Miss Workaholic Meets the Professional Bum

Part 3: Ready or Not, Here I Come

KANINA pa hindi maalis-alis ang ngiti ko. Tumingin ako sa glass window kung saan kitang-kita ko sa reflection ang counter. And I again, I saw the reason why I'm smiling like an idiot right now. Alam kong Chelsea ang pangalan niya. Iyon ang madalas kong naririnig na tawag sa kanya ng mga kasamahan niya. Pero Leviña ang nakalagay sa nameplate niya. Kaya kahit gusto ko siyang tawaging Chelsea kanina ay pinilit ko ang sariling bigkasin ang pangalang Leviña. Because that would have been a disaster.

Sa totoo lang wala naman akong problema sa pag-amin na isa si Chelsea sa mga dahilan kung bakit ako bumabalik sa Steamy Latte-tude. But that would sound really creepy and stalkerish. Ayaw kong takutin si Chelsea sa pamamagitan ng pagsasabi niyon. I need to take it slow.

Slow? You mean like taking months before talking to her for more than a minute?

Ah, man! Wag ganun. Makakasira sa pogi kong image kapag may nakaalam na ganoon katagal na akong nag-iipon ng tapang para kausapin si Chelsea. Ewan ko ba. Kahit kailan ay hindi pa ako naka-experience ng ganito. Nang una ko siyang makita dito sa Steamy Latte-tude more than a year ago, I thought she was interesting. Oo, interesting. Hindi cute, maganda, o sexy. I couldn't very well tell because of her baggy clothes. Tapos pinatungan pa niya ng apron. Hindi ko din nakita ng malinaw ang buong mukha niya. Man, I couldn't even see her hair. Nakatago kasi iyon sa suot niyang cap na kasama sa uniform ng mga barista doon. But there was something in the way she carried herself that captivated me. And from that moment on, Chelsea has become some sort of an enigmatic spectacle that I enjoy observing whenever I come here. Pero hindi talaga ako stalker. I swear! I really, really just... I don't know. I mean, sure I've met my fair share of beautiful women. Pero iba si Chelsea. It wasn't her physical appearance that intrigued me. Maybe it's in the way she walked. O kaya ay sa paraan ng pagsasalita niya. Or the way her tiny hands expertly move while making coffee and drinks. Hindi ko alam. Basta natagpuan ko na lang ang sarili kong bumabalik-balik dito at pinapanood siya ng palihim.

Shit! I totally sound like a stalker now. Baka kailangan ko nang magpatingin sa psychiatrist. Or was it supposed to be a psychologist? Ah, ewan. Basta natutuwa ako na nagkaroon ako ng progress ngayon umaga. Nag-usap kami.

Parang gusto kong matawa sa sarili ko. Yun kasing sandaling pag-uusap namin kanina, pwede nang i-label yon bilang highlight ng buong araw ko. Or maybe my week. My month, even. Hell, probably my whole year! Wala naman kasing nangyaring kakaiba at significant sa akin ngayon. Lalo na nang magkaroon ng pandemic. I've always been a homebody. In my world, that means I work from home. Bago pa nangyari ang forced quarantine na yan, I already do most of my work at home. Kaya hindi naging mahirap sa akin ang pagtransition sa pagwowork ng full time sa bahay. The only thing that really bothered me was the fact that I missed the coffee here at Steamy Latte-tude.

Oh, come on, man. Yung kape lang ba?

Yeah, right. I realized that I missed a certain barista with regal bearings. Kung may mabuti mang naidulot sa akin ang pandemic na ito, iyon ay ang marealize ko sa wakas na may nararamdaman akong kakaiba para kay Chelsea.

Sure, I've always felt like I wanted to talk to her and get to know her more. Pero sa tuwing feeling ko ay kaya ko na siyang lapitan at kausapin, parang nahaharangan agad ako ng invisible wall na laging nakapalibot sa kanya. It's like she keeps everyone around her at arms length. Kahit ang mga kasamahan niya sa Steamy Latte-tude, pansin ko iba ang pakikitungo sa kanya. Sa tagal ba naman ng pag-o-observe ko sa kanya. Alam na alam ko na iyan. She doesn't socialize with them that much. Sigurado ako hindi iyon dahil mahiyain lang siya o kung anuman. It was deliberate. She didn't like people getting close to her. It's too bad I already decided that I won't let anything hold me back anymore.

Kung hindi nagkaroon ng pandemic, siguro ay hindi ko maiisip ang mga bagay na ito. Siguro ay hindi ako mag-o-overthink at mag-a-analyze ng nararamdaman ko. But the fact remains that the pandemic happened. And I was forced to stay home with so much time and so much energy in my hands. Narealize ko tuloy na na-miss ko siya. Hindi ang kapeng inihahanda niya para sa akin. Siya mismo. And that finally woke me up to the fact that I really, really want to have the priviledge of seeing her and talking to her whenever I want.

I should probably give the woman some sort of a warning. But nah. Wag na lang. Una ay hindi ko alam kung paano. At pangalawa, well, I don't want her to run scared. Dahil kung may isang bagay na sigurado ako sa sarili ko, iyon ay ang pagiging single-minded ko. When I want something, I usually don't stop until I get exactly that. And right now, what I want—the one that's been occupying my mind for the past months—is right behind that counter over there.

Paglingon ko sa counter ay nagtama ang mga mata namin ni Chelsea. And I immediately felt a jolt in my chest. Shit! Even though I very much know in my mind and I already decided that I will pursue this woman, I was still shocked at the effect she had in me. Base sa ekspresyon ng mga mata niya, naramdaman din niya iyon. Hindi ko tuloy napigil ang pag-angat ng isang sulok ng mga labi ko. Then I gave her a nod before walking out of the coffee shop with a satisfied smile.

Watch out, Chelsea. Here I come.

***

So obviously, I've been editing these parts. Kasi medyo outdated na pala siya. So what better way to update this than using the pandemic as a plot device? hihi! Medyo kinabahan naman ako dito kay Cole. Masyadong decisive. hahahah!