Day 1
After realizing the fact that I just committed myself to help a stranger, I also realized I had absolutely no choice but to push through with it.
I don't fake promises.
I booked a cab trip to the address she sent me, a popular fast food chain luckily situated at the center of the city. Lucky for her, because she was new. Lucky for me, because I immediately understood her description of the place she was at.
When the ride arrived, I awkwardly settled myself down on the unusually hard seat of the cab. A few but crucially painful (for my butt) minutes later, we arrived at the said place. I asked the cab driver to stop and to wait for me.
It didn't take long for me to recall what she looked like - the humongous bag she carried made sure of that.
I strode over to where she was as she looked busy, typing away on her smartphone. Seeing that I wasn't sure if I heard her name correctly, I faked a cough to make Sharlene or Charlene or Shailene aware of my presence.
She looked up and smiled hesitantly.
I was drawn at how the sunlight hit her face in all its high points and contoured it at all angles. Her messy hair framed her face in an innocent yet attractive way. I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that I was attracted - my hormones would still speak on behalf of me.
"Hi," she muttered.
I was shaken away from my reverie when I heard her speak. I finally remembered the cab. It was waiting for us.
I forced my facial muscles to keep a straight face. I just walked out, hoping that she would get that my actions meant for her to follow me outside. Fortunately, she did understand. And in a few moments or so, there we were - two strangers, both Filipino, but with different dialects. It's funny how the universe played its tricks and crossed our paths on what I thought would be the worst day of my life.
Day 2
Past 1 am and I rolled and rolled over on my bed in hopes of being visited by drowsiness.
But I just can't manage to sleep. Not when I kept thinking of how the hell that girl managed to land a space in my spare bedroom without so much as a sentence.
I was so used to being alone. I was an only child surrounded only by maids and our house plants because my parents constantly traveled on business trips. Came college, I chose to live alone - like, actually alone so that I'll be able to practice doing my own household chores and get some independence.
I'm not saying that I got rid of all the luxury my parents can afford - my condominium unit is large enough to contain a middle-class bungalow or something. All I'm saying is that I've gotten used to being physically alone, and I was just getting used to being emotionally alone.
I closed my eyes to calm myself down and exhaust all the thoughts that invaded my mind. Little by little, I drifted off. And in what felt like a few seconds after, I was lightly shaken awake by Sharlene.
"Donny... bugtaw na," I didn't understand what she was saying - whether I was half-asleep or not wouldn't make much difference. But the sweetness in the combination of the words and the accent made me eager to wake up.
She looked like she already bathed and was dressed in a shirt and jeans. She also smelled oddly of eggs and bacon.
"I hope you won't mind... I scampered through your kitchen to cook for breakfast. It's already 7am, baka ma-late ka sa school."
I grabbed my phone on my bedside to check if she was telling the truth. She was. It was indeed 7 in the morning.
I raised my head so that I can meet her eyes. "Thanks."
