Pagkatapos ng ilang meetings ay dumiretso na muna ako sa opisina ni Ram. Dark colors swam in its elements and spaces as the rugged modernism further extended in his wooden sleek shelves and spacious desk. Unang beses ko pa lamang rito ay napuri ko kaagad ang arkitekto.
Ang agaw-pansin ay ang bahaging pinakatanaw ang kalakhan ng buong siyudad. Everyone seemed too busy from the view up here. Hindi tumitigil, at hindi namamahinga. I figured, there's not much difference from down there to up here.
I tried to decipher my thoughts while standing just on this spot. Kung ako ba ang may-ari ng isang napakalaking imperyo, paano ba ang gagawin ko? At, kung ayaw na sa akin ng babaeng mahal na mahal ko, paano rin ba ang gagawin ko? How does a man who has everything thinks?
Parte ba ako ng mga naiisip niya tuwing nakatayo siya rito?
This must be the spot where Ram stood for how many times and how many reasons. Be it a big problem in the company or just a little inconvenience. Kung naiisip niya ba ako habang nakatayo rito't abala ang mga sasakyan sa ibaba, o kapag naman malalim na ang gabi at halos wala nang mga tao?
Does he think of me in the middle of signing something? Does he think of me still during his meetings?
What could be the average time a person can think of another in twenty-four hours?
Bahagya na lamang akong napatawa habang nakatayo paring nag-iisip. Napailing na lamang ako. Wala pa man din si Ram dahil may didinggin pang ilang meetings. This was his main office, afterall.
Ang mga ilang view na dati ay sa screen ko lamang nakikita ay nahahawakan ko na ngayon. He probably spends his time here more than his real home. Dito rin ang madalas na view niya habang ka-videocall ko sa gabi tuwing weekends.
My fingertips glided on top of the black leather sofa as I walked towards the little pendulum sitting on top of his wide wooden desk. It was the only decor there, and it seemed to me, in his whole office.
Umupo ako sa kaniyang swivel chair habang tinitingnan ang kaniyang lamesa. Not so much stuff. Only a bunch of pen, laptop, and organizer. But it also seemed to me, there's another decor aside from the pendulum.
"You look kinda weird here, don't you?" Maingat kong itinaas ang katamtamang size na picture frame.
It looked weird sitting on the corner of his desk. Alone. In my honest opinion, she could do better in this photo. She looked kinda ugly.
"Do I look that ugly?" Ngumuso ako habang nakasandal at bahagyang umiikot-ikot.
"Baka kung sa ibang anggulo kinuha ay baka maayos pa. Bakit ba kasi ikaw ang narito?"
"I looked so young here. Full of muta but also full of hope."
For some reasons, I could not get mad or even annoyed. Gaano man kapangit ang tingin ko sa sarili kong ito ay nakangiti lamang ako habang nagpapaikot-ikot sa upuan. Ram must think of me, once or twice a day because of this.
Napatigil ako sa ginagawa nang bumukas ang mga pinto. Pumasok na si Ram kasunod ang kaniyang sekretarya. Pareho ay may dalang mga pagkain.
"Thank you, Mariah," aniya sa sekretarya bago ito umalis.
I waved at his trembling little secretary when she looked at me. Napanguso na lamang ako nang makaalis ito at naiwan kaming dalawa ni Ram.
He was still busy fixing the table for us while I sat on chair. It was an amusing sight. Ram, the very owner of this entire building and many more, was preparing food for me.
Pumangalumbaba na lamang ako habang pinagmamasdan siya. His hands moved in precision and grace while his body language was illegally dominating. He was still on his suit, and my, my...his dark hair was slicked back to perfection, making his jaw more prominent and his brows more defined.
