17 // Anything's a Wingman
Every time that Mostaccio is being cleaned, Tita Lar makes sure to involve me and Jules. She said it's for discipline and all. That even if our whole family is well-off, we would appreciate all jobs no matter what it is.
Pol also helped with everything café-related. He has grown in this place, that's why he's basically a family to us. He somehow became Tita's trusty son after Kuya Lenard got married.
"I'll be grumpy this morning. Just a heads up," sabi ko kay Jules.
Hindi niya ako tinantanan kaninang madaling araw! Ang gulo niya sa kwarto ko, as in ang daldal niya. Tanong nang tanong kung anong update sa nonexistent love life ko.
"I only needed one answer. Duh. His name would have sufficed," sabi niya.
Nakahiga pa rin ako sa kama ko. Nagtakip ako ng unan sa mukha.
"Hoy tumayo ka na dyan! Cleaning crew are already in the café."
"One hour more," I requested.
"You don't deserve it."
"Oo na! Wala na akong deserve sa life," I said through muffled voice.
Jules snatched my pillow and threw it across the room. Next thing I knew, she's pulling me by my legs to glide me off the bed.
I fell on my butt. Inayos ko buhok ko at umismid.
"Why do you hate me all?"
Umirap siya. "Stop self-pitying. We've got a café to clean."
Nang lumabas siya tsaka ko tiningnan ang oras. It's just nine a.m. and I think I slept at five. This is really gonna be a good good day.
After a quick shower, I ate light breakfast and went to the cafe. Nakasalubong ko pa ang ilang cleaning crew na inilalabas ang mga kahon ng glassware.
I smiled briefly, tapos nawala agad iyon nang maglakad ulit ako. I scanned the area to look where I could help.
Nakita ko si Jules na tumutulong sa paglalabas ng mga chairs. Lumapit ako sa kanya pagkapasok niya ulit ng cafe para kumuha ulit ng upuan.
"Where's Pol?" I asked.
"Garden. Mom asked him to do a mini-coffee setup there so we could give coffees to the crew."
I saw art pieces on the floor waiting to be placed inside a box. Doon ako pumwesto, and one crew arrived to help me but I told him that I could do it alone. Nahihiya kasi sila na tumutulong kami as an extra manpower yet the charge is still the same. We're fine with that, it's no big deal.
Nagpaiwan ako kasi mas marami pang dapat ayusin sa stockroom, and that's also where the sanitation needs to be at maximum.
"Gusto mo siyang tulungan? Nandun sa loob, hirap na hirap na," I heard Jules said from the outside.
Lumingon ako. May awang sa pinto kaya mahina ko siyang narinig.
"Okay." Tumango si Jerrick.
"Yeah, but don't let mom see you cleaning. She'll shoo you away."
"Really?"
"Yup. That's what she did to Chris when he tried to help her girlfriend in distress, which is moi."
Natatawa si Jerrick. Tinulungan niya si Jules ayusin ang mga upuan sa labas, pagkatapos ay lumingon siya sa gawi ko.
Bago pa magkatama ang tingin namin, umiwas na ako kaagad. Ginalingan ko na lang sa paglalagay ng mga miscellaneous stuff sa kahon.
"Vie, after that you should help Pol clean the entrance door," sabi ni Tita Lar nang lumapit siya.
Napanguso ako. I looked at one crew who were already looking at me. Tumawa lang siya at sinabi na pinagsabihan na siya ni Tita Lar na ako ang paglinisin noon.
"I already know the lesson of this activity, teacher. Can't you just let me off the hook?" as if a whiny child, mahina ko itong bulong.
"Viennica..." warned Tita.
I sighed. "Yes po, Tita."
All of our cousins should be here, too! Out of all of us, I think Jules and I were the only ones being disciplined like this. They should be, too, in an equal level. Si Baby Juju rin, isama na. Chos.
"Jerrick," masayang bati ni Tita. "Mostaccio is closed. Baka marumihan ka, hijo."
Binalikan niya ng masaya ring bati ang Tita ko. Tapos ay umupo siya sa sahig katabi ko.
"It's fine, Tita. Workout na rin po ito."
"No, no. My niece is trained to do that herself. You can go back on Monday."
Luh si Tita? Wala naman kaming free cleaning training dito.
Anyway, nagpatuloy pa rin ako sa ginagawa ko. I'm still feeling quite low 'cause of lack of sleep. I need to recharge later.
Kung bakit ba naman kasi lately ay hindi ako makatulog kaagad! Even eerie's words don't have any effect on me now. It doesn't put me to sleep at all, like it used to.
"Café is still closed po tomorrow?" he asked, a bit concern.
I shook my head. Burgis. Hindi mapakali sa 3-in-1 na kape.
"Tomorrow will be the rest day of most staff. Bukas din ang dating ng mga stock na naubos noong nakaraan. That's why we'll do inventory tomorrow the whole day."
Isinara ko ang box na tapos ko nang ayusin. Tita Lar may have said that I'm trained to do this, pero really, wala akong idea! Hindi ko nga talaga sure kung ilalagay ba itong mga nilagay kong bagay sa box e. I acted through instinct. Wala namang sumita sa akin so kebs na.
"Ilalagay din ba 'to sa kahon?" Itinuro ni Jerrick ang mga natitirang art pieces sa sahig.
"Not sure, pero hindi ka rin naman pwedeng maglinis."
Kinuha ko sa kamay niya ang isang vintage teacup. Then I started to organize the stuff again inside the box.
Tumayo ulit siya. Baka uuwi na.
"Let me help," he said instead. "Please, Tita?"
"Ang batang 'to," napailing si Tita. "Okay, but you don't have to tire yourself. Stop whenever."
Tiningnan ko agad ang tiyahin ko. "Tita, what about me?"
I am your star niece, you should act like that to me.
Inilingan lang ako ni Tita. Lumabas na siya at nagmando ng mga taong doon naglilinis.
Bumalik sa pagkakaupo si Jerrick sa tabi ko tsaka siya malambing na bumati, "Hi."
I cleared my throat. Kinilabutan ako, parang need ko ng tubig.
"Nakatulog ka ba? Ang lalim ng eyebags mo," sabi niya sabay tawa.
"Ikaw din naman," I scoffed.
"Wala ah. Nasaan?" natatawa niyang hamon.
Edi tumingin ako sa kanya at pinanlakihan siya ng mata. Ang lalim din kaya ng eyebags niya... pero bagay sa kanya.
I don't know, it didn't make him look less attract—
"Ayan o, ayan..." sabi ko. Sinubukan kong pindutin ang eyebags niya pero hinuli niya lang ang hintuturo ko.
Natatawa niyang sinalubong ang mukha ko. "Where is it, Vie? Point at it."
Sinubukan ko ulit gamit ang kaliwa ko namang kamay, but he just caught it again. Ngayon ay hawak na niya ang pareho kong kamay.
"Where?" ulit niyang tanong.
Nangalo ang mata niya, parang nahawa pa ako. Kinagat niya ang labi niya at lalo akong—
"I'm cleaning! Don't interrupt me," naiinis kong sabi.
Ngiting ngiti siya nang makatayo ako. "This ain't even cleaning. Naglalagay ka lang ng gamit sa kahon."
I set one box aside with my foot. Ngayon ay isa na lang ang kulang. Dahil gusto naman niyang tumulong, siya na lang doon!
"It's still called cleaning." Sarkastiko akong ngumiti.
Saktong maglilinis na ako ng entrance door ng Mostaccio ay dumating si Pol galing backdoor. I clapped my hands to get his attention.
"Dito daw tayo, Pol!" Itinuro-turo ko pa ang lilinisan namin.
Tumango siya sa akin. Nilapitan niya ang isang crew para itanong kung nasaan ang gagamitin naming panlinis.
Thinking about it, pati si Pol ay idinadamay ni Tita rito. His family is well-off, too, that I don't think he cleans at home. But he's technically Tita Lar's son, so he's got no choice. Hindi rin naman siya umaangal kaya tuwang tuwa sa kanya si Tita.
"Just in one direction?" paguulit ni Pol sa sinasabi sa kanya ng crew. "Okay, sige po. Salamat."
Kumuha ako ng upuan para maabot ang pinakataas na parte ng pinto. Pagkalapit ni Pol ay ibinigay niya sa akin ang cleaning solution at ang pamunas.
"Do you want to exchange? Mas madali itong squeegee, ako na ang magpupunas ng solution," alok ni Pol.
"Ih, hindi na." Nagsimula na ako.
Inuna ko ang itaas na parte. Dahil inaabot ko iyon ay nababasa nang kaunti ang braso ko sa tumutulong solution.
Habang nagpupunas ako ay may naisip ako.
"Uy Pol!" I called excitedly. Napapikit pa siya dahil may konting tumalsik na bula sa mukha niya. Nahihiya akong ngumiti. "Oops, sorry."
Pinalis niya 'yon tapos walang ganang tumingin sa akin. "Ano?"
"Picturan mo ako dali! Maglilinis ako tapos picturan mo ako nang stolen."
Itinulak ko siya nang konti kasi mas okay ang angulo kapag medyo malayo.
"Labas mo na phone mo para magpo-pose na ako."
"What?" Nanliit mata ni Pol at kumunot noo niya. "What for? Vie, I don't have my phone with me right now."
"Eh isesend ko kay mother dear. Kasi nga diba, you know..." nagtaas-baba ako ng kilay.
"Where's your phone? I'll use yours."
Napaisip ako. "Dead batt yata e. Wala naman kasi akong katext."
After I saw everything about Wyatt on Harriet's social media accounts back then, I was mentally crushed. Since that day, I kept on checking for updates, and every time there's new post... it got me broken over and over again.
Kaya dati pinigilan ko nang gumamit ng social media. I even got tired of texting. If it's important, my family knows that they needed to call me, or the person I might be with. Otherwise, they won't hear from me.
And they like to hear from me, because who doesn't. Wink wink.
"Use mine," Jerrick said, offering his phone to Pol.
Napangiwi ako. Nahihiya na naman akong ngumiti. "Hindi na. Mamaya na lang pagkakuha ko ng phone ko."
Kinuha pa rin ni Pol iyong phone.
"Your battery's dead? Ichacharge mo pa. Ito na lang," sabi ni Pol. Umayos siya ng angulo at itinaas ang phone ni Jerrick. "O, pose na."
Tawang tawa siya habang naghihintay sa akin.
Sinubukan kong makababa agad mula sa upuan. Muntik na akong ma-out of balance. Bawal akong matumba. Dapat kasi kung matutumba ako, may leading man ako ng sasalo sa akin. Tapos dapat gwapo.
Tinakpan ko kaagad iyong lens ng phone.
"Akala ko ba stolen?" nangiinis na tumatawa pa rin si Pol. "Hindi 'yan stolen, Vie. Angry na 'yan."
Humahangos na dumating si Jules sa pwesto namin. Inabot niya kaagad ang phone niya kay Pol.
"Ayan pahiram ako ng phone, Jules!" I said.
"No, Cara's calling." Tumingin siya kay Pol. "Di ka daw sumasagot. Oh ayan, kausapin mo."
Pagkakuha niya noong phone ay tsaka niya inabot iyong kay Jerrick sa akin. Sabay sila ni Jules na lumabas ng café.
I wonder what happened to Cara. I hope she passed her exam. Kung hindi, mabubutas na naman ang bulsa namin doon because of buying food and things we think would console her. That's what happened the last time she failed because she got to class late during finals.
"I'll take your picture instead," sabi ni Jerrick pagkalapit.
Bigla akong tinubuan ng hiya.
Maingat kong binigay sa kanya iyong phone. "Sorry, nabasa yata."
"It's just a phone. Dito nag-sorry ka, pero nung buhusan mo ako ng kape..." natawa na lang siya.
I glared at him. Tumapak ulit ako sa upuan para magtuloy ulit sa paglilinis.
While I was at it, I heard the sound of the camera shutter.
"Oh, it's not on mute," nagtataka pa niyang sabi, but it didn't seem like a big deal to him that I heard it. "May isesend ka na sa mom mo. This is a legit candid shot."
Hinipan ko siya nang konting bula. "Delete mo 'yan!"
He laughed. "Sayang 'to."
"Delete mo na kasi!" I frowned. I'm worried what he might do with that. "Lagi mo na lang akong bina-bad shot."
Nagpunas ulit ako ng pinto. Nasa gitnang part na ako. Medyo nakayuko na ako dahil mas mataas na ako kapag nakatuntong sa upuan.
"Gusto mo ba maganda ka sa pictures?"
Umirap ako. "Duh?"
"Edi magpaganda ka muna," he snickered.
Umamba ako. "Aba't!"
"I'm not lying," patuloy niya pa. Ang laki ng ngiti niya.
Winisikan ko siya ng cleaning solution. Aba aba, at lumalayo pa siya ha. Tumatawa lang siya habang di ko siya maabot.
Bababa na ako mula sa upuan pero nadulas ako dahil nabasa na pala ang flip-flops ko. It's really slippery!
For the second time around today, I fell on my butt. This time, it hurt a little. Nabasa rin ang pwetan ko dahil basa na rin pala ang sahig.
Damn, I made a mess!
Nagpipigil ng tawa si Jerrick nang daluhan ako.
"What a klutz." Kinuha niya ako gamit ang braso ko. Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin pagkaangat niya sa akin.
Nakita ako ni Tita Lar mula sa labas. I think she saw my fall. She looked worried yet disappointed. Hmp! Asian moms! Nasaktan na nga me, ako pa ang may kasalanan?
Which, by the way, really was my fault. So, okay.
"Tita Lar said I should take you inside," sabi niya. Nakatingin din pala siya sa labas. Apparently, he's getting instructions from Madame Lar.
Tumayo ako. I know Pol can manage cleaning alone. I think he'll be more efficient without me.
I went for the backdoor to go home. Nakasunod si Jerrick.
"Nakakalakad pa rin ako," I pointed out. "Bakit ka nakasunod? Ano, bibihisan mo rin ako?" I said sarcastically.
Nakarating na kami sa living area when I realized what I said. He got awkwardly quiet so I got awkward, too.
"Uh, dyan ka na lang sa sofa."
Tumango siya. He sat there while I changed my pants. I changed into another track pants.
Binagalan ko paglilinis ng sarili. Because now I'm preoccupied of many thoughts that I didn't really want to think about.
Those thoughts are scary. I'm not sure if I am once again ready.
Meh. Maybe I'm still delusional, because who knows, right? That I might just be letting the history repeat itself.
Umupo ako sa malayong parte ng sofa after changing. We're at both ends of the seat.
"Sorry. Okay ka lang ba?" he asked sincerely. Pinatong niya ang kamay niya sa space na naghihiwalay sa amin.
"Naman."
"Why do you want to take a picture of you cleaning so bad?"
"Mom needs it," I just said.
"Okay?" he said to push me further.
I already told him half of my life right? This one's now easy to answer.
"Medyo naasar kasi nanay ko sa akin dati. Sabi ang kulit ko daw, parang hindi ako young adult and all." I rolled my eyes upon remembering it. "She said I need to act like one. Be responsible, be mature, mga ganyang adulting stuff."
"Can you, though?" He laughed. I glared. "Sorry. Ituloy mo na."
"Si Harriet talaga ang may kasalanan."
His eyebrows rose out of curiosity. "Bakit siya?"
"My parents are real estate brokers, and they had a big client back then. Who knew it was Harriet's parents as well, huh?"
"Anong era 'yan?"
"Moving on era na," I answered. "May meeting sina dad with her parents sa bahay. I wasn't aware of it, nagulat na lang ako nung dumating siya sa bahay with her parents."
Nakikinig lang si Jerrick. Saying this story wasn't hurtful as before. It felt like I already got the last ounce of venom out my system.
I'm already loving this light feeling. I need to protect myself to maintain this.
I continued, "Would you believe it when I say that she brought Wyatt to our house?"
"Ass." He scoffed. "He knew you were going to be at home?"
"Yeah. He's a family friend, alam niya ang takbo ng buhay namin. More so of my life."
"Did you happen to ask him how thick his epidermis was?"
Nakakunot ang noo kong tumawa. "That's crazy."
"You're the one who's crazy to even like that arse of a guy."
"Yes, I'm crazy," I agreed. "Crazy enough to spill cold juice to Harriet's skirt during their meeting."
Lumaki ang mata ni Jerrick at nagcheer nang walang tunog, the way sport people would react to a heated basketball game but only without sound. Hindi siya makapaniwala pero amused na amused siya sa ginawa ko.
He's as crazy as me.
"So you have a history!" he claimed. "You like spilling drink to people."
"Only to special people," I sarcastically answered.
"Anong ginawa nung Harriet?"
"She's a whiny girl. Kaya ayun, she made her parents discontinue to do business with my family. Biruin mo yun, that's just because of a juice spill? Sabi ko naman accident lang."
"Sana ako na ang huli mong bubuhusan ng inumin, Vie. Sayang," he said amusedly.
"It's just her confidence was so fascinating!" madamdaming sabi ko, not minding what he said. "Isa pa 'yang si Wyatt. Pagkatapos niya akong ibaon sa lupa, nakayanan niya pa talagang pumunta sa bahay with the new girl he bagged?"
"Boys."
"Yeah. After they left, I sanitized the floor where that boy had trailed."
Liking a person of Wyatt's specie was such a loser thing.
So self love muna tayo ngayon.
"Bakit ko ba kinukwento sayo mga 'to," I muttered.
"Come on, we're friends," he chuckled.
Iginilid niya ang katawan niya para makaharap sa akin nang mas maayos. Then he scooted to come closer.
"Friends, eh hindi mo nga ako sinalo kanina..." I kid.
Nagtago siya ng ngiti. "Hindi ko naman alam na mahuhulog ka, Vie."
"Ako rin naman..."
"Buti nahulog ka."
I grimaced. "Ang sama nito."
Kinuha niya ang takas kong buhok para isabit sa likod ng tenga ko.
May pilyong ngiti pa rin siya. "Next time I'll catch you."
Nilayo ko ang kamay niya, pero binalik lang din niya iyon sa tuktok ng ulo ko.
"Hindi na 'ko mahuhulog."
"Hindi na nga." He smiled smugly. "Kasi nahulog ka na."
I was thinking hard for a quip, but I could only clear my throat and recede.