Undaunted Love [R18]

Kabanata 2

Para akong galing ibang bansa. May hila-hila pa akong maleta, paano'y kahit anong gawin ko hindi talaga kakasya sa duffle bag ang mga basic needs ko.

"Kuya, saan po sakayan ng mga papuntang Manila?" tanong ko sa nakita kong tao sa bungad ng terminal.

"Nako miss, kakaalis lang ng isa." Tumalikod siya para humarap sa kapwang nagbabantay. "Efren, nasaan na raw ba sila Rommel?"

"Natraffic daw sila. Kakalabas lang sa SLEX." Tumingin ito sa cellphone. "Maya-maya nandito na 'yong mga 'yon."

"Miss, 30 minutes pa siguro. Pasyal ka muna sa loob ng mall at mainit dito sa pilahan, mukhang hindi ka pa naman sanay sa init." Tinuro niya ang mukha ko. Malamang ay kulay rosas nanaman ang magkabila kong pisngi. "Iuuna na lang kita mamaya pagbalik mo."

Wala akong balak na tanggihan iyon. At least hindi na ako maiinitan ng ganoon katagal dito. Makakapag window shopping pa ako sa mall.

Ngumiti ako. "Salamat po, Kuya."

Pinuntahan ko agad ang isang perfume store kung saan nagbebenta sila ng iba't-ibang klaseng ng high-end perfume brands. Gusto ko lang malaman kung nandito na ba sa Pilipinas ang mga new releases ngayon. Buti na lang din talaga at nagmaleta ako. Hindi na ako nahihirapan ngayon sa pagbitbit.

I felt thrilled the moment I walked into their store. This is the kind of place that makes me happy. Basta napapalibutan ako ng mga pabango... solve.

"Welcome to Luxury Scent Boutique. Is there anything specific you're looking for?" The staff greeted me formally.

"May I look at the most recent releases?" I answered excitedly.

"Have you heard about Yves Saint Laurent's newest perfume, Babycat?" she took the product she mentioned and a cup of coffee beans. "It has a woody blend of sandalwood, suede, and cedar."

Hindi umalis-alis sa mga labi ko ang ngiti. "Of course. That's one of the new releases I've been looking forward to. The perfumer behind it is none other than Dominique Ropion, right?"

"Wow," The person I was talking with seemed pretty impressed. "Since you know a French Master Perfumer, it looks like you're not just a typical customer."

I just smile in response. Typical customer.

Yeah. She could say it that way.

Hindi lang naman talaga ako isang customer lang. Hindi lang din ito basta hobby ko lang.

"Because of that please allow me to explain it to you in detail." She casually grabbed a piece of paper, gave it a quick spray, and lightly fanned it before passing it over to me. "The top notes include black and pink pepper, as well as elemi. Olibanum and saffron create the middle notes. Bourbon vanilla, suede, and cedar are among the base notes."

I must say, I'm quite impressed by her skills. You can easily tell that she's been well-trained just by listening to the way she explains things and the terms she uses.

Kinuha ko ang papel at napapikit ako habang inaamoy.

Hmm...

Nabigla ako. Ang sabi kasi ng iba ay smoky ang magiging amoy nito pero parang wala namang kahit anong bahid noon sa naamoy ko. Sa katunayan nga ay mas lamang ang amoy ng caramel tapos pagtumagal mas lumalabas ang aroma ng vanilla.

That's just how things are for me. Everyone has their own opinion after all. While looking at the bottle, I can't help but smile. I can't really explain how much I love perfumes.