The Box

21. allowance

Paola hurriedly pulled Maia away from the office as soon as they got out of the building for lunch. Maia had 'finally' mentioned about her and Chuck's wedding plans. In the years of their friendship, Paola knew that Maia never wore any jewelry. Since she and Chuck started dating, Maia was starting to glow more healthily. She also seemed happier and a little less shy around her peers. And earlier today, Maia's necklace and 'pendant' was prominently displayed against her navy blue blouse. Paola noticed it more when Maia stood up from her desk and walked past the sunny window nearby. From then, about an hour before lunch break, Paola kept on stealing glances at Maia.

"Pao! Ano ba?!" Maia protested when they stepped down from the building's lobby steps and Maia almost tripped.

"You have some explaining to do"

"Ano?"

"Yan o!" Paola pointed to Maia's necklace with her lips.

"Ah. Bigay ni Chuck" Maia said, holding on to the ring pendant and slightly blushing.

"Eh bakit ka nag-b-blush?"

"Maaraw..." Maia said, quickly glancing up at the noontime sun.

"Ewan ko sa yo! Saan tayo kakain? Pwede ba yung medyo tahimik para makwento mo sa akin anong nangyari nung long weekend? Paola said as they walked past some restaurants. They normally ate at the nearby mall's fastfood. Maia pointed to a small eatery behind their office building. It was one of the places they would go to when they were low on budget.

"Dun nalang, o" Paola pointed to an Italian restaurant on the mezzanine of the building nearby.

Maia looked up at the glass window of the restaurant and noticed that it wasn't crowded so she nodded and agreed.

---

Chuck would regularly pick Maia up from the office so that they could go to the orphanage together. In the months that followed, schedules changed, and Chuck would pick Maia up from her house in the morning and they would go to work together. A month before Chuck proposed, he discreetly slipped a few bills into Maia's purse when she left it in the car to get something she'd forgotten for work.

"Let's meet up for lunch?" Chuck invited Maia on their way to her office.

"Text kita. Kailangan matapos kasi yung pinagawa ni Boss. For submission daw ng 1pm e." Maia said while she browsed thru her phone.

"Okay. I hope you finish it right away."

Maia nodded and smiled. "Thank you. Text kita, promise"

"Okay. Have a good day at work"

"Ikaw rin. Ingat" Maia said when they got to her office.