SARAH’s knees felt weak as she waited for Carlo to pack his things inside their bedroom. When she couldn’t take the trembling of her knees, she sat on the couch slowly. Ismael is in front of her, watching her every expression and move.

After just half an hour, Carlo went out of the room with a large luggage bag that he used whenever he went out of town. If it was really work-related, Sarah wasn’t sure now.

Carlo gave her a pleading look. “I’ll pick up the rest of my things tomorrow—”

“I’ll send them to you via delivery services,” she cut off. “I know that all you wanted is convenience, right?” she asked sarcastically. “And don’t worry, the delivery fee is on me.”

Her ex-boyfriend clenched his jaw and gave him an insulted look. “I didn’t expect that you’ll just throw away the four years that we shared together in this house. I thought you love me more than everything—”

“Look, who’s talking?” Sarah laughed. “I think I should be the one asking you those questions, Carlo. Why did you set aside our four-year relationship for the call of your ego?”

When Carlo didn’t answer, Sarah turned her back at him. “Ismael, can you walk Carlo out the door? I just want to make sure that he’ll leave the house without any interruption from his conscience.”

After just a few minutes, Sarah heard the door opened and shut close. She took a deep breath to fight her tears from falling. Still, she failed. She can’t hide what her heart really felt.

“Are you sure about this, Sarah?” Ismael asked with a knotted forehead. “Are you really letting Carlo moved out now? Why don’t you talk about it overnight and see if things could still work out?”

She narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Stop acting as if you’re unhappy with my decision,” she muttered. “I know that you don’t like Carlo from the first time that you met him.”

Ismael leaned back on the sofa. “It’s true, I don’t really like him for you because I felt it from the start that he’s no good for you,” he said and shook his head. “I didn’t know that you shouldered all the bills in your house. What is he doing with his salary? Spending it all to his side chick?”

Sarah shrugged her shoulders. “He said that he’s giving money to his parents and that he’s saving for our future. But with what I found out now, I don’t know if it was true or part of his scheme to divert my attention away from his plans.”

Ismael clenched his fist. “He’s really a scumbag. I knew it.”

“He didn’t even say sorry for what he did to me…” Sarah said, and started to cry again. “I waited for him to apologize for hurting me, but he didn’t…” She covered her face with her hands and wept in tears.

“It’s because it was his decision to hurt you, even from the start. There’s no such thing as unintentional infidelity. It’s a decision. And he decided to cheat on you because he believed that there’s no way for you to find it out,” Ismael explained to her blatantly. Every word he said stabbed her heart.

“You’re verbally hurting my feelings…” she said and threw him the tiny pillow. “How will I enjoy the dinner if my heart hurt badly?”

Ismael sighed. “That’s why I’m concern with your emotional state, Sarah. It might affect the way you think and approach things.”

“If you’re worried about my performance at work, I assure you, Ismael, I won’t lose my focus,” she said confidently. “I know that we should separate our personal life from our profession.”

______________________

“SARAH! Why did you give the patient in ward number 76 an excess dosage of sedatives?” The Manila Medical Center’s head nurse asked Sarah frustratingly. “How many times do I have to tell all of you that make it a habit to read the patient’s medical record repeatedly before giving them drug dosage?”

Sarah bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Ma’am Abby. I didn’t mean to—”

“You didn’t mean to over-drugged the patient?” Nurse Abby cut off sarcastically. “Is that the right reasoning of a registered nurse, Sarah?”

Sarah lowered her head. She clutched on the end of her blouse and wished herself to disappear right here, right now. “I’m sorry, Ma’am…”

“Well, I’m sorry, too, Sarah. But this is considered a case of malpractice,” she said and shook her head. “I have to put you in suspension while we investigate an incident.”

Sarah looked up at her senior nurse in disbelief. “Ma’am Abby, please give me another chance. I promise that it will never happen again. Ma’am Abby, please…”

The woman shook her head. “I’m sorry, Sarah. But putting you in suspension is the best that I can do.”

“Until when, Ma’am Abby?” she asked, hoping it wouldn’t take long.

The woman looked at her for seconds, then looked away. “Until further notice from the management.”

Sarah felt her life stopped for a moment. She watched their head nurse walked out of the headquarters without looking back at her. What did just happen in her profession? Her hand searched for something to hold on to and found the edge of the desk. As soon as her palm touch the wooden edge, her tears started falling.

Not too long, Ismael went inside the quarters with haste. When he saw her shedding tears for the nth time, he hugged her and comforted her words.

“It’s okay, Sarah…” he said on top of her head. “I’m sure the management will let it pass—”

“They put me in suspension until further notice…” she said in between tears. “It meant pulling out from the position.”

Ismael looked at her. “What? Isn’t it too heavy for your mistake?”

“It’s medical malpractice…” she cursed under her breath. “It’s all Carlo’s fault.”

“You know it wasn’t all his fault,” Ismael countered. “Do I have to say I told you so?”

Sarah wept in tears. “What am I going to do now? Shit things kept coming in my life!” She covered her face as she cried. Then, she suddenly remembered the shaman guy that she met yesterday at the bay walk. “That guy... he can help me!”

***