Aya
"His reincarnated self is an annoying one, Brother."
Aki laughed. "And you seem to enjoy triggering him."
"Because he is so annoying."
The past two weeks have been revelations of Bulawan's reincarnated soul.
He was the same in his loyalty to his tribe, which was now his team at the office; he still revered women, as I had seen in the few times that his mother has come to visit him for lunch and in how he treats the women he works with (even if we were often at crosshairs, he was never disrespectful); he was still very attractive to me and I would often get distracted remembering the times we had spent together.
In spite of that, I found that he was a different person. Bulawan balanced his duties as a leader with his needs as a human being and found much enjoyment in his surroundings, Theo was much more focused on work and didn't even bother to look at nature, especially the moon. Bulawan often shared a laugh with his tribe, while Theo rarely did so, although I found that he still had a beautiful smile. And he always seemed to be in a rush, while Bulawan took more pleasure in every moment.
"I am afraid, Brother. What if this is no longer the one I was in love with?"
Apolaki looked at me with tenderness. "Then, you don't have to choose him. You know that you are free to love someone else. It has been your choice to wait for his reincarnation. Maybe, you need to look at this as a chance to see if he is still the one you want to be with. If not, do not force yourself to be with him."
"But he is the father of my angels."
"It is tricky."
At the thought of my twins, I brightened up. "How are they? I promised them that I would be visiting soon. I truly hate being away from them."
"They miss you, of course. Your little Lakan is busy shooting his love arrows so that people will fall in love, while your little Mayumi is watching over the soul of my child as she makes her way into this Earth. They both cannot wait until their cousin is born. I suspect they want to teach my daughter tricks that would surely give me a difficult time."
I chuckled. "I miss them already. Are you ready for you little one?"
"Yes. I cannot wait to hold her. As you know, I am not allowed to touch her until Alexandra brings her to Earth and I cannot even see her face, but I suspect she will be the spitting image of my wife."
*
Theo came to the office early again, looking troubled. He did a double take when he saw me at the reception desk. "Good morning. Bakit ikaw yung naka-duty diyan?"
"Nagkasakit yung assigned dito. May sakit ang kanyang anak."
He nodded. As he was about to turn away, I heard his stomach grumble. "Hindi ka dapat nagpapalipas ng gutom."
"Busy lang kasi. Madaming iniisip, nakalimutan ko kumain."
"Ayaw na ayaw mong nagugutom ang mga kasamahan mo sa tribo noon, tapos ikaw ngayon ang nagpapagutom," I commented.
"Ano yun? Anong tribo?"
"Wala naman."
That afternoon, we crossed paths again. His immediate supervisor escorted me into Theo's office and declared, "I think we need Ms. Del Cielo's help, Mr. Montenegro."
"Ho? Bakit ho, Sir?" Theo asked.
"The permits you need. Ms. Del Cielo's agency has contacts to the government agencies. Perhaps they can help you figure out what we are missing."
He looked at me, hopefully. "Would you mind helping us? I'm really stumped kung ano pa ang kulang dun sa sinubmit ko na requirements eh."
With that plea, I was again reminded of that time long ago when he asked my help to capture the buwaya... the one that eventually killed him. My tears came unbidden and I did my best to hide it but he gave me a strange look. When his Boss left us to work our the details, Theo approached and said, "I'm sorry but did I say something offensive?"
"No... I just... I remembered something. Anyway, could you just show me a list of the things you need and I'll see what I can do."
He took a folder from his desk and handed it to me. "Nandiyan yung mga hiningi sa amin na requirements and yung mga naibigay na. If you have some input, that would be welcome. Baka lang we missed something?"
I nodded.
"May pinoproblema ka eh."
"No, wala naman. May naalala lang ako and it's a very sad memory."
He searched my eyes and for a second I wonder if he would remember. "I know we haven't known each other long, but if you need to talk, I'm willing to listen. Maybe I could even offer some advise."
I smiled. "Thank you. I should get going. I'll let you know what I find. Oh, and Mr. Montenegro?"
"Yes?"
"Paki-suot nung ID niyo. You need to wear it at all times while in the premises."
