Kinabukasan ay pumasok ako sa trabaho. Malaman natin kung bakit di nila ako pinahanap. Etong mga taong 'to yari sakin to.
"Ms. Cassy!"
"Good Morning, mam!"
"Mam, buti po nakabalik na kayo."
Ngumiti ako sakanila at nagslight bow as a sign of respect kahit sa mga lower level habang naglalakad papunta sa office ko. Habang naglalakad naman ako ay nakita ko si Meena na nag-aabang sa pinto ko.
"Aba pops, bat napasarap ata bakasyon mo at ngayon ka lang umuwi?"
"Oy anong bakasyon, iniwan ako ng TeleCommunications Group sa Korea."
"Ha? What do you mean?"
"Naiwan ako dun."
Bakas naman ang pagkagulat sa mukha nya.
"So umuwi ka alone? You paid your own flight ticket?"
"Aba oo naman. Sino pa ba magbabayad nun, pops?"
Napanganga sya bago nagsalita, "What the heck? Really?!"
"Do I look like I'm joking, Marina?" sagot ko saka binuksan ang pinto ko. We, including Lance, were bestfriends since college kaya ayos lang na magfirst name basis kami at magpabarge in barge in sa office ng isa't isa.
"No way."
I faced her since nakakasense na ako nang parang may nangyayari. "Bakit ba? Is there a problem?"
"Pops, listen. Ang sabi ni boss, nagpaiwan ka raw because you still want to stay. Nasayahan ka raw sa Korea and you want to extend your vacation. Which is a little strange kasi dapat galit sya if ever at hindi dapat posible yun. But he's not. For him, it's fine na kahit working days na ay wala pa ang isang Marketing Manager. And also, nung araw na nagbalik na ang lahat tas ikaw wala pa, he was making a way para makauwi ka kasi cinonfirm ng TeleCom Group na hindi ka nakasama sa flight. Then, I don't know, the day after, he announced na you were actually having a good stay there. Di na pala little strange yun, it was a hell lot of strange!"
"Good stay? Myghad pops, kawawa ako dun. I swear. I was almost starving and I don't have anywhere to stay kasi the hotel rooms' been checked out na because the company's stay was over so I was left with no choice."
"Oh how did you survive?"
"And to tell you that, naaksidente pa ako dun. A great person I met there helped me."
"Thank God. Oh, our poor Cassy." malungkot na sambit nya at niyakap ako.
Nangunot ang noo ko at sinubukang isort out ang mga bagay-bagay. What's happening?
"Something's going on."
"There is!"
Pero umiling nalang ako, ayoko nang mag-isip. "Hays! Hayaan na, I'm here anyway."
"Kailangan natin mabigyan ng hustisya yung nangyari sayo, pops!"
"Wag na, ganto kasi, it's my fault na naiwan ako sa flight so wala nang pananagutan ang TeleCom Group. Hindi rin naman ako nagleft ng notice sakanila kaya ayun, wala na tayong magagawa. It happened, and it's my fault that I suffered there."
Niyakap naman nya ako ulit.
"Consider it a lesson okay? Hays, always check everything and be sure of every decision you're making."
