Achi keeps a straight face while she watches Kayla gloat. “Hold the phone,” she says, and takes out five pens from her pants pockets. She places them at the tip of her line very slowly and deliberately, staring Kayla down while her line gets longer and longer.
Once she’s done, Achi holds her hand to her ear and copies Kayla’s phone gesture. “Yes?” she answers her imaginary hand phone. “Is this the Saint Agnes faculty? You’re saying I won by a landslide?” She gasps and glances at Kayla. “And that I’m this year’s Christmas champion?”
It’s the dorkiest display of trash-talking I’ve ever seen. No one even addresses how weird it is that my sister has an unending supply of pens on hand. But I decide to keep some comments to myself. To be honest, it does feel kind of nice to have so many people here. I don’t know, maybe there’s something about the holidays that makes everyone’s quirks more endearing than annoying.
Everyone just seems so happy—especially my dad.
More than once, I’ve caught him smiling and taking the whole scene in while watching Ma or Achi.
“You should try to see if Achi can hear you,” I whisper to Pa while I stand next to him by the food spread. “Follow her around and say stuff in her ear.”
Pa bristles at the suggestion. “Wouldn’t that scare your sister?”
I shrug off his concern. “Fear is very effective in convincing people,” I argue. “Ooh, you can tell her things like I’ve always been your favorite daughter.”
“That’s new information,” he says, then chuckles when I pretend to be offended.
Then Pa suggests, “Why don’t we take a break from our plan for tonight?”
“Pa, we’re getting really close to your fortieth day.”
“But it’s Christmas Eve.” He checks if anyone’s watching before taking a sampaguita garland from the Christmas tree and slipping it around my neck. “We shouldn’t be haunting people during Christmas.
“Plus, you shouldn’t worry about me,” Pa adds. “I think someone else is distracting you tonight.”
Before I can argue, my phone lights up with another notification.
Seph has been to our unit a hundred times before. Having him here on Christmas Eve is nothing special. We’ve barely spoken to each other since he and his mom arrived, but every so often, I’d catch him flashing a little smile from across the room.
When Auntie Baby finally takes a break from her nonstop karaoke and makes her way to the buffet, it’s the first time Seph and I are almost at an arm’s length from each other. “Tsiahlo, tsiah lo.” Auntie Baby urges me to eat while her son keeps glancing at me, smiling like an idiot.
Auntie Baby stops when she reaches my dish. “People make scrambled eggs for noche buena?”
“Ma, that’s the best dish,” Seph immediately answers. I bite back a smile when he makes it a point to fill almost half his plate with eggs.
As soon as he accompanies his mom back to her karaoke station, my phone lights up with a message.
Even him messaging me through the night isn’t a big deal. Seph and I have been messaging so often lately that tonight barely registers on my radar.
Me wanting to check my phone is merely a side effect of my natural curiosity.
Great eggs!
I look up at Seph and he flashes me a thumbs-up.
Sipsip, I type back.
:) Merry Christmas Ilagan
I roll my eyes and type,it’s still two hours till midnight
“Is Moseph having a good time?”
I startle when Pa’s looking over my shoulder and quickly cover my phone.
“For your information, I’ve been researching strategies on your ghost situation.”
“Ah, ganun pala.” Pa nods, that smug look still not going away. “Research seems to make you happy.”
