Sunlight filters through the sheen curtains, illuminating the room with a soft glow, the kind that gently wakes you from your slumber.
Colet opens her eyes slowly, her mind slowly coming into consciousness, as the sun fills their space.
The hum of their old air conditioning unit in the corner is loud, the steady sound of water dripping apparent, a constant hypnotizing rhythm that almost lulls her to sleep again.
She doesn’t notice it too much though, instead immediately focusing on the arm draped over her stomach, holding on to her tightly, the chest pressed against her side, rising and falling. Soft snores fill the room and she has to stifle her laughter at the image of her wife sleeping, mouth open wide, hair messy, and arms and legs clinging to her like a koala.
She looked completely adorable and absolutely hilarious.
Usually she would make a move to get up by now but it was Sunday. And in their household, Sunday is a slow day. On Sundays, they don’t rush to get out of bed. On Sundays, they don’t pressure themselves to be productive. On Sundays, they stay in the moment.
It was one of the reasons Colet loved Sundays. On weekdays, they hardly ever have the time. They wake up, drink their coffee quickly, sometimes they even skip breakfast. They go to work and focus on what they need to do, so that they can come home and spend some proper time with each other. It’s a good balance for them.
But Sundays? Sundays are for slowing down with Maloi. And Colet loves that the most.
Her tummy rumbles, her body begging her to eat something as it’s already later in the morning. Admittedly she’s been hungry for an hour, but she didn’t want to have to wake up her wife. She was still basking in the feeling of cuddling in their bed.
Except that Maloi, whose face was now tucked in Colet’s neck, had suddenly stopped snoring. Colet almost laughed because she knew her wife had heard her stomach rumble. It was like a trigger for her. Sure enough, a second later, her head slowly lifted, and her big brown eyes finally appeared, bringing a smile to Colet’s face.
“G’morning Loi”
“Col? Anong oras na? Gutom ka na pala bakit hindi mo ako ginising?” Maloi muttered, trying to wake herself.
“Sarap ng tulog mo eh. Ayoko ka naman istorbohin”
“Sira. Dapat hindi ka nagpapalipas ng gutom. Kung kanina ka pa bumangon edi may kape na sana ako ngayon”
Colet laughed, pushing some of her wife’s hair away from her face “akala ko pa naman concerned ka sakin”
“Joke lang” Maloi grins, now more awake than moments earlier, if the usual playful glint in her eyes was any indication.
“Fine. Let me go make coffee for us then” Colet moved to get up, but was pushed down by Maloi who then straddled her.
“Wha–”
“Wait mag good morning muna ako sayo” Maloi whispered, leaning down to kiss her wife.
When they’ve finally made it out of the bedroom 20 mins later, Colet goes to the kitchen to start making them brunch. Which was really just breakfast eaten later but whatever.
“Woah!” Maloi yelped after nearly tripping over their shoes on the way to check the mail.
“Okay ka lang?” Colet asked concerned
“Muntikan ako madapa. Nakaka-kalat pala mga sapatos ko” Maloi smiled sheepishly
Colet laughed “kahapon nga hinanap ko ng mga 20 mins yung remote tas sumiksik lang pala sa sofa. I swear, black hole yang sofa natin”
Maloi laughed as well, walking back to the kitchen “itong gitara mo nga ilang araw na ata natin kasama sa hapag kainan” she teased, gesturing to the guitar sitting on one of the dining chairs.
“Talaga ba?” Colet raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the sketch pad and pencil strewn on one side of the dining table.
“Ewan ko sayo” Maloi stuck her tongue out, closing the distance between them so she could wrap her arms around Colet from behind.
“Col” she muttered softly, cheeks pressed against Colet’s shoulder
“Hmm?”
“I love you”
“I love you too”
“Ang dumi pala ng sahig natin noh?” Maloi said, looking down at the floor.
Colet chuckled “ang random mo”
“Ngayon ko lang napansin. Hindi kase natin napapansin yung mga ganito usually”
“I’ll add it to the Sunday list”
Maloi laughed softly. The Sunday list was their inside joke. Because of how busy they usually get, they tend to forget things or not notice things in their home.
It’s really more for the little things, like the floor needing to be mopped, or the pile of clothes they’ve forgotten to fold, or a reminder to check under appliances and furniture for food.
If it isn’t obvious, they could get quite forgetful most days.
“Add mo na din na kailangan bumili ng panlinis ng sink” Maloi added
“Panlinis ng sink?”
“Yep. Ang dami nang water stains eh”
Colet hummed “Isama na natin yung stains sa CR”
Maloi nods “speaking of; ligo lang muna ako ha? Hindi na ako nafreshen up masyado kagabi pag-uwi eh. I feel icky”
“Amoy ko nga”
“Kung matulog ka nalang katabi ng mga damit sa sofa Vergara?”
“Joke lang” Colet grins, leaning to give her wife a kiss “go na. Pag labas mo may food na”
Colet smiles as she prepares their food. She can hear Maloi singing from the bathroom, her beautiful and melodic voice reverberating around the entire apartment.
Truth be told, Colet likes to play music from her phone or her vinyl player whenever she’s at home. Especially whenever she wants to relax. It’s part of her routine to get her into a relaxed state of mind.
But on most days, especially on Sundays, when they have time like this, Colet likes to listen to her wife’s singing instead.
Maloi sings almost as much as she talks, almost as much as she breathes. She’ll sing as she cooks, as she folds laundry. She’ll do a little musical dance as she mops the floor, and Colet has to remind her to be careful not to slip (it’s happened).
She’ll hum melodies as she works, and she must sing along to every musical they watch. They even used to get complaints from it.
So Colet did the only logical thing any person would do: she soundproofed much of their space so that she could continue to hear her wife’s beautiful voice fill their home.
Besides, it helped on karaoke nights when they had their friends over. Or when Colet wanted to do an entire live band arrangement in the living room.
Maloi emerges from the bathroom, as Colet sets the plates and food on the table. She places their coffee down and waits for her wife to finish dressing up.
“Wow ang sarap” Maloi nearly squeals as she sees the plates of food “grabe naman ang isang Colet Vergara. Pwede ka na mag-asawa”
“Buti nalang na check ko na yun” Colet laughs, kissing her wife’s hand right where her ring usually is. She raises an eyebrow in question.
“Eto na nga. Alam mo naman tinatanggal ko pag naliligo” Maloi chuckles, sliding the ring back onto her finger.
“Okay good. Muntikan ko na inumin kape mo eh”
“Si tampo naman tong asawa ko”
“Kumain ka na nga”
Maloi simply grins playfully, and her smile warms Colet’s heart just the same as it did the first time they ever met.
As they eat their meal, they talk about their week, catching up on some stories they might not have been able to tell yet during the weekdays. They talk about work, some of their friends, and even some of the new places Maloi wants to visit with Colet.
They talk about some things they’ve been struggling with, offering unwavering support and undivided attention to one another, as they share in their successes and their struggles.
They talk about chores and errands. They talk about future commitments they agreed to; like Gwen and Sheena’s wedding, or Aiah’s upcoming graduation for the master’s degree she took up. They talk about all the things they have to do, all the things they need to remember. They talk about their Sunday list, and some of the other things they might have forgotten.
They talk for so long that they don’t notice how it’s already two in the afternoon. They don’t notice that the vinyl they had played had already stopped. They don’t notice that their coffee has gone cold, sitting patiently in their cups.
They don’t notice because all they see is each other.
They talk and listen and sit in the moment. They take all the time in the world, because Sundays are for slow days, and they do not need to rush anything. They don’t need to be anywhere but here and now.
So when the coffee gets cold, Colet and Maloi don’t really mind too much. Not when they get to spend their time together.