It was unlike Niki to keep a cat. Sa ilang taong mag-isa ni Niki, hindi nito naisipang mag-alaga ng pusa. Maybe it was because she had been so busy taking care of herself that the notion of taking care of something as dependent as a cat didn't appeal to her. But then again, Niki has changed in the last few months. She lost her job, lost her roommate... she probably took the stray kitten to feel in control again.

And that was fine with Andy. Niki owns her unit. She makes the rules. Nasa kwarto lang naman nito ang pusa at bumili na ito ng mga gamot para sa kanya. She even bought a humidifier to filter the air so his allergy wouldn't act up.

Ang kaso... two days later, nagkasakit si Niki.

They both suspected it was the virus. Niki had most of the symptoms. She didn't want to go to a hospital because the hospitals have been overwhelmed with cases of the virus. What she wanted to do was self-isolation, which was fine with him. Marami rin silang mga stock na gamot, alcohol, at masks. Niki would stay in her room and he would wear gloves and masks when he would interact with her. Just to be safe.

That was fine with him. But then, she asked him for a favor that he was very hesitant to do. Niki was very adamant about this favor. In the end, he caved in.

Ngayon ay magkatitigan sila ni Ponkan sa loob ng kwarto niya.

"What?" he asked when the kitten meowed. "I just fed you."

It jumped out from its box and strutted towards him. Umurong siya nang umurong hanggang sa tumama ang swivel chair niya sa sulok ng kwarto. "Meow," the cat said before clawing on his jogger pants. He climbed up his leg.

Tumayo si Andy at isinipa-sipa ang binti para bumitaw ang kuting. But it was persistent. In the end, he had to remove it with his hands before his allergy started acting up again. Ibinalik niya ito sa box at saka dinuro-duro. "Stay!"

Tumalikod siya sa pusa nang mag-ring ang phone niya. It was Niki.

"Yep? Need anything?"

"I want coffee," she said in a hoarse voice.

"Okay. But can you taste coffee?"

Niki snorted. "I want coffee. Yung malamig sa bibig tapos mainit sa tiyan at lalamunan. Na lasang orange juice."

"Meow," sabat ni Ponkan.

"I know. She's weird," pabulong niyang sabi sa pusa.

"I heard that."

"You can't have coffee, Niki. Sorry." He dropped the call and immediately headed to her bedroom because he had a feeling of what she was about to do next. And he was right. She was already opening the door when he got there just in time to close it. He was pulling at the doorknob. Sa ibang pagkakataon, mabubuksan siguro nito ang pinto. But not when she's sick.

"Andy... open the door please..."

"You can't taste coffee. You can't even smell it. Magtubig ka na lang." Niki grunted and pounded on the door. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Kapag lumabas ka ng kwarto, uuwi ako ng probinsya bukas."

Tumahimik ito. "Fine!" she said through gritted teeth.

–

Andy decided to work in the living room for the time being. Mahirap kasing i-monitor si Niki kapag parehas silang nasa loob ng kani-kanyang kwarto. She was only allowed to go out of the room when she had to go to the bathroom. Kung ano ang kailangan nito, siya ang nag-aabot. And she had to wear a mask every time.

Tuwing babalik ito ng kwarto, nakasunod na siya agad to wipe her trail with alcohol. Ponkan also liked being in the living room. More space to terrorize.

The downside was he couldn't give his 100% focus at work because he also had to take care of Niki and Ponkan, but he was glad that he was there to do it. He couldn't even imagine Niki contracting the virus and having no one around to take care of her. He knew that if the situation were reversed, she would also take care of him. Yun nga lang, mas matibay ang immune system niya.

The isolation period lasted for more than a week. Thankfully, hindi na lumala ang sakit ni Niki. Andy was so strict with her diet that he almost had to force feed her with fruits and vegetables just to help her immune system fight the virus. Monitored din ang pag-inom nito ng gamot at pagkuha ng temperature. Andy had to set up several alarms all day just to keep up with the things he had to do.

If there was one thing he learned from this experience, it was that he had no patience to become a healthcare professional.

–

Niki could finally taste food again. Muntik na siyang umiyak nang kagatin ang pizza na binili ni Andy kanina. She was tired of eating healthy food and soups.

He checked her temperature this morning. She could finally taste the sourness of sinigang that he fed her for lunch. Wala na rin siyang ubo at sipon. She felt like herself again, hindi na nanlalata. She would have been excited to go back to work... except she has no job anymore. But at least she can finally watch TV without Andy shoving her back in her room the moment she puts one foot outside hers.

"Slow down. You can have the whole box," natatawa nitong sabi. She didn't realize she was chomping on the slice of the cheeseburger pizza. Mataman niyang nginuya ang pagkaing nasa bibig at saka lumunok. Andy handed her a glass of water.

"You should have ordered two," she told him.

Naiiling itong tumawa. He was not afraid of her anymore. Nitong mga nakaraang araw lamang ay halos gumamit ito ng stick para masiguradong hindi niya ito malalapitan. He would retreat to the kitchen whenever she would go out to go to the bathroom. Naintindihan naman niya. It was their first time to deal with it. Better safe than sorry.

"Maybe if he stops stealing the pizza, you'd have more for yourself," he pointed out. Ponkan was sitting on his lap, gnawing on the edge of his slice of pizza.

It was almost 9PM. Ponkan just woke up from his 6-hour nap. Nasa sala silang tatlo. She and Andy were watching a superhero movie while eating pizza. Ponkan climbed on Andy's lap after waking up. Nakipag-agawan ito sa pizza kahit napakain na ito kanina.

"Mukhang may bago ka nang BFF ah," she teased.

Andy made a face and rubbed his nose with his index finger. He wouldn't admit it, but it looked like he had grown fond of the little kitten. Kahit namumula na ang mga mata nito dahil sa allergy nito, hinayaan pa rin nito si Ponkan na umakyat sa kandungan nito. He tore a small piece of his pizza slice and gave it to Ponkan.

"He doesn't eat bread," she told him. "Just give him some meat."

But to her surprise, Ponkan ate the small piece of bread and made noise as if asking for more.

"Basta sa 'kin galing, he'll like it. Di ba, Pons?" Inilapit nito ang hintuturo sa mukha ng kuting. Ponkan eagerly licked Andy's pizza-flavored finger. And then, the kitten proceeded to bite it. Andy pulled his hand away and then lightly bonked Ponkan's head with it.

Niki leaned back on the couch. "I think I'm gonna need a new pet. Or a new hobby."

"How about a new job?"

She frowned and pouted. "I don't know. I don't feel like doing my old job anymore. I want to try something new."

Kumunot ang noo ni Andy. "Like what?"

Niki shrugged. "I don't know. I've seen videos of OFWs working as farmers in Japan. Alam mo yung 'a day in a life' kind of videos? I figured that I can do it since I'm good at gardening."

"Gardening isn't the same as farming."

"But it's a start, right? And I don't have a problem with being away from my family so..." He gave her a stern look. She gave him a tight-lipped smile when she realized that he didn't find the joke funny. "Maybe I'll just start a business?" bawi niya.

–

Andy didn't think Niki would seriously consider starting a business. She could have started a business years ago, but instead, she put her savings into real estate. Ang plano ni Niki, bumili ng property, preferably a condo, and rent it out. And then, when she has enough savings to buy another one, she would rent it out as well. And so on. But she had a hard time doing it because she had to put her family first. Ito kasi ang nagpaaral sa bunso nitong kapatid. Ito rin ang nagpagawa ng bahay ng parents nito sa probinsya. They even had Niki pay for the car they were using at home.

It was probably one of the reasons why Niki found it hard to forgive. Because she had given a lot to her family, and when she did the right thing by being honest to her mother, everyone of them turned against her.

Andy knew that the job hunting was depressing Niki. Nothing was really sticking. Palaging may problema sa job post. O di kaya ay ilang beses mari-resched ang interview. O hindi kayang ibigay ang asking salary nito. Even the cover letter was a problem.

Andy took it as a sign that Niki didn't want to find a new job just yet. Sabi nga, kapag gusto, maraming paraan. Niki would find ways to get hired, if she really wanted to. But it looked like she was on a period of self-discovery.

Sa sumunod na buwan, ilang beses itong bumaba para kumuha ng package galing sa online shops na pinagbibilhan nito ng kung ano-ano.

Niki wanted to crochet, so she bought a bunch of stuff for it. At first, she was really into it. Ginugol nito ang ilang oras panunuod ng video tutorials. Then, she just dropped it out of nowhere kasi masakit daw sa kamay.

She made a few toys for Ponkan before leaving the knitting threads on one corner to collect dust.

Nauso rin ang paggawa ng dalgona coffee. So Niki bought a mixing bowl, frother, different types of instant coffee... but when everyone was doing it as part of the trend, she quickly lost interest. She thought she couldn't make a decent cup.

Sumubok din itong mag-paint. She bought a puzzle with 1000 pieces but Ponkan chewed on some of them so the puzzle couldn't be completed anymore. The last thing Niki tried was CGM. But she wanted an instant result even though her hair was rebonded and he told her that it would take time.

–

"What are you making?" Niki asked one afternoon. Andy was smashing the overripe bananas with a fork when she came into the kitchen. Nasa balikat nito si Ponkan, nanunuod.

"Banana bread."

"Ohh..." Bihira lang mag-bake si Andy. He could bake. He's an amazing baker. Pero nakakapagod daw ang preparation, so hindi nito madalas gawin. She had been asking him to bake something since he moved in, but he refused and only baked savory food. He did make lasagna, pero gusto niya ng matamis.

This time, pinagbigyan na siya nito.

Niki poked Ponkan's nose. "Aren't you allergic?" tanong niya kay Andy.

"Yeah but he wouldn't stop crying."

"Aww... he's your cat now. Right, Pon?"

Andy ignored her and cracked an egg with the fork. She followed his movement, taking note of what he put and how much. She didn't know how to bake, but he made it look easy, she might try it one of these days.

"Maybe I should try baking," she said. She laughed when he exhaled sharply. He probably didn't like the idea.