"Thank you,” Thomas said as we went out of the hotel’s parking lot. He is driving his car to the after party.
“Huh?” I looked at him. His eyes are focused on the road.
“Thank you for today.” He smiled.
“Anong ginawa ko?” I asked without removing my gaze from him.
He took a glance at me for a second, “Wala lang. I just feel that I’m with the old Ara today. The few times we saw each other the past days, you were so closed and distant. Parang 50 meters pa nga lang ang layo ko sayo, mukhang tatakbo ka na. So thank you.”
I remained silent and looked straight to the road.
“Don’t,” he worriedly took a glance at me.
“Don’t what?” I asked.
“Don’t close yourself again. Sinimulan mo na kong pansinin eh, ituloy-tuloy mo na,” he smiled.
I smiled and looked through my window, “I shouldn’t have mentioned that. Now you’re distant again.” He sadly said.
“Ewan ko sayo,” I smiled and I felt the car slow down. “Oh bakit tayo tumitigil?”
Thomas pointed at what’s in front of us. Cars piling up and it looks like they’re bumper to bumper. “Reverse,” I calmly said and looked behind us. Shoot! We are officially stuck.
“Oh no, panu na to?” I slumped to my seat.
“I’m sorry. It went out of my mind that it’s Friday. Everybody’s going out pala,” Thomas looked sincere at what he said.
“Malayo pa ba tayo?” I asked.
“Hindi naman masyado. Pero hindi ko alam kung anong oras tayo makakaalis dito,” he said and slumped to his seat.
Suddenly, he smiled like a light bulb lit over his head. “Maybe it is destiny telling us that it’s our time to catch up, like really catch up without the bickering. We were talking about her earlier, maybe she want her presence felt again,” he winked.
“Dami mong alam, ewan ko sayo. Tapos na yung project ni destiny, nagha-honeymoon na. Pahinga siya ngayon,” I retorted.
“Then Fate maybe?” Thomas asked.
“On leave siya,” I said as a matter of fact.
Thomas chuckled, “Sige na nga. What do you want to do now?”
“Iiwan kita dito, sunod ka na lang,” I said.
“Iiwan mo na naman ako,” Thomas immediately said with his chinky eyes wide open, as wide as they can possibly get. I gave him a look and he smiled. “Joke lang po."
"Okay," he sat up straight and looked at me. Stuck naman na kami sa traffic eh at hindi na gumagalaw.
"I won’t ask Why’s. Para naman hindi mapanis yang laway mo. Q and A tayo.” He seems to be in a very good mood.
“Sige na nga,” I gave in. Tama naman siya, mukhang matatagalan kami.
“Ako mauuna?” he asked with wide eyes. I rolled mine and He took that as a cue.
“What happened, Ara? When you left? What did you do?”
Napaka-straight to the point naman tong bansot na to. Hindi na nagpatumpik-tumpik pa. Sakyan ko na nga lang to. Hindi talaga kami gumagalaw.
“Well, I went to London. Sumama ako kay Mama nung bumalik siya nung last championship year namin. I went there with a Visiting visa at first but when I found a job the company helped with a working visa. After 3 years, nagkasakit si Papa at kailangan ng umuwi na Mama. So I took over. Ako na ang nagpapadala dito sa Pilipinas. Then si Mama hindi na bumalik sa London.”
