Ticket of Love

chapter 1

"Reese, wake up na. It's 7 o'clock and we have to pick up your tito and tita sa airport. You know naman na it's matraffic pa. I already cooked breakfast kaya maligo ka na. Jusko! Next time don't drink when you know we're going somewhere important."

I scratched my head in confusion because of my mom's loud voice and took my phone to see if I forgot to turn on my alarm. My head started to throb because of the goddamn alcohol. Tangina, hindi na talaga ako iinom. Good thing hindi masyado marami ang nainom ko but I'm light weighted so it didn't help me at all. I slowly stood up and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

I don't even know why my mom wanted us to pick up my tito and tita when we have other relatives that could do it, but that doesn't matter anymore. Probably because she missed my tito, her kuya, because they haven't seen each other for almost three years. They might also not remember much about me since the last time they saw me was the Christmas before they left kaya she wanted us to see each other again.

After I took a shower, I put on some light makeup and my hair in a messy bun. It was sunny and breezy which made me feel really good. It was the perfect weather for me. I wore a white short sleeved turtleneck, and maong shorts with a belt to tighten up my waist.

"Mommy, kasama si daddy?" I was walking down the stairs trying to look for my shoes. "Did you see my shoes? Yung puting Converse?"

"Yes, anak. Siya ang mag-drive kaya talagang kasama. And no, hindi ko nakita ang shoes mo. Check the cabinet sa may stairs, it might be there. Or ask your dad."

I saw my shoes and mahinang pinagpag dahil may konting dumi. "No, it's fine. Nahanap ko na, it was under the table." I walked towards the kitchen to greet my mom and to eat. "Bakit rice meal? You know I'm on a diet!" nagtatampong sabi ko. I can't reject my mom's food, she cooks really well.

"Diet ka nang diet pero umiinom? Huwag mo akong niloloko. Kumain ka na diyan at para we can go na. Tapos na kami ng dad mo, ikaw nalang ang hinihintay." I laughed at what she said and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. She cooked fried rice and tocino, my comfort ulam. I took the utensils and ate. She also put down a small bowl of soup for my hangover. Sabay din na bumaba si daddy and gave us kisses on the forehead after I finished eating.

"Bilisan mo na, Reese. Mag 8 na at traffic papunta sa airport."

"I'm done na. Let's go." I gave them a small smile. I left the dishes on the sink, mamaya ko na huhugasan pag-uwi. We went to the car after checking the house for any na naiwang bukas na ilaw or kuryente. One time, my dad forgot to turn off the rice cooker and only remembered it when we were in the middle of the road. It was funny and hectic, we had to go back to our house to take out the plug.

The airport wasn't that far from our house but because of the traffic, my parents wanted us to arrive early and just park there instead. I put on my earphones to listen to my playlist and looked out the window. Hindi ko nalang namalayan nakaidlip ako until my mom woke me up telling us we arrived.

I was actually looking forward to seeing my relatives. However, it just hit me that they're either gonna compliment me or shove questions to my face. Lagi nalang tuwing family gathering ang bungad sakin, "Oh third year ka na diba, may boyfriend ka na?" or "Ang laki mo na, mag-aasawa ka na ba?" Nakakairita! Hindi ko alam kung pinapamukha ba nila sa akin wala akong syota or whatever, but that shouldn't be their concern. Even if may jowa ako, hindi ko sasabihin. Considering they're so nosy, they would just make chismis about us, and I don't want that to happen.

"Arrived na ba flight nila tito?"

"Yes, any minute lalabas na sila kuya. Kattext niya lang sa akin, immigration na raw."

"I'll just buy drinks. May gusto ba kayo?" I asked them. I've been craving coffee for days already. I can make it at home, but for some reason, mas nasasarapan ako kapag gawa ng iba. Umiling lang sila mommy and walked towards the cafe. It was the only one na kaunti lang ang tao. 

"Can I have an iced caramel macchiato and two iced mochas? Less ice for the three please." The cashier nodded, and nagbayad na agad ako dahil baka hinahanap na ako. Tinignan ko ang cashier and noticed he was the same age as me. "Are you in college?"

The cashier glanced at me. "Yes, why? Have we crossed paths on campus before?" Umiling lang ako sa kaniya. He just nodded as a response. I couldn't help but look at him. He had tanned skin, moreno, dark brown eyes, a tall nose, and plump lips. His hair was kinda long and he's also very tall, around 6'2. All that I could think of was gwapo siya. Type ko. "Name?" He smiled.

"Single ka ba?"

"Excuse me?" Parehas kaming nagulat sa sinabi ko. I pursed my lips and looked down. I was never the straightforward type, especially with strangers. Hindi ko alam kung ano pumasok sa isipan ko at nasabi ko 'yun pero kung ano man 'yun ay sana hindi na maulit pa. "I was asking for your name for the drinks."

Gusto kong magpalamon sa lupa dahil sa hiya. Narinig ko pang tumawa siyang nang mahinhin dahil sa katangahan ko. "Reese. R-E-E-S-E." I immediately went straight to the waiting area to wait for the drinks.

"Drinks for Reese!" Kinuha ko agad ang mga inumin and went out of the cafe to go to my parents. "Have a nice day!" I heard his loud voice. Mas lalo akong nahiya. Thank God I saw my mom with my tito and tita. Nagmano agad ako and beso sa kanila.

"Reese, ang laki mo na ah. May boyfriend ka na ba?" I playfully rolled my eyes and chuckled with what my tita said. Already knew they were gonna ask me that.

"No, tita! You know naman ang priorities ko. Career before relationships. I need to be stable muna."

"Sabagay. Fourth year ka na this upcoming pasukan tapos may board pa... Hay huwag muna nating isipin iyan. Bakasyon mo pa naman ngayon. Tara na at nandito na tatay mo." She started walking towards my parents who were helping my tito with their bagahe. I stood there for a minute and followed her when I noticed I stepped on a small paper airplane. Tumingin ako sa paligid para makita kung may bata or tao na may papel, but wala akong nakita. Kinuha ko mula sa paahan ko at binuksan.

Always cherish small moments :)

"Weird." I whispered while putting it in my pocket. Nagsimula nalang ako maglakad muli papunta kayla mommy. "Pero cute."

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Song recommendation: last - dvwn

note: i will be doing song recs at the end of every chapter. it will be up to you if you will take these songs as a hint for the trajectory of the story.