Chapter 9 - Twenty-Four
Three days before my birthday, Jane asked me the same question for what I believed was the ninth time.
Ano nga gusto mo sa birthday mo?
I stared at the message.
Then replied:
Peace.
Three dots.
Actual answer.
Sleep.
LIA
I laughed.
We had been doing this for weeks.
Chicken.
Chocolate cake.
Nothing big.
That was already the complete list.
Apparently Jane did not accept simplicity.
I already told you. Chicken. Chocolate cake.
Yun lang?
Yes.
Gift?
No.
Sure?
Yes.
Think.
I stared.
Cash.
Jane:
Bwisit
I smiled.
You asked.
A few seconds later—
Seriously.
I thought about it.
At forty-five, birthdays had become strange.
Employees sent flowers.
Executives brought cake.
Companies posted greetings.
There were lunches squeezed between meetings.
Sometimes somebody decorated my office.
Sometimes HR organized something even after I specifically said they didn't need to.
Gifts became expensive.
Wine I didn't drink.
Pens that cost too much.
Bags.
Flowers.
Things from clients.
Things from people who wanted something.
I appreciated them.
Mostly.
But somewhere along the way, birthdays had become another event someone needed to schedule.
At twenty-four?
I wanted—
nothing.
Not because I was sad.
Because I already had something much stranger.
Another birthday.
One I had already lived through once.
I typed:
Food lang talaga.
Then:
And wag niyo gawing event.
Jane replied immediately.
Who is niyo
I froze.
You and Chloe.
Why are you assuming may gagawin kami
I stared.
Jane.
What
I know you.
A pause.
Then:
Okay fine ??
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
The day before my birthday, Mama asked me—
"Anong gusto mong handa?"
"Nothing."
She stared.
I corrected immediately.
"Simple lang."
"Anong simple?"
"Chicken."
"Anong chicken?"
"Any."
"Fried?"
"Sure."
"Spaghetti?"
"Okay."
"Pancit?"
"That is no longer simple."
Mama frowned.
"Birthday."
"There are five people here, Ma."
"Darating Ate mo."
Okay.
"Kuya Nathan?"
"Siguro."
Okay.
"Si Jane at Chloe?"
I stopped.
"How do you know?"
"Hindi mo sila ininvite?"
"I haven't."
Mama looked offended on their behalf.
"Birthday mo."
"Yes."
"Eh di yayain mo."
"They have work."
"Tanungin mo."
I sighed.
Fine.
I opened the trio group chat.
Mama wants to know if you're coming tomorrow.
Chloe replied first.
YES
Of course.
Jane:
Ano oras?
I looked at Mama.
"What time?"
"Dinner."
I typed:
Dinner daw.
Chloe:
Game
Jane:
Game
Then:
May chocolate cake ka na?
I stared.
There.
Suspicious.
No.
Okay
I narrowed my eyes at the phone.
Why
What why
Don't buy anything expensive.
Chloe:
Sino nagsabing bibili kami
YOU ARE TERRIBLE LIARS.
Jane:
See you tomorrow birthday girl ??
I closed the chat.
Hopeless.
Sofia was sitting on the sofa.
She had watched the entire interaction without looking like she was watching.
Very advanced skill.
"What?"
She looked up.
"Hm?"
"Nothing."
"Okay."
She went back to her phone.
Then, after five seconds—
"Ate Jane and Ate Chloe coming?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
That was it.
No ??.
Nothing.
I relaxed.
Then she smiled at her phone for absolutely no reason.
"Sofia."
"What?"
"You're annoying."
"I didn't do anything."
Exactly.
The next morning, I woke up at twenty-four.
Again.
Technically.
I lay there for a while.
Twenty-four.
The first time I had been twenty-four, I had probably woken up thinking about orders.
Maybe some customer message.
Maybe supplies.
Maybe money.
I couldn't remember the exact morning.
That bothered me.
I remembered major business events from that year.
Customers.
Equipment purchases.
Problems.
Revenue milestones.
But my actual birthday?
Fragments.
Food.
Messages.
Probably cake.
I wasn't sure.
Twenty-two extra years of memory and apparently even memory prioritized the things I had prioritized.
Work stayed.
Ordinary days blurred.
Interesting.
I didn't like that.
My phone had messages.
Family group chat.
Old classmates.
Customers who had my personal Facebook.
Chloe had sent:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLD WOMAN
I stared.
We are the same age range you idiot
Still old
Jane:
Happy birthday, Lia
I stopped.
Heart.
Normal.
Birthday heart.
Friends used hearts.
Human beings had emojis.
No analysis required.
Then:
Twenty-four ka na. Mature ka na ba?
There.
Better.
I replied:
No.
Good
Thank you for believing in me.
Always ??
Then—
Wag ka magwork masyado today.
I looked toward the table.
Laptop.
Orders.
Printer.
I typed:
Define masyado.
Jane:
LIA
I laughed.
Fine.
My assistant arrived at nine carrying a small paper bag.
"Happy birthday po, Ma'am Lia."
I froze.
"Oh."
They smiled.
"Thank you."
They handed it over.
Inside was a cupcake.
One.
Simple.
Probably inexpensive.
For some reason, it hit harder than a lot of expensive gifts I remembered receiving.
"Thank you."
"Welcome po."
"You didn't have to."
"Okay lang po."
I looked at the cupcake.
Then at them.
"Did you buy this before coming here?"
"Opo."
"Thank you."
Again.
Because apparently once wasn't enough.
They smiled.
Then—
"Work po tayo?"
I laughed.
"Yes."
Beautiful employee.
I did work.
Of course.
Birthday did not magically cancel orders.
But at twelve, I stopped.
Ate.
At one, I did not reopen the laptop immediately.
At three, I stopped completely.
Three.
In the afternoon.
On a weekday.
Scandalous.
Mama noticed.
"Tapos ka na?"
"Yes."
"Talaga?"
"Ma."
"Wala."
Everyone had trust issues.
Understandable.
Papa messaged around five.
Happy birthday anak. Uwi ako mamaya.
Simple.
I stared at it longer than necessary.
Then replied:
Thanks Pa ingat
Another ordinary thing.
Papa going to work.
Coming home around six or seven.
Birthday dinner waiting.
I had missed versions of this later.
Not because Papa stopped existing.
Because sometimes I wasn't home.
Business dinner.
Travel.
Late meeting.
Something.
I put the phone down.
Not today.
Ate Bianca arrived first.
She handed me a small envelope.
I stared.
"What's this?"
"Gift."
"Cash?"
"Yes."
I immediately hugged her.
"Best sister."
She shoved me away.
"User."
"Correct."
"How much?"
"Buksan mo later."
I opened it immediately.
"Ate!"
She laughed.
"Walang later sayo."
"Thank you."
"Welcome."
Then she handed Mama another bag.
"May dala akong food."
Of course.
Nobody trusted the existing food supply.
Kuya Nathan and his wife arrived with—
more food.
Naturally.
"What is that?"
"Chicken."
I stared.
"We already have chicken."
"Different chicken."
Fair.
Ramos birthday principle:
Duplicate food was not duplication if seasoning differed.
Sofia came down carrying a gift bag.
I looked at her.
"You got me something?"
"No."
She handed it to me.
"Obviously."
I opened it.
A desk organizer.
Simple.
Useful.
I stared.
She smiled.
"Para hindi kalat."
"Wow."
"Your table is ugly."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
I hugged her anyway.
She tolerated it for approximately two seconds.
Then pushed me away.
"Okay na."
"Love you."
"Yeah."
Smart girl.
Papa got home at six-forty.
I heard the gate.
Then Mama—
"Andyan na Papa."
I stood without thinking.
Papa came inside.
Work bag.
Tired face.
Normal weekday.
I did mano.
"Bless po."
"God bless."
Then he smiled.
"Happy birthday."
"Thanks, Pa."
He handed me a small folded bill.
I laughed.
"Cash din?"
"Ayaw mo?"
"I love cash."
"Mana ka sa Ate mo."
Ate Bianca from the table—
"Excuse me?"
Everyone laughed.
Papa patted my shoulder.
"Twenty-four ka na."
"Unfortunately."
"Bata pa."
I almost laughed at that.
If only he knew.
Twenty-four body.
Forty-five-year-old memories.
Emotionally—
unclear.
"Yeah."
Bata pa.
Maybe this time I could actually act like it sometimes.
Jane and Chloe arrived a little after seven.
I heard Chloe before I saw her.
"Tita!"
Mama laughed from the doorway.
I walked over.
Chloe came in carrying a paper bag.
Jane behind her—
holding a cake box.
I stopped.
"No."
Jane smiled.
"Yes."
"I told you—"
"Chocolate."
She lifted the box slightly.
I stared.
"You actually bought it."
"You literally asked for chocolate cake."
"I said that's what I wanted. I didn't say buy it."
Chloe:
"Same thing."
"No."
Mama greeted them warmly.
"Uy, Jane. Chloe. Tagal niyo hindi napunta."
Chloe immediately did mano.
"Bless po, Tita."
Jane too.
"Bless po."
Mama smiled.
"God bless. Pasok kayo."
Sofia appeared from the hallway.
"Hi Ate Jane. Hi Ate Chloe."
Jane smiled.
"Hi, Sofia."
Chloe:
"Hello."
Sofia looked at the cake.
Then at me.
Then at Jane.
??
One second.
Gone.
She walked toward the dining table.
Smart.
Very smart.
Mama looked at Jane.
"Kamusta ka na?"
"Okay naman po."
"Work?"
Jane answered.
Mama nodded.
Then—
"Buti nakapunta kayo. Ilabas-labas niyo din 'to."
She pointed at me.
I stared.
"Ma."
"What?"
Jane laughed.
"Same din po sabi ng Mama ko."
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
The mothers had independently reached the same conclusion.
Chloe smiled.
"Joint project."
"No."
We ate.
A lot.
Too much.
There was:
Mama's fried chicken.
Kuya Nathan's different chicken.
Spaghetti.
Rice.
Something Ate Bianca brought.
Something Kuya Nathan's wife brought.
Chocolate cake waiting on the side.
My assistant's cupcake still upstairs.
Absurd.
Perfect.
Jane sat beside Chloe initially.
Sofia across from me.
Ate Bianca asked Jane and Chloe about life.
Kuya Nathan vaguely remembered them from years ago but wasn't especially close.
Papa greeted them normally.
No interrogation.
No weirdness.
Just people who knew names and faces from years of hearing about each other.
At some point, Kuya Nathan asked—
"Kayo yung high school friends?"
Chloe nodded.
"Yes."
Jane:
"Since high school po."
I corrected—
"Grade Seven kami ni Jane."
Jane looked at me.
"Yeah."
Chloe pointed at herself.
"Then ako later."