Halfway Down There

Chapter 07

Umikot ako sa kabilang bookshelf. The old Christian Dior is the only one available so I took it hesitatingly. I wanted the new limited edition pero I can settle with this one for now. My money may not even be enough to buy it! Still, kinuha ko na ang isang libro.

Kanina pa paalis alis si Cosimo sa tabi ko. He would come back to me with different items.

"London Fashion Weeks..." he read the title of the book he picked. "Do you want this?"

"I don't..." Sandali kong tiningnan ang hawak niya. "Oh, wait. Okay, kunin ko."

Kumunot ang noo niya. "You don't...?"

"I didn't think I need it pero parang maganda kaya kunin ko na rin," ani ko kahit alam kong siya ang nagpabago sa isip ko.

"Alright. Let's take five," he decided and continued helping me find more valuable books to keep.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. "Five? I'm maintaining a budget!"

"I'll pay," walang pakielam niyang sinabi.

"No you won't," inilingan ko siya.

Nagpapadala sa akin si Daddy ng pera at tulad ng sinabi ko noon, I want to discipline myself when it comes to my personal finances. Hindi ako magaling humawak ng pera kapag gastusin ang usapan lalo na't mabilis magbago ang isip ko kaya unti-unti ko nang sinasanay ang sarili ko para na rin hindi ako mahirapan habang nandito ako sa Milan. But at the end of the day, I just find myself with a large amount of bill due.

That's okay. Bearable! One step at a time.

"Look who's feeling guilty," pang-aasar ni Cosimo sa akin.

I sighed. "Hindi, ah. I just need to report this to Daddy so he won't question why I had received a huge invoice today."

"You need it. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Yup. I still want to cut down expenses," ani ko.

"It's also an asset, so don't feel guilty, Adriana. There may be an increase in your expenses but there is, too, in your assets. If you sell it one day when you no longer need it, you'll gain revenue." Hinarap niya ako. "See? It's not too bad."

My lips were parted, slightly amused by his detailed explanation. "Wow... What was your course back in college?"

"I'm still studying," he said and winked at me. "For our future."

"You're still in college?" I asked, shocked that he is still studying. I thought he's already working?

Tumawa siya na para bang nakakatawa ang tanong ko. "I'm not in college anymore, but that doesn't mean I've finished learning."

"Anong trabaho mo? Hindi mo pa nasasabi," I opened the topic out of curiosity. "You don't need to tell me if you think I'm probing too much."

He smiled a bit. "I work in a company."

"Oh, that's good for you!" pagtango ko.

His boss must be lucky to have an employee that is as workaholic as him. Umiwas ako ng tingin kay Cosimo nang may katawagan siya. I didn't want to overhear their conversation, and so I distracted myself. Anim na libro ang nabili ko kahit na sinabi ko nang lima lang dahil nalito ako kung anong pipilin ko. Cosimo was not helping at all. He just told me to buy both books kaya iyon na lang ang ginawa ko.