Ang Barako at Ang Prinsesa (ONGOING)

Chapter 2

She was zoning out while looking out the window. Parang iniinsulto siya ng panahon sa labas. The sky was clear, the sun was shining brightly. It would have  been nice to go to the beach and just laze around the whole day pero hindi puwede. Wala siyang karapatan. Their business, or what's left of it, depends on her. Katatapos niya lang sumagot sa message ng bangko, reminding her payments that she needed to make. She convinced the manager to give her another month na pinagbigyan naman nito, albeit reluctantly, dahil school mate niya dati ang anak nito.

Tanaw niya ang manufacturing plant mula sa opisina. Faded na ang pintura nito at medyo luma na tingnan. She could foresee the not so far future na magiging problema na naman yun because she needs to keep up with health and industry standards. Stacks after stacks of problems na hindi naman kinakaharap ng mga taong ka edad niya. Pero ang mahaderang konsiyensiya niya ay biglang sumulpot: Ghorl grabe sobrang hirap mo no na may kinakain ka pa tatlong beses sa isang araw. Na kahit mainit ang planta ay may inuuwian ka naming air-conditioned condo, malambot na kama...kahit nab aka maibenta mo rin yun pag when everything goes to sh*t. Pero at least diba, for now, komportable ka?

She had been losing investors lately. Halos wranglers naman kasi ang mga CEO ng mga kompanyang yun. Naniniwala pa rin ang mga ito sa patriarchy. Kahit na hindi naman sinasabi ng mga ito, alam niyang naniniwala ang mga ito na kung lalaki ang humawak ng kanilang kompanya ay hindi yun darating sa nakakaawang kalagayan nito.

Five years ago, she was starting to make a name for herself. Nag-aral siya ng interior design kaya't nakakapag handle siya ng small projects dati. Start from small, sabi nga. But things changed when her dad was wrongfully sent to prison. What did she ever do to deserve this treatment? She couldn't handle a project while she's trying to keep their business afloat. Eventually her "friends" left. She had no time to party, no time for idle talks. She had no time for herself anymore but she still believes in skincare and make-up and exercise kaya naman kung titingnan siya sa labas ay parang wala naman siyang pinagdadaanan. Sabi nga nung attendant sa salon na lagi niyang pinupuntahan, "Aba naman! Problemado ka na tapos chaka ka pa? Nasaan naman ang hustisya? Wag pa-apekto, madam!"

That's why she still tries her best to keep herself presentable. Now that she needs investors, yun na lang at ang confidence niya ang natitira.

She was trying to look for other potential investors when the phone rang. Ultimo secretary nila, kinailangan niyang ihanap ng bagong trabaho kaya all around siya sa office.

"Well, I'm my own boss...for now. So I should answer this. Huwag naman sana credit companies." She crossed her fingers and said "hello."

"Yes, hello. This is Chantal Catapang of Summit Builders. We would like to schedule an appointment for a possible business opportunity."

"Hi, um...I'm gonna politely tell you that we can't afford to hire builders right now-"

"Oh that's not the reason for my call. May I know who this is?" Tanong ng babae sa kabilang linya.

"This is Savannah Villagracia. I'm the current owner of this company."

"Oh. Very well, Ms. Villagracia. My boss would like to set an appointment with you. He is looking to invest on your company."

Savannah's heart began to pump wildly. Napalunok siya. Wala pang instance na potential investor ang naunang tumawag sa kanya. Wala naman nang mawawala sa kanya if she tried. Okay, here goes nothing...

"I would love to talk to your boss. Just set the time and date. I'm free any time."

They scheduled the meeting on Monday. Saturday ngayon kaya may isang araw siyang free para mag-strategize. She had a business plan going and everything on her computer. She just needs to review that and read about Summit Builders. Titingnan niya kung legit ba o hindi ang kompanya.

Alas 6:00 na ng gabi. She closed her laptop and placed her things in her bag. She turned all the lights off and went to the parking lot.

"Good evening, Maam! Mukhang ginabi po kayo ngayon, Saturday naman," tanong ng kanyang driver.

"Oo nga. Madaming paper work na kailangang tapusin, Bogs. Ihatid mo na lang ako sa condo tapos umuwi ka na."

Her condo was her refuge. Graduation gift yun ng daddy niya sa kanya. Fully paid na iyon so she did not have to bother with rent. Ang sabi pa nga ng daddy niya she should decorate the unit like the interior designer that she was. Kaya ang furnishings lahat ay may personal touch nya.

_____

The warm water soothed her weary muscles. She usually showers when she gets home. She lathered her body with soap and tried to scrub all the dead skin away. After almost an hour, she finished her shower. Naglagay agad siya ng face mask sa mukha at nagbihis ng pambahay.

"The best feeling in the world is when you get to remove your bra at the end of the day!" Sigaw niya habang nagbibihis.

Tumunog ang tiyan niya. Doon nya lang naalala na hindi pala siya nakapag-lunch kanina. Nawindang siya sa message ng bank manager kaya nalimutang magutom.

She took her phone and ordered a Jollibee Super Meal. Sinalihan nya na rin ng sundae pati na rin fries at Peach Mango Pie just because she's stressed. Umorder din siya ng pineapple juice para "healthy."

Matapos kumain ay binuksan niya ang laptop niya para i-Google ang Summit Builders. Unang lumabas ay ang official website ng kompanya. The company was established years ago. It had a simple start and had eventually been well-known as years went by. Retired na ang nag establish ng Summit Buillders at kasalukuyang pinamamahalaan ng President at CEO.

"I wonder if it's the CEO or the President..."

Hindi niya pa alam kung sino ang makaka-meeting niya on Monday kaya tiningnan niya ang profile ng mga ito sa website.

"Inigo Luis Verdadero IV, President, Summit Builders. Architect. Wow, that's a good looking guy! I think he's more suited as a celebrity than whatever it is that he's doing right now. Oh, oh- maybe his Dad put him there as 'the face' of the company? We'll see."

She wrote his name and details on her Moleskine notebook and then proceeded to check the CEO profile.

"Camilo C. Altamirano. Civil engineer. Hmm, he sounds old. What, no picture on the profile? That's a little strange."

Idinagdag niya ang pangalan ng CEO sa notebook nya at parang nanggigigil pang binilugan niya ang pangalan nito. She tried to search Google for the mysterious CEO pero ang laging lumalabas sa search results ay ang picture ng company president at mga construction worker sa kompanya nito. Nevertheless, she still saved that picture for future reference.

She stayed for another hour to review their company's pros and cons, and to go over other papers that she deemed necessary for their meeting. Di kalauna'y nakatulog na siya sa sofa gawa ng kapaguran.