Petals of Passion

Prologue

"Good morning po Ma'am Cosette, anong ginagawa ninyo rito? Ang init-init, hala sige magpayong ka," nag-aalalang sabi ni Manong Elmar nang makita niya akong naglalakad habang bilad sa araw.

"Pwede po bang magpa-reserve mamayang 7 pm sa isang gazebo, Manong?" tanong ko dito habang binubuksan ang malaking payong na ibinigay niya sa akin.

I'm wearing a sleeveless floral dress kaya naman naiinitan ang balat ko, idagdag pa na marami akong dalang paperbag kung kaya't nahirapan ako sa paggamit ng payong. Kaunti lang naman ang lalakarin ko kaya pinagtiyagaan ko na.

"Naku, titignan ko po Ma'am sa schedule. Alam ninyo naman pong laging may mga napunta ditong turista para kumain sa mga gazebo natin," wika nito kaya inusig ko pa siya tungkol dito dahil mukhang may sasabihin pa siya, hindi naman ako nagkamali. "Balita ko nga po ay magpapagawa pa ulit ang Daddy ninyo ng dalawa pang gazebo. Hindi raw po kasi kasya ang mga customer sa tatlo lamang."

Well, that's not a bad idea. Halos siksikan na rin kasi minsan ang mga customer namin lalo na kapag family dinner dahil hindi naman gano'n kalaki ang tatlong gazebo namin. Napakinggan ko rin last night kay Daddy na may malaki siyang perang makukuha mula sa isang business partner na balak mag-invest sa farm namin.

Isa sa pinakamalaking farm ng Luzon ang Soleil's Spring Sunshine. Ipinangalan niya ito sa akin because their profit grew higher nang maging produkto ako ng pagmamahalan nila ni Mommy and he called me a lucky charm. That's why in the future, I also want to marry a man who will also name something special for him with my name.

I left the lobby and followed the brown pavements leading to the farm. Soleil's Spring Sunshine offers food that is fresh from the farm and also fresh from the kitchen. This place was renovated last year. Mula sa lupaing napupuno ng matataas na damo at malawak na palayan, naging multi-purpose farm na ngayon. It was originally 2 hectares but Dad decided to add one more hectare after the renovation. Now, it has a wide farming area where they can plant and harvest vegetables, a total of three gazebos where customers can spend their time, a lobby painted with a beige color where the clients can set for appointments and reservations, and a kitchen located at the back of the lobby where some hired professional chefs and employees can cook and serve.

The scent of red roses filled my nose when I entered the area where the gazebo I was reserving for later was located. Each gazebo is surrounded by bushes and flowers which clients might enjoy for picture taking. This idea was suggested by me and Daddy followed it immediately.

Ibinaba ko ang dala-dalang payong at mga paper bag na bitbit ko. Isa-isa kong nilabas ang mga binili kong pangdecoration. I believe the lobby has stocks of items which I can use right now but I don't want to bother asking since most of them are busy working.

I started decorating by putting a white cloth over the table and some artificial rose petals on top of it. I don't want to pick those real flowers from the bushes since Daddy might get angry, plus I don't want to make those bushes flowerless.

"Gosh, bakit ang lakas ng hangin?" tanong ko sa sarili habang pilit na sinisindahan ang kandila ngunit patuloy lamang itong hinihipan ng hangin.

It's the last month of the year and I believe Christmas is coming that's why it feels colder than before.

Nagpatuloy na lamang ako sa pagdidisensyo. Dalawa ang family-sized na gazebo namin ngunit isang espesyal lang naman na tao ang kasama ko mamayang gabi kaya itong pinakamaliit ang pina-reserve ko, sana nga lang ay pumayag sila. This place has two bentwood chairs unlike the family-sized gazebo where it can fit 7-10 people. I also dressed each chair para mamaya ay maayos tignan.

I can't help but smile, I never imagined myself doing this for someone whom I have feelings for. But look at me now, careless about the sweat falling on my forehead and continued designing this gazebo. Tonight, I'll confess to Dawson. He's the only person I'm willing to pursue kahit na babae ako.