Melting You Softly (Student Series #1)

Chapter 44

Chapter 44

"Valentine's Day na pala sa Monday, 'no? May lakad kayo ng boyfriend mo, Izzy?" usisa ni Sawara, isa sa mga kasamahan kong intern sa Fairmont Hotel.

I slammed my locker's door closed with a thud and turned around, folding my arms across my chest.

"Of course," I simply responded. "Pero hindi ko pa sigurado kung saan."

Katatapos lang ng shift namin kaya nagpapalit na kami ng damit. I've already changed into a printed black shirt and a pair of jeans. Ang buhok kong lalong umaalon dahil sa matagal na pagkakatali paikot sa likod ng ulo ko ay nakahawi sa aking likod.

Even though we are still called interns by the management, working as a housekeeper is not a joke. The fact that we are required to clean 10-15 guest rooms within 20-30 minutes daily runs all my energy down. It takes longer than half an hour if the room is a deluxe or suite. The faster, the better.

I'm physically and mentally too knackered to even think about the date on Monday. I didn't even realize it had been almost two months since I started my training here. Luckily, they give us an allowance weekly.

"Ha?" Natatawa siyang lumingon sa akin galing sa kanyang sariling locker. "Well, sino ba ang nagpaplano sa inyo kung saan kayo pupunta? For your date."

"Tuwing Valentine's, siya ang nag-iisip kung saan kami magdi-date. Any dates other than that day, we decide alternately."

"Cool," she said and whistled. "Bet you can date wherever you want. Lucky you for being born with a silver spoon in your mouth."

I chuckled and shook my head. "No. My family's not that well-off. Axe's family is. Pero ngayon, pera na pinaghirapan mismo namin ni Axe ang ginagamit namin kapag gustong mag-date."

We date early; we should learn how to earn early. We go on a date; we pay for it from our own pocket. We either split the bills, or we will pay by turn. He'll pay for the lunch, and I'll pay for the dinner. It's just a give-and-take relationship. Although most of the time, Axasiel will pay for what he thinks are the more expensive bills and I don't argue with it.

I really thought before that the money he was spending with me came from his allowance provided by his parents. Iniisip ko pa lang noon ang lahat ng regalong mamahalin na ibinibigay niya ay inaalala ko na ang reaksyon ni Tita Dias.

I don't have any problem if that's the case as long as he'd saved it and he would spend it wisely. Inaamin ko naman na pera din galing sa allowance na bigay ng magulang ang ginagamit kong panggastos noon pero ngayon, hindi na rin ako masyadong umaasa sa kanila lalo na't may ipon din naman ako galing sa pagtatrabaho noon. Lalo na kung pang-date lang naman namin ni Axasiel.

Hello, kaming dalawa ang nasa relasyon kaya kami dapat ang gumastos sa sarili namin. Binibigyan pa rin naman kami ng allowance pero itinatabi lang muna namin pareho. Kung gagamitin ko man ang akin ay madalas para sa kakailanganin sa acads. Or to pamper myself. Iba 'yong para sa akin, iba 'yong sa tuwing magkasama kami. Ganoon lang.

"Oh, right. You said you worked in a Filipino resto for almost two years, am I correct?"

I smiled at her, jerking my chin up lightly. Pagkatapos naming ayusin ang mga gamit ay lumabas na rin kami ng locker room. We were walking abreast of each other, and I was literally shuffling through the long hallway in exhaustion.

Sawara and I stopped walking into the lobby lounge as we saw the approaching guest. We smiled and greeted her politely and let her walk past us before we resumed our march.

"Wala pa ang sundo ko, Izzy, kaya hihintayin ko na lang dito," ani Sawara nang tumigil kami sa bandang gilid ng lobby. "See you on Monday!"

Nagbeso kaming dalawa bago ako kumaway at nagpatuloy sa paglakad sa lobby. Kahit tapos na ang shift at palabas na ng hotel, bahagyang tumitigil pa rin ako sa paglakad at ngumingiti sa tuwing may paparating na guest.