Tahimik akong nakaupo sa isang bench habang tinitingnan ang sandwich na hawak. I was hungry but it suddenly dissipated because of what I just witnessed.
Nagpakawala ako ng buntong-hininga at tumingala para tanawin ang langit na nagkukulay kahel na.
Alam kong wala akong karapatan but here I am... I just shed a tear because I am still hurting.
My phone rang at muntik pa itong malaglag dahil sa gulat ko.
"Hello..." I answered the call and it turned out na iyong nasa information desk pala ang tumawag sa akin para sabihin na pwede na akong pumasok.
Pinatay ko na ang tawag at patakbong pumasok sa loob. Bahagyang nagulo ng hangin ang buhok ko kaya mabilis ko iyong pinasadahan ng aking mga daliri. Bahagya rin akong humarap sa salamin no'ng nasa elevator na para tingnan kung maayos pa ang suot kong corporate attire.
"Miss Alcantara?" The woman who looked like a secretary asked me, nakangiti naman akong bumati at sumagot.
"Sige po, pwede na kayong pumasok. Naghihintay na po sa loob si Mr. De Asis." Nakangiti niyang sabi.
"Ah, gano'n po ba. Sige, maraming salamat—what?"
My eyes widened when what she just said sunk into my mind.
"M-Mr. De Asis?"
Muling ngumiti ang babae. "Yes po, Miss. Siya po ang kakausapin niyo kasi siya ang mag-aapprove ng contract."
What the freak? Bakit siya?
Kahit na nahihilo dahil sa narinig ay tumango nalang ako at huminga ng malalim para pakalmahin ang sarili.
"Kaya mo 'to, Gi. Para sa foundation," I whispered to myself before finally opening the door.
"Good afternoon." I professionally greeted and my eyes immediately met his.
Nanatili ang seryoso niyang tingin sa akin. I bit my lower lip and heaved a sigh before speaking again.
"I am Gertrude Alcantara from Pagbangon foundation. Narito po ako ngayon para i-follow up and possible sponsorship ng company niyo sa foundation namin. I have the essential documents here." I smiled and placed the envelope on his table.
Muli na naman akong napatingin sa kanya and this time, I felt my heart clenching because of some noticeable changes in him.
"Oh, really? Hmm, let me see," aniya nang hindi tumitingin sa akin at kinuha ang envelope. He took out the papers and quickly scanned all of them.
"This doesn't seem convincing. How can I make sure that this is not a scam?" He asked and raised an eyebrow. For a while, I thought I'm in some kind of interrogation.
"Our organization may not be that old but we are legit, Sir. The papers can prove it but if it's not enough, we have documentaries regarding the people we've helped." I confidently answered despite my racing heartbeats.
"Paano naman ako makakasiguro na hindi ako niloloko lang?" He asked again as his intense and serious gaze met mine.
"H-Hindi po kami manloloko." I should've answered it with a more profound explanation but that was all I could say because of the gaze he was giving me.
It was like he's judging my whole being already. It's like he was telling me that no matter what I say ay ayaw niyang maniwala.
Siguro nga ay hindi ako ang dapat na nandito.
"Really? Prove it then. Ang ayoko kasi sa lahat... ang manloloko." He ruthlessly answered, stressing the last word.
"Hindi po kami manloloko. I'll prove it to you. Babalik ako rito, I'll bring all the documents that can further validate the legitimacy of our foundation." I managed to say despite my shaking voice and welling tears.
BINABASA MO ANG
Enticing the Untamed Jewel
عاطفيةTwisted Series Gertrude Gwayne Alcantara is a happy-go-lucky girl. A lot of people admire her because she's brave and she doesn't give a damn to people who comment about her liberated life and commitment issues. It was all fun games until she met Gr...
