No Greater Love

Kabanata 5

Kabanata 5

"Will you be an actor for the rest of your life?" I asked Sancho out of curiosity once.

Galing sa pagkain ng breakfast namin na niluto ko ay nag-angat siya ng tingin sa akin. We don't always have our meals together. I often eat my food alone in this penthouse. And Sancho was at work. Ngayon ay nagkasabay kami dahil mas maaga akong nagising after knowing that again he'll have an early appointment today. I cooked our breakfast early in the morning. Kaya nakapagsabay pa kami ngayon. I also made him his coffee.

"Not really... Uh, I'm planning to retire in the province..." he said.

Pagkatapos ay nagkatinginan lang kami matapos ang sinabi niya. Tumango na lang din ako sa narinig kong sagot.

And then Sancho went to work after breakfast. His schedule this morning was for a modeling job. Bukod kasi sa pagiging artista ay modelo rin siya. Well, he has that height and the body for it. Now I can see that Sancho's really made for this...

"Why did you become an actor, anyway?" I asked him again when he's at home. I thought that I was also growing curious about my husband's job. I realized na kahit papaano ay mag-asawa na pa rin kami ni Sancho ngayon. At okay din na may alam ako tungkol sa kaniya.

He turned to look at me from the big TV screen we have here in our living room. Nagsabi kasi ako sa kaniya na panoorin namin ngayon ang isang movie niya. He's natural on-screen. Parang totoo talaga at hindi lang acting... At parang hindi siya si Sancho, and I mean that, I can see him as the actor Sancho just like everyone else. And not just the Sancho I have known, or my husband now...

"To be honest?"

I nodded eagerly. I was kind of eager to know his answer. "Yes." I even said.

"Alright..." He looked in my eyes. "Truth was... Gusto ko lang iwasan dati si Dad." He sighed after saying it.

Saglit na kumunot ang noo ko. "Bakit..." My lips parted.

He looked at me again. "You know... I don't wanna be involved in politics..." He said.

My eyes widened a fraction as I looked at him. Sancho then nodded his head. "Yes." aniya, and then followed by a sigh. "I never wished to be a politician like my Dad." he said.

Unti-unti naman akong tumango pagkatapos. "Kaya ayaw din ng Papa mo itong pag-aartista mo..." I said.

Sancho nodded again. "Yeah..." He shrugged just his shoulders after...

Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa.

Pagkatapos ay ngumiti na lang ako sa kaniya para gumaan na rin ang pinag-uusapan namin... "Pero kalaunan ay talagang nagustuhan mo na rin itong trabaho mo?" I smiled a bit. And I also wanted to change the direction of our topic from his father... And because I think I understand him...

He nodded and then he smiled genuinely... "Yeah... You can definitely say that. I think I have learned to love my job when I realized my potential... I like making the people, the fans happy..." he said as he thought of his fans.

Napangiti na rin ako lalo habang tinitingnan siyang mag-isip sa mga umiidolo sa kaniya...

"Wala ka bang naging girlfriend kahit dati sa mga nakakatrabaho mo? Ang gaganda ng mga leading lady mo..." I just said because I noticed...

Magaganda ang mga nakakapareha ni Sancho.

Nagkatinginan kami ni Sancho. Hindi na niya inalis ang tingin niya sa akin. And then he shook his head and shrugged. "No one caught my attention..." he said, and looking at me...

Habang sa huli ay halos mag-iwas naman ako ng tingin, because of the intensity of his stare... "Sinasabi mo ba na hindi ka pa nagka-girlfriend?" I asked rather shocked. And I wouldn't believe him if he say yes na hindi pa nga siya nagkaka-girlfriend. I won't believe it. It's impossible, isn't it...

Umiling siya habang nakatingin pa rin sa akin bilang sagot.

"I don't believe you." I shook my head right away.

I heard him chuckled a bit while just looking at me, at my face.

And then Sancho just smiled as he watched my reaction...

Bata pa naman siya. Halos magkasing-edad lang din kami o hindi nalalayo ang mga edad namin sa isa't isa. We're still in our early and middle 20s. Pero paano noong teenager siya? Wala talaga? Pero kung sabagay... Maaga rin siyang napasok sa mundo ng pag-aartista at mabilis pa na sumikat kaya siguro... naging abala na lang din siya sa pagsasabay rin noon sa pag-aaral at acting career niya at may modeling pa siya.

Napatingin akong muli sa kaniya. He's faced the television now. Kaya ilang sandali kong napagmasdan ang ayos niya. I can see his side profile in my vision right now. Dahil magkatabi kaming nakaupo sa sofa. He's just in his simple cotton clothes at home. Wala siyang trabaho ngayon at napansin kong medyo napapadalas na mas nakikita ko na siya ngayon dito sa bahay.

Nakikita ko lalo ngayon kung gaano katangos ang ilong niya sa pagkakatagilid niya na nanonood lang ng TV. Medyo magulo ang buhok niya na medyo mahaba na rin. At habang nakahalukikip siyang nakaupo roon sa tabi ko. His shoulder and arm muscles got more defined because of his folded arms. And even in his simple shirt he looks good... Sancho's good looking. That's something I cannot deny. Kaya nga bagay pa sa kaniya lalo ang pag-aartista. He's good to look at. He's very pleasing to the eyes...

And one day I just found myself looking for a job. Naisip kong gusto ko nang magtrabaho. I think I got inspired by Sancho's hardwork... And then I realized that I was changing...

Hindi naman sa hindi ko talaga naisip ang pagtatrabaho noon. Pero noong kasama ko pa si Caspian... All I could think was to be a wife to him... To take care of him, or to take care of my future family... I was just dreaming of a simple life back then...

And now I feel like I wanted to do something other than that... Something that can be fulfilling as how I can see Sancho fulfilled his dreams...

"You want to work?"

I nodded at Sancho. I also told him that I was thinking of working...

I noticed that he's mostly at home now—o na talagang umuuwi na siya sa bahay namin after his work. Dati kasi ay halos hindi siya umuuwi. He was just always at work. Maybe he's got more time now that he can already come home after work. Dati kasi sa istasyon pa nila siya nakakatulog... Nalaman ko na lang ito sa Manager at sa PA niya na minsan din nilang nabanggit sa akin nang sumama ako sa trabaho ni Sancho.

"I'm just thinking that...maybe I can do something..." I said.

Sancho immediately nodded like he already understood me. "All right. There's no problem to that... You can do what you want, Rose." He said this to me.

Napangiti ako kay Sancho.

"But what is it? Will you be working... Where?" Bahagya pang kumunot ang noo niya.

Nag-isip na rin ako. I was a graduate of a business course. Para sana iyon makatulong din ako sa pagpapatakbo ng hacienda namin at asukarera. But it's in the province now and I'm currently here in Manila. At sa totoo lang ay parang wala pa akong maisip... Pero gusto kong magtrabaho.

"Actually my Manager is taking a leave..." Sancho said.

Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa. Sancho's Manager was in her late 30s or in her 40. She just got married last year and pregnant with her first child now. And I also heard from Sancho's PA that the doctor advised the Manager to rest while pregnant...

Sancho smiled at me. "I think you can do it... But of course only if you want to..." he suggested.

My lips parted. Agad din akong napaisip. I think I want to try... But can I really do it? Wala akong experience. Tumingin ako kay Sancho. Nakatingin na rin siya sa akin. We looked into each other's eyes.

And then the next week right after that, after talking to Sancho's Manager as well, I have become my husband's temporary Manager...