♪♪May biglang kumislap sa mata ko, At nagsumayaw ang mga anghel sa aking likuran ♪♪Nang sinulyapan miminsan naman Ewan ko nga ba bakit nag-iba ♪♪
Puso'y kumaba ng nginitian, kaybilis naman♪♪ (OPM: Tuliro by Celeste Legazpi)
A/N: Thank you, contralto1997once again for the song suggest. sis maroons89, trying out daily but shorter update.
Engr. Eric was still explaining his answer to Maine's question when Richard returned to his seat.
"That's it. Hope I was able to answer your question, Ms. Maine. You did raise a valid point. Ikaw, Richard, anong tingin mo?"
"Sorry, no comment, hindi ko inabutan yung tanong." was his short reply.
Na-offend ko ba siya? Maine was doodling on her notebook as she took the implication of his response. She was engrossed in what she's doing and listening at the same time for his voice that she did not notice Ate Kai leaning and taking a peek at what she's writing/doodling.
"Kulang yan! Walang surname."
"Kai, may sinasabi ka?" Ms. Ruby interrupted, there's really no low volume with Ate Kai.
"Ay Ms. Rubuy wala po. Sinasabi ko lang dito kay Maine na kulang yung notes niya of the meeting. Nasa name of the attendees' pa lang po kasi siya. Isang pangalan pa lang po nasusulat niya. Ayun po oh, 2 Richard pa lang po nakasulat, kulang ng surname. Ano po ba mga apelyido n'yo mga ser?"
(A/N: Sino nagsulat dito ng pangalan ni crush sa notebook, itaas ang kamay!)
That got Richard's attention. Sa wakas ay tiningnan niya si Maine at napansin ang pulang-pulang mukha ng dalaga.
"Ay Ms. Kakai sorry, I forgot to give you my card earlier. I'll be the contact person." Eric stood up and gave his business card.
Kakai turned her attention to Richard, an eyebrow raised.
"Wala po akong business card, miss Kakai pero Faulkerson po ang surname ko. Jr. po ako."
"Maka-po ka naman wagas! Ginawa mo na nga akong ate kanina."
"Sorry, pero ganyan po talaga ako sa mga bagong kakilala ko. Kahit po sa mas bata sa akin. Force of habit. Magtanong pa kayo"
Mained dared not look at him and was anticipating anytime soon that he'll blurt out that they're actually acquainted. If the ground would open, she'll gladly jump before she dies of embarrassment. But he did not say antyhing.
"Okay gentlemen, if there's no more questions, we can proceed with the tour of the building. Kai, Maine, I'll take it from here. Thank you for attending the meeting."
Maine released the breath that she didn't realize she was holding. Just a minute more and her ordeal will be over.
Or so she thought. The three were about to go outside when the silence was interrupted.
"Ms. Ruby, WAIT!!!! PICTURES!" but of course it was Kakai again.
Ms. Ruby turned around. "What pictures?"
"Kailangan po natin ng pictures para sa article. To chronicle the renovation. Mala-Before and After ang dating."
"Oo nga naman. Tama ka Kai. What do you suggest then?"
"Ako pa ba, Ms. Ruby? Alam mo na, beauty and brains, parang tubig at langis lang yan. Sasamahan kayo ni Maine sa tour, siya ang kukuha ng pictures."
It was Maine's turn to glare at Ate Kai who continued innocently.
"O bakit? Sayang ang ganda ng phone mo teh! Siguradong may camera yan."
A/N: Let's talk, Ms. Kakai, magkakasundo tayo. Ang galing mo!
Left with no choice, Maine started gathering her things. "Ms. Ruby, una na po kayo. I'll be right behind you. Iwan ko lang po sa office itong mga gamit ko."
She saw Richard hesitate to leave, but followed when the two got out of the room.
"O siya, sumunod ka na. Ako na bahala diyan sa bag mo. Parang gusto mo na yatang umuwi."
Kakai stared at the simple yet elegant handbag when it was handed to her for safekeeping. "Wow! Original ba ito, teh? Yayamanin ka ha!"
Shoot! She forgot to change her bag. "Ah, it's a knock-off, triple A, from Greenhills. Thank you, I'll go ahead." Mental note to self, added an item to her shopping list.
A/N: Hehe, Ms. Maine, tandaan mo, diyosa yan, wala kang lusot
-------------------
Medyo naguluhan si Richard nang kaunti.
Sinulat yung pangalan ko? Pulang-pula ang mukha? So hindi siya immune sa 'kin. Then why pretend na hindi kami magkakilala?
"Ehem, Richard, tinatanong ka ni ma'am Ruby."
"Sorry ma'am, I was admiring your surroundings. Ang ganda po dito sa school n'yo. Ano po yung tanong n'yo?"
A/N: Umayos ka na Ritsard. Unahin mo ang trabaho! Mabubuko ka na.
______________
The tour went smoothly. Maine discretely followed from behind, trying to make herself inconspicuous and taking one or two pictures every floor as Ms. Ruby points out certain features of the building they want changed.
She intently listens, liking the idea and what they want to do, more and more. She can just picture it in her mind. The building will look great once the renovation is completed. All they need is one great interior designer who will bring their vision to reality for the finishing touches. Something that the children will love.
No other untoward or embarrassing moment happened. Since she's not part of the discussion and just merely documenting the tour, she kept silent and so Richard did too.
They were already on the top floor and Ms. Ruby was explaining that they like a themed-activity area for the children in this floor. After taking several photos, Maine left their side and explored the open area and started imagining how it will look like. She can see several possibilities.
Little did she know that a pair of curious eyes were stealing glances when she's not looking.
"We were hoping that the architect would give us several ideas on what to do with this floor, pero isa lang pala ang ginawa niya. But we're thankful just the same dahil pro-bono naman siya dito." Ms. Ruby explained while the two guys walk around the room
Hindi na nakatiis si Richard. Kanina pa siya nag-oobserve at sa mga kilos ni Maine, sigurado siyang may idea ang dalaga. "Bakit hindi po natin tanungin si Ms. Maine? Being a millennial, I'm sure may idea po siya."
Ms. Ruby got curious and in fact noticed how Maine was walking around too, touching the posts and looking up. "Maine?"
"Who? Me?" Not believing that she's being included in the discussion. She stammered but saw the encouragement in his eyes.
"Aaahmm, I was just thinking. You can make this area more interactive? Something that will pique the mind of the kids. Just like how they do it in science museum like The Mind Museum in BGC."
"Kung ikaw ang magdedesign sa floor na 'to Ms. Maine, how will you do it?" Richard prodded her on.
"I will knock down the walls and really make this an open area, where there can be several themes in each corner, like a forest theme. And I will let the sunshine in by extending and changing the roofline."
"Ibig mong sabihin not a flat rooftop?" This is getting interesting.
"Hmmm, you could say so. Puwedeng instead of flat rooftop, we can make the whole building Green and save on energy. We can install solar panels on the roof and make it pay for itself. If we're worrying about the costs, there are suppliers that will install solar panels for free in exchange for the savings on electricity as payment."
"That's great Maine! Sa description mo pa lang, na-iimagine ko na. Ikaw na lang kaya kumausap sa architect natin? Gentlemen, you get the idea? Kindly consider that also in the plans and estimation."
----------------
It was already 5pm and Maine decided to wait for her aunt by sitting on the bench near the playground. She watches the children play while they all wait for their sundo.
It's still daylight but the sky is starting to gradually change its color. Nod bad for her first day. She thought that she would have a hard time blending in being the introvert that she is but being with her Tita Terrie for the past week has prepared her in meeting new people.
Maybe because this is a school and a progressive school at that. The people are all welcoming especially Ate Kai. She might be boisterous but she's really a kindred spirit. Ate Kai and Tita Terrie will definitely hit it off if they meet.
And they have one thing in common, they are both pushing a certain guy to her attention.
Speaking of the guy, she got her phone out and reviewed the photos that she took earlier. These will go well with the article and though she doesn't want to admit it, she was very thankful that Ate Kai suggested documenting the tour in pictures. It allowed her to spend more time in his presence.
Even though it seems that I have offended him by not acknowledging that we know each other. No use crying over spilled milk. It seems he has accepted it and moved on. For him to just accept it that easy, it means I did not make that great impression with him. Ni hindi man lang ulit siya nag-try.
She absentmindedly pulled up a candid solo shot that she took. One advantage of being behind the camera. She zoomed in and just stared at the angelic face, touching his dimple.
"Ang dali mo namang sumuko! Nahiya lang naman kasi ako kanina, nag-give up ka na! Pero thank you na rin for asking me to explain my idea earlier and for encouraging me to elaborate further. First time ko yatang ginawa yon na hindi dahil graded recitation. Alam mo ba na you have a way of making people talk, just with your eyes. Kaya lang sayang, you didn't even say goodbye when you left. That means, hindi ka talaga interested. Your loss not mine. Haay, ang cute mo eh, no?"
A/N: Thinking out loud, Ms. Maine? Iba na yan!
Haay, what am I doing, talking to a photo on my phone. Anong ginawa mo sa 'kin Richard?
A voice suddenly intruded her solitude. "Bakit sayang? Pili ka, anong gusto mo? Nilagang mais, banana-q o turon? Hindi kita matiis eh."
She looked up and saw somebody who looks exactly like Richard offering merienda to her. How I wished..
Thinking that he was a figment of her imagination, she smiled.
(A/N: will look for a more appropriate photo, but bottomline, she smiled)
"Jusko! Totoba ba yung nakikita ko? NGUMITI KA! Wala nang bawian yan. Ngumiti ka na! Yes!"
She looked from the image in her phone and the "imaginary" Richard triumphantly throwing his fist in the air then looked at the "imaginary" plastic bag that he put down in the bench beside her.
She touched the plastic bag. It moved.
O.M. G.
(A/N; IYAM, pahiram po ha?)