Sa Tamang Panahon

STP: 1

Maine's POV

"Mennnnnnnnggg! Bumangon ka na dyan iha." Sigaw ni lola sa labas ng pinto.

"Meenng! Babangon ka o kukurutin kita sa singit?!" Pahabol ni lola.

May choice pa ba ako? Kaya kahit sobrang labag sa kaibaturan ng aking abdominals bumangon na ako.

"Opo 'La!" Sagot ko. Mahirap na, baka makurot pa ako.

Tinignan ko yung orasan. Guess whuuut? Its only 5 am. 5 freaking am! Bakit? Kasi naniniwala ang aking lola sa kasabihang 'Early Bird Catches The Worm'. Psh!

Kilala nyo ba ako? Kilala nyo na ba ako? So, Im Yours. Char! (Hindi yun joke kaya okay lang na di kayo tumawa.)

By the way along the way, Nicomaine Mendoza 23 yrs. old na. Graduated of Culinary and to tell you frankly, I dont love cooking. I don't hate it neither. So im with my Lola ever since the world began. Hindi ko alam kung saang lupalop na yung mga magulang ko. Basta ang sabi lang ni lola, hinabilin lang daw ako sa kanya. Wala rin naman akong pake, kaya hindi ko na rin inalam yung buong details. I won't dare wasting my time for that.

Kung di nyo naitatanong (well, hindi naman talaga) wala akong 'regular' work. Suma-sideline lang ako sa business ng aking butihing lola bilang chef sa main branch ng aming restaurant. (Ang lalim ba ng tagalog ko? Haha!) May kaya naman kami kung tutuusin. I can get whatever I want. (In a slowest way.) Blame my Lola for those crazy beliefs.

"Meng ano ba!" Sigaw ulit ni lola na kahit nandito na ako sa CR dinig ko pa rin.

Dali-dali na akong bumababa. Mahirap magalit yang si Lola. Buti nalang mahal ko sya kay keri lang yang suplada hormones nya.

"Morning La!" Masaya kong bati sabay kiss sa cheeks nya.

"Umupo ka na at male-late na ako." Sabi ni Lola. Everyday kasi nyang chine-check yung lahat ng condition ng mga branches ng restaurant namin.

"Ehem. Baka tayo Lola?" Sabi ko, sabay kasi kami lagi pumapasok. Sya sa company, ako sa restaurant na halos isang dipa lang yung layo sa company. 8 am kasi nagbubukas yung resto.

"No. You're not going to come anymore." Seryosong sabi nya.

"Eh? Why? Am I going to another branch again? Where?" Sunod-sunod na tanong ko. I was just curious, k?

"You. Are. Fired. .. Again!" Galit nyang sabi.

"P-po?! Ano pong ginawa ko?" She hired me then just a snap of time she fired me. Great!

"Ako ba dapat ang magtanong nyan? Why did you fired the waitress?!"

So .. she found out. Patay na naman ako. Kainis!

"Because she called me Nico!" Reklamo ko.

"Ano?! Just because she called you Nico you fired her?!" Hindi makapaniwalng tanong ni Lola.

"Yep! Nobody dares to call me Nico lola." Seryoso kong sabi.

Walang sinuman ang dapat tumawag sakin ng Nico. Wala silang karapatan. Isang tao lang ang meron.

"Kailan mo ba makakalimutan yan ha?!"

"When clouds and ocean collides." I answered seriously.

I heard Lola sighed as a sign of defeat.

"Iha, how many times do I have to tell you that past will never be a future?"

"Lola, please." I said to stop this topic.

"No! You need to move on. You have to!"

"Lola naman. When will you start respecting my decision? Maayos naman yung trabaho ko. Maayos lahat just don't call me Nico."

"Fine. But you need to find job."

"Lola naman! Im trying my best para lumago yang restaurant. Tapos ifi-fired mo ako just because I kicked that waitress?" Hindi makapaniwalang tanong ko.

"Yes. Because what you did was immaturity. So childish. Find a decent job and don't you dare used your professionalism to find job."

"Wait -- what?! Lola, I studied years just to be professional."

"You think diploma was enough? Find a job. Go get a job for undergraduates." Seryosong sabi ni Lola. As in so serious.

"Why would I do that?" Naguguluhan kong tanong.

"For you to experience kung gaano kahirap maghanap ng trabaho. Para maransan mo yung naranasan ng mga tinanggal mo sa trabaho." Talagang in-emphasised ni Lola yung 'mga'.

"But it was their fault! My only rule was don't call me Nico. Simple rule and yet they can't managed it. Meaning they can't respect me."

"Inisip mo ba yung mga pamilyang inagrabyado mo dahil lang dyan sa lecheng rule mong yan ha Nicomaine?!" Galit na nga si lola. She only call me Nicomaine when she's proud/so happy/so angry. In this case, it's obviously Lola was not proud nor happy.

"Fine. Im sorry" I said defeated.

"Find a job like your an undergrad. Don't you dare used your college diploma. Find a job that was not related to course."

"Seriously?!" Hindi ko na napigilan yung sarili kong sumigaw.

"Lola, you know I don't love cooking but it's the only thing I know!"

"Yung mga waitress, they also don't loved it. But they have to. They go any job even if it's not fitted to them."

"What are you trying to say?"

"That you don't have to know everything. You don't need to know. It is not about knowledge Nicomaine, its about learning. Learning and accepting. " She said as if she's reading a novel.

"If that's what you want. " Wala rin naman kasi akong magagawa. Kahit na hindi ko maintindihan si Lola, hindi ko magawang magalit. Because somehow I know what my fault is.

"You should learn how to live simple. Where all things are hard."

"How?"

"Hindi kita bibigyan ng allowance. Bahala kang bumuhay dyan sa mga luho mo. You won't use your car anymore. Matuto kang mag-commute"

"But Lola -- "

"No more buts! You need to deal with your consequences." Putol ni Lola.

No allowance?! Hindi naman ata makatarungan yun. Kainis!

"Pero anong gagawin ko?" Reklamo ko.

"Bahala ka. 2 yrs lang Nicomaine. 2 yrs lang then you can go back to your normal life. Papayagan na rin kitang magaral ng pastries sa France." She said as she stood up and walked away.

As she walked, my world just crashed. Hindi ko alam ang gagawin ko for crying out loud sake! Hindi ko alam kung saan maguumpisa.