'Sundo' Before Midnight

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 It is 25 degrees celsius in my room
Still too cold for tatay
So at 8pm he is guided to the other room
With no AC on
Nanay, and sometimes when the grandkids are around
They stay in my room
We cuddle in the cold
We breathe warm giggles
Consume heat as our legs big and small
Brush against each other under the covers
Until the eyes get tired from the bright LED light
Straight from the smart tv mounted on the wall
Until our throats go dry from old gossips and banter
Until the intervals of our inhales and exhales
Follow the rhythm of four lines forming a square
Until our heartbeats fall to fifty a minute
And the sound of old gossips and banter fade.
It is 11 o'clock
The grandkids sleeping like tired construction workers
Nanay and I with our eyes half-closed
And with our sentences hanging unfinished
We hear struggling, small footsteps
Strides so painful yet strong
He doesn't knock
He opens the door
He smiles watching the little construction workers
He asks me 'tong' you still up?
I don't answer
He summons nanay: Come now, misis
I could not sleep.

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