ASYMPTOTES

Chapter 7

1 Year Ago

Richard was finishing up his US tour and he couldn't wait to finally have some free time to himself before going home. His management has allowed him stay for two more days before he returns to the Philippines to resume his regular hosting stint at Eat Bulaga.

He just came from a very successful show in New Jersey where he was warmly welcomed by the Filipino community. His last stop was New York and he was excited to go around and explore the city on his own.

After his final show, Mama Ten approached him and handed him a white envelope. When asked what it was, his PA answered, "Galing yan sa isang fan. Gift daw niya sa'yo."

"Saan po siya? Gusto ko magpasalamat."

"Umalis na eh."

The idea suited him well. He needed to rest and some private time would do him good. It will be the perfect opportunity for him to recharge. But more than that, he knew the real reason why he wanted to stay at the Sagamore. In one of their conversations, M had mentioned she is considering the hotel for her internship. He was actually hoping she'd be there.

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He was up early the next day. A car was at his disposal, waiting to take him anywhere he wanted to go. He checked out of his present hotel, said goodbye to his team who will be going home ahead of him, and asked the car driver to bring him to Sagamore Hotel.

The staff was surprised to see that there were a lot of people milling inside the hotel lobby. They were not alerted that a Filipino celebrity will be staying with them. As soon as they knew, they added extra security.

After he checked himself in, Richard went down for breakfast. He wasn't really hungry but in his heart of hearts, he knew he had a different agenda: he wanted to know if M works here.

As he was entering the restaurant, the head chef met him and they exchanged pleasantries. They talked for a while, finding common ground in their love for fish. Soon, Richard found himself asking if there were Filipino chefs who work in the kitchen. The head chef said yes. However, since breakfast hours had already ended, some of them already went home.

Richard, not one to give up so easily, pressed on.

"Chef, I'm kinda looking for someone and I don't really know if she works here or not. But perhaps you can help me out. Do you have Filipino chefs here whose name starts with M? I know it's a stupid question but please, indulge me."

The chef smiled.

"No. We have Janeeva, Nicomaine, Carla, Lisa, and Jen. The only one whose name starts with M here is Miguel, and I don't think you're looking for a guy."

Richard's shoulders visibly slumped. Then the head chef spoke again, "However, we do call Nicomaine as Maine. Would that be her?"

He felt like his heart would jump out of his chest at any moment. He was too excited to speak. But that excitement was not meant to last for long because the next words he heard the chef say were, "Oh, I think that's Maine," he said pointing to a petite girl in a beautiful yellow sundress, about to leave the restaurant.

She has her back turned to him so Richard could not see her face. Although he did notice one thing: she was with a guy who had his arms around her shoulders.

But the head chef wasn't finished yet. He dropped the bomb.

"With her is Miguel. The way I see it, I think he's her boyfriend."