My American Love

Chapter 16: Casual

"Belle."

I was day dreaming when Serina snap her fingers in front of me.

"Get some break." She gave me the papers of the houses I will market today and grabbed her purse. "See you."

I grabbed my car keys at my desk, "I'll get some coffee."

I used my 10 minutes break to grab some coffee at the near Starbucks in the office. After I bought a macchiato and croissant a drove back to the office. I really need to gather my thoughts. Even Serina noticed my mind is not focus on my work and that's not good. She even asked if I partied last night. She taught I was in my hang over but I wasn't. I crossed my legs and sip in my coffee thinking about this fast few nights.

I smiled.

That blue eyed guy.

After the night I got his number, he always texts me. Minsan normal lang yung text niya, minsan talagang sobrang harot ng mga sext niya. I know he's flirting with me and so am I. When we're at the moment where he's trying to sext me and I do the same to him. I just see it as a joke. I know his laughing or smiling too when we do that. Because when he calls me. That's mean I already won.

Maginoo na medyo bastos. Bet.

After my break I started the papers Serina gave to me, and after an overtime. I'm done. I stretched my neck, I have a stressful, demanding job. I have a high pressure job in marketing and advertising. Some people think, its easy. But nope, it's not. I started driving to my apartment, I'll go straight pass out. I have no time to go to the gym today. I'm drained.

"You won't believe what just happened to me today!" Nicole whined as answer her call.

Because I'm her bestfriend I'm always here to listen and listen, and I attempt to give her advice. But I don't advice or even vent her feelings.

Nicole called complaining about how terrible and insensitive her department was to her, a department composed mostly of women which makes the level of sexism and racism she experiences daily all the more perplexing. She works for AT&T and things are so bad in her department that she's resorted to secretly recording all of her department meetings as evidence. Anthony is the only co worker she consider friend but Anthony was not there because he's not promoted yet.

Nicole was promoted last week kaya naman bago siya sa department nila. Nasa office na siya before she was in the store.

I told her, with all seriousness, "Ate girl sue their asses. Write a tell-all and put they ass on blast."

The whole time she was talking to me I was angry that this is what it means to be a successful Filipino woman on the tenure-track, but I was even angrier at her for continuing to subject herself to this level of nonsense.

"Edi lalo nila kong pinaginitan!"

"Why don't you just quit?" I asked. "You have a Bachelors degree. Your work is compelling. You're intellectually hot. You'll find another tenure-track position. And even if you don't, so what?" I told her.

She heard what I was saying but was more worried about quitting a high powered job

"Shouldn't I just suffer and hope things get better?"