Lost in Love

(6)

I've never seen him after my first day training. Minsan nga gusto ko ulit manadya na maligaw sa parking lot to see him again pero sabi ko wag na. Effort pa. Nagkataon lang na nandun siya that time I needed help. That's it.

Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday training went good. Okay naman yung mga nakasama ko that time. Batch or class in BPO industry is called Wave. So we called each other wavemates. Para lang kaming nasa school. Klase (training), games (energizer), nakakatuwa. Para lang kaming mga bata kahit na hindi kami magkaka-edad. To be honest, ako ang pinakabata saming lahat. I'm just 21. Eldest is 52. Sa call center talagang walang pinipili. No gender role, no age limit, not strict compliance to dress code, no proper haircut needed. Ang daming pwede, ang daming hindi bawal.

Friday na. Bukas final day na ng training. May mock calls na magaganap. The trainer dismissed us early para daw makapag-ready kami for mock call tomorrow.

I and the other trainees fall in line sa lobby to log out records and to get our things and our valid ID's. So far wala pang company ID na binibigay, so T ID palang yung meron kami kapalit nung personal ID namin. Basically, sinusurrender din yung bags especially cellphones. Makaka-affect daw kasi yun sa bandwidth during floor operations. Kung ano yung bandwidth, hindi ko alam. Kaya ko siyang gamitin sa sentence pero hindi ko maexplain.

My turn. I handed kay Manong guard yung T ID ko. I was writing my log out time and pipirma na ako when the guard handed back to me my personal ID.

"Thanks, Kuya."

"By the way, Miss Alfante. Pakisulat po pala dito sa tabi ng name mo yung cellphone number mo po." Sabay turo sa name ko sa log sheet.

Nagtaka ako. Cellphone number ko? Para saan? Bakit yung nauna sa akin di naman niya kinuhanan?

"Upon counter checking po kasi nung first day mo hindi mo po naregister yung number mo." Sagot ni Manong guard sa tanong na di ko naman direktang tinanong sa kanya. Napansin niya sigurong nagtataka ako.

Hindi ko na din maalala yung pinirmahan kong log sheet nung first day. Is it different from this one? Baka nga, hindi ko lang siguro napansin.

Lumingon ako sa mga nakapila sa likod ko. Madami pa sila and I know they can't afford to lose some time kung magtatanong pa ako kay Manong guard. With much hesitation, I write my number beside my name.

Maliin ko kaya 'to? Pero for log purposes naman daw. Wala naman sigurong kukuha ng number ko sa mga guards na 'to kasi bawal yun. Pero pano yung mga nasa likod ko na mag-oout pa? Baka kunin nila.

Nung tapos na ako magsulat, kinuha muna ni Manong guard yung log sheet tsaka pinalitan ng blank sheet. Weird.

Hindi ko nalang pinansin pa yun. I get my bag and walk out the building and went home.

Friday.

I came to the office 30 minutes before 9AM. Last day ng training and mock calls na. Parang final exams lang. Hindi ako kinakabahan. Forte ko naman ang communications. I graduated Bachelor in Broadcast Comm sa isang State U. To let you know, kahit state U lang yun, kami ang pinakamataas na level accredited by CHED. Walang sinabi yung ibang colleges and universities. Anyway, alam ko naman I can do it. Hindi sa mayabang pero kayang-kaya ko 'to. Chicken.

Same drill. Surrender things and ID. But before I surrender my bag, my phone beeps. May nagtext.

When I checked it, number lang.

"Good luck to your mock call, Mia."

Woah! Sino 'to?!

Imposibleng one of my friends. I got their contacts naman. And I didn't tell to anyone na sa call center na ako magtatrabaho ngayon. Last time I checked, I told them this will be my last resort. After 4 years of hardship sa college, I won't enter this line of business. Pero eto ako ngayon, busog dahil kinain ko lahat ng sinabi ko.