(Starting this chapter, i'll use english na rin po for Maymay's third person narration.)
• • •
"Uy, Maymay! Hahaha! Tumigil ka nga diyan! "
Amy and Maymay are at Amy's condo. Amy sitting at the bedside, and Maymay at the floor. Yes. At the floor. Currently, she's kicking around, like she is attacking an invisible enemy. Or, she's like having a convulsion.
Amy is her best friend, and she, happens to be working at EJB Properties. She's a CPA, and working as an accountant at the main office. She rents a condominium near her office, which happens to be near the studio where Maymay works, so Maymay spends the night there whenever it's too late for her to commute to Cavite. Like today.
"Hindi nga, Amy? Ang samà ko?" she stopped kicking at the moment, she sat near Amy pressing her friend's hands. You readers can imagine her face, her brows exaggerately frowned in displeasure. She's genuinely feeling guilty, and Amy seems enjoying aggravating her guilt.
"Yes. Di mo ba alam? Ang bait bait ni Sir Edward? Alam mo kung sa akin un sinabi ni Sir Edward ung "drop the Sir. ", Amy dramatically pause. " Ay nako, nagsisigaw na ako. Tapos. Sinagot niya ang pampaospital mo, tapos, TAPOS, yung simpleng hiling niya, di mo pa pinagbigyan?"
"Hindi ko iniisip na seryoso siya, promise! Sabi niya,'just kidding, bai!" There goes her hands again, spreading as wide as they can get.
"sabi niya, "JUST KIDDING BAI?" followed with a heartful laugh. Maymay is laughing too, imagining Edward saying it with a 'bai'.
"o, sige, ano hitsura niya nung sinasabi niya yung 'drop the sir"?"
Maymay fell silent. All she could remember was his kind brows. She remembers how he looked at the hospital, he looked sad. And yes, he didn't look like he was kidding.
She covered her face with her hands. Then she rubbed her hands down her face, pulling her facial skin down.
"Eh anong gagawin ko?"
"Matulog. Yan ang gawin mo. Dahil ako, tutulog na. Maaga pa akong aasa bukas."
Maymay is the kind of person who hates feeling guilty. In a good way. Its heaving her chest. If she wronged a person, she can never be at peace with herself until she reconciliated with that person, or until she's sure she's forgiven. That's why she seldom has enemies.
And it is even worse this time. She realy felt demotivated. She felt like an ingrate. When she closes her eyes she saw the face of Edward with the word ingrate zooming into her face.
So the next morning, she went straight at home. She put out her acryllic paints and spend the whole day working on something. Actually, she spends the first hours of the day just staring at the blank canvas contemplating something. And when she started, she can't be stopped. And what is it she's working on? Well whatever it is, she spend days finishing it.
Then she found herself standing at the entrance of the EJB tower, clutching a wrapped gift in her arms. Time check: past 3pm. It isn't that far from her work. In fact, she regrets riding a taxi when she could have just walked all the way here. Anyway, at least now she knows. And. But now that she's here, she doesn't know if she's going to regret even coming here in the first place.
It's a place that doesn't suit her in any way.
Well in her workplace she constantly sees people in executive suits. But, normally, the majority dresses like she does, as fits an artist. And right now she's wearing what she's used to. Faded jeans. Sneakers. A white blouse with a 'hang in there' print. In her workplace, if you wear suits then you'll be the center of attention. Well here... She's far from being it. People just come and go, passes by, and she wasn't even given a glimpse.
She surrendered her id at the lobby guard. She was asked where she's going, and she answered.,
"23rd floor. " That, she saw at Edward's business card.
Remember, dear readers? The invisible wall that Maymay felt between them that one sunny afternoon? The more she gets closer to the 23rd floor, the more she feels the wall. And the more she feels the wall, the more she gets discouraged to go on. And when the elevator door opens and she stepped on the shining marble floor, she desperately wanted to go back.
For some reason, she felt like a delivery girl.
But her feet keeps stepping forward. It happens to most of us, when our pride is bigger than our discouragement, she keeps her staid until she is face to face with the receptionist sitting prettily.
"Is there something i can help you with?"
The receptionist asked with a straight face. As straight as a face could be. Her make up is on point. Like what Maymay sees on video tutorials.
"Ahm. Yes please.. Is, ah... Was.. Ah.. " she leans her right arm at the table and thinks hard what to say next. But unfortunately, her head isn't cooperating. ( i have the same struggle too. I write english better than i can speak) She took a deep breath and said,
"Naandito po si Sir Edward?"
Instead of answering her, the lady asks, again, with the straightest face, glancing at the wrapped gift she's carrying. Maymay intinctively pulled the thing closer to her. "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Edward Barber?"
"Ahmm.. "
The wall became solid. Closing right before her very nose. Just minutes later she's back in the elevator, going down. She should have not come, she thought.
And it happens to most of us too, when our train of thoughts are too much, we voice them out, with matching facial expression. So currently Maymay's face is as distorted as it can be. (You know Maymay😉).
"Do you have an appointment chuchu. " she mimics the receptionist, making a face.
"Dapat di na ako nagpuntaaaa!", that's suppose to be a thought too. But she said it aloud, as she hits her head repeatedly on the elevator wall.
With her face distorted, she met the eyes of the other passenger of the elevator. Oh my gulay she's not alone! She straightened her body. There are other two passengers in the elevator, both are staring at her in silence. Right now, she just doesn't felt like a delivery girl. She felt like a lunatic who had escaped from an assylum.
"Ay sorry po, Sir. Mam. Nadala lang po ng emosyon. " If she smiled or grimaced she doesn't know. All she knows is that she wished to be out of this elevator. And of this building. Of this planet. At once. Right this very second.
Everytime the elevator door opens Maymay's eyes got fixed at the 'close' button, wishing she has telekinesis powers so she could shut the door in an instant and make it go all the way down to the ground floor without stopping. But the universe is like teasing her, for the elevator keep stopping at every. Single. Floor. Of course thats exaggerated. And why do the elevator doors seem to open and close waaaaay slower than normal?
So when the elevator door opened at the ground floor, she rushed to the lobby guard and claimed her id and walked out of the building. For life.
"i'm never going back there ever again. " that's a thought.
She wasn't looking up so she didn't noticed she brushed past someone.
"Marydale?"
BINABASA MO ANG
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