The Playing Coach's Manager (Redo)

Chapter Twenty One

[Kenji]

Kakakita ko pa lang sa kaniya, naging alerto na ako. Hindi ako mapapanatag sa taong ito.

"You seem tensed, Mr. Playing Coach?" Sabi nito.

'Di ako sumagot. Tinitigan ko lang siya ng masama.

"Don't worry, I am not here to mess with you or something. I just want to talk to you."

"I reckon that you stalked me to get me in this kind of time," sagot ko.

"Bullseye. I did. I really want to have a man to man talk with you."

"Go ahead." 

"You want to go to a bar? My treat," Aaok niya habang nakangiti.

"I don't drink. You can tell me what it is... in here," sabi ko. Ang totoo niyan, umiinom talaga ako, pero sobrang bihira at hindi ako iinom kasama ng isang taong 'di ko naman pinagkakatiwalaan.

"Bummer. Anyway then, how about we talk over there?" Sabi niya sabay point sa bench sa ilalim ng puno.

"Okay," sagot ko. Maraming tao don kaya ligtas ako.

Nauna akong umupo dahil bumili pa siya ng canned beer sa 7-11 malapit sa amin. Kulit. Sabi nang hindi ako umiinom. Hindi ko kinuha 'yung beer, 'yung soda lang kinuha ko.

"So, Claire seems to have fun with you, guys," Panimulang sabi nito at saka lumagok ng beer.

Binuksan ko lang 'yung soda at lumagok ng konti. "Yeah," tipid kong sagot.

"She's amazing, isn't she?"

"Yeah."

"I know that you've seen her play, and I know she doesn't deserve to be just a manager of your team. She deserves to play."

Lumagok lang ako ng soda. 'Di ako sumasagot.

"She deserves to play," inulit niya.

Huminga ako ng malalim bago ako sumagot. 

"Marie deserves to be happy and of course, she deserves to play. Above all, she deserves to choose the life she wants, don't you think?" Naiinis na ako.

Ngumiti siya na parang nangiinis. "Do you know how I met Claire?"

"No," Sagot ko.

"Way back in middle school, Calire was that aloof gifted basketball player in the women's team. Although she was silent and short tempered, she got to be recognized as one of the top players in the school. I confessed to her when we were in 9th grade. I really liked her and she seemed happy enough with my confession to give it a shot."

Naramdaman ko ang selos sa sarili ko, pero hindi ako nagpahalata.

"But you know what? I fucked it up. I was a basketball player in the men's league, too, and there were tons of girls who liked me. After I confessed to her, I went out with different girls for fun, and you know what happened when she found out? God, she punched me on the face after I tried to reason with her,"  tapos tumawa siya. "She's the first woman to hit me."

'Di ako kumikibo.

"And after that, she never talked to me again even though I tried so hard. That I realized how unique of a girl she is."

Lumagok ako ng soda uli para lumamig ulo ko.

"That punch made me fall for her. I just can't let her go."