MY JOURNEY OF LOVE START WITH A DEAL - NO ORDINARY LOVE

NOL - Chapter 29

Lareen

6:00 am pa lang ay paalis na kami ni Ate Lala sa bahay para pumunta sa hospital. Mga 11 am kasi ang alis ng private plane paluwas ng Manila. Hindi na inallow ni Mommy na magovernight pa si Ate Lala sa hospital dahil alam naming may jetlag pag siya. Mom insisted na umuwi kami kagabi ng 10pm para makatulog si Ate Lala sa kwarto niya ng comfortable.

"Bakit ka nakasimangot?" Napansin na pala niya ang pananahimik ko kanina pa lang pagkasakay namin sa Van na maghahatid sa amin sa hospital.

"Nalulungkot lang ako na this is the last day na makakasama kita dito" I said and slouched.

Hinawakan niya ako sa baba at pinaharap ako sa kanya. "Mas mura na ang tawag mula Manila to here kaya don't worry, Riri. I will call you more often or you call me on you free time. I think Mom will be happy with that"

"Sana nga marami akong free time, no? Later at 3pm, Ate Ren asked me to meet Frank. Agad agad!" I pouted.

She clears her throat and smiles.

"Good luck sa paghawak mo ng company, Ri" she said and winks.

Wow. Nakakalakas talaga ng loob.

"Do you think Ate Ren is in her right mind? Why would she let me handle Dad's precious business e wala nga akong alam don" sabi ko at nakita kong sumulyap sa amin ang driver mula sa rearview mirror.

"She is. I trust her judgments, you know" she smiled at me and elbowed me. "I think you are the right person too, Lareen"

I smirked.

"You are!" She shouted.

"I don't have backgroud-"

"That's why there are papers you need to read as reference" she butted in.

"I am not famillar with the obligations of-"

"Frank is there to help you" she said again.

"How can -?"

"Ri" She again cuts me off and grabs my hand. "Give it a try" she looks at me straight. "This is the place where you should be for now. Nowhere else but here. Not in New York with me nor in Barangkal. This is the place where you can be yourself and prove yourself. " she took a deep breath.

"For now?"

She nods. "Maybe this is the chance for you to prove something to Dad and to all the people who belittled you and those who judged you. Kuha?"

"Pero -"

"I know you can do this. You are so much stronger than you think. This is your another jumping-out-of-the-window chance again. Do not waste it"

"Iniisip ko na baka kasi galit lang si Ate sa akin and this is her way to punish me. I know nothing about the business - "

Umiling si Ate Lala "Stop thinking na galit sa'yo si Ate Renren kaya niya binigay sayo ang obligasyon na ito"

"She never called me "Riri" anymore. She just refers me as "her" or "you" or "Lareen". She's cold to me. Maybe because she hates me"

Umiling ulit siya. "Nah. She'll never hates you. Sa ating dalawa, she always confides with you. Intindihin mo na lang si Ate Ren. Remember, nung umalis tayo sa Milagros, hindi lang si Dad at si Mom ang iniwan natin - we left her too"

I find myself agreeing to whatever Ate Lala is telling me right now.

"Think about it as if Ate Ren is just opening the window for you and telling you to jump. If you want to fully escaped from your Arnulfo Montemayor nightmare....jump" she said and hugged me. "Promised me that you'll jump again, Lareen"