AGS 1: The Love Investment (PUBLISHED)

55. The Bride

"Maraming reason pero alin doon?" dagdag niya. "Kasi he's so manly? He's rich? He's husband material?"

"Shai, if ever I'm gonna marry someone sa boys, I'll choose Ronie without a second thought," Tammi said as a matter of fact.

"Agree!" sabay-sabay nilang sinabi aside kay Ivory.

"Disregard the body, ha," Wynn said, "Ronie is so responsible kasi. 'Yon lang, he's not flirty. Somewhat a bore sa girls."

"Ronie really is boring," Heaven seconded. "He would ask you about numbers—not phone numbers but accounting! And you're like, 'What the fuck are you talking about?'"

"True!" they said again in chorus, followed by laughter.

"Did he ask you about numbers, Jae?" Shai asked and peered at my half-set face.

"Yes, always."

"Nakakatagal ka?" nakangiwing tanong ni Wynn.

"I handle his financial accounts and books. Most of his records, ako ang nagmo-monitor. So, yes, his digits are my business."

"Oh! Wow!"

"Really?"

"Shocks, now I know."

"O, alam n'yo na kung bakit pinakasalan!" sabi ni Wynn habang tinuturo ang mga kasama namin. "Nakaka-gets ng numbers, girls!"

"You do accounting?" Tammi asked, and her cringe was visible.

"Yes! But Rico's financial prowess is a different matter. Iba pa rin kapag siya ang humahawak ng pera."

"Pinagbayad ka na ba niya ng meal?" tanong ulit ni Shai.

"Noong first business date namin, he said short siya ng budget, so I paid for our meal."

"Sa Shangri-La?" sabay-sabay nilang tanong.

"Sa Shangri-La," pag-ulit ko sa sinabi nila. "Wait. Do you know about that?"

Nagtawanan sila nang sabay-sabay. Ako naman ang nagtaka kasi hindi ko makuha kung saan doon ang nakakatawa.

"Girl, lahat kami, nai-date ni Ronie," pag-amin ni Tammi. "Grabe, sobrang na-turn off ako sa kanya at that time. I said pa in the back of my mind, 'So poor naman this guy, social climber ba 'to?'"

"Same!" Shai exclaimed. "He's so kawawa pa namang tingnan. I thought, 'Hey, you're friends with Calvin. You must be rich.' Then he couldn't even pay for a six-thousand-peso meal. Gosh talaga, sobrang awkward makita ang face ng waiter habang nagbibilang siya ng twenty-peso bill sa table then he make hingi for another two thousand from me. Like . . . excuse me, sir? Do you want me to make bayad for your meal? Uh, no, duh!" She even clicked her head, doing her bitchy gestures while pouting.

"Noong date naman namin, he asked if okay lang na KKB kasi nag-iipon daw siya pambili ng iPhone," Heaven told us while she fixed my contour. "And I said pa in front of him, 'Is that even my business?' Kasi, di ba, if you can't pay for the meal, then don't ask me sa 5-star resto. I can eat naman sa Wendy's. Why force yourself to show off kung hindi mo naman afford."

"Ako nga, inaya sa isawan," sabi ni Wynn. "And at that time, kababalik ko lang from Canada. I shouted talaga, 'What's isawan?' 'Cause, hello? I grew up abroad. Sa mga beki friend ko nga lang nalaman what is isaw."

"But Rico is rich as hell," depensa ko sa kanila. "He could buy the whole place kung gugustuhin niya."

"Late na naming nalaman ang tungkol diyan, girl," sabi ni Wynn na nandidilat ang mata sabay isang iling.