Enlighten me

Chapter One

"I remembered when he pushed you! That was unbelievable! Hindi ko inaakala na magagawa niya 'yon sayo Alice!" tumawa siya nang malakas sabay hampas pa sa braso ko. 

"All right, all right! That was four years ago Eunice!" pinunasan ko yung labi ko ng tissue at nagpatuloy, "Seriously you need to get over it, matagal na yon." 

I'm dining with Eunice on a Italian Restaurant in Tagaytay, We  have a lot to catch up because she was in America for 6 months for her business. 

Pinag uusapan namin yung nangyari four years ago, she still can't imagine how August Osbourne did that to me. 

Nung 13 years old ako nung nakilala ko si Gust. I remember that was my first time to experience bullying. Project presentation 'yon sa mapeh, and kailangan kumanta sa harap ng klase tapos individual pa. 

Dahil nga sa OA na pag labas ng pawis ko, pinagtawanan ako ng mga kaklase ko. Naalala ko, pinagbabato pa ako ng mga classmates ko ng papel, and August Osbourne was there. Tumayo siya at hinarang yung sarili niya para hindi ako matamaan ng papel. 

Simpleng bagay lang yon, but that was the reason why he became my first love. Kilalang maloko si Gust sa school, suki siya sa principal office noon. Pero simula nung pinagtanggol niya ako sa klase nag-iba tingin ko sakanya. He made me realize that there is goodness in every person. Kahit sino pa man yon. 

Naging okay kami ni Gust, naging close hanggang mag highschool. But everything changed nung college na kami. Hindi na kami nag-uusap nang gaano at nalaman kong sikat na siya sa buong university dahil soccer player na siya. 

I did my best para mabalik yung dating pagkakaibigan namin pero walang nangyayari. He said he's busy, o hindi kaya may quiz or exam. Sobrang dami niyang excuse. 

Alam kong mahilig siya sa sweets so I decided to bake, that was my first time to bake, naalala ko kung gaano ko kinulit si Eunice noon para lang turuan ako. Wala talaga sa passion ko kasi ang pag luluto o kahit ano pang may kinalaman sa kusina dahil may masamang alaala ako about that. 

I set aside the pain of those memories because of Gust. He made me do impossible things. I still can't imagine na nagbake ako para sakanya, kahit yon ang naging dahilan kung bakit namatay kapatid ko ay pinilit ko ang sarili ko. 

Nakakatawa pa dahil Gust treated me like a trash that day. He doesn't know how painful it was. Yung kinaya ko gawin yung isang bagay na pinangako kong never kong gagawin.

It was a bad memory but after all it helped me to grow up.

I'm Arch. Alice Morgan Carmichael, I have my own firm, I am also a businesswoman. A bachelorette successful businesswoman. I have several restaurants around the country, I didn't expect because of Gust nawala takot ko sa kusina at nagkaroon pa ko ng sarili kong restaurant. I achieved those at a young age because I let hatred run on my veins. Being bad worked on me. 

In this world full of fantasies, let's say I'm the reality crasher. Isinantabi ko ang love life dahil alam ko sa sarili kong wala naman magandang idudulot sakin yon kung hindi puro sakit lang.

Naalala ko dati, I always experience bullying and I let them. Why did I let them? Because Gust made me believe that there is goodness in everyone. Lame right? but that was before.

I've learned. I don't let them bully me, not even touch me.

Geez.. They're not even on my same level. As if anyone would be. 

"Wag ka nga! Ngayon na nalaman kong nagpasa ng resumé si August sa company mo, magkaka-thrill na ulit buhay mo!" sabay kindat sakin ni Eunice.