Hindi ko maiwasang makaramdam ng kaba habang palapit sa akin ang babaeng ubod ng ganda, mukha siyang foreigner o may halo man lang... kahit na maraming nagsasabi ng pareho sa akin, sa tingin ko ay mas angat talaga ang mga foreign features niya kung ikukumpara sa akin.
Ang buhok niya ay may kaunting kulay, nakakulot ito, at suot niya ay isang asul na dress, she looks simple yet elegant, especially with little-to-no makeup.
"Mrs. Asuncion, she's Nash Villarial, the artist we got to do a commission," anang babae na kausap ko kanina.
"Oh, she's the only one that was not able to attend yesterday, right?" she asks kaya naman nakaramdam ako ng hiya, ako lang pala ang wala dito kahapon.
"My deepest apologies po," sabi ko bago ibaba ang ulo ko ng kaunti dahil sa hiyang nararamdaman ko ngayon.
"Oh no, dear, don't be sorry, my secretary said that you were not in a good condition yesterday so it's perfectly fine, I'm in no rush anyway," aniya, sa sobrang lambing ng kanyang tono ay napa-angat ako ng tingin, she was sweetly smiling at me, so shyly, I did the same.
"Thank you po," paghihingi ko naman ng salamat.
"Are you in a good condition now though? Because if not you can do this some other time. Your health and well-being should be your top priority," aniya sa akin kaya agad naman akong bahagyang umiling.
"I have recovered na po, I'm well now, thank you for asking po," sagot ko naman.
"Well, I'm delighted to hear that. Lily, you may leave us here," anang ginang, tinignan ko naman ang kaninang kausap ko na babae, tinignan niya rin ako at ngumiti bago tumalikod at naglakad paalis.
Kinabahan ako ulit noong kami na lang dalawa ang natira.
"So, Nash, I hope you don't mind to chitchat with me while you're doing your art. I do it with ever artist since I am currently trying to build a foundation you know, to help artists like you to gain the recognition you all deserve, it's in line with my sons as well," aniya sa akin.
Sons. Mas lumalakas na talaga ang kutob ko na ina talaga nila itong si Mrs. Asuncion. Pero ayaw ko namang magtanong ukol dito, una sa lahat, wala ako sa posisyong tanungin iyon, at tsaka kung siya nga, ano naman ngayon?
It's not like I'm connected to them or something, siguro pwede ko na ring inconsider bilang mga kaibigan si Bolt at Hermes, pero hindi naman kami ganoong kaclose.
"Sure po Madam, you can ask me anything po," I say to her with a smile, she laughed a little with my reply which made me a little conscious. May nasabi kaya ako?
"Madam is way formal for me, you can call me Mrs. Asuncion like how most people do," she says with her soft and comforting voice.
"You can ask me anything po, Mrs. Asuncion," pag-uulit ko, ngayon ay natama ko naman na.
"May I ask about yourself, hija? Like full name, age, and all those stuff, " she asks me.
I take my brush and start figuring out what I'll go with before replying.
Magaling naman akong magmultitask.
"I'm Nalia Ashlyn Villarial po, I'm 23, and I live alone here in Manila po," I tell her the basic information about me.
"Oh, you're an independent young lady, I like you already. Your parents must be supportive, ano?" she asks, and while I do my thing, I awkwardly smile before answering her question.
"Both my parents are gone," I say, carefully wording my sentence.
"Oh my, I'm so sorry to hear that dear," aniya naman sa akin na parang naguguilty sa kung bakit niya pa iyon natanong.
YOU ARE READING
3rd Thorn: Peculiar Meetings
عاطفية[ON GOING still has typos/grammatical errors] Bolt Windel Asuncion, a successful lawyer, needs rest and relaxation in which he found in music and art, where he can simply be himself, in which he meets a person who was also wandering around but with...
