"Card, dalhin mo 'to sa Tito mo. He needs this document asap." utos ni Lola sakin habang inaayos yung folder na kailangan kong ihatid sa Annex. Hindi naman sa tamad ako pero parang ganun na rin. Malaki masyado ang gusaling kinaroroonan namin ngayon para hindi ko isipin na mapapagod ako. This building is supposed to be a house yet if feels more of an office building rather than a.. House. But I would not deny that this is my home. This is home.
Isang buntong hininga ang aking pinakawalan bago ko kinuha ang dukomentong kailangan kong ibigay kay Tito. Sa South Wing pa 'ko dadaan to think that I am in the North Wing rn. Aish. Mahaba-habang lakaran pa 'to. Sa kahabaan nakasalubong ko si Manang Linda, isa sa mga kasambahay namin dito.
She greeted me with a smile."Oh Card, hija.. Sa'n ka pupunta?"
"Kay Tito po. May ipinahahatid si Lola." I smiled curtly. Isa si Manang sa mga kasambahay na kinalakhan ko na at nirerespeto ng sobra.
Although born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I learned to be curt and polite with our housemaids. Sabi ni Lola, kailangan namin respetuhin at igalang ang mga naninilbihan sa amin. Kasi sila ang may hawak ng aming bahay at ng pang-araw-araw naming kakainin. Provider lng daw kami ani ni Lola. But the house keepers were the ones who holds what we provide. I also have to earn what I want. The things I want to buy must be earned by my own hands so I worked in our office as a secretary. It's also my training ground for future purposes as what Lola told me. Kapag gusto ko namang kumita ng malaki, kinikita ko yun sa pamamagitan ng pagiging hands-on sa kumpanya namin. Our company is about textile. My grandmother was once a sewer and she designs what she sew. Dun daw nagsimula ang negosyo ng pamilya namin. That's the start of the Juarez' legacy. Si Tito na ngayon ang namamahala ng negosyo namin. I'll be a successor one day but for now, I'm still learning. I'm the Juarez' first born since si Mama pa lang ang may anak sa kanilang tatlong magkakapatid. My mum was an only daughter and my grandmother was very disappointed bcuz she got married at a young age. Well, young love. She can't purposely tear apart my mother and father's relationship bcuz my father got more power than my Lola so that's how they got together and have me later on. I, Claude Ardein Juarez Elizondo is a living proof of my Mama and Papa's Romeo and Juliet like kind of story. But like Romeo and Juliet, their story ended in a tragedy. My parents were seperated now. But I don't have hard feelings for them. That's just how their story goes. No matter how much they wanted to give me a complete family, they just can't. Everything starts and ends differently. Some may end happily, some just don't. And my parents' story was one of those that don't. The important part is that, in between the beggining and the end part of it, they became happy with each other's company.
Naabutan ko si Tito na nakaupo sa swivel chair niya at nakikipagtawanan sa isa niyang bisita. He have three visitors but only the older one interacts with him. Hindi na ako kumatok. Bukas ang pinto at kapag ganun okay lang pumasok ng hindi kumakatok. Hindi din siguro pribado ang pinag-uusapan nila kasi nga hindi nakasarado yung pinto.
Nung mapansin ako ni Tito agad niya akong pinalapit sa kanya.
"Card, hija! Ayan na ba ang ipinadala ni Mama na documents?" kita sa malking ngiti niya na natutuwa siya sa kung sino man ang kanyang bisita.
"Yes, Tito." sagot ko sabay lapag sa lamesa nung dukomento.
"Maramimg salamat sa paghahatid. Ah, siya nga pala. Kumpadre ito ang nag-iisa kong pamangkin. Si Card." pagpapakilala niya sa akin sa taong katawanan niya kani-kanina lang.
Ngumiti ako ng tipid at ipinakilala ang aking sarili.
"Nice to meet you po. I'm Card Elizondo."
"Rob Acosta. These are my sons. Renji and Trent. Si Renji ay inaanak ng Tito mo. He's my first born." Nakangiting paliwanag nung kumpare ni Tito.
Mukha naman siyang mabait kaya nginitian ko narin siya. I turned to look at his two sons who he introduced to me. Renji seemed fine and Trent... He seems a little bit strange. Hmm.. Kumpara sa dalawa mukhang si Renji ang makakasundo ko at si Trent ang hindi.
