"Hey, Chris, let's hit the church," Mags said, having downed two bottles while she was getting bored and sick of the cigarette smoke.
"S-Sure, lemme just tell Lacson. Don't wanna be rude, ya know? I'll tell him I'm just dropping you off at the ride," I quickly went over to where he was sitting and whispered that I was gonna take Magnolia home.
"Alright, man! You coming back?"
"Yeah, for sure!" I waved back at him and signaled to Mags. She waved at Lacson too, letting him know she was leaving. Luckily, no one else decided to tag along with us. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, so my absence wasn't a big deal.
"It's getting dark. How do you usually get home? Is this normal for you?", I asked Mags as we walked away from the noise.
"I just walk. I live nearby. Wanna come over? It's cool."
"Sure, if it's close. I can stay till 7pm, that's the last trip."
"Don't worry, my dad can give you a ride. We have a jeep."
"Big shot, huh..."
"Come on! It's just a jeep, not a limo! Ha ha!"
"Man... Just a few months more and it's vacation again. Then we'll be in 3rd year."
"Uhmmm, Chris, are you transferring schools for 3rd year?"
"M-Maybe not... But for college, probably Manila."
I couldn't give Mags a straight answer, and she went quiet.
"How about you? What's your plan?"
"Same. After graduation, heading to Manila."
"Ah okay... Maybe we shouldn't think about it now. It's a bummer when you get close to someone, get to know them...", I said, feeling a bit wistful.
Magnolia seemed like she was going to say something, but we reached the market and crossed the road. We walked on the other side of the street.
"Follow me," she said, and I did, walking in a single file to not block the path of oncoming people. After a bit of walking, we reached a nice house. It had solid walls, metal bars, and a sturdy gate for people and another for vehicles. She unlocked the pedestrian gate and pushed it open. The gate's creak alerted a big dog that rushed to greet Mags.
"Pipoy!!!", she said to her Dobermann.
"Chris, stay behind me and close the gate. Don't worry, I'll introduce you so he doesn't get aggressive." I closed the gate and locked it as Mags instructed, mentioning that only her dad was expected back, and he had a key.
"Pipoy! Pipoy!!! Sit!!", she commanded, making Pipoy sit on her left.
"Come on, Chris, stay by my side and put your arm around me," she said, and I did just that. I love dogs, so I wasn't afraid. In fact, I was curious and wanted to pet Pipoy.
"Pipoy!!!", Pipoy sniffed me, and I stayed close to Mags.
"Chris, try putting your hand near him... There! All good!", she said as Pipoy licked my hand, giving me his approval.
"Let's go inside, Chris."
"Looks like there's no one else home. Aren't you worried about burglars?"
"Pipoy's here to guard. My dad goes out at this time knowing I'll be home soon. He buys pork for selling the next day. He doesn't lock up because once Pipoy caught someone trying to climb the wall! If he hadn't stopped, Pipoy would have mauled him."
"Well, your walls are high and those metal spikes are no joke... Plus, dogs like that are always alert, right?"
"Yeah, but he's sweet to us. So, when we're home, he sleeps inside and has a door to the kitchen for bathroom breaks."
"Doesn't he destroy stuff?"
"Until he was about 6 months old, he was a real troublemaker. My dad would lock him up if he bit anything. That's how he learned."
"Take a seat, Chris," Mags offered as we entered the house. She had to pen Pipoy first, so we stayed on the porch for a bit. Once she locked the door, she invited me to sit on a comfy sofa. The house was semi-furnished, newly built with no paint, but you could tell Mags' family was well-off.
"So, it's just you and your dad here?", I asked, remembering not to pry about her mom. I knew it was just her and her dad.
"Yeah, just us. Since I was in 4th grade... Chris, you want some juice, water? Snack?"
"Just water, Mags. I'm still full from what we ate at the plaza." But she still served some food from the fridge. We each got a slice of toffee butter cake.
"Do you like this kind of cake, like margarine?"
"It's fine, I have a sweet tooth. As long as it's sweet!", thankfully she didn't follow up about her mom. I didn't want to delve into such topics.
"You mentioned before you lived in Gagalangin? Where exactly?"
"I can't remember exactly... I just know Gagalangin and Juan Luna... That's it. I went to day care at Benita over there. Then for grade one, St. Joseph. When my mom passed, my dad brought us back here because we didn't have family there. At least here, we have relatives. They helped him start a business, buying and selling pork. That's how we got by.", she shared openly. I decided to avoid bringing up sensitive topics.