JIEGO
“Mr. Santiago. Dr. Del Rosario will see you now.”
Here we go. I have to admit, my hands were slightly shaking. Hours from now, the huge question mark in my mind will finally be answered. I just hope whatever the result will be, it will lean more on my advantage. something like that, or else all of these troubles will not be worth it. Especially when I only skipped some time from work to be here.
The door of the lab opened just for the woman to tell me those words. I nodded and stood up. She held the door open for me and when I got in, the doctor’s back was facing me. He was reading some file on a transparent folder. The name of the patient wasn’t visible. Anyway, that’s none of my business so I stopped trying to read the small words.
I cleared my throat to get the doctor’s attention. He turned and raised an eyebrow at me. With no further ado, I handed him the form I filled up for the DNA test, together with two sealed packets of my hair and Daniel Sy’s hair (which made me call the lawyer. Since the man just died, the morgue let him get some hair for the test). I took a quick stopover at his law office to get it earlier.
“Daniel Sy, huh?”
“apparently.” – I replied. He gave me a smirk.
“filiation. I’m sorry for your loss.”
I thinned my lips and nodded. It’s weird to receive something like that when you don’t even know the man in person. I’m not even sure if I’m sad about his death. If the results come out positive (which surely it won’t), I would be the world’s worst son for not feeling any sadness nor remorse upon his death.
“how long does the result usually take, doc?” – I asked, silently hoping I could get it by the end of the day. These thoughts are permeating me.
“It depends. I have to see what’s on my list for today. If I don’t have anything, then maybe I can give the results to you tomorrow.”
Tomorrow sounds good… but that also meant I have to endure one night of thinking it over and over.
“can I leave my phone number doc?”
“sure. Please write it down at the back of the form.”
He handed me a black signing pen and I searched for a vacant area where the doctor would easily see my number. I chose the bottom right part and attached my two contact numbers, as well as my email just to be sure.
When I’m done, I placed the paper on the table. The doctor gave me a nod, signifying that it’s already good to leave him to his job.
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“where have you been?” -Sheila asked when I came back to the convenience store an hour after.
“am I late? I think I only spent my lunch break.”
She looked at the clock at the side of the counter and nodded. That entire afternoon, my mind was only focused on one thing: the results. I am almost sure I am not his son because I have two parents who may not be the perfect ones, but made sure I was provided with my basic needs. But there’s that small 5% doubt. It was triggered by the similar facial features I have with this man. Then again, that can be purely coincidental, right?
“sir, you haven’t given me the change yet.” – a college student in light brown and white uniform stated, waking me up from my thoughts.
I muttered an apology and gave her P13.50 as her change. She gave me a glare and marched out of the store. I got a feeling she won’t be buying here again.
“you fine?” – Sheila
“I am… just sleepy.”
“haven’t had enough sleep? What could be the reason?”
I sighed. I know Sheila cares for me as a friend. We’ve been working together in this small store for almost two years now and when you’ve spent that much time with someone, it’s impossible to not be friends with them. Especially when Sheila’s an amazing and genuine person. It’s hard to miss that about her.
“I…”
“you don’t want to tell me, do you, Jiego?”
“I guess I can tell you. you know a lot of my secrets anyway.”
“… and you know I keep them very well.”
I nodded. That was true. She’s my go-to friend about anything. Maybe I can share this crazy thing with her. It’s not like it’s confirmed anyway. I also know she wont believe anything about it. I bet she'll only treat it as a joke.
“I may have been a billionaire’s son all my life and I had no clue.”
There, I said it. The reaction that I anticipated didn’t come right away. She was only looking at me with a blank expression.
And then it came. The laugh. The hysterical laugh.
“that was a good one. you know how to joke around now, huh?”
I shrugged. See? Nobody would believe it.
TINA
The man behind the counter was weird. I mean, is it okay to his employer that he spaces out of nowhere in the middle of the day? He knows he has a customer right in front of him and he’s out of focus. I didn’t get his name from the small nametag he was wearing but now that I was just outside the store, sipping grape juice from a box and having my late lunch of baked mac before going back to the college, I can’t help but overhear their conversation.
“you don’t want to tell me, do you, Jiego?”
“I guess I can tell you. you know a lot of my secrets anyway.”
“… and you know I keep them very well.”
There was a pause between their conversation. I guess they went back to work already.
“I may have been a billionaire’s son all my life and I had no clue.”
WHAT? What did he just say? That was a bold statement!
I had to cover my mouth to suppress my laughter. It was a good joke. Billionaire, huh? Good thing was, they both didn’t see or hear my suppressed giggles. But then, I got something useful on that eavesdropping, I knew the man’s name. He’s Jiego. Wait until I report your name to the management.