Play The King: Act Two

CHAPTER XLV: Newfound Prey (Reynard)

"Date?" She giggled.

Muli ko siyang hinarap. My left brow rose. "Did I say something funny?"

Napatakip siya ng bibig habang pinipigilan ang kaniyang tawa. "I find it hard to believe na may ka-date ka. You, of all people? This is an old saying, pero mas may chance pa yatang pumuti ang uwak kaysa ro'n."

Ouch. Was that a personal jab or something? My brows furrowed. "Ayaw mong maniwala na may ka-date talaga ako ngayong hapon?"

"You must mean it figuratively." Her fingers resumed dancing across the keyboard. "Sa sobrang busy mo sa mga coverage, wala ka nang time para makipag-date o humanap ng jowa. You will probably be stuck in this office until you graduate from college. That's why you will never find a girlfriend—or boyfriend, kung 'yon ang mas trip mo."

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black." I snickered. "Pino-project mo yata sa 'kin ang romantic frustrations mo, eh. Wala ka ring jowa at lagi kang nandito sa office. Baka gumraduate ka rin nang 'di nagkaka-boyfriend."

She paused from typing, flicking her gaze at me. Namula ang pisngi niya. "May ilan na kayang nanligaw sa 'kin! I just can't find the time to entertain them. If I did, you won't be able to use that again to insult me."

"Because you and I are the same, Rie. We're cut from the same cloth." My tone became serious. Lalo pa ngang lumalim ang boses ko. "Mas importante sa atin ang maghatid ng balita at mag-expose ng katotohanan kaysa lumandi. Mas importante sa atin na i-pursue ang mga bagay na related sa ating magiging career. We have no time for love."

She stared at me with flat-lined lips, unamused by the comparison that I made. Tama naman, 'di ba? If we were part of the working class already, we would most likely choose career over romance. Kaya nga kami laging nakatambay rito sa Herald office, kasi mas gusto namin ang aming gingawa.

"Aren't you late for your so-called date?" she asked before typing again. "Kapag hindi ka pa umalis ngayon, baka ma-basted ka na n'on."

I checked the time in my phone. Oh, shoot! It's almost thirty minutes past five. I dashed out of the editorial office and ran toward the food hub. Seryosong may date ako ngayon, but not in a romantic sense. I trotted up the escalator, yelling "excuse me!" to the people standing on the left. Geez. Weren't they aware of the escalator etiquette?

After running past some restaurants, I stopped at Astra Blend Cafe. Pagpasok do'n, iginala ko na agad ang aking tingin, hinahanap ang babaeng ka-meet ko ngayong hapon. Spotting her in a crowd was quite easy because she would instantly stand out. Sa iksi ng buhok at artistahing itsura niya, mapalilingon ang halos lahat sa kaniya.

"Sorry, I'm late!" I said as I settled down on the vacant banquette in the booth. "Hindi ko namalayan ang oras dahil sa ipinasulat na article sa 'kin."

"That's okay." Nginitian ako ni Fabienne. Nakapatong ang mga braso niya sa mesa. Kanina'y nagta-tap ang isang daliri niya, pero ngayo'y tumigil na. "Medyo na-late din ako ng dating dito."

Yup! My date this afternoon was none other than the First Lady herself! The last time we had a face-to-face conversation, she asked me to meet her in secret na parang may affair kami na ayaw naming ipaalam sa iba. Humingi siya ng pabor sa 'kin para ma-expose ang panse-censor sa kaniya ng Repertory Theater.

But this time, we didn't need to hide anymore since I was the one who asked her to meet with me. There was nothing wrong with the First Lady meeting with a campus reporter, right? Puwede kong sabihin na ini-interview ko siya para sa isang article sa Herald.

"Do you want anything?" I asked as I got up again. "Never pa kitang na-treat magmula no'ng in-interview kita, 'di ba? So ako na ang taya ngayon."

"Black tea latte sa 'kin. Thank you!"