Heart of Thirst

21

Chapter Twenty-One

Change

"Kiero Villacorta," naglahad ng kamay sa akin ang anak ni Mr. Villacorta. We saw each other awhile ago. And I don't really think that our first meeting is ideal. Baka nga wala pang isang linggo na nandito ako ay paalisin kaagad ako.

He's tall. He had the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks. Hapit na hapit ang suot niyang polo sa kaniyang katawan kaya nadedepina ang muscle niya sa magkabilang braso. Ang tamang haba ng buhok niya ay maganda ang pagkakaayos na parang gawa ito ng isang propesyonal. He look like a model, not an agent because of his thick eyebrows and long lashes.

Well, yes. I was accepted. Kami ang unang batch ng mga babae sa organization na ito. Noon ay hindi sila tumatanggap ng mga babae dahil most of the time, girls regret their decisions in the middle of training. And it is a waste of time every time someone wants to leave the organization. Ilang taon na rin daw noong huling beses na nag bukas sila ng training para sa mga babae. And luckily, I am one of the girls who got accepted.

Bago ako umalis ng Pilipinas para rito ay kinalimutan ko na ang lahat. My parents didn't want me to go here, but as I say, they didn't have a choice. Kay Kuya lang ako nahirapan dahil kahit sa huling araw ko roon ay hindi pa rin siya sang ayon sa desisyon ko. But he still managed to send me off to the airport. My friends have known about this plan since then, so they were not really surprised when I told them that I had been accepted.

Mabuti na nga lang at may kakilala ako rito. Kasama si Marhiya Hartly sa mga nakapasa. At laking pasasalamat ko nang magkapareho pa kami ng room na tutuluyan.

"Stella Sawyer Salazar," tinanggap ko ang kamay niya.

Nag tagal ang hawak niya roon kaya awkward akong ngumiti. Kung hindi ko pa hinila ang kamay ko ay hindi niya bibitawan. Kirby, beside him, raised his eyebrows. Habang si Marhiya sa tabi ko ay kanina pa nakangisi, nang-aasar.

"We've met,"

"Yes, I'm sorry for the bad impression. You didn't introduce yourself, but I know that's not a valid reason for me to act that way."

He parted his lips, amused by my remarks. Paano ba naman kasi ay inutusan ako kaninag mag pasa ng papers sa office raw ng anak ni Mr. Villacorta. While walking there, I bumped into him and gave him an attitude because I was not in the mood at the time.

I didn't know he was the son!

"Should I forgive you?"

"It's up to you. I'm not expecting any forgiveness, but I'll surely be grateful if you do."

Naglaro ang mapalokong ngisi sa labi niya. Nilingon niya ang katabing si Kirby bago binalik ang paningin sa akin. We were interrupted by another head from a different team, so Marhiya and I got the chance to excuse ourselves from the conversation.

That was the first time I met him. At habang tumatagal, hindi napapansing napapalapit na ako sa kaniya.