To Fall Inlove

Gift

"Sav," rinig kong tawag sa akin ni Mauve.

Ibinaling ko ang tingin ko galing sa labas ng bintana papunta sa kanya. Lito ko siyang tiningnan. "Huh?"

"The salt. Pakiabot." Huminto ito sa pagkain at inihilig ang ulo sa gilid saka pinagmasdan ako. "Ano bang nangyayari sayo kanina ka pa parang ang layo layo ng iniisip mo?" kunot noong tanong niya sa akin.

Napakurap ako at itinuon ang atensyon sa kanya. "Wala naman. I was just thinking about DSI," malamyang sagot ko at muling ibinalik ang tingin sa labas ng bintana.

I was with Mauve, Liam and Jasmine. We were eating out. Lunch break namin ng mga oras na iyon at nagyaya si Mauve na kumain sa paborito nitong Italian restaurant. They were talking about the Hope Resort project pero tahimik lang ako at hindi nakikisali sa kanila. I was thinking about something else.

Two weeks ago, Liam and I were in DSG HQ, going to our temporary office, when Leslie approached us and sought Liam's advice on what gift he could give to a man. Tinanong siya ni Liam kung kilala niya daw ba ito para makapagbigay siya ng tamang advice. She informed us it was Daxton. He would celebrate his thirtieth birthday two weeks from then.

I tried not to think about it. I tried so hard. Promise. But I couldn't help myself surfing the net and finding a gift that I could give to Daxton. I spent hundreds of hours on the net and the mall, searching for the perfect gift, but two weeks flew by and I still have nothing to give him.

I knew what you were thinking, but it was not the reason. No, I was not being defensive. I just wanted to give Daxton a present because he's our client and I was just being kind. Nothing more, nothing less. Okay? He's just a client. Nope. Only a client.

Now, let's get back to my major dilemma. Naguguluhan ako and I was stressed about what to give him. Wala akong maisip. Feeling ko mas nahirapan pa ako mag-isip ng ireregalo sa kaniya kesa nung nag-board exam ako. Ano ba naman kasi ang pwede mong ibigay sa taong nasa kaniya na ang lahat?

Shoes? Hindi ko alam ang size niya.

Bag? I didn't think he needed one.

New phone? Di hamak na mas bago, mas latest at mas mahal ang phone niya kumpara sa akin.

Sarili ko? Shit, Savanna! Focus! singhal ng isip ko sa akin.

"Sav, okay ka lang?" bulong ni Jasmine na nakaupo sa tabi ko.

"H-huh?" I swung my head and noticed Mauve, Jas, and Liam staring at me oddly.

"You've been preoccupied lately. Ano bang nangyayari sayo?" Mauve gave me a look that suggested-don't-lie-to-me.

"As I've said, I was just thinking about DSI," pagsisinungaling ko.

"As far as I know, the layouts and designs for DSI are all going smoothly," balik niya. "Come on, speak up. Is there anything you want to discuss with us?" pangungulit niya.

Kinagat ko ang labi ko at mataman na tiningnan silang tatlo. Tumigil na din sa pagkain si Jasmine at Liam and they were all watching me expectantly. Should I tell them about it? Isang malalim at mahabang buntong-hininga ang pinakawalan ko. Pinagsalikop ko ang mga daliri ko at itinukod ang mga siko sa mesa.

"Um, kasi ganito yun, I have a friend who's..."

Darn it, I'm such a liar.

"A friend who's what?" Liam asked.

"Well, there's a friend of mine who has a guy friend. Malapit na ang birthday nito at wala siyang idea what to give him. She's having a hard time about it. She went to the mall and surfed the internet, kaso wala talaga siyang maisip kung anong pwedeng ibigay para dun."