Epilogue
"Sir, do you want anything else?" tanong sa akin ng waitress.
"Coffee please." sagot ko. She smiled and poured me my 5th cup of coffee. "Thank you, Mildred."
"Anytime, Elmo." sabi niya saka na bumalik sa kitchen.
It's been 2 years since I went here to New York. I left the Philippines because I know that no matter what I do, Julie will never come back to me. I sold the house I gave her and gave the money to Mang Nicolas for his daughter's college education. I started a small business here in New York. It's a small photography studio. Something to keep me from thinking about her.
"I knew you'd be here." I woe up from stupor when I heard a familiar voice. It's Nick, my cousin and business partner. "What's up, buddy?"
"Hey, Nick." I said.
"Still waiting huh?" he asked. I nodded as I took a sip from my coffee.
Another reason why I went here is because I knew that Julie is here. I went to her office a year after we broke up and her officemates told me that she left the country a year ago because of a job offer from GQ. And yes. The reason why I hangout in this diner because it's near her office building and I'm taking my chances of seeing her for the last time. Hindi man siya bumalik, atleast magkita lang kami so that I could apologize. Dahil sobra ko na siyang nasaktan.
"Hey, are you listening?" nagulat nanaman ako when Nick patted my back.
"Huh? What?"
"I said, there's a wedding next week and the couple wants us to cover the whole event." aniya.
"Ah. Sure sure." wala sa sariling sabi ko.
"It'll be in 620 Loft and Garden in Rockefeller Center." sabi niya.
"Sige. Uhm. Sinong ikakasal?" tanong ko.
"I think the name's Daryl. I'm not really sure though." sabi niya.
"Daryl..." I echoed. Tumango siya saka kinuha ang sausage na nasa plato ko.
"Yup. Pinoy din. Mukhang kilala ka nga eh. Ge. I'm going back to the studio." paalam niya. "Don't wait for her. Let time bring you back together, dufus." halakhak niya saka na lumabas ng diner.
"Hey! You haven't paid yet, Nick!" habol sa kanya ni Henry, asawa ni Mildred.
"I'll pay for his food, Henry." sabi ko.
Tumango siya saka na nagpatuloy sa pagpupunas sa countertop.
My mind wandered back to our client. Daryl... Daryl... I know I've met someone with that name. But where? I tried harder and then it hit me. He was the guy who liked Julie. Hindi kaya... No. Hindi pwede... Pero hindi imposible. Because I know that he might take his chance to get Julie to like him back. Maybe even fall in love with him. I guess we can't be together anymore. Maybe hindi nga talaga kami ang para sa isa't isa. Baka nga hanggang dun na lang ang kwento namin.
"I'll go now, Henry." paalam ko pagkabayad kay Henry.
"You take care buddy. I'll call you once I see your girl." aniya sabay kindat pa.
"She's not mine anymore. She's getting married next week." sabi ko saka na lumabas ng tuluyan.
Naglakad na ko pabalik sa studio at saka na sumalampak sa harap ng computer ko.
"Did someone died?" tanong ng isang photographer namin na si Alice. Tumango naman ako saka sumubsob sa mesa. "What happened?"
"She's getting married, Al. She's getting married to another guy." sabi ko.
