San Vicente 1: Tenacious ✅

CHAPTER 22

"SAAN TAYO PUPUNTA?" She asked him.

Bigla na lang kasing tumawag sa kanya si Kairos na dadaanan siya nito at may pupuntahan sila. It's been a busy week for them pero Kairos has been so present lately. Parang laging naka-assist sa kanya kahit naman pinapakita niyang ayos lang siya. Isinama na din niya ito sa meeting niya with Atty. Renz so that he'll be more at ease. Hindi pa din nito completely ina-abandon yung offer na tulungan siya but she's shot him down so many times already that somehow he's come to terms with it.

"Do you have your bags? Meg packed them for you diba?" He took the duffel bag from her and quickly loaded it to the car.

"Oo," tumango siya. "Those are all beach stuff. Is this the family outing?"

"Yup." He smiled. "I told them na pupunta ka like you do every year."

Suddenly nahiya siya, she has close to nothing now. Kahit nga kay Meg na best friend niya ay medyo ilng siya around. It's like they're all in another universe unlike before na relatively in another world lang.

"Yes but," nilaro niya ang mga daliri niya habang nakatingin sa sahig. "Wala lang, para kasing medyo nahihiya ako. I lost my business and..."

"Silly girl," he took her hand and smiled then led her to the passenger side of his Jeep Wrangler. "Kilala mo sila, they won't change just because of that. I will bet na excited sila sa fresh start mo at excited silang makita ka."

"Okay, okay." Mikee smiled back at him before getting in the vehicle. Kairos closed the door behind her and rushed to the driver's seat and started the car. "Were you really planning on going? Baka naman pupunta ka lang to take me."

"Of course, this is the first time I'll bring my girlfriend there." At kahit na may kumakain sa kanyang negativity ay hindi niya napigilan na ngumiti. "See, that's the smile I want to see."

Then they drive off. Hindi naman sobrang layo ng beach resort ng pamilyang San Vicente sa Maynila. This is their go-to beach instead of yung nasa Boracay kasi mas madaling puntahan at mas madaming gatherings na dito ginagawa. This family is very tight knit at kahit naman na hindi sila lahat palaging nagkakasundo ay palaging nakasuporta ang mga ito sa isa't isa.

"Natatandaan mo ba yung one of those times na sumama ka sa bakasyon ng family?" Tanong sa kanya ni Kairos noong makapasok na sila sa expressway.

"Ay no, don't remind me. Nahihiya pa din ako." Natakip niya bigla ang kamay niya sa kanyang mukha. It wasn't something that she'd easily forget. Tanda pa din niya ang kagustuhan niyang magpalamon sa lupa noon. "Nakakahiya talaga yun kay Ate Athena. Grabe. Hindi ko pa naman kasi siya ever nakilala talaga. Akala ko kung sino tapos palagi mo pa kausap. Plus she looks like a freaking model!"

"And instead of asking who she was, ano nga ang ginawa mo?" He was enjoying this moment of torturing her with her crazy antics.

"Noooo, I don't wanna remember it. Nakakahiya talaga, everytime we see each other she reminds me of it." It was by far the most humiliating thing that she's ever done in her entire life. "Kasalanan din ni Meg at Delta yun, imagine, hindi nila sinabi sa akin na pinsan niyo pala si Ate Athena. They kept on teasing me that you're talking with a girl they did not know and you were super sweet with her and kind."

She was quite naïve back then and full of guts kaya naman nang mairita siya kasi palaging kasama ni Kairos ang isang babae na hindi ni Mikee kilala ay nagpabuyo siya sa selos and did the craziest stunt she's ever pulled for Kairos. Hinalikan niya ito. It was enough to make heads turn and conversations to stop. Kairos himself was so stunned that he just looked at her na parang nakakita ng multo.

***

"Mikaela," sabi lang nito. "What the heck?"

"So she's Mikaela." Natatawang sabi nung babaeng kanina pang kasama ni Kairos. "Nice meeting you, I'm Athena."