My Boss is a Freak (Published under Pop Fiction)

51: Mira

Papalabas na sana ako ng Ayala Hall nang marinig ko ang pagtawag ng pangalan ko mula sa aking likuran.

"Mira! Wait a second!"

Lumingon ako at nakaramdam ng gulat. For a moment, I thought Sir Vren was running towards me, wearing his usual immaculate black suit and slacks. But then I remembered, he's in Canada, so that was impossible. I blinked, and that was when I realized na hindi pala si Sir Vren ang papalapit sa akin.

It was Vince.

Aaminin ko, hindi ako masyadong natuwa nang makita ko siya. In fact, I felt anxious as he approached me. I mean, anong ginagawa rito ni Vince? Mamaya, kung ano na namang gimik ang gawin nito para pasagutin ako, at ayokong pag-usapan na naman kami dito sa company. After seeing Sir Vren's video, I was more than sure na wala ako sa mood to entertain Vince's "courting strategies."

"Hey, what's up?" Ayan na naman ang pang-toothpaste commercial na ngiti niya. "We came here for the opening of the Canada annex."

"We?" nagtataka kong tanong. "May iba ka pang kasama, Vince?"

Ngumiti naman siya at saglit na tumalikod, as if beckoning someone to come near us. And sure enough, after a few moments, we were joined by a stern-looking man and a smiling woman. They looked like foreign dignitaries.

"Mira, these are my parents. Mom, Dad, this is Mira. She's Medialink's Accounting Department Head."

Napalunok ako nang 'di oras. Shit. So these are Vince and Sir Vren's parents. Of course they are here. Medialink equals the Montevilla family.

Parang bigla ay gusto kong tuktukan si Vince sabay sigaw ng, "Ano ba? Hindi ako ready sa meet-the-parents!"

As it was, wala na akong ibang nagawa kundi magsabi ng, "Good morning, Sir, Ma'am."

Nagulat naman ako nang lapitan ako ni Mrs. Montevilla at para naman akong aatakihin nang makipagbeso-beso siya sa akin na akala mo ay ten years na kaming close friends.

"Hello there, hija. You are beautiful!" sabi niya habang ngiting-ngiti at hawak ang magkabilang braso ko. "Just call me Tita Vina. Vince told us a lot about you."

Muli akong napalunok. I imagined being the topic at the table as Vince and his parents, who looked like Spanish ambassadors to the Philippines, ate dinner. Somehow, the image creeped me out.

Marahan akong hinila ni Tita Vina palapit sa asawa niya. "Armand, isn't she beautiful? She and Vince make a great pair!"

For the third time, napalunok ako. Feeling ko, may bumarang billiard ball sa lalamunan ko.

"So, you're the girl," impassive na sabi naman ni Mr. Montevilla. He looked so stern and scary. And just what did he mean by the girl?

"I told you, Mom, Dad, Mira is lovable," proud na proud namang sabi ni Vince.

I felt a surge of irritation. Lovable? Ano ako, poodle?

"Totally!" poised na poised namang sagot ni Tita Vina. "So, Mira, tell us. How is it working with our Vren?"

"Uhm..." I exhaled, trying to contain my nerves. "It's a real pleasure working with Sir Vren, Tita."

"I thought so." Ngumiti naman siya. "Isn't my little boy brilliant? For a while, Armand and I thought he's been up to no good. During his teens kasi, Vren was quite the troublemaker. But look at him now! I mean, a Canada annex for Medialink? Vren really outdid himself."

"Definitely, Tita." I smiled back at her. Hindi ko alam pero nakaramdam ako ng pride para kay Sir Vren. It felt good knowing that his parents were proud of him, or at least, his mom. "Sir Vren deserves all the credit."

Sa gulat ko, tumango si Sir Armand. "I've always believed that Vren will do even greater than I would. He's a smart man."

Hindi ko alam kung ano ang nagtulak sa aking lingunin si Vince matapos ang sinabing 'yon ng kanyang tatay. Maybe because he was suddenly quiet as a stone. Nevertheless, I did look at him — just in time to see a weird expression on his face when his father praised his brother generously on his recent achievement.

Is that jealousy I see on Vince's face?

Umaskad yata ang timpla ni Vince — first time ko siyang makitang tinopak, by the way — kaya hindi nagtagal ay niyaya na niyang umalis ang parents niya. Tita Vina was reluctant to leave, and she even made me promise to come visit her sometime.

What was the big deal, anyway? Sadya bang nakakasira ng araw ni Vince tuwing pinupuri ng parents niya ang kapatid niya?