Desire of the Heart

01

I was taken aback when I read the note he left. Nakaramdam ako ng kaba dahil makikita ko ulit siya. I mean, I wasn't complaining, I liked the view. Ang importante lang ay may customers, right? Why should I feel like this when I had only stumbled across him once? I should probably move on.

How the hell am I supposed to do that?

I was already thinking of calling Lunette to take a leave when Dos' face flashed in my mind. I peeked at his unit, he was probably still inside because it's still so early. Pumasok rin sa isip ko ang pera na iniwan niya para sa 'kin.

I couldn't avoid him when he gave me a huge tip. I will still see him even if I try to avoid him. He said in the note that he would often visit our shop, and plus, his unit is right next to mine. Our paths will cross no matter how much I try to hide from him.

Even if I hesitated, I went to work anyway. Lunette also informed me that Dulcinea is on leave for two weeks, which means I will do all the waitressing while she's gone.

I looked at my wrist watch, it was 7:48am, hindi pa ako late. Tumawag lang ako ng taxi papunta ng shop, hindi naman kalayuan ang shop pero baka kasi kapag nilakad ko pa ay ma-late talaga ako.

Nang huminto ang taxi sa harap ng coffee shop ay binayaran ko ang driver bago bumaba. Natanaw ko kaagad ang mga co-workers ko na nag-a-arrange ng mga tables. Si Lunette ay naglilista sa counter habang sina Lauren, Migz, Jule at ang iba pa ay naglilinis.

Pumasok na rin ako para tulungan sila. It was still so early. Madalas ang mga customer ay dumadating pagpatak ng alas nuebe. Most of them are on their way to work, some are just early birds who crave coffee or pastries for breakfast. Our shop is one of the most popular cafe here in Manila, malaki at may kalawakan rin kasi ang loob kaya marami kaming buyers. Maganda ang interior design kaya good for selfies talaga. We also have a view of the sun, which I love taking pictures of.

Somehow, I love taking photos of sunrise and sunsets. I get excited when I see one. Hindi ko alam kung kailan ko nasimulang magustuhan ito. The scenery never fails to make me smile, it warms my heart whenever I feel the sun's light touching my face. The sun rays glint brightly as it hit the water's reflection.

After we finished cleaning and arranging, Lauren prepared the coffee brewers, ingredients, equipments, air pots and pastries, sina Jule and Migz ay parehong nililinis ang malalaking glass windows. Ako naman ay nasa counter lang dahil tapos na rin naman kami sa pag-pe-prep. Lahat kami ay nakasuot na ng apron with the shop's logo designed on it.

The small bell at the entrance rang, indicating that our first customer was here. I was the one assigned to get their orders instead of Migz because he was asked to buy for a while because we were said to be short of sugar.

Huminto ako sa paglalakad nang mamukhaan ko ang first customer namin. Ang kasama ni Dos kahapon. What's his name again? Huro? Hiro? Whatever.

Wait, if this man is here, then there is a possibility that Dos is here, too! I know I said that I would not avoid him here at work because I also had to be professional, it would also seem like I was affected by what happened yesterday. I shouldn't be like that.

Get your act together, Ada. I thought to myself.

I walked towards the man with my head held high and inhaled a large amount of air before speaking.

"Hello Sir, Good morning. Welcome to Bakes and Treats, I will be getting your order for today." maligayang bati 'ko. I tried to force a smile before I handed over the menu to him.