jennie
as soon as i exit my car, the bright sun hit on my face, making my eyes squint even with the protection of my sunglasses. i shut my car door close and turn towards the shop.
"sure mom... no not yet. i need to get my car fixed first so i dropped by at a repair shop." i pressed my phone in between my shoulder and ear to make my hand available, using it to lock my car.
"i'll call you later mom. love you." i drop the call before quickly making my way inside. gosh it's still early but the weather's already bothering me. i flip my hair on the side as i look around.
"hello?" i called out when i see no one around the shop. i heard a loud buzzing sound on the left so i followed where it came from. i found a pair of legs covered in what i assume is a coveralls. the person's upper body is hidden underneath the red car.
"excuse me?" i exclaimed in a louder voice to get their attention. the noise stopped at napansin ko na napatigil 'yung tao kaya nakahinga ako ng maluwag.
i watch the person slide out from below and our eyes instantly met. i felt an unsettling feeling on my stomach because the person's eyes looks familiar but i'm not sure where i saw them.
tumayo siya at ipinatong 'yung mga hawak niyang tools sa isang bench bago niya ako harapin ulit.
"anong kailangan niyo miss?" the person asked while she's wiping her hands with a towel. malalim 'yung boses niya but it's undoubtedly a girl's voice.
tinitigan ko siya. she has short shoulder length gray hair, it's top half is tied into a tiny bun behind. napansin ko na natigilan rin siya as her doe eyes made their own assessment on me.
wait— doe eyes...oh my god.
this can't be— it's like i couldn't even believe my eyes when i finally recognized the person.
she cleared her throat when i took too long to respond. thank god i was wearing my glasses, atleast my stunned reaction is somewhat covered.
"miss?" i blink a few times before coming to my senses.
"uhm yeah. uh i.. my car has some scratches so i'm hoping you can fix it."
stuttering, really jennie? this is not highschool anymore! well in my defense i was just too shocked, okay?
"gaano kalaki miss?" she stared at me and i stop myself from looking away. i wonder if she recognized me too but her expression stayed impassive so i guess the answer is no.
i shove all other thoughts on the back of my mind and focused on what i came here for.
"just little scratches. can i expect you to finish it within the day?" bahagya ko siyang tinaasan ng kilay.
"check ko muna."
"okay. my car's outside." tumalikod ako sakanya at nagsimulang maglakad pabalik sa kotse ko. lumapit ako kung nasaan 'yung mga gasgas.
"here it is. my cousin borrowed my car last night but he was too drunk to remember where he bumped it." i explained, rolling my eyes when i got reminded of jeno's carelessness.
i turned my gaze at the person next to me and caught her looking away. my eyebrow raise at that. she bend forward to inspect the scrapes on my car.
"balikan niyo na lang bukas." sabi niya bago umayos ng tayo. nagsalubong ang kilay ko sa narinig ko.
"why tomorrow? hindi ba kakayanin ngayon?"
"sorry miss. marami pa kasi kaming tatapusin ngayong araw." she explained.
