The Whispers of Something Familiar

I lost my way

"You're here..." Amadea Isabelle Valencia whispered only to herself. Nakatanaw siya galing sa bintana ng kotse habang pinagmamasdan ang babaeng madalas niyang makita sa daan.

"... again." She added, not taking her eyes off from this human being who's currently feeding three stray dogs just beside the street where Amadea recently discovered a new shortcut road off to work. Dalawa sa aso ay kulay puti at ang isa naman ay three-legged dog na mayroong spots ng black.

Binagalan niya ng kaunti ang minamanehong sasakyan. Sa kanang bahagi ng kalsada ay mga nagtataasang damo at sa kaliwa naman ay bakanteng lote na malapit nang tayuan ng pabrika.

The woman has brown short hair curls and her skin is a bit tan. May dala rin itong bisikleta na ngayon ay nakasandal sa may light post.

She had no idea who that person is pero simula noong napadpad siya sa daan na ito ay palagi na niyang nakikita ang babae.

She's always at the same spot and she never misses a day. Kung hindi nagpapainom ng tubig sa mga aso ay nagbibigay din ito ng pagkaing nakabalot sa plastic. She fed them all at exactly the same time.

Amadea has never been this inquisitive to a person before. She's sometimes known for her snobbish behavior. Siguro dahil iyon din ang perception ng mga tao sa pamilya niya.

But this woman clearly got Amadea's attention. She thought that maybe it's because of the way she dressed up but no, it's not because of her plain white shirt and denim jumper pants.

Baka dahil sa maamo nitong mukha. At first glance, Amadea thought that this person is a boy just by the way she moves and carries herself. Pero maling-mali siya sa parteng iyon.

Amadea had friends and co-workers who are lesbians but none of them fuels up her curiosity the way this woman does.

Sa kaisipang ito ay hindi na niya namalayan na naka-full stop na siya sa tabi ng daan kung nasaan ang babae. The latter suddenly turned her head to where Amadea is.

Even if her car was heavily tinted, nakaramdam pa rin si Amadea ng kaba. The woman's eyes made her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She panicked.

"Shit." Pinaharurot niya agad ang sasakyan. Halos manigas na rin ang kamay at paa niya dahil sa matinding pagkagulat.

When she finally reached her workplace, naroon pa rin ang sunud-sunod na tahip ng kanyang dibdib.

"Good morning Ma'am, Mr. Garcia is already inside your office." Her Secretary greeted her cheerfully while handing a take-out cup of hibiscus tea.

Amadea was so engrossed by the woman on the street that she almost forgot her meeting with a potential client. She quickly took a sip at the small hole of the cup before handing it back to her Secretary.

"Ikaw na muna ang bahala sa deliveries. I'll go talk to Mr. Garcia alone then after the meeting, ibigay mo agad sa akin ang punch list."

"Yes Ma'am."

Hindi na siya nag-aksaya pa ng oras. She walked briskly until she reached the end of the room where her office is.

"Good morning Mr. Teofilo Garcia. I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Amadea instantly put her handbag at the side of her clear glass table. Binuksan niya agad ang laptop para ipakita sa kliyente ang presentation na ginawa niya kagabi.

"It's okay Ms. Valencia." Ngumiti ang matanda. "Take all the time that you need."

Mr. Garcia is the President of a full-service travel agency. Gusto nitong magpagawa ng interior design para sa nabili niyang unit sa Versailles Residences sa Mandaluyong.