"Meow!" Ponkan screamed on Andy's face to get his attention. Andy patted Ponkan's head and put the cat on his shoulder so he could help Niki out of the car. Hila-hila naman ni Niki palabas ang travel litter box mula sa backseat.

Niki pushed the travel litter box into Andy's hand and went towards the trunk to get her luggage. Si Andy naman ay lumapit sa driver's seat para kausapin si PJ. PJ rolled the window down, grinning. Cathleen, his girlfriend, waved at Andy from the passenger seat.

"Uh... thanks for taking her home," sabi niya sa kaibigan. He still hasn't recovered completely from the surprise.

"Merry Christmas, bro," sagot ni PJ sa kanya. "Pupunta pala kami dyan bukas ah. Sina Jewel din."

Tumango siya. "Text nyo 'ko kung ano'ng gusto nyong inumin."

PJ laughed. "Bro, don't be too obvious."

Lumayo nang bahagya si Andy mula sa bintana ng sasakyan nang lumapit si Niki. "Hey, thanks for the ride."

PJ made a saluting gesture. "See you guys tomorrow," he told them before driving away.

Andy cradled Ponkan on his arm and looked down on her luggage. Isang maliit na mint green luggage lang ang dala nito. Saka isang backpack. "Yan lang ang dala mo?"

"Yeah. Biglaan din kasi 'to," sagot nito sa kanya.

"Akin na," sabi niya, offering his one hand to pull the luggage while the other was holding Ponkan, who was looking too comfortable draped on Andy's arm.

"Kaya ko na. Dalhin mo na lang yung cat litter."

Niki pulled the luggage towards the driveway. Sumunod naman siya rito. Imogen, their golden retriever, walked through the small opening of the door towards Niki. He barked a couple of times before recognizing her scent. Niki patted the dog's head when he started wagging her tail. Yumuko pa ito para pisil-pisilin ang pisngi ng aso. Ponkan, on the other hand, didn't like the presence of the dog, probably being his first time seeing one. He kept hissing on swatting the air. Mabuti na lamang at hawak-hawak ito ni Andy. But the cat's claws were already digging into his skin.

"Ate Niki!"

Sunod-sunod nang lumapit sa may pintuan ang pamilya niya. His mother, who was cooking in the kitchen, even ran towards the door while holding a ladle. Ponkan shut up when he saw everyone. Na-overwhelm sa dami ng tao.

Andy gave the litter box to Angelo habang si Antoneth naman ay inagaw ang pusa sa kanya. Ponkan looked a little helpless when he was separated from him, but thankfully, he was socialized enough that he wouldn't show his claws to strangers outright. Bini-baby na ito kaagad ng kapatid niya.

He took the luggage from Niki when she was pulled away by his mom into the kitchen. Iniakyat niya ang gamit nito sa kwarto ni Antoneth.

"I like what you've done with the house, Tita," he heard Niki say when he got back down.

"Really? Kasi ayaw ng mga yan ng kulay, e. I was thinking of changing it to a more muted color."

"Hindi naman po masakit sa mata. Muted din naman yung orange. It looks refreshing," Niki told her.

"Kiss ass," bulong niya nang makalapit dito. He grinned when Niki glared at her.

His mother scolded him before bringing out five plates of different foods out for Niki. Ube halaya. Biko. Lumpia na kaluluto lang. Pati siomai na pinagtulungan nilang magkakapatid na balutin kagabi. And of course, a plate of spaghetti.

"Mga tira-tira lang 'yan,ha," sabi nito kay Niki. "Maya-maya ko pa lulutuin yung mga pang noche buena, pero may buko salad na sa ref." Andy opened the fridge to show her how much food was in it. Niki looked excited.

"May lechong manok at lechong belly rin mamaya," singit naman ng papa niya.

Kumuha si Niki ng kutsara't tinidor, the ones that she always uses whenever she comes by, and her favorite plate. Pareho-parehong may dekorasyon ang hawakan ng utensils nila, pero iyong kutsara at tinidor ang paboritong gamitin ni Niki. Maybe it has something to do with the style or the texture. She had been using it often, wala nang ibang gumagamit noon bukod sa kanya kapag umuuwi siya. Yung plano naman, mas maliit nang bahagya sa mga ginagamit nila sa bahay. May vintage flower design iyon.

Habang kumakain ay nakipagkwentuhan si Niki sa parents ni Andy. His father sat on his seat at the table and took a glass of orange juice while watching Niki eat. Ang mama naman niya ay nasa kabilang side ng lamesa at naghihiwa ng ingridients habang si Angelo ang naghahalo ng niluluto nito.

"Meow."

Andy looked under the table and saw Ponkan brushing his face againts his leg. Kasunod nito si Imogen na mukhang gustong makipaglaro. He picked up the cat and removed his harness and sat him on his lap. Tumabi sa kanya si Tonet at nilaro-laro si Ponkan mula sa gilid.

"Akala ko allergic ka sa pusa?"

"Nasanay na sya." Si Niki ang sumagot. Tumingin ito sa kanya. "Pero uminom ka pa rin ng gamot. Namumula na yang ilong mo."

Ponkan yelped when Tonet forcibly removed him from his lap. He took the opportunity to run to his room to get some medicine.

–

Niki almost choked up when everyone gathered in the kitchen to watch her eat and have a conversation with her. She has always loved being in Andy's house. Kung gaano kalamig at ka-disconnected sa bahay nila, ganoon naman kainit ang pagtanggap sa kanya ng pamilya nito. They were doing different things when she got there. Pero nang hainan siya ni Tita Andrea ng pagkain, everyone gathered around to be near her. They were all trying to get her attention.

Mahigit isang taon na rin pala niyang hindi nakikita ang mga ito.

Tito Antonio was giving her career advice when she told them that she was still struggling to find a job. Mauubos na rin nito ang isang pitsel ng juice dahil inom ito nang inom para may dahilan ito para magtagal sa kusina.

Kamukha nito si Andy, mas maliit lang ito nang kaunti kesa sa anak nito. He used to color his hair when he was younger, but later decided to just let the gray take over. His eyes look kind, kahit bihira itong ngumiti. When she first met him, she found him intimidating. Niki thought that Andy was afraid of his father because he looked scary. Pero tandang-tanda niya, noong family day, dala ni Andy ang mama at papa nito kahit madalas out of town ang papa nito dahil sa trabaho.

Andy was naturally sweet towards his mother, but Niki didn't expect him to share hugs and tears with his father when it came to reading the letters they wrote for their parents.

Noong unang beses siyang dalhin ni Andy sa bahay nito, akala ng papa nito ay nililigawan siya nito. The old man kept asking her about Andy. Was he treating her well? Was he respectful of her? He only managed to ask her a few questions because Andy interjected and cleared the misconception.

As time went by, Niki finally saw the sweetness of Andy's dad that he always talked about, especially towards his mother.

Tita Andrea is a small woman with the kindest face. Her graying hair was always in a low bun because she wanted to keep a neat appearance. Interior designer ito kaya palaging maganda ang ayos ng bahay nina Andy. Niki remembered how she was slightly confused the second time she went to Andy's house. Iba na kasi ang ayos at pintura sa loob. Andy told her then that his mother was using the house to practice her skills. Hindi na niya mabilang sa daliri kung ilang beses niyang naabutang may niri-renovate itong parte ng bahay nina Andy.

Tita Andrea has always expressed how much she loves her for Andy, kahit ilang beses na nilang sinabing magkaibigan lang sila. While Tito Antonio was a bit reserved with how he shows his feelings, ang ina naman ni Andy ay expressive. She loves hugging and kissing people, especially her husband and her kids.

Kahit malalaki na ang mga anak nito, sanay ang mga ito na nilalambing ni Tita Andrea, even in public. It was something that Niki used to envy about Andy. She could still feel that envy every now and then.

"Iwanan mo na lang ang pinagkainan mo sa lababo kapag tapos ka na," sabi nito sa kanya nang maubos niya ang pagkain sa plato.

"Huhugasan ko na, Tita," sagot niya rito.

Tita Andrea clicked her tongue. Isang tingin lang nito kay Andy ay nakatayo na ang kaibigan niya at naagaw na sa kanya ang mga pinagkainan.

"Magpahinga ka na lang," Andy told her.

Nagpaalam siya sa mga ito para maayos ang mga gamit. She didn't bring a lot of clothes with her. Biglaan kasi ang pag-uwi niya. Hindi na niya nilabhan ang mga pinaghubaran dahil mangingitim ang mga iyon kapag iniwan niyang nakasampay sa condo nang ilang linggo. All her comfortable clothes were left in the hamper inside her room back in Manila.

Nilapitan niya si Andy. "Pahiram ng t-shirt a." She didn't wait for her answer. Umakyat na kaagad siya sa kwarto nito para kumuha ng t-shirt nito. She settled for his old PE shirt na maganda pa rin ang tatak kahit mahigit sampung taon na ang lumipas. Andy wouldn't wear that shirt anymore. Masyado nang maliit dito.

After changing into more comfortable clothes, Niki went back down to help the family prepare for the noche buena.

–

After preparing the ingridients to be cooked later that night, tumulong naman si Niki sa paggi-grill at pagru-roast ng mga karne sa likod-bahay nina Andy. She loved that backyard. May isang malaking puro ng mangga na halos sakop ang buong bakuran sa lapad ng sakop ng mga sanga at dahon nito.

Sa gitna ng bakuran ay may isang malaking kubo na high school pa lamang si Niki ay nakatayo na roon. They have had so many drinking sessions under that Nipa hut. Tuwing may mga practice o group projects, doon din sila nagtitipon-tipon. Bukas, magkikita na naman silang magkakaklase doon para i-celebrate ang pasko.

Si Tito Antonio ang punong abala sa pagluluto ng karne. All Niki did was fan the fire or keep Imogen away from the meat. Naghanda rin si Andy ng mga prutas para kainin nila sa kubo habang pinanunuod nila ang papa nitong paikot-ikutin ang mga karne sa ibabaw ng apoy.

After that, Niki went to sleep in Antoneth's bedroom. She didn't get much sleep last night cleaning the house and preparing her things for the trip.

She woke up a few hours later, feeling refreshed. It was already dark inside the room and for a moment, she was enveloped in fear again. Hindi naman nagtagal ang masamang pakiramdam dahil naalala niyang hindi siya nag-iisa sa bahay.

They were already preparing dinner when she went downstairs. Luto na ang ilan sa mga handa at pwede silang bumawas ng kahit ano kung gusto nila. May bukod na lalagyanan naman ang mga handa na mamaya pa kakainin.

Antoneth was still playing with Ponkan. At nakikipaglaro na ang pusa sa kapatid ni Andy. He must have gotten tired of resisting.

"May simba po ba rito?" tanong niya habang kumakain sila ng fried chicken.

"Meron pero limited ang seating," sagot ng Tita Andrea niya. "Meron namang virtual mass."

"Sisimba ka?" tanong niya kay Andy.

"Sisimba ka?" pabalik nitong tanong.

Niki thought about it. Her mother is a devoted Catholic. It was part of the reason why she couldn't leave her father. Kasi mali daw sa mata ng Diyos at simbahan ang makipaghiwalay sa asawa. But apparently, cheating is tolerated.

She shook her head.

"Puro matatanda lang ang magsisimba, Te Niks," sabi sa kanya ni Angelo. Mahaba na rin ang buhok nito kagaya ni Andy. He looked more like their mother. Kind face, mapapagmalang mabait at matino kahit ito ang pinakamakulit sa tatlong magkakapatid. Antoneth was like the female version of Tito Antonio.

Niki insisted on helping with the dishes kahit na ilang beses siyang pinigilan ng mag-asawa. The three siblings spent the night acclimating Ponkan to Imogen's presence.

Then, they all killed time playing board games while waiting for midnight while the older folks got ready to attend the midnight mass. Nang makaalis ang mga ito, naglaro naman ng video games ang mga nakababatang kapatid ni Andy. They got bored with the Scrabble and Ponkan kept stealing the tiles and putting them in his mouth so they all just stopped playing.

While waiting for midnight. Niki pulled Andy inside Antoneth's room to give him her gift. Wala siyang dalang regalo para sa pamilya nito kaya nahihiya siyang ibigay sa harap ng mga kapatid ni Andy ang regalo. Dahil biglaan ang pag-uwi niya, hindi na siya nakagawa ng pambigay. She didn't even have time to buy something na mukhang pinag-isipan kahit kaunti.

"What?" tanong ni Andy nang makapasok sila ng kwarto ni Antoneth.

"Ibibigay ko lang yung gift ko."

Andy scratched the side of his neck. "You really didn't have to."

"It's not much." She pulled the crocheted kermit hat from her backpack. She tiptoed to put the hat on his head, and prayed that it would fit. It took some adjustments but it finally did.

"Is it too tight?"

Andy looked at the mirror next to him and chuckled. He touched the bulging frog eyes on top. "It's cute."

"Hindi sya kasingmahal ng skincare. Babawi na lang ako next Christmas."

"No. I love it."

"You're just being nice," she pointed out, rolling her eyes.

"I really love it," he insisted. "Thanks, Niki."

She smiled at him and reached up to touch the frog eyes. They were the hardest things to crochet. She almost removed them from the design. But she was glad she didn't. He looked very cute with the hat on.