.

"Thank you, Doc." the man beside her said. "Ayan, Col. You don't have to freak out about your Kuya finding out about this. Potchi is fine."

I was actually taken aback with the information. Not that I'm sexist or anything, but it's rare for a man to pick a Maltese for a pet, let alone name her Potchi.

"Oh, so babysitter ka pala ni Potchi?"

"Yes, my Kuya is overseas as of the moment so I volunteered to take care of Potchi for the mean time."

"Well, you can tell him that his little Potchi is okay."

The kid beamed at me and murmured her thanks. I went to talk to the man she's with to run through my other reminders. The kid bid her farewell and again, I'm left inside a confined space, alone.

My mind again drifted to my problem. What the fuck am I supposed to do?