Meet my BROTHER

2.12 Gino, Gino, Gino.

Chapter 12

It feels like my workmates don't really like me so I asked Billy if he could have lunch with me, tutal first day niya din sa Glamost today.

I just don't feel like eating lunch by myself today.

Buti nalang talaga I have friends to call over kapag lunch dahil kung hindi man ako magisa, sinasamahan ako ng maalin sa mga babes.

"Congrats on your first day, Bill!" I cheered.

Nagkwentuhan kami about work here and work in New York. Na sobrang iba ng tao, but business is business. May mga similarity padin talaga.

I'm glad to be around someone much familiar na nakasama ko sa New York. But still, iba padin nga dito. I hate to call it home pero there's something here na alam kong I can't escape. One where I know it grew on me, and maybe that's how I know it's home. Well practically, I grew up here kaya din siguro ganon.

Tapos na kami mag lunch and I need to go back to work kaya naman we called up the waiter to pay our bill.

"By the way, Kach. There's another reason kaya ko ginustong umuwi dito." he began explaining. "I wanna continue finding my real—"

My phone rang all of a sudden and it was an unknown number.

"Ah wait, Billy. It's an unknown caller." then I picked up the call thinking it's about work or something similar. "Hello? Who's this?"

(Hello, is this Kathryn Bernardo?) ako nagtanong diba?

"Yes, why?" pero sinagot ko padin.

(Your mother Dawn Bernardo was sent to the ER. Hindi po namin macontact yung first three persons on her emergency contact list.) hindi ko na tinapos ang sasabihin pa niya.

"What?! What hospital is this?" I looked at Billy. "Bill, I have to go.  Apparently, tita Dawn was sent to the hospital and dad and Gino can't be reached daw."

He was alarmed. Akmang tatayo na siya.

"Gusto mo samahan kita?"

"Gagi, wag na. It's your first day. Pumasok ka muna." I insisted then I gave him a smile.

Nagpaalam na ako sa kanya at dali daling nag iwan ng bill for the meal. Tinanggihan niya pero wala na din siyang nagawa kasi umuna na ako.

I rushed to my car parked sa building ng work ko.

Tinawagan ko si Jasmine, my assistant, para sabihing may emergency ako and have to go.

Naisip kong tawagan si Gino. Because.. I should, right? It's an emergency. And for all I know, he left yesterday para magpunta ng Batangas for a business trip. I heard him telling dad during breakfast.

Pero gaya ng sabi nung caller, he can't be reached. I called dad and his secretary nalang and mukhang papunta na din sila kaso malayo pa daw panggagalingan ni dad.

On my way, bigla kong naalala ang sabi sakin sa phone. Na hindi daw ma contact yung first three persons sa emergency contact list ni tita. Obviously, the first two were Gino and Dad. But who was the third person?

There was traffic since it was lunch time but I still arrived at the hospital as quickly as I can and nakita ko si tita Dawn. Mukha namang okay siya...

"Kathryn?" she asked when she saw me.

Sinenyasan ko muna siya ng wait lang because I saw her doctor approaching me.

"You are... her daughter, right?" he asked as he checks his clip board for data.

"Daughter-in-law po." I answered.