My Boss is a Freak (Published under Pop Fiction)

26: Vren

"Hey, Lally. What made you call? Haven't I told you there's something important that I needed to do?"

I knew I'm close to driving beyond the acceptable speed, but right now, I didn't care. This craziness of my brother had to stop.

"Sir, I'm sorry to disturb but this is about the Arcodas deal. I just got word that they are reconsidering the deal with Medialink."

"They are what?" gulat kong sagot sa sekretarya ko. The last thing I expected her to call about was Arcodas.

I can't believe this! We are winning back a key client. This calls for a toast.

"They are interested to partner with us again, sir," Lally explained. "In fact, they wanted to know if you have the time to meet with their CEO again."

"Of course I have fucking time for that," I answered her with a chuckle. "Have you fixed the schedule of my meeting with them?"

"Sir... that's actually why I called you." Lally suddenly sounded unnerved. "Bago ko po kasi nakausap ang contact person natin sa Arcodas, nag-crash ang tablet na naglalaman ng schedule mo. Kakakuha lang po ng IT para ayusin."

"What about that notebook you use to manually jot down my schedule?"

"Sir, I'm afraid I haven't updated it yet. Hanggang schedule mo pa lang po for today ang nakasulat dito."

Fuck.

"Then what did you tell them? Kailan ulit ako makikipag-meet sa kanila? Jesus, Lally. Talk about being irresponsible."

"Pumayag naman po sila na tumawag na lang ulit ako kapag naitanong ko na po ang preferred schedule mo for the meeting." Halata pa rin ang nerbiyos sa boses ng sekretarya ko. "I'm really sorry about this, Sir Vren."

"Lally, I'm telling you — this is the last time I'm letting you off the hook for failing to do your job properly," I warned her. "You should always have a clear picture of my schedule, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. Sorry po talaga. Ano na pong sasabihin ko sa contact natin sa Arcodas? Kailan po kayo makikipag-meet sa CEO nila?"

"I'll fix the schedule with them myself. Tell them to kindly wait for me to reach out."

With that, I ended my call with Lally. She might not be the best secretary there is, yet I always try to give her the pass for her slip-ups. Siya lang kasi ang naging sekretarya ko na hindi ako sinubukang i-seduce — no kidding. Kaya ipinangako ko sa sarili ko na kapag nakahanap ako ng matinong sekretarya, pag-iisipan ko muna ng makailang ulit bago ko siya sisantehin.

Mabuti na lang talaga, hindi ako ang tipo ng boss na inaasa na lang ang lahat sa kanyang sekretarya. I have my own planner, a thick black one, where I list all of my commitments once I get notified of them. And it comes handy, especially during times like this, when Lally acts flaky.

This reminds me — nasaan na nga ba ang planner ko?

****

I remember seeing my planner last somewhere in my condo unit, so instead of heading straight to AMMC with Ms. Custodio, we had to take a quick detour to my place. Halata namang disappointed ang kasama ko ngayon dahil excited siyang makita ang kapatid ko, pero pasensyahan muna kami. The Arcodas deal was infinitely more important than my desire to stop her and my brother's silliness.

"Sir, ano po ba ang hanap niyo? Tanong lang naman po." She was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest as she watched me search my room.

"It's my planner. I list down my important commitments there, and now I've lost it," I explained in a frustrated tone. "Where the hell could it be?"

Just as I was about to give up with the search, I caught sight of my luggages — the ones I brought with me to Singapore. Doon ko lang naalala na dinala ko nga pala ang missing-in-action kong planner sa huling out-of-the-country conference na dinaluhan ko.

Pagtingin ko kay Ms. Custodio, saktong nakatingin din pala siya sa mga maleta ko.

"Fuck. I think I know where it is," I said with a huff. After a quick explanation about the conference I attended, I sat on my bed and wiped the sweat off my forehead. Hindi ko inasahang ganito ako papagurin ng paghahanap ko sa isang notebook.

"Ako na ang kukuha, sir. Parang mahihimatay ka na riyan sa pagod," Ms. Custodio volunteered.

"Thanks," I said, surprised at her offer of assistance. "I think it's in the smaller luggage. Wait here; I'll prepare something to drink. The hunt for that fucking planner left me exhausted, indeed."

****

After preparing two glasses of orange juice, I went back to my room with the drinks on hand.  Nagulat naman ako nang madatnan ko si Ms. Custodio na pulang-pula ang mukha habang bahagyang nakayuko.

Sinundan ko ng tingin ang kung ano mang nakapagpa-blush kay Miss Loudmouth na animo'y pinahiran ng red food coloring ang magkabilang pisngi. There was a pile of clothes on my bed, along with the open luggage — containing some of my underwear.

Shit. Maling maleta pala ang naituro ko kay Ms. Custodio. The planner must be on the larger luggage.

Hindi ko namalayang nakangisi na pala ako dahil sa nakikita ko. Si Mirathea Custodio, ang pinakamadaldal na taong nakilala ko, natameme dahil sa briefs at boxers ko?

Probably sensing my presence, she looked up, and when she saw me grinning by the doorway, her face flooded with even more color and her eyes widened in surprise.

So, ganito pala ma-embarrass si Ms. Custodio. Medyo cute.

"Sorry, I think I pointed you to the wrong luggage." Hindi ko naman talaga sinasadya na hiyain siya sa pamamagitan ng mga underwear ko. Lumapit ako sa pwesto niya para buksan ang front pocket ng mas malaking maleta, at saktong naroon nga ang kanina pa namin hinahanap na planner ko.

Hindi siya sumagot, at hanggang sa maubos ko na ang inumin ko ay wala pa rin siyang kibo.

"Drink your juice and we'll head back to the office. Vince can wait." I looked at her, only to finally notice that something was wrong. Kung kanina, napakapula niya, ngayon naman ay napakaputla niya. Pansin ko ring parang bumilis ang paghinga niya.

"Damn it," I cursed. "Mira, are you okay?"

She nodded weakly.

"I can't believe you're hyperventilating over my underwear," I muttered. "Do you need anything? Perhaps a glass of water?"

This time, she shook her head, clutching her chest as she did so.

"You are not okay," I declared, almost accusingly. "Hang on — I think it's better to proceed with my original plan. Off to AMMC we go."

"Hindi na, sir," she declined, avoiding my gaze. "Ayos lang ako."

"I'm not taking any chances. We better get you checked."

As it turned out, matutuloy rin pala at magiging double-purpose pa ang pagpunta namin sa AMMC. Who knew my briefs and boxers could cause this much trouble?