Put A Ring On It!

v | backview

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"Here's a rough sketch of the girl that received the ring from the janitor who found it, Mr. Truz." pagbabalita ng isa sa mga inutusan niya sabay lahad ng isang papel na merong sketched face na sinasabi nito.

Inabot agad ito ni Truz sabay tinignan ang drawing.
Backview?

"Backview?!" he asked.

What the hell is going on that he's given a backview of someone as a reference?

"Sir, that's the only angle the janitor remembered seeing that girl." he explained.

He sighed.
Now what? How can he search this woman when he doesnt even have a clue about its facial features? Kung matangos ba o pango ang ilong nito? Kung may mga tigyawat ba o makinis ito? Kung may pangil ito o wala? Goodness sake, he badly needs the ring, its been three days.

Just days ago with the dinner date with Diane, umusok na ang bumbunan nito knowing na naiwala nya ang singsing.
And the woman is now starting to give him a pain in the neck.

Kung hindi nya daw mahahanap ang singsing, she would go tell the people na ikakasal na ito kay Clark. Isa sa karibal nila in the world of bussiness. Handa daw kasi ang lalaki na bigyan ito ng luxurious wedding na hinahangad nito, in one of London's popular wedding churches.

At akala siguro nito, she would scare the heck of him.
At dahil dun, a decision form in his thoughts.

"Tell the media that the ring was already given to my future wife, at bigla itong nawala dahil sa kabiglaan at takot siguro not knowing na itinago ko ang singsing sa loob ng bag nya. That I was going to surprise her but I failed." lahad ko sa buong plano ko.
Let's see if makakawala pa ang babaeng to.

"Pero pano nyo po malalaman at bat naman po yun lalapit sayo kung alam nitong pwede nitong ibenta o ipawnshop yung singsing nyo?" parang naguguluhan pa nitong tanong.

He smiled sheepishly.

"Why would the woman do that? Papalampasin nya ba ang pagsikat at ang titulong fiancee sya ng isang Truz Caballero? And she can get more benefit than that ring can give her." puno ng bilib sa sariling planong wika ni Truz.

Let's see if that Diane won't come back to him again. Ayaw pa naman nitong malamangan.

His employee give him a baffled face, weirded out of his sudden gush of idea.

"What?" untag nya dito.

"Ha? W-wala po. Oo nga naman, Sir Truz. Sige po. Maiwan ko na po kayo." yumuko ito at tinanguan nalang ito ni Truz.

Naglakad na ito papuntang pinto at lumabas na ng opisina nya.
Naiwan syang mag-isa sa loob.

Nahulog si Truz sa malalim na pag-iisip.

Mahal ba talaga sya ni Diane? He thought so.
Kahit kasi nag-aaway sila, bumabalik naman ito. Lalo na pag may ibinibigay sya'ng nagustuhan nito.

Now that Diane is challenging him, let's see kung kaya nitong ibaba ang pride at bumalik sa kanya pag nalaman nitong iba ang magiging fiancee nya at hindi ito ang pagbibigyan nya ng singsing.

For more than 5 years na naging magka-on and off silang dalawa ni Diane, truth is, he never felt the love from her side. Para dito, mukhang laro laro lang ang lahat. At sya naman na may takot sa mga babae --except for Diane kasi magkababata naman sila eversince sinagip ng Lolo nya ang bumabagsak ng negosyo ng mga to when he is still 9 at 7 palang noon si Diane, kaya sa kanya  lang sya nakafocus dito like she's the only girl in the world.

Di naman sya woman-hater. Takot lang talaga syang matulad sa Papa nya na pinakasalan agad ang first love nito at the age of 23 at naging bunga sya. But sadly, ng nag-edad sya ng 6 ay iniwan sila ng Mom nya inexchange sa nagpabuntis dito na driver ng Mom nya noon. How tragic for him and his Dad, if only if not for his Lolo then both would've been in the streets and is living off with his fathers' spare wage working as a delivery boy. But yeah, there is no such thing as happy endings— which he firmly believes hindi mangyayari sa lahat ng tao.

At ngayon, kahit wala namang 'love' na namamagitan sa kanila ni Diane, he would offer her marriage. Because of business, for both of their images at ng may matawag na syang 'asawa'. Because secretly he envies his cousins na may mga asawa na, and already had their babies.

"Naku, insan? Anong klaseng mukha yang dinidisplay mo sa maagang araw na ito?! Huy!" biglang may nagsalita mula sa hamba ng pinto kaya gulat na napatayo si Truz sa swivel chair nya.

Nagtaka naman ang nasa pinto at bigla-bigla lang itong bumunghalit ng tawa at napasquat sa sahig.
Inis na napabalik ng upo si Truz. This cousin of him, really had a mental problem.

"What are you doing here, Suzy?" untag nya dito at naisipang buksan nalang ang laptop na kaharap nya.

"Wait- Hmp! Lemme breath-- Pft! First! Haha! Grabe! Your face is so priceless, Truz! Haha!" ani nito sabay sipa-sipa pa. Abnormal talaga.

He rolled his eyes and focused on the laptop's screen at pumunta sa public website ng kompanya nila.
And to his thought, nangyari na nga agad ang naiutos nya. This is what he likes about his employees at lalo na si Kerr --yung inutusan nya. Secretary by day, best friend by night.

He rolled the mouse para mabasa ang buong article ng biglang may sumundot-sundot sa braso nya, and it was Suzy.

Iniwas ni Truz ang braso at nilingon ito.

"What do you need?" tanong nya dito.
He knows what his cousins do pag may kinakailangan ito sa kanya. Sumusulpot bigla, aasarin sya, tapos guguluhin at manghihingi na.

"Truzzy cousy~" nagpout pa ito sabay puppy eyes. Kababaeng tao.
Inabot nya ang ginusot na papel at binato dito.

"Sabihin mo na. I don't have much time." Truz.
Ngumiti lang si Suzy ng pagkalaki-laki.

"Pwedeng ikaw nalang ang maging representative sa first-day cruising at ribbon cutting the day after tomorrow? Please, Truzy cousy. Hind ko pwedeng idecline na naman ang date namin ng boyfie ko. Nagtatamparorot na sya! His beginning to envy me dahil nagiging mas successful pa daw ako kesa sa kanya and I'm not giving him any spare anymore. And I don't wanna lose him, my dear cousin. He is just my everything. My world and my heart. Please, cousin? Bigyan mo naman ng day-off si Kerr at ng makapagdedate naman kami kahit this Friday. At kahit bahain mo sya ng trabaho ngayong Wednesday basta clear sya sa Friday at ikaw ang aattend as a representative. Oh please?" mahabang pagsasadula nito.

He just sighed. Wala naman na syang kawala sa pinsan nya. Sya lang ang kawawa kung hindi nya ito susundin. At saka, it wouldn't mind kung magdeday-off nga si Kerr. Kawawa naman ito.

Tumango si Truz at sinunggaban sya ng yakap sa leeg.

"Let go, Suzy!" nanglaban sya pero mas iniipit lang nito ang leeg nya.

"I love you, my Truzy couszy!" pagsasambit nito ng biglang bumukas ang pinto at iniluwa dun si Kerr.

"Anong ginagawa nyo, sir?" gulantang na tanong nito habang palipat-lipat ang tingin sa kanilang dalawa ni Suzy.

Bumitaw naman agad si Suzy sa kanya at ang boyfriend na naman nito ang sinunggaban ng yakap. Ang immature parin ng mga galaw at ng mga inaakto nito. She still doesn't look like a companys' chief operations officer.

"You're getting a day-off, beyb!" pagtitili ni Suzy.

Nilingon naman ako ni Kerr at tinanguan ko naman sya, nginitian nya ako pero nawala ang ngiti namin ng may bumukas ng pinto ng opisina ko.

"Sir, may naghahanap po sayo. Urgent."
"Tell them to make an appointment."
"Pero Sir, it's about the ring."

The ring. He thought to himself as he took a glance at the piece of paper where the back of a woman's head is sketched.

Why does he feel like there's no need for him to find her, this way, things will be easier.

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end of v.