Reunited

I : Life in Barcelona

Chapter 1

"Oh, man! I can't believe this is happening." I said, feeling excited and happy.

The man sitting beside me chuckled, "Halata nga."

I glared at him but he just give me a wry smile. Hindi ko na lang siya pinansin at pinagtuunan nang pansin ang phone ko.

I have three reasons to celebrate: I reached 4 million followers in Instagram, I gained 1.3 million views in my latest travel vlog in youtube, and I will receive my salary this day!

Three good news for this day!

Almost 5 years of living here in Barcelona makes me feel contented, and independent. Kung puro aral ang inaatupag ko noon, trabaho at adventure naman ngayon. Mas nakilala ko ang sarili ko, at kung ano ang hindi ko kaya at kayang gawin.

I became responsible in terms of handling money. Instead of saving it to the bank, I invest my money in a company in Madrid. And now, I can buy whatever I want kahit hindi ako humihingi ng pera sa Family ko.

I also have a part-time job in a restaurant for almost a year now. Saktong hiring ng waitress ang restaurant ng father ng amiga ko dito sa Barcelona noon and since I was already in a legal age, why not be productive and work as a waitress, right? Aside from being a waitress, I am also part of a band here and I am known as YZ, a substitute guitarist and drummer. We have a regular gig in a RestoBar near at the Restaurant where I work as a waitress. And sometimes, since I am a travel vlogger, I work as a tour guide katulad ngayon.

Since I mentioned that I am a vlogger, I am famous in Instagram because of my adorable pictures. Kung sa YouTube, sikat ako dahil sa mga travel vlogs ko. Sa Instagram, sikat ako dahil sa kagandahan ko. I mean it.

Hindi naman sa nagmamayabang pero maganda ang lahi ko. Just looking at my Abuelo, Lola, and Lolo? You will agree with me.

"Cielo!" tawag sa akin ni Dan.

I looked at him sharply.

"My name is Tricia, not Cielo." saad ko. "Tsaka kanina ka pa tawag ng tawag sa akin ng Cielo. Sino ba yang Cielo na yan? Baka pangalan yan ng ex mo, ha? Sinasabi ko sa'yo." dagdag ko pa at pinandilatan ng mata.

"I don't have ex named Cielo." katwiran naman niya.

"I don't have ex named Cielo." I mimicked. "Ulol!" I said in a small voice and giggled when he creased his forehead.

"¿Qué? I didn't catch that." I just smiled at him and walk away.

Meet Daniel Salcedo, 20. Her mom calls her Danilo, while I keep calling him Dan. He came from the Philippines last week. Her Mom requested to Abuelo (I was in our gig that time) to be her son's tour guide. Dahil masarap siyang magluto ng pinoy foods at super bait niya sa amin ni Abuelo, I said 'Sí'.

Sabi ko sa sarili ko, wala namang mawawala kung ipasyal ko yung anak niya dahil sagot naman ni Tiá Imelda (Dan's mother) ang gastos namin ng anak niya. Pero mukhang mawawala ako sa katinuan dahil sa lalakeng ito!

"Can we take a break? I'm hungry." he spoke.

Tumango ako at tumingin sa paligid kung saan pwedeng kumain. Sakto namang nasa La Rambla kami. The busiest street in Barcelona. It means maraming pwedeng kainan.

"So, you came from Philippines? Ilan taon ka tumira sa Pilipinas? You sound fluent in tagalog." tanong niya habang nagpapahinga kami malapit sa Sagrada Familia.

"14 years? I was born and grow up sa Pinas. Pumunta ako dito noong malapit na akong mag-15 because of family issues." I rolled my eyes when I said the last two words. "4 years pa lang ako dito sa Spain. So, yeah, I'm fluent in tagalog."

"Oh. Akala ko matagal ka na dito. The first time I met you your speak fluently in Spanish." he said.

"Lahat naman ng mga pinoy, may lahing español o wala, we know basic spanish. Madalas nga hindi tayo aware na hindi pala tagalog yung sinasabi natin." he nodded. "My Mamá enrolled me in Spanish class when I was a kid. She's a pure Spanish. Both her parents were born here in Catalonia. She's fluent in Catalan. Sometimes, she speaks in Catalan—"

"Hold on! Catalan— what?" he stopped me. Confusion is visible on his face.

I groaned because of the thought that I will explain the difference of Catalan and Spanish.

"What do you mean by fluent in Catalan? Then, spanish? Hindi ba Spanish ang language dito sa Barcelona?" I bit my lip in annoyance.

"No. Yes? I mean, no!" I groaned. "Ganito kasi yan, ang pagkakaalam ko. Catalonia is autonomous community within Spain. Mayroong apat na province dito. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia. Catalonia has its own unique identity and culture, which includes a language called Catalan which is remarkably different from the Spanish language which is spoken all over the country." I gave him a forced smile, "Don't asked me about this topic anymore." saad ko at naglakad papalapit sa Sagrada Familia.

Tricia, kasi! Dahil sa kadaldalan mo napasubo ka tuloy!

Honestly, I'm quite confused about the history of Catalonia but since I promised to myself that I will avoid things that stress me, and that's include the history of this country.

For pete's sake, I'm tired of learning new things. I mean, I want to be aware pero hanggang doon na lang. Kumbaga, hanggang basic lang yung gusto kong matutunan.

I closed my eyes and sighed. When I opened my eyes, bumungad sa akin ang napakagwa— stop! I step back as I pushed him away from me gently.

"Mamaya muna tayo mamasyal. I want to know you more." seryosong saad niya kaya wala sa sarili akong napalunok.

Wala na akong nagawa nang hilahin niya ako pabalik sa upuan namin kanina.

"Your Tricia Conception. 4 years here in Barcelona. Fluent in Spanish, Catalan, English, and Tagalog. Lived here with her Abuelo. Rich kid, but independent." Naningkit ang mata niya habang nirerecall ang mga usapan namin kanina.

"Hmm?" I hummed. He looked at me and smirked.

"Are you studying?" I shook my head. "And she's working hard for her future." I laughed gently.

"Working hard talaga?"

"Why not? You seem serious about your work to the point that you have different jobs." sagot niya.

Tama nga naman. I'm working seriously for my future. I want to be independent in terms of financial, and thanks to my Abuelo who let me work. He even support me in my decision to drop out in college. Not because I'm lazy, but because he felt that I need a break. Hindi na kasi kaya ng mental health ko. I was 17 when I drop out. I was 3rd year that time. Tapos I wasn't totally healed on what happen when I was 14. I'm traumatized and sad. Sayang nga lang dahil isang taon na lang sana graduate na ako sa college. Pero mental health ang pinag-uusapan dito kaya ayos lang kung hindi pa ako graduate. I still have time, anyway.

I watched this guy talking nonesense infront of me. I actually hate it when someone's talking nonesense things to me but if you're Daniel Salcedo, why not? Talk as long as you want, and I'll watch you with all my heart. Geez.

Mukhang ito na ang hudyat na mawawala ako sa katinuan, ah?