Evil truly walks among us, I thought to myself looking at the demon-incarnate a.k.a. my boss. Magtatatlong taon na akong personal assistant ng hayop na 'to at kung hindi lang graduating 'yung kaisa-isa kong kapatid ay matagal ko na s'yang ipinakulam.
Ano ba, bakit ba kasi ako walang kilalang mangbabarang?
Pero, 'yun nga lang ay ayoko namang mawalan ng trabaho kasi kahit slave-driver itong tarantadong ito ay malaki namang magpasahod.
"Miss Montiel!"
"Yes, Mr. Satander—I mean Mr. Santander, Sir!" I replied so surprised that the mobile tablet I was holding fell to the carpeted floor; I hastily picked it up.
"Why the fuck are spacing out? Am I paying you to daydream?!" he bit out.
I shook my head. "No, Sir..."
"Then pay attention!"
"Yes, Sir."
Hay, taena, sarap sunugin nitong demonyong 'to talaga...
"This Sunday, I want you to come by my condo to feed my cat."
"S-Sunday po?"
"Yes. Sunday, the day after tomorrow. Is there a problem?"
I shook my head. "Wala po."
Maglalaba lang sana ako, Sir, kasi isang araw lang po ang day-off ko, 'di po ba? Dapat maglilinis din po ako ng bahay kasi wala naman po kaming katulong kaya ultimo ang pagkudkod ng inodoro ay kinakarir ko na. Gusto ko rin po sanang magpahinga pero dahil isa't kalahating anak kayo ni Satanas ay sige po mag-ko-commute po ako mula Fairview, Quezon City hanggang BGC, Taguig, para lang po pakainin 'yung pusa mong punyemas ka!
"Did you say something?" he asked arching his brow inquiringly at me.
I automatically pasted a smile on my face. "No, Sir..."
"I'll be out of the country for a week so you'll have to feed Cherish every day. She's rather picky when it comes to people but she seems to really like you."
Wow, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science 'tapos yaya lang pala ng pusa ang ending. Nice career path, Juris.
But I had to admit that my job pays me better than all the other jobs that I had received an offer for. Kaya kahit gusto ko sanang maghanap ng trabaho na malapit naman sa kurso ko ay napilitan akong maging alalay nitong kampon ng kadiliman na 'to.
"Did you hear me, Miss Montiel?"
"I did, Sir," I replied.
"What time is my wedding again?" he asked adjusting his cuff links.
"Six in the evening, Sir," I replied. "But you have to be there at least an hour before the wedding because traditionally, the groom has to wait for the bride—"
"I did not ask for your opinion or your take on traditions, Miss Montiel."
I felt myself blush at his rebuke. "I'm sorry po, Sir," I murmured. "Congratulations po pala."
He completely ignored what I had said. "I will be at the office tomorrow until 3 PM because I have a meeting with Mr. Jarquèn. I expect you to be here, too."
"Yes, Sir."
"I am expecting at least a dozen important e-mails. I need you to send them to me ASAP regardless of what time they'll reach your inbox."
"Saang companies po galing ang e-mails na hinihintay po ninyo—"
He gave me an icy stare. "Do you want me to sort the e-mails for you, Miss Montiel?"
I shook my head. "Hindi po."
"Then stop asking stupid questions. Natural kailangan mong basahin isa-isa para malaman mo kung alin ang importante d'un at alin ang hindi."
"Yes, Sir," I replied bowing my head.
I kept my head lowered as I waited for additional instructions. But, nearly a minute had passed and my boss remained quiet.
I looked up and found him with his brow quirked at me. "What are you still standing there for?" he asked.
"Po?"
"You may leave," he coldly dismissed and I nearly rolled my eyes but bowed my head again instead before stepping out of his office.
Hay, Diyos ko, patawarin pero gigil na gigil talaga ako sa talipandas na ito! Ang sarap-sarap n'ya talagang kurot-kurutin gamit ang nail cutter at pagkatapos ay paliguan ng pinigang calamansi! Pero, isang taon na lang, Juris, isang taon na lang ga-graduate na si Vera kaya magtiis ka muna.
My parents died when I was in third year college kaya 'yung plano ko noon na mag-abogasya ay hindi na natuloy.
My parents were lawyers at n'ung nalaman ko na ni walang ipon sina Mommy at Daddy n'ung namatay sila ay hindi ko maiwasan ang magtaka – I mean they were lawyers, how the hell did they die poor?
Pero, inisip ko na lang noon na baka naman masyadong mapagmahal sa kapwa ang mga magulang ko kaya ang mga kinukuha nilang kaso ay mga pro-bono; it was months later when I found out that my parents were not the heroes I thought they were – they did not die poor because they chose to serve the less fortunate; they were just lawyers who took to gambling but were unlucky at the gambling table.
"Pati po 'yung mga sasakyan ay kukunin din?" I had asked my father's best friend and my godfather when people came in to take away our appliances and furniture.
"Sa susunod na linggo pa naman, Juris. I wish there's more that I can do for you and Vera pero maraming utang ang mga magulang mo. I am just relieved to know that they did not gamble this house or else wala kayong titirahan ng kapatid mo."
I gave myself a mental slap. "Walang magagawa 'yang pa-throwback mo, Girl. Magtrabaho ka na dahil hindi ka haciendera," I lightly admonished myself before opening my laptop.
Pasado alas nueve na n'ung nakauwi ako ng bahay dahil sa sobrang traffic. Daig ko pa ang nakibaka dahil sira 'yung aircon ng bus na sinakyan ko kaya basang-basa ako ng pawis. Pero hindi ko ininda 'yun dahil alam kong matatapos din ang lahat ng paghihirap ko kapag nakapagtapos na ang kapatid ko.
Bakit patay ang mga ilaw, hindi pa ba nakakauwi si Vera? I thought to myself as I opened our gate with my key. I made sure that the locks were in place before I took my phone out of my bag to call my sister.
"Cannot be reached? Saan na naman nagpupupunta ang batang 'to?"
I am six years older than my sister at ang naging tanging pangarap ko sa buhay n'ung namatay sina Mommy at Daddy ay ang mapagtapos s'ya ng pag-aaral. Kung anu-ano ang pinasok kong trabaho noon mabuhay lang kami – crew sa isang fast-food chain, student assistant, tutor ng mga Koreano, at ultimo tagagawa ng thesis ng ibang estudyante ay pinatulan ko.
Nasaan ka? Bakit hindi ka pa umuuwi? I sent Vera a text message before I opened the main door.
"Ano ba naman 'to si Vera, napakakalat," I said out loud as I picked up pieces of clothing that were lying on the floor. "Hindi na lang idiretso sa lagayan ng maruruming damit, talagang kailangan pang ikalat sa sahig?" I said walking towards the bathroom where we keep our clothes hamper.
