30
“Babe…” .he said with the most paawa face I have ever seen.
“Babe your face!”
“Babe let me explain.”
“Umalis ka na!”
“Just hear me out okay?”
“I don’t want to hear anything from you. Di ba sayo na rin nanggaling? It’s nothing. Then why the hell are you here? Bakit ka pa mageexplain? Just get lost.”
“Would you please listen?”
“No way!”
“Teka nga, teka nga! Bakit ba kayo nag away kaagad? Kasisimula pa lang ng chapter away kaagad. Sana nag intro muna kayo.”
“Bakit ka ba nakikialam? Eh sa walang maisip na intro ang author!”
“Bakit pati ako inaaway mo? Hindi naman ako ang nag two-time sayo ah! I’m your brother. Remember, siya ang pinagpalit ka sa ibang babae.” Nagulo ang utak ko sa sinabi ni Paolo. Anong pinagsasabi niya?
“Excuse me, Hindi ko siya pinagpalit sa iba.” Oca corrected him
“Hindi ba?” Yan masyado kasing assuming. Napahiya tuloy.
“No.”
“Okay. My bad. I’m Jeannie Paolo Zamora, Joanne’s most handsome brother and that one is Johann Phoebus Zamora, my runner up.” Ang kapal.
“Nice to met you. I'm Juan Carlos Cariño. The most drop dead gorgeous guy on earth.” Huh! ANg hangin talaga.
“Ayos!” Tapos nagshake hands na silang tatlo.
“Nakapagbreakfast ka na ba?” Bagong kulay ni Johann.
“Not yet.”
“Join us then.” And the three of them went to the dining room. Naiwan akong tulala sa living room. What the heck.
Dali dali ko silang sinundan.
“What the hell are you doing? Why are you inviting that guy to have breakfast with us? To eat in our dining room? And to even allow him to enter this abode?”
“Sister dear, he is your visitor. And visitors should be treated with utmost hospitality.”
“Hospitality? Hospitality? Do you know what that guy did to me?”
“Babe, mageexplain naman ako. Pagkatapos kumain okay? That’s why I’m here. To explain things to you.” Ang kapal talaga.
“Yah, You are here to explain things, and not to eat our food.”
“Joanne, we are not poor, may spare pang food for a guest.”
“Ya-ah!”
“How dare you! You are my brothers, alam niyo ba kung ano ang ginawa sa akin ng lalaking iyan?”
“Hindi pa.” They chorused.
“Siya ang dahilan kung bakit malaki ang eyebags ko. Why I have a monstrous and sleepless night last night….”
“Okay, stop! Mamaya ka na magdrama. Kumain muna tayo. Masamang paghintayin ang pagkain.” And Paolo pushed me sa dining chair at umupo na silang tatlo sa table. Habang nagngingitngit ako dahil parang pinagkaisahan ako ng tadhana, they talked animatedly to each other as if they are best buddies.
“Sir Phoebus, here’s your favorite viand. An appetizing viand originated from the outskirts of the Philippine shores, sun dried up to its crispiest texture, served with a heaping bowl of fresh Tomato salad, sprinkled with the newly harvested sea salt from the Philippine archipelago’s shores.”
“Thanks Inday. Can you please give our guest a cup of coffee.”
“Brewed, macchiato or frappucino Sir?” Frappucino? The heck!
“Black coffee would be fine. Thank you.”
“Black coffee for sir JC coming.” Tangna! Kelan pa naging English speaking ang mga katulong namin?
Then it happened. Dumaan sa likod ko si Inday and my stomach turned summersault. Ang baho baho ng tuyo (Ang favorite ulam ni Johann). Bago pa ako magkalat sa dining room. Tumakbo na ako at dumiretso sa CR at doon nagsusuka sa toilet bowl. I vomit hanggang sa wala na akong mailabas. Nanghihina na napaupo ako sa sahig ng banyo. Pati ang tyan ko nakikisama sa pakiramdam ko and even my stomach is upset of Oca’s arrival. Nung okay na ako bumalik na ako sa dining room. Weird dahil hindi na mabaho sa pang amoy ko ang tuyo. In fact, yun ang kinain ko. At ang weird pa, ang dami kong nakain. To the point na tapos na silang tatlo, ako hindi pa. Pinagmasdan lang nila ako habang kumakain.
“Joanne, kumakain ka ba sa condo mo?”
“Of course.” I said with my mouth still full.
“Then why are you pigging out?” Tinaasan ko lang ng kilay si Johann. And when I’m done. Tumayo na ako at tumayo na din silang tatlo. I am about to go upstairs when Johann called me.
“We still have an unfinished issue here.”
“Oh That. I forgot. No big deal. Wala na yun. It’s nothing. Just lead our guest out. Thank you.” Tapos tumalikod na ako.
“Joanne Phoebe Zamora!” Johann’s voice roared sa buong bahay. Bakit ba kasi nauso na pag galit ang isang tao sasabihin ng buo ang pangalan mo? Tsss…
“Joanne Phoebe Zamora, hindi ka pinalaking bastos. Pumunta siya dito ng maayos, harapin mo ng maayos! Get down here, now!” Nagdabog ako at bumaba na ulit. Okay, I must admit pag ganyan na ang boses ni Johann nakakatakot na. Sa kanilang dalawa mas nakakatakot si Johann. Si Paolo kasi parang hindi ko pa nakitang magalit. Si Johann kasi seryoso, si Paolo easy going.
“What!?”
“Pag usapan niyo yang problema niyo.”
“We have nothing to talk about.”
“Then, bakit siya pumunta dito?”
“Malamang para makikain.”
“My guess as well.” Sabat ni Paolo.
“Umayos ka Joanne.” He said threatening me. As if it would work. Well, it did. I think.
“Bakit ba pinipilit mo akong kausapin yan? There is nothing between us. What we have is an employer-employee relationship. Nothing else.” I saw Oca grimaced.
“Jo, listen…”
“Alam mo Oca. Whatever is your reason, it won’t justify the fact that you denied me in front of everyone.”
“You denied her!” Paolo shouted at Oca.
“He denied you!” Johann shouted at me.
“Pwede makinig ka muna!?” Oca shouted at me. All at the same time.
“Wag mong sigawan ang kapatid namin. Baka nakalimutan mo? Nasa pamamahay ka namin, Ininom mo ang kape namin, kinain mo ang favorite kong toyo kaya wala kang karapatang sigawan ang kapatid ko.” Yan ang kapatid! I have to admit that at this very moment I am so proud of Paolo for standing up for me. Natatouch ako kasi
pinagtatanggol niya ako. Kuyang kuya ang dating.
“Mabuti sana kong niloko mo lang siya, kung nambabae ka. Katanggap tanggap pa yun. Pero ang ideny siya? How dare you! No one denied us. Lahat ng tao nagkakandarapa maging parte lang kami ng pamilya nila, pero ikaw! Ikaw! You dare denied our sister? Hindi mo ba alam na sa pagdeny mo sa kanya pinagkakaitan mo ang mundo ng mga nagagandahan at nagpopogian na mga supling? Hindi mo ba alam…”
“Bro, ang corny na.”
“Corny na ba?”
“Oo. Iwan muna natin sila.” At umalis na sila papuntang entertainment room.
“Bro, admit it, award winning ang arte ko.”
“OO na lang. Tara, DOTA tayo.”
Pagkatapos umalis nila Paolo at Johann nagkatinginan kami ni Oca.
“Babe…”
“You may leave now. Wala na ang mga tagapagtanggol mo.” Sabay talikod.
“Saglit lang.” Sabay hawak sa braso ko. “Let me explain. Listen to me.”
Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. “May mga hindi ka pa ba nasabi? I think you made it clear kung ano talaga tayo?” I stopped myself from croaking. Ayokong maging emo.
“I lied okay!?”
“For whom? You lied at my expense?” I tried my best to be calm.
“For the company. Look, I can’t explain it to you, I can’t give you the details but you have to trust me. After this, everything will be okay.” He said pleading.
“You are asking me to trust something that I don’t know?”
“I am not asking you to trust something. I am asking you to trust me.”
“Do you know what are you asking from me Oca? You are asking me to jump blindfolded into something only God knows what.”
“Jo, just this once. Pagkatapos nito. Everything will be alright. Hindi kita bibitiwan.”
“Well, you just did! Binitiwan mo na ako. And you came here to tell me to trust you na hindi sinasabi sa akin ang rason kung bakit mo ginawa yun? What do you expect from me? You humiliated me in front of everyone and wala na akong mukhang ihaharap sa buong opisina. And now, you want me to trust you?” And before I could stop myself, tumulo na ang mga luha ko. I sobbed. He tried to hug me pero umiwas ako. “Pero ako ba Oca, did you trust me? Did you trust me to understand what is it that’s bothering you? Did you trust me enough to tell me the situation before you announced to everyone what a scheming and flirty b!tch I am? Bago mo ianunsiyo kung gaano ako ka-ilusyunada? Did you trust me to understand the situation? Or you didn’t bother to tell me because I am only your employee and nothing else?”
“Babe…”
“Shut up! Don’t call me babe. Kung ayaw mong sabihin sa akin, fine! Isaksak mo sa baga mo! Bakit ka pa pumunta dito kung ayaw mo rin palang magpaliwanag? Ang kapal din naman ng mukha mong pumunta pa dito para hingin ang tiwala ko.”
“Will you please listen to me!”
“Ano pa ba!?”
“I will tell you pero hindi ngayon. Pag naayos na ang lahat, sasabihin ko sayo. That’s why I’m asking you to trust me. Just give me time.”
“Paulit ulit lang tayo Oca. You can have all the time that you want. I don’t care. I’m out of your company and out of your life.”
“Babe, don’t do this to me. You can’t do this to me.”
“Of course I can.”
“Mababaliw ako.”
“I don’t care.”
“Mamamatay ako.”
“Much better.” At umakyat na ako sa kwarto.
