Whoever does not love, does not know god.
Because god is love. -1John 4:8
"Basta Colette, wag mong iiwan ang nanay. Alam mo naman na kung anu-ano ang pumapasok sa isip niyan kapag mag-isa. Aliwin mo siya. Manuod kayo ng mga dvd, kumain kayo basta ang mahalaga dyan ka lang sa tabi niya." Sabi ko habang patuloy na inaaral ang grid report sa harap ko.
"Oo na ate. Ako na ang bahala kay nanay. Wag mo na kaming intindihin rito, okay kami. Okay si nanay."
"O siya sige, basta kapag may nangyari tawagan mo akong kaagad." Mabilis ko din namang tinapos ang tawag dahil kailangan ko rin ituon ang buong atensyon ko sa trabahong nakalatag sa harapan ko.
"Amber Michelle Esquivel. Pinapunta kita rito para sana may makausap ako at hindi para dalhin mo rito ang trabaho mo." Napaangat ang aking tingin kay Ica na nakatayo sa harapan ko haplos haplos ang namimilog na tiyan nito.
"Ang sungit mo naman buntis. Maupo ka nga." Irap ko dito. "Kailangan ko kasi itong tapusin, kailangan itong mareview ni Sir Dansen bago siya mag-tungo pa Las Vegas."
Tumalima naman ito sa sinabi ko at naupo sa upuan sa aking harapan, bago tumawag ng crew upang magpahatid ng buttered cookies.
"Puro ka buttered cookie, baka mamaya maging kamukha na ni Cookie Monster ang inaanak ko sige ka." I chuckled.
"Wala kang pakialam Mika ha! Gusto ko ng cookie at wala kang magagawa dun!" Angil nito.
Aside from Nanay, Kia Celine and Colette, I considered Ica as my family. She'd been my friend for more likely almost a decade now, and I couldn't complain anything about her.
Simula ng iwan kami ng tatay when I was just barely seven yearsold ay ako na ang nagtaguyod sa aming pamilya. My mother was diagnosed under Psychotic Depression, she still can't get over and will never be over to the fact that my father left us for another woman.
I grew up feeding my heart with so much hatred, sa aming tatlong magkakapatid ay ako ang mas na apektado sa nangyari. Kia was barely five that time and Colette was almost two years old.
My mother couldn't support our studies because of her mental condition. During elementary to highschool, Kia and I pushed and pursued to maintain my scholarship under Mendrez Programs. Kasabay noon ay ang pagtatrabaho namin biling student assistant sa school. We got engaged into a different yet legal activities just to earn money.
During college, Kia works as a part time make-up artist to different modeling agencies while I worked under Dansen Mendrez as his secretary. To all the men I've known, tanging si Dance lamang ang kinakitaan ko ng ugaling iba sa lahat.
Muli na naman akong napangiti ng mapait. I shrugged my thoughts off, pain wont leave me if I kept on drowning myself into it.
"Kamusta na pala si tita Carmen?" Tanong ni Ica.
"Ayun, paminsan minsan sinusumpong parin. Hindi dapat naiiwan mag-isa, mabuti nalang at bakasyon walang pasok si Colette. Si Kia abala narin ngayon dahil ang daming events na nililinya sakanya."
Tumango-tango naman ito.
Ilang sandali pa ay napalingon ako dito nang masayang binigkas nito ang pangalan ng asawa nito.
"Safe!"
I almost rolled my eyes when I saw them hugging happily in front of me. Na tila ba ngayon lang nagkita gayong araw araw naman silang magkasama hanggang sa pag-tulog.
Look at what love does to people. Siguro mapalad si Ica na maganda ang epekto nito sakanya, but to others..
"Hi Mika." Ngiting bati sakin ni Safe na ginantihan ko ng tango.
I hate Safe because he's a womanizer, but I've learned to accept him for Ica. Sa nakikita ko naman ay masaya ang kaibigan ko sakanya and that's all that matters.
"Danica, did mom told you that she'll be gone and did she tell you anything about her whereabouts?" Napalingon kaming tatlo sa papalapit na lalaki, he's removing the cap of gis chef uniform before untying his white all over apron.
"Sabi lang niya, she'll be out with tita Vana for a week." Sagot ni Ica sa pinsan nito.
"Hindi man lang ako sinabihan." He tsked.
"Now you know how it feels kapag hindi ka nag papaalam kay tita Aly na mawawala ka ng ilang araw." Ica rolled her eyes na ikinatawa ng asawa nito.
"That's a different case." He muttered defensively.
"That's not." Ica sneered. "Halika na hon, let's ask you some meal I know you're hungry. Wait lang Miks."
Nagpaalam si Ica bago tuluyang hilahin ang asawa papasok sa kitchen ng Alfresco Grill. Ang Restaurant na pag-aari ng pinsan nitong nakatayo sa harapan ko.
Drake Apolo Cervantes.
The legendary chronic womanizer.
Inirapan ko ito ng lingunin ako nito na siyang nagpakunot sa noo nito.
"I don't understand why you hate me and my friends so much." I heard him muttered.
"Because you're all bunch of douchebag."
Totoo naman. I hate Drake, Zanti, Zigger and Safe because they're womanizers. They played with girls feelings.
"Woah, that's something big to comment." He smirked. "Why you don't know us very well."
"And I don't wanna know you and your friends any deeper. I have to spend most of my time to more important things than a set of womanizers."
"You'll eat your own words one of these days." He chuckled. "Bye, Amber Michelle." He said before I heard a retrieving steps.
Hindi ko alam kung bakit tila naglumundag ang puso ko nang marinig ang paraan ng pagtawag ni Drake sa pangalan ko.
That's stupid!
