SAME TREE, DIFFERENT BRANCHES.
Life goes on in the annex branch of Café Moriartea. Maviel resumes her apprenticeship under Sigmund. Landice is still reading books at the barista's corner. Nikolai is still making sure that the shop is squeaky clean...
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MAVIEL
MINSAN, NAPAIISIP ako kung tama ba itong pinasukan ko.
"Please be reminded that we will have a quiz tomorrow. Do you have any questions? None? Very well, class dismissed."
Napatingin ako sa clock display ng phone ko. It's already four-fifteen in the afternoon! I was already late by fifteen minutes. Tch! Bakit ba kasi sa lahat ng araw, ngayon pa nag-extend ng class ang prof namin?
Tumayo na ko't inayos ang mga gamit ko sa bag. My classmates also did the same. Wala na kaming susunod na subject kaya pwede na kaming umuwi. Well, maybe not everyone. Merong ilan sa amin na may after-class activities habang ang ilan naman ay gagala pa.
"Hey, Mav!" Lumapit sa 'kin ang classmate kong si Amity. "We're going to a karaoke hub this afternoon and sing our hearts out! Gusto mo bang sumama? Come on, minsan lang 'to, oh!"
I slid the strap of my bag on my right shoulder and forced a smile at them. "Gusto ko sana, kaso hindi ako makasasama. Sorry!"
"Mav naman! Minsan lang kami magyaya," pamimilit niya. "Lagi ka na lang nagpa-pass!"
Nginitian ko siya. Pang-ilang beses na ba niya akong niyaya? Hindi ko na tanda. I had been turning down her invitatations since a few weeks ago.
"Oh, this has something to do with your part-time job?" she asked. "Are you still working at that cafe?"
I nodded. "Four o'clock kasi ang duty ko roon, kaso nag-extend ang prof natin. I need to run for it. Maybe next time?"
"Hopefully next time." Ngumiti rin si Amity sa 'kin. "Go na! Baka hinihintay ka na ng workmates mo diyan sa cafe."
"Thank you, and sorry talaga!" Nagmadali na akong lumabas ng aming classroom at bumaba ng hagdanan mula third floor papuntang ground floor. Muli akong napatingin sa oras sa phone. It's already 4:18 in the afternoon!
If I were an ordinary college student, I would have already said yes sa pakikipag-bonding sa barkada ni Amity. Who wouldn't want to go to a karaoke hub and release stress for a while?
Unfortunately, I wasn't like them. I didn't have the same privileges as them. Studying here in Clark University was not financially easy. May kamahalan ang tuition fee. My family could afford to send me to this uni, but I refused to burden them with so much responsibilities. Maliban sa gastusin sa school works at tuition, kailangan ko ring i-sustain ang pag-stay ko sa city. The living cost wasn't a joke! I had been residing in a dorm just a few blocks away from campus. May monthly rent na kailangang bayaran. May pagkaing kailangang bilhin araw-araw.
So I decided to work as a part-timer in a café just across the street. To ease our family's financial burden. To give me a bit of financial freedom. This wasn't my original plan. But things happened, kaya dito ako napadpad. The name of the coffee and tea shop is Café Moriartea. This was a pretty good place if you wanted to take a sip of your favorite drinks and relax with classical music playing in the background.
