Cold hearts

08

Chapter 08: New found friend.
...

Irene can be seen looking around the boutique alone. She was assisted by one staff of the boutique. As she was looking around, a handbag caught her attention. She was about to get it when a hand grab it first.

"Are you about to get it?"

Irene looked at the person who grabbed the bag. She was taken aback, the lady have a long brown hair with pale skin and her height is enough for her to be mistaken as a model.

"Oo sana, but you can have it." Irene said but the lady just shook her head and gave it to Irene. "I insist, ikaw una nag kita kaya sa'yo na." She said but Irene refused.

"But you grabbed it first, kaya sa'yo na." Irene said, "your daughter will love this bag, kaya sa'yo na hahanap nalang ako ng iba." She said and Irene stopped.

"Daughter? What makes you think that it's for my daughter?" Irene asked her, she looked at Irene and gulped unknowingly.

"Uhm, good guess, I think, kasi napansin ko kanina na nakatingin ka doon sa aisle ng mga teenagers." She said with a smile.

"My daughter is very choosy when it comes to bags, mas gusto niya yung branded kesa sa mga local brands." Irene said before putting the bag back. She looked at the lady before introducing herself.

"I'm Irene by the way, and you are?"

"Selene, but you can call me Selly or Se- nako no pala baka magalit si Ayel if I let someone call me that." Selene said with a smile. Irene chuckled at her a bit.

"Ikaw, para kanino yung bag? Base kasi sa outfit mo, hindi bagay yung bag eh." Irene asked her, Selene chuckled a bit. "It's for someone special, mahilig kasi siya sa ganitong bags eh, gift ko sana." She said.

"Then you should have the bag, I'll just or ask for another one." Irene said with a smile. "Sige, sabi mo yan. Wait, there's another bag, you can have that nalang." Selene said and Irene smiled at her.

When Selene passed her the bag, Irene saw the ring in her fingers. "Married?" She asked her, Selene shook her head.

"Engage." Selene said while looking at the ring. "Wow, congrats." Irene congratulate her with a smile. Selene thanked her as they both walk where the counter is.

"Alam mo, Irene, you should join us for lunch. We're going to Celebrate her bithday " Selene invited her and Irene just shook her head. "Wag na, nakakahiya." She refused kindly while placing all the clothes and bags she got on the counter.

"I insist, mukhang ako lang ata, Ayel is stuck pa sa traffic eh, samahan mo nalang ako, let's get to know each other, if ever free ka." Selene said with a smile.

"Uhm, gusto ko sana, but I have plans with my friends eh." Irene said and Selene just nodded her head in understandment. They both parted ways as they bid goodbyes.

After shopping, Irene decided to meet up some of her friends in their hangout place. To her surprise, none of her friends showed up. What saddened her the most is that she gave them a reason to avoid her.

Sighing, she drank the tea she ordered and opened her phone. She saw Dawn's post. "It's Saoirse's birthday?" She whispered while looking at the posts of her friends.

She can't help but to feel jealous to her friends and at the same time disappointed to herself for not knowing that it was her daughter's birthday. She forgot her daughter's birthday.

"Waiter the bill plea—"

"Ma'am you don't have to pay." Irene was taken aback on what the waiter said. She looked at him as she hands the money. "I insist, I ordered it so why would I not pay?" Irene asked him.

"Someone already paid for your food." The waiter left Irene speechless. She wants to ask who paid for her so she can thank that person in person. She decided to leave and go home.

She arrived at home that evening, and to her surprise, she saw nobody inside. She was instead welcomed by the eerie silence of her livingroom. When she walks to the dining room, she saw balloons on the living room and used plates on the sink being washed by her maid.

"Good evening po, ma'am Irene," the maid greeted her with her bisaya accent. Irene gave her a smile before sitting on the chair. "Bakit ang kalat?" Irene touched the pink balloon that is tied up on the chair.

"Dito po nag meryenda sila Ma'am Saoirse kasama po mga kaibigan nyo." Irene nodded at her answer. As she was sitting, she saw her daughter walked in with a lot of shopping bags and gifts in her hands.

"Alas-onse na tapos ngayon ka lang umuwi?" Irene asked her. Saoirse startled and gave her mother a blank stare. "It's just passed ten." Saoirse reasoned out while walking towards the stairs.

"Yung bag, kanino galing yan?" Irene asked Saoirse when she saw her daughter holding the bag that the lady she met earlier bought for her special someone.

"It's none of your business, why would you care?" Saoirse responded while placing her new bag on the couch. Saoirse sat and opened her phone.

"Selene?" Irene asked.

"Pardon? How did you know mama Sey?" Saoirse was taken aback when Irene mentioned Selene's name. Irene's eyes almost popped out when her daughter called Selene, 'mama'.

"Close friends to your father and I." Irene said shortly until she saw the invitation inside the bag, her word stops for a moment when she saw the name.

Araneta and Tuazon

She dismissed her daughter. "And Saoirse, happy birthday. I got these bag for you, I know it's not much and probably prefer brand—"

"I prepare local and filipino made, actually. Thank you for these. You should come with me sa wedding. Mama Sey is just waiting for daddy to wake up para matuloy yung kasal eh. But then again, I'm sure you want nothing to do with the Aranetas kaya it's ok if you don't accompany me."

It's not what she thinks it is? It was probably a misundertanding. But why would she care if Greggy is engage or not. Does she still love him, even after all those years? She believes that it was nothing. Everything about him or anything that reminds her of him (including Saoirse) was left behind.

But does she truly love him? The answer, she doesn't know. She wants to dislike him but she hates the fact that she can't unlove him.

"I'll sleep now, again, thank you." Saoirse said before leaving her alone. The cold voice is now replace with softness. She doesn't know if she changed or she's just in the mood to talk to her. She can't help but to smile softly at her daughter's words.

Her friends are indeed right, Saoirse can indeed be soft. Irene watched her descend the stairs with a small smile appearing on Saoirse face.

The smile that was indeed as charming as an angel, a smile that she could stare forever. But then realising that it was the smile that made her do such things, such as giving her only daughter away.

To be continued