Scarlet's Letters

SL: One

——x

Berry has only days to pack up her things in her workplace. She had this untouchable aura that her colleagues somehow didn't pry why she resigned. Apart from Harmony, na katabi lang ng cubicle niya at ang kabaliktaran ng personalidad niya. Harmony was too carefree, extroverted and an open book to anyone. Gayonpaman, binibigyan siya nito ng space at hindi siya nito kinukuyog kung saan kasama ang colleagues nila. Buo na ang desisyon niyang lisanin ang corporate world. She wanted to take a break from an eight-hour job. People would think she's crazy for planning this one without plans of applying for a new job. How on earth does a lady gamble on a decision that isn't that secure and safe? But would she rather stick to it when she felt like a floating cloud everyday, staring at her paperwork? Doing the mundane routine all over again?

Her salary isn't enough to make her stick through this corporate life. The rat race. The unfairness and social classes inside the company. It's inevitable and norms that made her sick from time to time.

May ipon na rin naman siya mula sa mga kompanyang pinagtatrabahuan niya bilang financial employee. Sapat na iyon para makapagsimulang muli. Her mother thought that it's just a phase in her life, that it would come to a point that she changed her mind. But it's not. She's firm with her decision to get out of corporate life. And will never go back again. When her values and principles in life don't match, then she has to leave. She couldn't take witnessing actions her mind abhors as well as her heart. She didn't want her conscience to be compromised.

Marami siyang kailangang tapusin sa trabaho bago siya makaalis nang tuluyan. Even though some higher-ups wanted her to stay, it didn't change her mind knowing that she couldn't put her heart into the work she was doing. She didn't even bite the promotion offers. She wasn't easily swayed when her decision was firm.

Contentment. Mahirap siyang ma-achieve dahil katambal na rin ng contentment ang happiness. Masaya ba siya sa ginagawa niya ngayon? Hindi. She was tired lying to herself that she's fine with her work. It was like working only to sustain her basic needs and still felt empty in the end.

Pinagmasdan niya ang mga gusaling nakapaligid sa gusali kung saan siya nagtatrabaho. Her cubicle was empty and she collected her things in a box that's not quite a handful. Noong ma-approve na ang resignation niya ay araw-araw ay may inuuwi siyang gamit upang hindi na siya mahirapan sa pag-alsa balutan niya. It's the last day of her corporate life.

Akap-akap ang kahon na naglalaman ng mga gamit niya ay tinungo na ni Raspberry ang elevator. Walang nangyaring despedida party kahit na nag-insist ang colleagues niya dahil mahigit apat na taon na rin siya doon bilang parte ng financial department. Mukha man siyang snob sa mga katrabaho niya na madalang lang sumabay sa galaan ng mga ito afterwork ay wala naman siyang naging problema sa mga ito.

Raspberry sighed and entered the elevator, silently saying goodbye to the building in which she spent eight hours a day.

Nang tuluyan ang makalabas ng gusali ay muli niya iyong sinulyapan. Ang naging buhay niya sa nakalipas na taon simula nang makapagtapos siya ng kolehiyo. Ngayon, hindi na niya iyon babalikan pa. Doubts and possible scenarios rushed in her mind while staring at the building but she ward it off, because this life-changing decision was her way to redeem herself.

Hugging her box of things while waiting for the stoplight to turn red, she watched people coming to and fro from the pedestrian lane. Hindi niya alam kung ilang minuto siyang nakatayo roon.

Kanina pa niya pinagmamasdan ang mga sasakyang dumaraan doon hanggang sa tila lumabo na iyon sa mga mata niya. Walang bitter goodbyes na nangyari sa workplace dahil wala naman siyang malapit na kaibigan roon. maliban kay Harmony.

Nang makasakay na siya sa taxi at palabo na ng palabo ang gusaling na ngayo'y official nang hindi na siya employee ay tahimik niyang naipanalangin na kung saan man siya dalhin ng hanging ng tadhana, ay sana maging tunay na siyang masaya.