"Mag-Tinder ka na lang kasi!" bulalas ni Brandi nang ikwento ni Mona sa kaibigan ang nangyari noong bagong taon. Galit na galit ito dahil sa naging trato ng pamilya ni Felix sa kanya. "Hindi ko talaga ma-gets kung bakit nakikipagsiksikan ka pa sa pamilya ni Felix, e. Kung gusto mo ng boyfriend, sana nagsabi ka sa 'kin! I can hook you up with someone na single at walang sabit!"

Nagpangalumbaba siya. It was a Saturday, one week ago from new year. Plano sana niyang magbakasyon ng buong weekend kasama si Felix kaso hindi raw ito pwede dahil may lakad ang buong pamilya nito. Umiyak daw nang umiyak si Angela hanggang sa mapapayag ang daddy nito na sumama. She's been busy all week. Ganoon din si Felix. Friday morning, he confirmed that he can't go. Inaya siya nitong sumama na lamang sa pamilya nito pero tumanggi siya. Sinabi na lamang niyang gusto rin namang makipagkita ni Brandi.

It turned out that the latter had no plans for the weekend, so here they are, drinking their milkshakes and eating pasta.

"Beh, for hookups lang ang Tinder. Di naman ako tigang. Saka ang daming gago sa app na 'yan."

"At matino si Felix?" taas-kilay nitong tanong.

"Matino sya, Beh. Nagkataon lang na may anak na sya," pagtatanggol niya sa lalaki.

Brandi shook her head. "Okay, so matino sya. But he still has a child. He's still responsible for her. And I'm sure that kid wants to make her family whole again. The Mona I know won't get in a way of that happening."

Yumuko siya, biglang tinamaan ng hiya sa sinabi nito. "I know, but..." She bit her lip and whispered, "I love him."

Kasabay ng malakas na pagmumura ni Brandi ang pagtama ng kamao nito sa lamesa. Nagulat ang mga tao sa café. Napatitig sa kanila ang mga ito.

"Kumalma ka nga!" she hissed at her friend.

"Paano ako kakalma? Lampas na sa kalendaryo 'yang edad mo pero tatanga-tanga ka pa rin!" pasigaw nitong sabi.

Hiyang-hiya na siya dahil maya't maya silang nililingon ng mga tao roon. Kung bakit ba naman kasi napaka-eskandalosa ng kaibigan niya.

"Beh, tone it down, please. Nakakahiya sa mga tao..." pakiusap niya.

Huminga ito nang malalim. Saka siya nito tiningnan nang mataman. "Sort this out, Mona, okay? You don't need to waste your time waiting for him to figure out where you could fit in. Other guys could give you more than what he's giving! Pumili ka naman kasi ng taong kayang ibigay 'yong lahat ng oras nya sa 'yo. 'Yong ikaw ang priority, hindi 'yong isinisingit ka lang kapag hindi sya kailangan ng anak nya."

"Madaling sabihin pero alam mong mahirap gawin."

"Hindi mo kasi sinusubukan!"

She rolled her eyes. "Trust me, Beh, I've tried."

"Well, this time, do it with a little more conviction!"

"Alam mo, you almost sound like Baste."

"'Yong kababata mo?" tanong nito na sinagot niya ng tango. "What's up with him, nga pala? Kwento ni Tita, gwapo raw. Mayaman. Doktor. And he's single. So... bakit hindi na lang kayo?"

"Wala kasi akong maramdaman para sa kanya, Beh."

"Choosy ka pa?"

"Oo na, choosy na kung choosy, but between him and Felix, si Felix ang mahal ko. Syempre, sa kanya ako."

Brandi sighed exasperatedly. Mukhang napagod ito sa pakikipag-usap sa kanya. So, instead of adding anything to the topic, kinuha nito ang phone niya.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm installing Tinder on your phone."

Pilit niyang inagaw ang aparato. "No! Brandi!"

Lalo nitong inilayo ang phone sa kanya. "Try mo lang! Kung ayaw mo, saka mo tanggalin!"

Matagal na kinalikot ng kaibigan niya ang phone. Nang ipakita nito sa kanya ang ginawa nitong Tinder profile, kumpleto na ang bio niya. May selfie pa siyang nakalimutan niyang tanggalin sa phone. She was experimenting on some angles and she sent some of those to Felix. Hindi naman nude pics, but getting there. At isa sa mga litratong iyon ang ginamit ni Brandi para sa Tinder profile niya.

Moments later, swipe na ito nang swipe.

--

Gumala sila ni Brandi after. They were window shopping at a high-end mall when her phone started beeping. It turned out that several guys had contacted her. Nag-swipe right din 'yong iba. Tuwang-tuwa si Brandi.

"See? Guys dig you."

"Kahit sino namang kita ang cleavage sa picture, Beh, isa-swipe right sa Tinder."

Brandi rolled her eyes, clearly disliking her statement. "Nakakapagod 'yang pagsi-self pity mo, ha."

"Hindi naman ako nagsi-self pity, e. I'm just stating a fact."

"Fine. If you think that they just swiped right because of your boobs, then meet with them. Talk to them. If they still like you when you're talking, then maybe you'll start re-assessing yourself."

"Magagalit si Felix kapag nalaman nyang nakipag-date ako sa iba."

"You're not exclusively dating, right?"

"Beh, ano pa'ng tawag mo do'n?"

"Spare tire ka."

She slapped Brandi's arm. "Aray, ha!"

"You may be his girlfriend, but as long as Andrea's around, you'll never be his priority. They have a 10-year history. They have a child together. Ikaw, ano ba ang hawak mo kay Felix? You're just a temporary relief."

"Beh, tama na. Seryosong masakit na."

"Dapat ngang masaktan ka nang matauhan ka!" giit nito.

Kating-kati na siyang iwanan si Brandi. Maya't maya kasing nananampal ang mga kumento nito, hindi na siya makailag!

Thankfully, Brandi did shut up after noticing that she's already getting uncomfortable. At kung magpapatuloy pa ito sa panggigisa sa kanya, uuwi na lang sya.

--

Wala na siya sa mood nang makarating sila sa BGC. Brandi told her to set a date with the guys, to meet them all at the same time. Para raw hindi na siya mag-aksaya ng oras sa pakikipag-date at wala rin naman siyang oras, Brandi suggested na i-date na niya nang sabay-sabay ang tatlong lalaki. Then, she can just pick the best among them.

Out of all the guys who swiped right, only two were available at the moment. Nakipagkita sila sa mga lalaki sa isang bar sa BGC. Pagkapasok pa lamang nila, kay Brandi na nakatuon ang atensyon ng mga lalaking nandoon. Brandi acted like she didn't care. Ganoon naman ang kaibigan niya, either sanay na o sawa na sa atensyon.

"Patingin nga uli ng pictures," sabi nito sa kanya.

She gave her phone to her friend. Ito ang naghanap sa mga lalaking kausap niya. She didn't even know how Brandi managed to do that, given na dim ang lighting sa lugar.

"Iwanan lang kita saglit, ha," pabulong na paalam ni Brandi.

"Bakit? Sa'n ka pupunta?"

"Maghahanap ng lalaki," sagot nito sabay alis.

Brandi went to the counter and ordered a beer. Siya naman ay naiwan kasama ang dalawang lalaki. One's a foreigner, si Trey. Kasing-tangkad ni Felix. Gwapo rin. Pero bihira ka lang makakita sa Tinder ng lalaking ganoon kagwapo na matino. The other one's a Filipino, Joseph, pero mukhang may lahi rin. Joseph's shorter than Trey but has a stockier built, mukhang tambay sa gym. The guys bought her drinks. They were nice. Joseph's funny and Trey's flirty.

Sa simula ng pag-uusap nilang tatlo, she can tell that the two guys were competing for her attention. But as the conversation went on, naging friendly na rin ang dalawa sa isa't isa.

"So what do you do for a living?" she asked Trey.

"I'm a financial advisor," sagot nito.

"Fancy!"

He laughed and shook his head. "Nah, it's really boring."

"Then why'd you do it?"

"It pays well."

"Are you working somewhere near here?"

Umiling itong muli. "Nope. I'm just here for a vacation. I'll be going home next week, actually."

"Oh..." She turned to Joseph. "How about you? Oh, wait. Let me guess. You're a fitness trainer?"

Joseph smiled and flexed his arm. "What gave it away?"

She laughed and touched it. It was too much for her, but still quite impressive. Joseph thought she was flirting with him because he whispered something that made her freeze.

"Hey, guys, don't leave me out of it!" reklamo ni Trey.

Inakbayan siya ni Joseph at saka nito nginitian ang lalaki. "You could join us, if you like."

"No! No, no, no, no!" She removed his hand and shook her head vigorously. "I don't—I'm not that adventurous!"

"One at a time then?"

She took a step back. Pasimple niyang hinanap si Brandi. Just when she thought that her friend already left her, her phone rang. Akala niya ay si Brandi iyon. She made an excuse and went outside to take the call.

It was Felix.

"Hi!" she greeted, more enthused than normal. "Napatawag ka?"

"Where are you? Wala ka sa bakeshop. Wala ka rin sa bahay mo."

"N-Nakabalik ka na? Akala ko ba hanggang bukas kayo?"

"I couldn't stay away from you, so I went home after putting Angela to bed. So, nasa'n ka nga? I thought you were sleeping so I went inside to check."

Napasapo siya. May susi na nga pala ng bahay niya si Felix.

"Pinuntahan kita sa bakeshop pero sarado na. Wala ka rin do'n."

"Ah... lumabas kami ni Brandi."

"Saan?"

"BGC."

"Ang layo naman ng gala nyo. Kayo lang? Where are you exactly?"

"Uhm..." She looked back to the bar and contemplated whether she will let Felix know where she is or not. "Pauwi na 'ko."

"Hindi naman kita pinauuwi. I'll go to you. Gusto ko ring lumabas."

"Ha? Wag na! It's loud here. We won't have a decent conversation here."

"Brandi will get mad at me if you went home early just because I was looking for you," dahilan nito. "Wait there. I'll be there in a few minutes. Hindi naman traffic."

--

Mona couldn't do anything but wait. Ayaw na nga sana niyang bumalik sa loob ng bar pero hinanap siya ni Brandi.

"Where have you been? The guys were looking for you!"

"Tumawag si Felix, Beh. Pupunta raw sya rito."

"Oh?"

"Pwede bang ikaw na lang ang mag-entertain sa kanila?" tanong niya sa kaibigan. Ngumuso siya sa direksyon ng dalawang lalaki.

"Bakit ako? They're your dates!"

"Si Felix kasi—"

"Ano naman ngayon kung darating sya? 'Yong pamilya nya nga, di ba? Hindi nahiyang ipamukha sa 'yo na tanggap nila si Andrea tapos ikaw, hindi."

"Beh—"

"Come back inside and enjoy your date. Hayaan mong si Felix naman ang mag-adjust."

Hinila siya nito pabalik ng bar at pilit na pinaupo sa tabi ni Trey. Brandi slid next to Joseph and ordered another round of drinks. Nakipagkwentuhan ang mga ito sa kanya at pilit siyang isinasali sa mga usapan. She was forced to reply to the questions, no matter how uneasy some of them made her feel. Mabuti na lamang at hinaharang ni Brandi ang advances ng dalawang lalaki sa kanya.

She was doing okay until Felix arrived.

He immediately saw her because she sent him a message to let him know where they are exactly. Nang lumapit ito sa table nila, nawala ang ngiti nito nang makitang may kasama silang mga lalaki. Felix knew her friends. All of them. If there were guys, he already knew their faces and names. Kaya nang ipakilala ni Brandi ang dalawang lalaki, parang lalong sumama ang timpla ni Felix.

He became territorial. Felix almost pushed Trey off the chair when he slid next to her. Umakbay ito kaagad sa kanya.

"I didn't know there was a third date," Joseph commented.

"Oh, no. He's my—"

"Boyfriend," mabilis na singit ni Felix. "I'm her boyfriend."

"Sorry, man. We didn't know," Trey admitted.

Felix looked at her sharply and said, "I wonder why she didn't tell you."

"Beh, kasi... si Brandi kasi..."

Bumaling ito kay Brandi, na noon ay nakatingin sa kung saan habang iniinom ang cocktail drink nito. When his stare didn't waver, napilitan si Brandi na harapin ang lalaki. "What? I'm just showing her how to have a good time!" depensa nito.

"And what was that supposed to mean?"

"She doesn't date anyone else that's why she doesn't know if there's someone out there who's really for her and if she's just settling with you."

"Brandi!" saway niya.

Brandi pointed to the two guys. "These guys were from Tinder, by the way. Nice app. Tinder. You should try it! Oh wait, you already have two women on your plate!"

She kicked Brandi's foot. Itong kaibigan naman niya, napikon. Bigla itong tumayo at umalis. Felix took out a few bills and slapped them on the table. Saka siya nito hinila palabas ng bar.

Sinundan nito si Brandi sa labas. Her friend was standing next to her car.

Felix yanked Brandi by the shoulder and forced her to turn around.

"What the hell is your problem?!" inis nitong tanong. "Alam mong may boyfriend 'yong kaibigan mo tapos niyayaya mo sa ganito! If you want to hook up with guys, then do it alone! Huwag mo nang idamay si Mona!"

Pumay-awang si Brandi at nagtaas ng kilay. "Oh, so you're the boss of her now? If she wants to go out and meet other people, then fucking let her! It's your fault na hindi maramdaman no'ng tao na pina-prioritize mo sya!"

Pumagitna siya sa dalawa. "Beh, tama na, please..."

"I do prioritize her!"

"That's not what she told me, you asshole! You didn't even have the guts to defend her from your intolerant family!" Nang matigilan si Felix, nagpatuloy sa panunumbat si Brandi. "That's right! Your girlfriend asked me to hang out with her today because you're with your family. You were needed there and you can't make time for her, even though she needs you too, because your family always comes first! And don't you dare deny that!"

"It's none of your fucking business! What do you even know about my family? Hindi mo alam kung ano'ng pinagdadaanan ko kaya huwag mo akong hinuhusgahan!"

Brandi huffed. "I may not know much about your family, but I know that Mona deserves someone who will put her first. Bali-baliktarin mo man ang mundo, hindi mo magagawa 'yon para sa kanya kasi may anak ka na. Your family loves your ex and Mona will never be accepted there. If you truly love her, then make time for her! Make her feel important! Hindi 'yong ginagawa mong spare tire 'yang kaibigan ko!"

Felix looked at Mona, pained. "Is that how you feel?"

Yumuko siya.

"Tell him, Mona," she heard Brandi say. "Let him know that you don't fucking deserve this."

"Mona."

She bit her lip. Fuck. She wasn't even drunk enough. Hindi sya handa sa ganitong confrontation. Who knew that installing Tinder on her phone would cause this much trouble?

She looked at Brandi. Naghihintay ito ng sagot niya. Parang ipinahihiwatig ng mukha nito na ito na 'yong chance niya para ipamukha kay Felix na gusto rin niyang maramdamang importante siya para rito. But that's just the thing. She already knew that she's important to him, just maybe not as much as Angela is.

Still...

Lumapit siya kay Felix at kumapit sa braso nito. She looked at Brandi with all the apology her eyes could muster.

Brandi exhaled sharply. Lumapit ito sa kotse at binuksan ang driver's seat.

"You are so unbelievably stupid!" she told her before sliding inside the car and driving off.

--

Sorry sa typos. Sorry kung matagal ang update.