Husband's Point of View

He stood up first and stayed in front of the door going out, blocking himself on the doorway.

" You can't go. I'm telling you, Mag. Never."

" Do you think you can control me. If I go turn right to room number four , then to the next doors, I can go escape on the holes up there. I'm very upset with this war. So the best way is I have to participate too, better!"

" You can't go whichever way because you will stay, I'm not going with them anymore."

" Do you expect me to be cheerful because you'll not be going? No. If you stay, you might let me feel so guilty and it's conscience - generating, you will put me to blame, scare me with your silence, still! It will upset me. What you're proposing to me is a trap."

" Hmm....no. I...I will just help you, it's sincere. We will wait until when the was is over. I won't work as a soldier anymore, I'll go farming and attend to our family. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay."

" I never told you to stop working as a soldier. Its just that Amado's rescue for his woman might be hoax."

He smiled and moved closer to her, took her hands and put them around his waist as she laid her head on him, sobbing and eventually cried.

" Shh...calm down. It's alright now, no worries. I'll stay and promise, I will personally attend to you when you give birth. That's a promise. I'm sorry for what you have witnessed. It will never happen to you. I could feel your pains now, its all suffocating, that's why you need to pour it out, think there's another life within you too. So c'mon, let's take our lunch now." He was caressing her hair while intensely crying.

When they were on the table and started to taste the food, she vomited all she'd eaten. He assisted her to the comfort room outside. It's repetitive till it was so tiresome.

" It's okay...it's okay..." He whispered.

She cried again and again and the bottom line is, he just put her on bed and Magee slept again.

It was evening when she never woke up and if she did, she'd just urinate.

Someone knocked on the door and it's Albrecht. George told him of the recent revelations of Magee so Albrecht was a bit scared to see her once she wakes up.

" I'm scared. " Albrecht jokily said and smiled while he handed to George the bowl of "ginataang puso ng saging.

" Haha! and why you're scared. She's just very sweet, hmm, she sounds like a jaguar when angry but feels like a butterfly. It's how she protects herself. Anyhow, she'd got so many key points that could be possible.

" Yeah, based from what you've said, Amado might be the next Edmund and Guida."

" Yeah, but hey brother, you may come in."

" Well, it's okay. Just wanted to let her taste this food, she may like it." Albrecht smiled.

" Albrecht, I have a good news to our family, just spread to them that Magee is pregnant."

" Wow! that's amazing the two grandpa's there will celebrate, haha. Congratulations brother!" Then he tapped George's shoulder then eventually left without getting inside.

When she woke up, she tried to bath alone while George has to warm the viand a little. After a while his wife got out from the secret two-way mirrored door and seemingly smelled what his husband has prepared.

" Hmm...wow! 'ginataan.' Then she immediately sat down and tasted it a little and followed by more spoonful and chunked boiled yellow cassava. Interestingly, George enjoyably looked at her so busy on her food, once in a while she closes her eyes - sweating and even finished the last spoonful of it. The two big boiled cassava that George put on the bowl were also gone. George was speechless; quickly stood up and wiped her sweats.

" Haha! such a taste, right? I was a witness on how you consumed all. So you're full now." Then he was holding her tummy and smiled

" In three months, it would be as big as this." George tried to describe the curve for a second trimester pregnancy and they both laughed for knowing too that George just no food left, everything's empty.

" S...sorry. It's really delicious, the 'ginataang puso ng saging' was indeed the best. So...I guess I need to replace your lost share by cooking. I'll cook for you." Then she kissed his eyelids and smiled at him, so sweetly.

" Oh dear! that's really surprising, haha! nice payment. But Mag, don't worry, I'm still full. Just tell me what would you like to do next. Anything?"

" Mango. The crunchy green fruit with a young white seed. Please get me some and I'll have it with salt. I imagined already chewing it like, hah! I salivated already. Please."

" Ah, yeah! you wait here." Then he ran so fast to reach quickly to the wooden house and Baldur was wondering on how he looked. Though he congratulated him since Magee got pregnant very early. So he brought him to the kitchen and offered some food. Indeed, George rushed to eat whatever he saw and spoke to Baldur.

" I need mango, she wants to eat mango, Baldur."

" Whew! the problem is, it's not the season for mango in our farm. Hmm, how is that."

" I"ll go back to her for a while."

" Okay. Hope she'll not insist." Baldur sighed.

When George stood up from the kitchen table he saw his wife smiling towards them

" George, Baldur, I brought some salt, where's the mango."

" Mag, it's not the season for mango, we don't have mangos this time in our farm, just the other fruits." Baldur said.

" No, I only like to eat mango, I could imagine its sour taste barging in my mouth." Then she got out and proceeded under the mango tree

Baldur got curious so he followed Magee and George under the mango tree. The husband kept looking up high to see even a single mango fruit, but none.

Sr Sibal joined them quizzically and when he asked Baldur answered him.

" Ah, it's not a problem. The newly sprouted mango leaves are good to be chewn and eaten." Magee seriously said.

Then she tried.

" Wow! I like it Lolo." She smiled everyone was looking at her chewing the mango leaves dipped to the salt she kept holding which was placed on a wooden platter.

" Hah? hahaha! my goodness! haha!" Sr. Sibal remarked.