Feather (Self-Published)

CH 8: Nudum Pactum

I knew that I shouldn't have let my temper get the better of me but I was already feeling like crap and Mr. Santander's insults weren't helping.

"My God, Juris, ano ba kasing ginagawa mo sa buhay mo?" I quietly asked myself and looked down when I felt a sting on my knee.

'Yung sanay na sanay ka nang nasasaktan kaya hindi mo na nararamdaman na nagkasugat ka pala?

I sighed briefly inspecting the gash on my knee.

"Who would have thought you'd end up like this, Juris?"

I used to be a girl with big dreams – graduate from college Summa Cum Laude, get into an excellent law school, top the Bar exam, get a high-paying job, buy my condo unit, get myself a car, get married to a doctor or a lawyer, then have beautiful kids. And it took me many nights and countless tears to come to terms with my new reality – the one where going to law school wasn't an option because there were bills to be paid, debts that I inherited by default to be settled, and countless sacrifices to be made.

"You are jobless starting today, Juris," I murmured to myself just as the elevator door slid open. "Great job at being a failure. You are fucking your life really good."

"Good morning po, Ma'am Juris," Kuya Rico, one of the company's messengers, greeted me as I got off the lift.

I automatically returned his smile. "Good morning po, Kuya."

"May ipapa-receive po akong parcel para kay Mr. Santander, Ma'am. Pero, mukhang palabas po kayo. Sige lang po idaan ko po muna sa ibang floors itong mga 'to, mamaya na po ako aakyat sa itaas."

"Or pwede rin pong iwan n'yo na lang po sa mesa ko kung wala po ako mamaya sa itaas."

"Okay po, Ma'am Juris," Kuya Rico said before stepping inside the lift.

I did not have any intentions of going back but I was stupid enough not to take my bag with me when I left. And I did not want to retrieve said bag because I was afraid that Satander, being the vengeful jerk that he is, would challenge me to a showdown and I might just take him up to it.

"Mamaya magilitan mo pa ng leeg 'yung tarantadong 'yun, wala kang pampiyansa," I murmured to myself before I sighed. "Hay, Juris, mag-asawa ka na lang kaya ng foreigner para may bubuhay na sa'yo at makaalis ka na sa impiyernong 'to—ang ganda ng mga plano mo sa buhay talaga, 'no, Juris? 'Yun lang din pala ang pangarap mo ay sana ay hindi ka na nag-inarte sa harap ng boss mo at tinanggap mo lang lahat ng ka-bullshit-an n'ya."

I could take insults and I could say that I am rather good at dishing them, too. And since my parents died, I had learned to humble myself just so my sister and I would have something to eat.

But, if there was something I couldn't stand, it would be an injustice – I couldn't just sit still when I see or hear one. And Satander threatening to devalue a friend's hard work and even kicking him out of the company just because he could really set me off.

"Napaka-immature! Sarap isalaksak sa banga 'tapos ay pausukan!" I grumbled as I crossed the street.

"Oo na, Sir, aliping sagigilid n'yo lang kami pero tao kami, ano! Mga taong kayang-kaya n'yong sipain palabas ng kumpanya n'yo!"

After that outburst and the walk-out that followed, I knew that there was no going back — I had crossed the Rubicon and was officially a part of the jobless population.

"Pero, paano kung kasuhan kaya n'ya talaga ako? Makapag-load nga ng pang-data mamaya para ma-search ko 'yung location ng Public Attorney's Office..."

The thought of being in a legal battle with my boss who has unlimited financial resources filled me with dread and I gave myself a hard mental shake.

Tama na, ginusto mo 'yan, panindigan mo!