DESPEDIDA GONE WRONG. What's supposed to be a memorable send-off party ends up in tragedy as the celebrant drops dead after making a toast. Of all the possibilities, murder seems to be most likely scenario. And the suspects? The four attendees who w...
Oops! Ang larawang ito ay hindi sumusunod sa aming mga alituntunin sa nilalaman. Upang magpatuloy sa pag-publish, subukan itong alisin o mag-upload ng bago.
ANASTACIA
DINNER TIME came at seven-thirty. The five of us gathered around the dining table. I-s-in-erve na ni Zack ang mga iniluto niya para sa amin—pasta carbonara, fried chicken, thin crust pizza, and Caesar salad. He also took out some carbonated drinks and poured us a glass each.
I knew the food's going to taste great because I had already tasted some of Zack's cookings. Ang favorite kong iniluto niya sa 'kin no'n ay ang creamy pasta carbonara. Sinama niya siguro 'yon sa menu today kasi fave ko. I asked him kung sino ang nagturo sa kanya, kasi kahit ako, hindi ko kayang iluto 'yon. Ang sagot niya? YouTube. He's a self-taught cook. Isa sa advantages ng pagiging independent niya ay natuto siyang magluto para sa sarili niya.
Nothing happened while we're eating except the small talk in between meals. They asked me about the next theater play. We asked Cole about their training for the intercollegiate basketball tournament, Desmond about his work as a Clarion writer, and Beatrice about running for USC president. Siyempre, 'di namin pinalampas ang tinaguriang man of the hour.
"Are you excited na ba to leave us and teach in another university?" I jokingly asked while finishing my plate of carbonara. I would rate it five out of five stars. Always. "Ayaw n'yo na ba sa amin kaya n'yo kami iiwan? Last day n'yo na kasama kami, sir. You can tell us the truth."
Zack smiled after biting the tip of the pizza. "You know that this isn't easy for me. Naluha nga ako habang pina-pack ang mga damit ko sa luggage. I may not look like it, but I can get emotional too. But this is a career move that I must make. Hindi naging madali ang desisyon ko."
Despite our closeness, he didn't tell me in detail about transferring to another university. One day, habang magkasama kami, bigla niyang nasabi sa akin na may natanggap siyang reply mula sa in-apply-an niya at pinag-iisipan niya kung tatanggapin ba niya. Titimbangin muna raw niya ang pros and cons. Now, it looked like that he'd finally made his decision.
"Kapag may malaking opportunity na kumakatok sa pinto n'yo at may bagay kayong kailangang i-sacrifice para makuha 'yon, pag-isipan n'yo nang mabuti," dagdag ni Zack. Gano'n na gano'n ang tono niya tuwing counseling session namin. Parang kuya na nagbibigay ng advice sa 'kin. "Weigh which one is better: the current opportunity or the new one? Are you willing to let of one thing in exchange for another? Will you regret making the trade later on? 'Yan ang mga dapat n'yong i-consider. You can't make great strides in life if you aren't willing to make sacrifices. Hayan, ah? Last advice ko na sa inyo."
Napangiti ako sa sinabi niya. He had been telling me about making sacrifices since he learned about my desire to be a lead actress in a theater production. Hindi gano'n kadaling maging aktres. I needed to endure the cussing from the director whenever I messed up my line. Kailangan ko ring tiisin ang ibang tao sa theater na alam kong masama ang tingin sa 'kin. May ilan kasing hindi pa tanggap na sa 'kin napunta ang lead role. Some of them might be thinking that I cut the line and got it because of my connections.
