D'Beasts Series #4: Ceasing the Rivalry

IKA-LABING ANIM

It was almost midnight when I decided to go home. May pasok pa kinabukasan kaya hindi rin ako puwedeng magpuyat. Hindi rin naman ako masyadong nakapag-party dahil maraming customers ngayon, kinailangan ako sa counter para tumulong kila Evan. And for some reason, mas gusto kong umuwi na lang din ng maaga. Hindi pa naman ako inaantok at mas lalong hindi ako nalasing. I just felt like going home.

“You seriously drove while you were drunk?”

My heart almost stopped beating when I heard a voice in the kitchen. Kukuha sana ako ng tubig para uminom bago ako umakyat sa kwarto nang mapatingin ako sa nandoon. Jonas is there, and he’s wearing a white t-shirt and sweatpants. Magulo rin ang buhok niya at mukhang nagising lang sa pagkakatulog.

“I’m not drunk. Just tipsy,” I smirked. “Bakit gising ka pa?”

“I woke up to my mother’s call. She’s abroad right now. Bumaba na rin ako at napansin kong kulang pa rin ang mga kotse sa labas at hindi ka pa umuuwi,” walang pa ring emosyong aniya.

“Kaya hinintay mo ako?” I concluded and got myself a glass of cold water.

“I told you, my mother called. We talked—”

“Pero tapos na, hindi ba? Bakit nandito ka pa rin?”

“I can’t sleep, so I’m getting a glass of water.”

Tumango ako at muling nakaisip na pag-trip-an na naman siya. He’ll get mad at me, for sure. “While waiting for me? Alright. You can go back to your room now. Nandito na ako.”

“I don’t even care about you. Bahala ka kung anong gusto mong isipin. Matutulog na ako,” inis niyang sagot at tinalikuran na ako.

He looked like he was going to punch me in the face. What a quick-tempered man! Para iyon lang ay nainis na kaagad. I wonder what his attitude is in the classroom setting. Sayang naman at bumalik na kaagad ng kwarto. Dapat pala ay kinausap ko na muna. May hihingiin pa naman sana akong pabor. Kailangan ko siya bukas after class. I hope he’s not busy.

Kinabukasan, hindi ko na siya hinintay na pumasok sa school. He’s now using his car while I’m using mine. Maaga akong umalis dahil kailangan pa naming mag-meeting para sa event bukas. I need to focus on improving the taste of the dishes we’ll be preparing tomorrow. Kaya ngayon ay muli akong nagbababad sa internet habang nasa classroom para manood ng ilang mga videos kung paano magluto ng indian cuisine in an authentic way.

“Excited na ako para bukas! Pumasok tayo ng maaga, ha. Don’t be late. Kailangan natin mag-prepare na kaagad dahil seven onwards and opening ng mga booth.”

“Wala na naman tayong kailangang bilhin, right Seven?”

I shook my head while still watching something on my iPad. “Wala na. I’ll bring everything tomorrow. I’ll make sure na wala akong makakalimutan para hindi tayo magkaroon ng problema.”

“Guys, remember. Our goal is not just to ace this performance task but also to provide satisfaction to the consumers. I hope everything will go well. Huwag naman sanang magkaroon ng problema, especially we’re handling food. Hindi na bale kung hindi sobrang sarap at mala-pagkain sa five star hotel ang maging kalabasan, as long as safe ang lahat ng mga kakain.”

Sang-ayon ako sa sinabi ng leader namin. Food safety is really important to protect consumers from health risks. Sisiguraduhin naman naming maglalagay kami ng notice just in case we’ll be using any allergens. Bukod pa roon, hygiene plays a role too. We have to be hygienic, starting from the place, the containers we’ll be using, and the food preparation, so the food won’t be contaminated and cause food poisoning.

“This will be our last meeting regarding this event. Let’s enjoy tomorrow’s sports festival opening. Good luck to us!”

We ended our discussion right before the class started. Buong class period yata ay tungkol sa sports fest ang naging topic ng mga professors. Hindi ko tuloy alam kung na-e-excite ba ako o kinakabahan. Kung sabagay, sa unang araw lang naman ako busy. Kinabukasan hanggang matapos ang event ay wala na akong gagawin kaya puwede na akong manood sa mga players na maglalaban-laban ng iba’t-ibang sports. Sayang nga at hindi na kami ang lalaban sa basketball. Pero ganoon talaga, at least we got to experience something. It’s just that, we have different priorities now. Kaya na ng mga juniors iyon. May tiwala naman ako sa varsity namin. Lalo na kay Coach Lim at sa team captain naming si Fred na kasama sa nag-train sa mga bagong players.