Lovers

Prologue

Everybody is a salesman.

You'll be astounded to realize that you are actually doing selling your whole life. Paano? The way you present yourself, the way you dress, the way you wear your make up, when you ought to finish that big pile of work without filing OT because you want to impress your boss. You are selling yourself. You sell yourself with your personality, your workmanship, and your social skills. At ang mundo, it's a big market. Everyone has something to offer, some may have similarities at some points pero ang sigurado, lahat ay magkakaiba. Walang magkakatulad ang kabuuan.

Yes, everybody can sell. Pero hindi lahat ay makakabenta.

I tapped the home button of my phone nang natapos ko nang panoorin ang isang video tungkol sa pre-selling. The guy in the video was lecturing about how to deliver a catchy sales pitch. Buti na lamang hindi ako nakatulog. I do not know why I still don't feel sleepy dahil kadalasan natutulog na ako ng mga ganitong oras. It's already 11:30 in the evening and my eyes won't shut down. Dapat talaga hindi na lang ako nanood ng video na iyon, kinakabahan lamang ako para bukas. We have a client meeting tomorrow regarding our proposal in one of their biggest requirement this year. I feel good about our cost proposal per kinakabahan pa din.

Right after passing the ECE boards, I immediately sent my resume' to integrators and telecom solutions companies to apply for a Sales Executive job. It was hard to explain to my friends why I wanted that career path at first, iniisip kasi nila na sayang ang pagiging inhinyero ko. They would send me interview schedules for a technical engineering post but I ditch it all the time. When they realized na ito talaga ang gusto ko, they eventually gave up at sinuportahan na lamang nila ako.

"It's not for you Lio, take the offer of the school na lang to teach higher Mathematics and Acoustics Engineering. It'll be perfect for you." Saad ni Fany during one of our night outs sa paborito naming bar sa Timog. I invited my friends noon to celebrate dapat because I thought I was going to be hired as the youngest Sales Manager sa isang sikat na Japanese electric company. But I was wrong. Pero ipinagpatuloy namin ang pag-babar, not to celebrate but to curse every Japanese company that I know.

"I'd be damned, Epifania! I mean I look up to teachers pero ayoko nun. Puro markers na nga kamay mo, wala pa ring natututunan students mo. Ayoko nun." Sagot ko habang pinapasadahan ng tingin ang buong bar. It was quieter here if I remember. My eyes got fixed on a group of people with matching shirts having fun. Mostly gay men na kaedad din namin. Ang isa ay babaeng babae kumilos.

"Ang saya ng grupong iyon!" I gestured, pointing to the group I was staring at for quite a while.

"Oo nga. Nakakatuwa talaga mga LGBT people. Ang saya nila pag nagsama sama."

Natahimik ako.

"Hoy Angelio, huwag mo nang isipin yung kompnya na yun. They suck because they don't hire people like you. Pinakawalan nila ang isang future asset ." She bantered while reaching for another glass of Walker.

"Nakakainis. I was just being honest. Although I don't look like one, but I am gay. What's wrong with that? Why can't they just let gay people be gay?" I rolled my eyes while saying that. Naalala ko na naman kasi ang dahilan kung bakit nandidito kami ngayon at isinusumpa lahat ng may kinalaman sa Hapon.

Apparently, they do not hire gay men as managers. The panel asked me directly if I am a homosexual. Mahahalata sa mukha nila na inaasahan nilang "hindi" and isasagot ko. When I said yes, they were shocked. Ang alam ng friends ko, I wasn't hired because I was overqualified sa gusto kong posisyon at gusto ng company na gawin akong trainee sa Project Managerial post. At hindi ko iyon tinanggap.

Of course hindi sila naniwala, but they did not bother me at all. Baka naikwento ko na rin noong gabing iyon. Sa sobrang daldal at confident ko ba naman kapag nakainom, I'd be spitting out everything in my mind in no time. Si Fany lang ang napagsabihan ko nun while sober.