Love In The Shadows

Simula

Simula

Nilingon ko ang relos habang nililinis ang mesa. Mayroon na lang akong 15 minutues bago matapos ang shift ko.

Sighing deeply, I continued wiping the table with sanitizer, feeling the heaviness in my body. Galing ako sa school diretso sa trabaho, pero kailangan ko pa ring mag-review para sa quiz bukas. Could I even study in this state? All I wanted was to rest and sleep!

After cleaning the table, lumapit ako sa imbakan para kunin ang walis, ngunit pinigilan ako ng aking manager.

"Kayang-kaya ko na dito, Leila! Konti nalang kailangan linisin at pwedeng pwede ka nang umuwi. Alam kong kailangan mong mag-aral para sa quiz bukas," kuya Romel said, my manager.

"Sigurado ka ba, Kuya? I'd feel bad," pag-aalinlangan ko.

"Huwag kang mag-alala! Madali lang ito. May susundo ba sa'yo ngayon?" tanong niya.

"My friend said she's on her way. She'll be here soon," tugon ko.

"Okay," umatras si Kuya Romel mula sa counter at lumapit sa akin, may dala-dalang tinalupan mula sa araw. "Eto, dalhin mo ito pauwi para may makakain ka habang nag-aaral," sabi niya, ibinigay sa akin ang mga ito.

"Wow, salamat, Kuya, hindi mo kailangang gawin 'to! Pero salamat!" pasasalamat ko.

Pumasok ako sa banyo para magpalit ng damit. Si Kuya Romel ang aming manager dito sa cafe store. Nakakagaan ng loob na kahit abala sa school, hindi nadadagdagan ang stress ko sa pagtatrabaho dito part-time. It is tiring, yes, but I have no choice. I need to work to support myself.

It's been two years since I decided to live alone. Five years have passed since my mom passed away.

I used to live with my tito Arthur's family, my mother's brother, before deciding to move out. It would have been nice to continue living there, but I felt like I couldn't give them the privacy they needed. Not only that, but my aunt's treatment towards me wasn't pleasant, but I understood. I was just adding to her problems.

Dahil wala nang mag-aalaga sa aming bahay, nagdesisyon kaming ibenta ito at gamitin ang ilan sa pera para bumili ng apartment na kaya kong bayaran. My mom left us a large sum, and I decided to work instead of using all the money I received.

Living alone could be lonely at times, but my friend Kylie would usually visit me from time to time, so it didn't feel like I was alone all the time.

"Are you going to stay up late tonight?" Kylie asked as we reached my apartment. With a toss of her bag onto the sofa, she collapsed into a seat, looking like she had just found an oasis after a long trek through the desert.

I was busy preparing dinner. Kylie brought food her dad sent over, so we had something to eat tonight.

"Siguro. Baka mag-nap muna ako bago mag-aral. Busy kanina sa trabaho,"

I sighed. "Thank you so much for picking me up today. I hope my car will be okay by tomorrow."

"Okay lang 'yan! Saan mo ba pinagawa? You should've told me earlier, Rafael could've helped" sabi ni Kylie.

"Hindi naman kami close ni Rafael! And it's okay, someone already checked it, and they said I can pick it up from their house tomorrow," tugon ko.

Inilagay ko ang pagkain sa mesa at ang mga plato. Kylie stood up and moved to the dining area, ready to dig in and finally enjoy her meal.

"Kilala ka niya! And he knows a lot about cars, kaya mas maganda kung siya ang pinagtanungan mo," pilit niya.

I cringed at the thought. Have Rafael check my car? His cousin? No way. Nakakahiya! Hindi ko ata siya kailanman nakausap nang maayos. Parang ayaw niyang makipag-usap sa akin minsan kapag may pagtitipon kami.