UNTIL...
"SINONG NARIYAN?" Teka, kilala ko kung kaninong boses 'yun ah? Si ma'am Principal ba 'yun? "Ma'am?" Sigaw ko pabalik sa tao sa baba habang naka "shhh" sign ako para kay Jea. "Jane? Ikaw ba 'yan iha?" Nang ma-confirm kong si ma'am nga, hindi ko pa din pinakita si Jea. I can't risk it, mahirap na. Baka nasabihan na sya nung culprit namin. Tsaka why is she here on a sunday?
"Can i come up?" Tanong ni Ma'am Principal.
"Ay ma'am, pababa na din po kasi ako. May kinuha lang akong books dito." Dahilan ko pa sakanya.
Bago ako bumaba, sinenyasan ko si Jea na bumaba pag medyo nakalayo-layo na kami ni ma'am Principal.
Tapos nang makababa ako, nag-usap kami hanggang sa makarating na kami sa parking lot.
Lumilingon-lingon ako, baka sakaling makita ko si Jea na bumaba ng tree house at kung saan sya pupunta, para masundo ko sya ng kotse. Tapos napansin ako ni ma'am Principal.
"Jane? Is there something wrong?" Tanong ni ma'am Principal. "Ha? Po? Wala naman po ma'am. Bakit po?" Tanong ko pabalik. "Ah, kanina ka pa kasi palingon-lingon, is there something bothering you?" Umiling ako. "Nako ma'am, wala po. I'm totally fine. Worried lang ako kasi baka hindi ko nasarado ng maayos 'yung pintuan ko sa tree house." Pagsisinungaling ko ulit sakanya.
"Don't worry, i'll check it later." Pag assure pa sa'kin ni ma'am.
Hindi na din ako humindi kasi alam kong by that time, nakababa na si Jea.
"Teka ma'am, bago po ako umalis. May i ask bakit ka po nandito ngayong umaga? At sunday po?" Tanong ko.
"Ahhh, may program kasi kami bukas. Ako lang ang nauna sa other teachers. We will help the art club members na mag design ng buong school." Saad nito sa'kin.
"Ohh, ganon po ba? Eh hanggang anong oras po kaya kayo rito?" Tanong ko ulit sakanya. "Until matapos siguro namin 'yung designs for tomorrow." Sagot nya.
"Hmmm may maitutulong po kaya ako para mapabilis 'yung gagawin nyo?"
"Nako iha, 'wag na. Kaya na namin 'yun!" Sagot nya ulit sa'kin. "Hindi ma'am, ganito na lang. I'll pay a visit later mga lunch time. Mag n-nap lang ako sa hotel tapos balik ako dito with some foods with me. Paki dm na lang po kamo ako if ilan kayong total later?" Saad ko.
"No Jane, it's really ok--"
"It's okay ma'am, mamaya pa naman kami mag s-shoot ng madaling araw." Saad ko pa. "Is that so? Sige, i'll keep you in touch iha. Thank you."
Papasok na sana ako ng kotse nang bigla nya akong hawakan sa braso ko.
"Jane, i nearly forgot. My condolences." I smiled at ma'am principal then proceeds to enter my car.
Akala ko okay na ako, akala ko i moved on from that. Hindi pa pala.
Pumasok ako sa kotse tapos habang nagmamaneho ako at hinahanap ko si Jea, tinawagan ko muna si Paolo na agad naman nitong sinagot.
"Ate Jane? Bakit ka po napatawag?" Tanong ni Paolo. "Kamusta dyan? Kamusta sina nanay at tatay mo?" Tanong ko. "Ayos naman po, ito, wala rin po silang mga tulog." Saad nito.
"Oh, eh diba pinapunta ko na sila sa hotel? Bakit wala pa din?" Tanong ko ulit. "Bumalik po nung mga madaling araw eh. Hindi raw sila mapakali na ako lang daw po mag-isa ang nagbabantay."
Habang nagsasalita si Paolo, nakita ko na si Jea sa may back exit ng school. Titigil ko sana 'yung kotse pero umiling sya na huwag na, kaya nagpatuloy ako mag-maneho habang lumilingon ako sakanya.
Will she be okay?
"Ate Jane?" Oh, i totally forgot. Kausap ko nga pala si Paolo. "Yes? Sorry Pao, may kinuha lang kasi ako from the car." I said, explaining myself. "Bakit?" I asked.
"Ibababa ko na po 'yung tawag, kailangan ko pa po mag timpla ng kape para sa mga bisita." Pagpa-paalam nung bata sa'kin.
"Gusto mo ba tulungan kita? I'm just few blocks away lang naman from the chapel. Malapit-lapit na." Saad ko. "Hindi na ate, kaya ko na po. Konti lang rin naman po sila at nandito naman po si nanay at tatay." Sagot nya sa'kin. "Mag-pahinga ka na po muna ate Jane, alam ko pong pagod ka sa taping nyo." Dagdag pa ni Paolo.
"Thank you Paolo, i will. Just call me if you need anything ha?" I said, before ending the call.
Bakit kaya hindi sumakay si Jea at sinenyasan ako palihim na dumiretso na lang?
May nalaman kaya sya?
JANELLA'S POV
I CAME BACK INSIDE, but this time, i entered at the main entrance. The guard saw me and he also let ma'am Principal knows that i'm here. Besides, it would be too obvious if i entered Jane's car and anyone can see us because it was outside. "Oh? Janella you're at bad timing." Ma'am principal said, before hugging me. I hugged her back while i answer, "hmmm? Why is that, ma'am?"
"Jane had just recently left. It was about 10 minutes ago? Hindi mo na naabutan." She said, as if i didn't know.
"Ma'am please don't ever mention her again to me." I said with a cold tone of my voice. "Why iha? Did something happen?" She asked. "Unfortunately, i can't say ma'am principal." I answered.
Well, that is just a part of my act, so that we wouldn't be too obvious.
"Oo nga pala iha, do you mind if i ask why are you here?"
"Sorry it's a late notice, so i haven't seen my yearbook picture. I recently just remembered it but i got busy. Is it possible if i take it now?" I asked.
"Yes it's possible. Pasensya na at hindi kita na-remind about that, the last time you were here." She said. "It's no problem ma'am. So shall we?" Ma'am principal nodded and led the way.
When we got at her office, she quickly opened a cabinet. But she's kind of... Hiding something?
Well, maybe it's just me so i just ignored it.
After a minute, maybe two, ma'am principal has finally found my graduation pic.
It was my bitchy era. Ahh, it's great to reminisce the past.
"How about kay--"
"Ma'am." I said, cutting ma'am principal's words off. I already told her not to mention Jane's name.
Maybe she had just forgotten it?
"Oo nga pala, sorry iha i forgot." Yes, i knew it.
"Ma'am may i ask on why you're here on a sunday morning early?"
"The art club members including the teachers and principal are decorating the school to a halloween party for tomorrow night."
"Well, you can join the halloween party bukas kung gusto mo. Joshua will also attend it." Joshua will attend the halloween party? Why?
"Po? But when did Joshua graduated in here?"
"Same year as you and Jane graduated." Oh, maybe he's a transferee? Or what?
"How come i didn't noticed him?" I said, asking. "That's because minsan lang sya pumapasok." Ma'am principal answered.
Ohhh, that's why. I bet he also didn't know that i am a part of his batch.
"Nag summer class lang sya kaya sya naka-graduate. Nai-habol nya 'yung mga kulang nya." I see.
Well, that's a good story. I think it's time to help them from what they're doing.
"Hey!!" I said, greeting the art club members which are the students and also the teachers with a happy voice and also with a happy face.
"Uy? Si Janella ba 'yun?" I heard them mumbling and whispering, while the others are starstrucked.
"Si Janella nga! Omg ang ganda nya sa personal!" The other one said, so i chuckled.
"So what can i do here?" I said, asking them with a smile, still.
"You can um gupit gupit this and bigay this to the ma'am over the counter." Everyone laughed at the girl who spoke to me. "I can understand tagalog, i just speak english because i don't buwol-buwol (bulol bulol) " then, everyone laughed at me in an instant.
"Bulol po miss Janella." The student said, correcting me. "See? That's what i'm telling you guys." I said, then laughed along with them. "Well i can speak tagalog for today only if you guys want?" I said, offering them. "Mas maganda po siguro 'yan, kasi mas maiintindihan ka namin miss Janella HAHAHA." The girl said, before laughing again.
"Okay then, susubusukan ko." I said, proudly. But then they all laughed again. "Susubukan po, miss Janella." The girl said, correcting me again.
Gosh, i realized that it's humiliating when you speak a language that you don't know how to speak well.
But it's fun that i'm making these highschool, senior high and college laugh.
And i think they all joined forces because the school is quite big.
They said that they already finished designing at the elementary and highschool building which is here. While these papercrafts that we're doing right now is for the university, which is the school for senior high and college. It's just a few blocks away from here so it's not that hassle to bring this all up there.
But i suggested that we shall to this there so that we can put these up into the gymnasium while we're crafting it.
" 'Yun nga po sana gagawin namin miss Janella eh, kasi katatapos lang rin po namin dito ngayon. Nag f-fill up lang po kami ng tatlong box ng mga na-craft na para dikit na lang po agad." The boy student said. "Well, let's do that. I think mas mabilibis 'yun?"
"Mabilis po miss Janella." The boy whispered, then i felt him laughing at me silently.
Gosh, speaking tagalog is hard when you aren't mad pala, 'noh?
I think getting mad is one of my superpowers because i can speak an entire language.
Just kidding.
I also texted Jane that i'm still in the school, helping the kids and will be at the other building of the school later.
She's not replying so i think that she's resting.
Well, before messaging her, i made sure that no one's looking and no one knows that i messaged someone.
"Ate Janella, will you be at the halloween party?" A highschooler asked. "Hmmm, i'll still think about it. Why, kiddo?" I asked.
"Well, i wanted to give you an invitation. Here!" She said, handling me the invitation. "Hmmm? Aren't you a sweetie? Why are you giving me this?"
"Because i thought that you're very pretty and i want you to be my trick or treating partner!" She said excitedly, then smiled at me so purely
"Aweee, you're so cute! ....but i'm sorry little one, i have to refuse." I said.
The kid's face got sad then asked me, "why po ate?"
"Because your party tomorrow is at 9am. I will be sleeping at that time because i have a taping later. But, i can attend the second halloween party which is from the senior high and college because it'll start at 6pm." The little girl nodded but still with a sad look on her face.
"Don't worry, i'll be making bawi. I'll take you on a mall, playground or in wherever you want, when ate Janella isn't busy na. Is that fine to you?" The girl's face suddenly got brighten so i think it's fine with her?
Well, i still need to contact her parents about this to make this happen but that won't be a problem.
She nodded afterwards so i patted her head.
Well, the time has come. The highschoolers needed to go home early.
They can't get inside the university due to strict rules, that's why when we're packing, i said my goodbyes to the little girl that i was talking to earlier, whose name is Viela.
"Bye Viela! Promise me that you'll be a good girl so that i can take you to the mall or the playground, okay?" She nodded, so i patted her head again. "That's a good girl." I said again.
After Viela left with her yaya and driver, i asked Ma'am Principal about Viela's personal information, such as Viela's mom's.contact number.
Luckily, they have Viela's house's phone number.
Well, that should be good.
And yes, i am serious in taking Viela outside.
I should tell Jane so that i can take her along with us.
I suddenly pictured us three, having a date outside...
Gosh! Why am i picturing us three right at this moment?!
Oh my, Jea, focus!
"Mom?"
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