COMPOSURE. It’s what I need most. How should I act right here, right now? Oh well, I can handle this. Ilang beses na ba akong nagrehearse para dito? Marami. I want to make this a grand production number.
“Oh well, Mr. Rodriguez, you’re just in time for the layouting. Head to the project room. Miss Paredes is there. It’s at the fourth floor.”
With the slight gesture of my hand, I dismissed him without batting an eyelash. I felt more triumphant when I saw him grab his suitcase and headed for the elevator.
“Yes!” I said, pumping my fist in the air.
I looked at the mirror.
“Ang galing mo talaga, Artemis! Ikaw na nga ang Dyosa. Isipin mo, naharap mo in a very cold way ang lousiest loser sa buhay mo: Si Michael Ray Rodriguez. Duh!”
I remembered my pencil. Asan na ba kasi yun? It should be somewhere here...or here...
“Or here...or...what’s this?”
I saw a small card tucked under my Eiffel Tower paper weight.
...gorgeous, meet me at Goldies, 7:00 p.m....
I looked around. Lahat ay busy. I called to my neighboring cubicle...
“Kathy, nakita mo ba kung sino nagdala nito?” sabay wave ng card
“Naku Art, kagagaling ko lang sa brainstorming eh...”
Okay. No one can tell me kung saang lupalop galing ang card na ito. I think that it’s gonna be more productive if I would just go back to the proj. Darn! Andun nga pala si Mike. Anyway, I can do it again kung yun ang kailangan to make things right for me and redeem every sense of self-love I have to have. So, I picked up the pencil which had been there all along and hurriedly went back to the proj.
As I entered...
“So, when did you join the Craft?” si Aicee
“Last month lang...hindi kasi ako makaalis agad sa Illuminations eh.”
Illuminations. I guess I heard it right. Illuminations is the leading design firm in the country. May balita pa nga na nalalapit na ang expansion nila sa Singapore at hopefully, sa Paris daw. Sosyal.
Perhaps, Aicee sensed me...
“O ayan na pala si Art...na-meet mo na ba si...”
“Yes. We’d better get going...”
Here I am, interrupting people again. Nahalata siguro ni Aicee na something is not right so she chose to change the topic. Normal din naman pala ang taong ito eh. Sige, hindi ko na lihim na pagtatangkaan ang buhay mo. Promise.
“Mabuti pa nga Art. Look here, I am planning to give it a beach party concept since sports apparel naman ang il0-launch ng Cool Culture. Before you arrive, I asked Mike if he could design waterfalls and corals, perhaps sand castles and even cute little whirpools...and guess what, he said yes. Isn’t he brilliant?”
I just smiled at Aicee. Or did I just grin at her. Whatever was it that I made, it didn’t reach my eyes.
“I don’t agree with that. Nothing’s different from what we have seen with the concepts of the others. I like a water castle and everyone will be water fairies and pixies. The bosses can be Gods and Goddesses of the Sea. Little girls can be hired to be little mermaids. And I should say that it’s final because it was approved already by Miss Sarmiento this morning. It would be the concept that we will be working on.”
