1 // The Coffee That Started It All
"Suspended ka, Vie."
"What? Tita, in-explain ko naman po kung bakit ko ginawa 'yon. That guy broke your daughter's heart. Anak mo, Tita Lar, anak."
Hindi ako pwedeng ma-suspend. Masusumbong na naman ako nito kay Mom! Inulit ko na lang tuloy kay Tita Lar ang kwento sa pangalawang beses, pero mukhang hindi pa rin siya natinag.
"Tita, go ask Jules about her first heart break and tell her about the heroic exploit I did. Matutuwa 'yon panigurado," I said smugly.
"May boyfriend na ang pinsan mo. Wala na iyong pakialam sa mga naging nobyo niya. So you, young lady, are still suspended. And I am telling your mom about it tonight."
Sabi ko na, e.
Have you ever been in a scene where everything went slow motion because you know that fate is about to ruin your life?
Me? Well, this was it.
"No, Tita!" Kumapit ako sa bisig niya at inalog-alog ang kaluluwa niya. "No, please! Please!"
"Viennica! Itong coffee, sayo ko naman ibuhuhos," banta ni Tita, at syempre tumigil naman ako. Kumukulo kaya 'yong tubig.
"Kasi, Tita, please. Ayokong humarap sa bahay kung hindi ko rin mare-redeem ang sarili ko sa mata ng aking ina. Kaya kung maaari lamang ay huwag mo na akong parusahan."
I thought I was doing a good job at acting but then I was slapped with the reality that I wasn't. Tinapunan ako nang kaunting tubig ni Tita Lar sa paa. Damn, that was hot!
"Ouch! Meanie aunt."
Kinagabihan ay hindi pa rin nire-relieve ni Tita Lar ang suspension ko kaya bored ako. Jules was out of town with her blocmates. Buti pa siya, masaya. Ako, bored. Hays.
I was binge-watching Supergirl when Tita sent me a message. And dudettes, I was not very happy about the deal she's proposing.
Tita Lar
Apologize to Jerrick and I won't tell your mom about your mischief.
This was one of the times where I wished I was Supergirl or maybe Hulk. There's no way I would apologize to that Jerkrick, my friends. Hindi ako ang sinaktan niya, but when Jules told me about their story, I was angry and broken for my cousin.
And before I could remember something that might tear me up, I left my room. Actually this was Kuya Lenard's room, but he wasn't living here anymore because he's married, so I guess this one's mine now. Plus, Tita said I could do anything I wanted with the place. So, mine.
Maraming estudyante ang nag aaral sa coffee shop nang dumaan ako. I saw Tita and the other baristas working extra hard since exam week ngayon sa university. Our place is strategic because we're practically inside the university campus.
Alas siete at wala nang tao ngayon sa labas. This was a week to study and I was thankful for the silence tonight. Naglakad ako hanggang sa makakita ako ng bench. Sinubukan kong mag aral and I lasted an hour reading and then I was good to go.
Matalino naman din ako kaya okay lang maging tamad minsan. Oy, si Tita Lar na ang nagsabi na matalino ako, ah. 'Wag ano dyan. And so I thank the genes of my parents for that. And their ancestors, of course.
Lumipat ako ng lugar. Napadpad ako sa Oval field kung saan ginaganap ang karamihan ng sports event ng university. May kumpol ng mga estudyanteng nasa unipormeng pang-soccer at nageensayo pa rin hanggang ngayon.
Pinanood ko sila habang naglalaro. May cute kasi akong nakita. Minsan lang naman ako kiligin, tsaka nakapag aral naman na ako. Reward ko na 'to, please?
I wasn't very close to the players but I was spotting the guy who's not in a uniform. I'm not sure if he's even a soccer player because he couldn't play well at all.
Natawa ako nang sumubok siya sa isang move na ginawa ng isang player. He struggled but it was really cute. Nadala pa ako sa pagtawa niya kada kinakantyawan siya ng iba niyang kasama.
I like this newbie guy. Cute niya from afar.
I rushed back to Café Mostaccio at eight-thirty. Maagap pa ako bukas dahil may exams. At tsaka plano ko pa talaga na pilitin si Tita Lar na alisin ang suspension ko. I liked working at the café.
I was too distracted by the guy I saw last night that I forgot Tita's warning about telling my mom the bad thing I did.
Not super sure if Tita will actually do it because you know Filipino moms have a habit of saying crazy stuff to kids. But if she really does, then this was it. This is where my story ends.
Fin.
Well, okay, not really. Hindi ako papayag na maka-isa iyong Jerkrick na 'yon sa ginawa niya kay Jules and at the same time sabotage my life. Binastos niya pa ako kanina.
"That's your problem, Vie, you can't apologize for your faults. That was your Tita Lar's customer. And pouring coffee on anybody was never a thing that a prim lady would do."
Napasipa ako. Buti na lang hindi natamaan 'yong flower pot ni Tita.
Umupo ako sa gutter at inilipat ang phone sa kaliwa kong tainga.
"But mom, I'm not ready to be a lady, let alone prim. At this age I'm still your little girl and I am enjoying my youth. Because, mom, come on? What's not to love about youth?" I said in a duh tone, because duh.
She was pretty wild herself back then, according to my dad. Akala ko mage-gets na ako ng aking ina dahil sa sinabi ko. But when I heard nothing from the other line for five seconds I already knew I lost the battle. Well, I've disappointed my mother, yet again. Not much I could do.
"Mom, I gotta go. May exam pa po ako. I'll call whenever I can." Or maybe when I got jailed or something.
She said a word but I wasn't able to catch it since I already hit end. I love her, but sometimes she could really be tough on the arse, you know.
Jules called me after my exams. Tinawanan niya lang ang ginawa ko sa ex niya.
"Ginawa mo talaga 'yon? Gaga ka talaga! Kaya ka pagalitan lagi ni Tita, eh," she guffawed.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking." I rolled my eyes behind the scene. "Pero uy, i-goodshot mo naman ako sa Mom mo, oh. Suspended kasi ako sa cafe dahil sa ginawa ko—to which I'd like to debate on why, because I've only been a hero."
"Like I could do something about it. When she says no, it'll always be a no. Mag-sorry ka na lang kasi kay Jerrick. It's easier."
"Easier your face, Jules! Sige na kasi!" I cried.
"You really want me to help you?" I could sense her smiling from the other line. Seryoso!
"Malamang, diba?"
"Okay, I'll text you something later. Bye!" She was laughing when she ended the call. I called again but her line went out of reach.
I allotted majority of my free time working in the cafe because that's where my mom's going to be glad about, I think. Pero dahil ngayong suspended ako, wala akong magawa.
I'm walking around the campus because I had nowhere else to go. I asked Cara where they were and she said they were chilling at Mostaccio. Oh, great. Just great.
"May sinabi sa akin si Jules. Ang loka loka mo talaga!" Bungad na bati sa akin ni Lesly. She and Cara were Jules' classmate at one course during freshmen year. They clicked and now they're my friends, too, unfortunately.
"Enough about that, please. I just had a tough night." Kunwari pa'y stressed ako. Inilagay ko pa ang daliri ko sa sentido ko.
"Bakit ba kasi affected na affected ka, Vie? As if you saved your cousin from misery. That was her past, not yours. Suspended ka tuloy. Wala tuloy akong extra chocolate syrup," nakangusong sabi ni Cara. Tinanggal ko ang salamin niya at awtomatiko siyang nainis. It's definitely grade-less.
"Seriously, stop doing that!"
"I will if you drop the topic." I rolled my eyes. "But to my defense, he really did deserve it. Like he's a hundred percent deserving."
"Masyado kang troublemaker," commented Cara.
"I find adventure in troubles. I don't dwell in innocent sea. I ought to row my boat closer to the highest tide."
"Yeah, uhuh. And where did your amazing paradox lead you? That's right. You lost your parents' biggest client ever," Lesly reminded me.
"Alam ko naman 'yon. But then, you both also knew that the client's daughter was with my non-existent ex. I'm never going after them to apologize, baka ipa-salvage pa ako ni whiny girl."
"Vie, I know you love watching TV series, but please stop thinking it'll happen in real life—in your life. Goodness!"
I mimicked Cara's grumpy face.
"Okay, okay! Natakot lang ako. Pero tapos na, everything's already over and it's not like I could do anything about it." I shrugged.
"I know you say you won't do it but just try calling your ex and ask for a polite relationship. You two will then be friends again and you will get your parents' client back."
Napatingin ako sa counter sandali nang tanguan ako ni Tita Lar. That's my escape from these creatures I called friends.
"Asking for forgiveness from the people you hurt because they hurt you is not a priority. I can say sorry, don't worry, I'm still human. But I also know that I don't have to apologize all the time, especially when it's out of my will."
The metal bars on the entrance door chimed and I couldn't help but to take a peek on the customer who walked in. Golly shiz!
"Sounds like trouble," Cara announced with a too-bad-I-don't-have-a-popcorn-because-this-is-gonbe-a-blockbuster-movie face.
I love both of them, but sometimes they're too evil for me! Okay, maybe I am evil-er.
Could someone please tell me where I can score a ticket to a different universe? Somewhere where I'm a nice person despite the planet being cruel?
"Serve Jerrick and be nice. This is your chance to apologize."
Wala talaga akong narinig sa sinabi ni Tita. Because the moment she said his name, I was forcing myself not to say something like, "No, Tita. You pronounced it wrong, it should be Jerkrick."
Pero syempre hindi ko sinabi. Mamaya ay isumbong na naman ako nito kay mother dear. Baka bukas-makalawa itakwil na ako noon.
"If you want to make it to our nearing family dinner peacefully then you need to say your apology. I'll give you this chance if you want your job back, Vie," Tita Lar sharply said before making her exit. I even saw Tita smiled to Jerkrick before she completely disappeared. God, I hope I disappear.
I put on my apron that I surprisingly missed and faced the jerk, I mean Jerkrick. Gee, I know it's Jerrick!
Pumwesto ako sa counter at hinarap siya nang may buong tapang. Pinilit kong ngumiti kahit sa totoo lang, gustong gusto nang bumagsak ng dalawang gilid ng labi ko. I cringed when he took his sunglasses off because he looked like he wanted to do something horrible to me. I mean, I cannot reside on the excuse that he's drunk. Because, people, he wasn't drunk anymore!
"Good morning, dude, I mean, Sir! May I take your order?" I spoke without looking at him. Kunwari ay may pinipindot ako sa touchscreen. Narinig ko pa ang tawa ng dalawa kong kaibigan. Enjoy sila, ah!
Why was this so difficult?
Sana pala nilagyan ko na lang ng laxative ang coffee niya. That would spare me from this misery. But then the blame will be on the café and Tita Lar so, sige na nga, ako na lang ang aako.
"May I take you out?"
Napanganga ako. I literally gaped. Not sure if I heard it right, but I wasn't part of the menu.
Walang hangin at hindi pa-presko ang tono niya, and it got me scared a little. Konti lang naman, pero takot pa rin ako. Maybe it was okay to kill him when he's being such a douche, but right now he looked so serious that I might mistake him as someone who's not Jule's ex-boyfriend.
Kasi, seryoso, he's hot but... I mean, what the hell?
"Miss... Viv?" he called, still so serious. Still, hooooo...
I am not adding the letter T.
"I'm sorry, what's your order again, Sir?" I smiled widely, trying to pretend I didn't just hear what he said.
He sighed and answered, "One gagoccino and one Viv, both to-go."
"Coming right up!" I tried to register his order before I could realize what he said.
And there it was, my friends erupting in laughter, as I was developing a habit of literally gaping at everything this guy had to say. Tiningnan ko siya at mukhang wala siyang balak bawiin ang sinabi niya. Shit, I need a cheat sheet for this! Hindi nakasama sa kwento ni Jules kung nananakit ba 'tong ex niya physically!
Doomed na ba ako?
Nangangalo ang mata niya as if he's bored and uninterested with anything in the world but his coffee and his desire to strangle me.
Doomed na talaga?!
Mabagal kong ginawa ang kape niya. Mabuti na lang ay walang nakasunod sa kanya sa pila. At least I could delay the imminent danger of yours truly.
Ito na yata ang pinakamabagal kong pag-gawa ng kape. Ito na rin siguro ang pinaka-accurate kong timpla base sa proseso ng paggawa. Hindi ko 'to ginawang perpekto para sa kanya, ha. In fact, may kasamang sama ng loob ang timpla ko para sana mamaya sumama ang tiyan niya.
Humarap muli ako sa counter. Sinadya kong maliin ang pag-punch ng order niyang hindi ko naitama kanina para tumagal pa sana, pero ang beast ay hindi na talaga nakapaghintay. I heard collective gasps from my friends as Jerrick hopped over the counter. Siya na ang naglagay ng coffee clutch sa cup niya at tsaka nag-iwan siya ng pera sa counter bago ako hinigit palabas ng café.
It would be so much easier if this guy wasn't such a jerk and my cousin's ex, because I admit that the temperature of this lad was so much higher than his cappuccino.
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