To Trust the Dawn

Chapter 52

Chapter 52

"You're not going to resign, right?"

Nababasa ko ang pag-aalinlangan at hinala sa mga mata ni Sir Moreau. His eyes were just directed on mine as though finding any loophole he could pinpoint to my reason of filing a leave. Iniwas niya rin ang tingin saka hinipan ang tasa ng kape.

I heaved a sigh. Hindi ko siya agarang sinagot dahil idinirekta ko ang mga mata sa labas ng restaurant. It was a peaceful morning, with the sun already rising. The one that contributes of today's morning peace is the serene sky, taliwas sa emosyon ng panahon kahapon. It's been an hour since the dawn showed itself on the sky... na siyang nagpapaalala sa 'kin sa mga panahong nag-sho-shoot pa sila rito sa eksaktong oras ng dawn.

Ibinalik ko ang paningin sa tasa ng kape at hinipan din ito bago inumin. Today's my day off, the day that I exactly planned to tell him about my request of filing a leave. This is my first time to file a leave, the reason why I'm not confident if he'll approve it or not dahil isa ako sa may pinakamataas na posisyon dito sa restaurant.

Hindi pa ako kailanman nakakapag-file ng leave, hindi kagaya ng mga kasama ko. It's probably one of the reasons why most of them term me as the most workaholic in the restaurant. Hindi rin naman kasi ako nagkasakit nang matagal kaya walang maibibigay na valid reason para mag-file ng leave.

I shook my head at him. "No, Sir. I'm just gonna rest in my hometown in the Philippines for a while. Why did you even come up with that, Sir?" Mahina akong natawa.

Malaya na akong nakakapagbiro minsan sa kaniya dahil mula nang maitalaga sa 'kin ang posisyong ito ay naging close kami. I've come to realize that he's not that hard to talk to. Ang first impression ko kasi sa kaniya nang mag-apply ako ay istrikto at parang hindi mo agad makausap.

Ganoon lang pala talaga siya in a workplace setting, pero napapansin ko palagi ang minsanan niyang pangangamusta sa aming lahat sa t'wing natatapos ang shift namin. Aside from the restaurant's reputation, he also cares about our well-being.

"After discovering the thing between you and Direk Sullivan, I started feeling that you two will permanently live in the Philippines one way or another. Maybe after the wedding or something?" He nonchalantly chuckled.

Bahagyang umawang ang mga labi kong nagmula sa pagkakatikom. I awkwardly chuckled upon thinking about the possibility of it. Bago lang kami nagkaayos at nagliligawan pa lang ulit na parang mga tanga... ang advance niya naman. It's not on my mind, yet.

Tumikhim ako saka ngumiti. "I don't think so, Sir... I've already learned to love living here in France. And I also don't think I can just easily let this position slip away from my fingers when I started from scratch just to get this. However, I'm not saying that it's not possible. I might... but maybe it'll take me a long time to do that because I'm already committed to your restaurant and this profession in this country."

His lips went ajar, but he slowly formed them into a smile---a genuine one, indicating that he just heard the response that satisfies him.

"I'm glad to hear that..." He took sip on his coffee again. "Your skill, determination, and passion are what I'm really finding in a head cook. I admit that I was hesitant at first to promote you as one because you're just new here, as though it's astonishing to see such potential to someone that is still new to the industry. But, you've proven yourself for how many times ever since you were just starting as an ordinary cook."

Kumurba ng ngiti ang mga labi ko nang marinig 'yon. Natutuwa akong malaman 'yon dahil nang ma-promote ako, he just merely congratulated me... no praises or comments. He's also not the type of person who praises someone because he believes that it's someone's responsibility so praising him or her doesn't have any point. Kaya ngayon ay parang hinaplos ang puso ko.