152 Food Intake at Wartime

In the morning, Magee was first to wake up and left Damian and Budekdek at room number seven. She never knew that there were guests outside at the receiving area not until she first found Mayumi. They even looked like piled up logs and were physically exhausted. Meanwhile at the master's bedroom she saw Albrecht and the Captain with gauzes and bondages. On their faces reflected the recent bitter fights last night that left miseries to them from losing their comrades. It was such another panful and horrible battle experience.

" Hi! I am about to awaken you but you showed up first. Here, I've cooked something for you. Have a sit first." George smiled as he led her on her seat.

" I just...just looking for you. Thank God you're safe. I've got today's greatest grace for seeing you this way while last night's attempt was...."

" ...hmm, forget it Mag. I told you its okay, I understand. Its just that I need to have more hands and feet in order to always catch you on time." George held her hands while putting in between a mug of 'salabat.'

" Thank you." She sheepishly said while still clasping her hands and stickly looked at her, smiling.

" I love you very much, so please stop escaping, the opponents are not joking and they would really put you to death once they'd find you and will be identified as a guerrilla. Mag, your first, second, third or previous fight with them have all succeeded, but we never knew what would happen next if you continue finding a way. Mag...you have to listen to me, okay?" He pressed her hands the way she was holding the mug so tightly.

She smiled at him while they both heard some footsteps nearing them. Its Mayumi.

" Magee! Its me! Huh, I'm sorry, I might have disturbed you both."

" Ah, its okay, there's nothing to worry about, we're just having some couple conversation. Come, you may sit beside me." She smiled to Mayumi.

Mayumi sat down while Magee stood up and offered some 'salabat' to her then Mayumi sipped it right away.

" Wow...I feel so relieved with this, Mag, thank you "

" So how are you Mayumi, I'm sorry we seldom see each other but since you already found this house, anytime, you're welcome to visit or stay here. George and I most of the time go out and team up to date somewhere, and we seldom sleep here but randomly stays in former stations like caves, so, just stay here with Baldur if you want." Magee sincerely offered the house to stay with her sister-in -law.

" Yeah, indeed, it would be better." George smiled.

" I'll try to open it up to Baldur though I'm just thankful that you both offered us the chance to be here. Sr. Sibal told me some backgrounds of this house. Its all amazing." Mayumi smiled while spotting George for still holding his wife's hands.

" Hope this war ends, Mag. Our lives are torn every day. Just yesterday, before the remaining civilians had to walk out to station one, sadly, two of them experienced breakdown. It's of no joke. It was then when they have heard those successive blasts. Just grateful to Elmar for trying to pacify them even more when they left bound for station one." Mayumi sighed then sipped her 'salabat.'

" How sad. Hope those civilians have recovered by now. Hmm...yes, this war is a terrible nightmare I've ever had and i'm praying hard that God will put an end to this. We're just beginning to start a family but we're all stuck here like any other." Magee's disheartened line.

George stood up and offered his boiled 'kadyos' beans mixed with sayote leaves to Magee and just boiled 'kadyos' with sugar to Mayumi.

" I've heard there were sacks of rice." Mayumi smiled.

" Ah, yes. But we have to be thrifty by cooking it in alternate or maybe for just twice a week." George reasoned out.

" This is still a great food Mayumi, you must try it in the absence of 'duma'. Me and George used to eat all of these and sometimes we just boil chaya leaves, saluyot leaves but he, most of the time had this sayote leaves for me even if I don't tell him, he does. Hmm...this has been our food around for almost a year within this warzone while George and I tried to figure out that there's no replacement for a simple living. With or without this war I guess I can still walk barefooted, tie my hair with my husband's hanky or he does it for me, stargazing or counting fireflies at night, fixing my husband's damaged uniforms, tidying the house, watching to our bloody petaled flower in our vase and yes, I can eat or both of us can eat plain boiled sayote leaves." Magee smiled at her.

" What? haha! but it has no taste Mag. Are there no salt or what?" Mayumi curiously asked.

" No, nothing. When I eat such a way starting wartime, I always think that its not forever and what's important are the nutrients I could get out of steamed or boiled leaves or beans. Of course I dip it sometimes with extracted lemon juice with a little salt. Anyway, the fruits and root crops are of great supplements for the staple food, such that as rice. But we ran out of 'duma' these days, so we have to live like scavengers. But there's nothing wrong, as long as we live." Magee smiled.

" Indeed, we have to live simply. I have heard if on how my comrades brought here the sacks of rice that Elmar have given them, and it somehow made me guilty of cooking it everyday that's why, Magee and I decided to just cook some porridge, two meals in a week but I looked for fruits outside when its safe for my wife. We have stocks a little,but we share it to everyone around, so we thrift together in order to survive. Searching for food outside and if its oftentimes, there's a higher chance of being caught." George said.