Too Classic for Him

VIII. We Belong

Hoping that someday

For that hello, just a simple hello

And maybe tomorrow

I'm the reason you'll smile

And you make my day

Complete me, you complete me

I've never felt this way

I was never the vindictive type. O bitchesa. I wouldn't get revenge or make an effort to just to get even. I'd just pray for them. Hindi dahil mabait ako... just because. Well, most of the time I didn't really care about people around me. I only value a few.

And it's not really my cup of tea. It's more like Andrea's.

I sighed heavily.

"Why don't you just give up and go home? If Ate Sanya knows about this, she'll probably cut your hair off until you're bald." Andrea's voice floated in the air. I was looking at all the numbers at my laptop. Hindi naman talaga ako bummer. I'd been working remotely since I came here. This was supposed to be a vacation. But my company wouldn't let me go so they agreed to have me working overseas for the time being. Hindi ko rin naman alam kung kelan ko maiisipang bumalik. Nagsabi naman talaga ako sa kanila ng totoo. They think that as long as meeting my deadlines, I could still work for them.

And the pay is good. So, I don't think I need to complain. But still, everything from mom and dad had bee cut off. Hindi ako makakapamuhay sa sahod ko lang. It could pay my daily and excess expenses but not any long-term living arrangment. Kelan ba nila maiisip na ayokong magpakasal sa isang total stranger?

A getaway. I just needed to run away because my parents wanted to marry me off. At sa sobran busy nila sa trabaho nila at sa buhay nila. I doubt if they'd even bother to go home. Hindi katulad ng nasa California ako. Mom is in New York. I'm in her clutches. Tinry niya na akong ipakilala kung kani-kanino.

Biglang tumawa si Andrea. She kept on babbling and I kept sighing. The phone's on loudspeaker and I was only looking at the pathetic numbers that I was still trying to reconciliate. "I give up." Mahina kong sabi.

Andrea chuckled. "You can't find the .05 centavo?" Ngisi nito.

Umiling ako. My mind kept wondering around. To someone. It's been a month since we talked. And it's been a month since he'd avoided me.

"May mga entries pa akong gagawin mamaya." I closed my eyes. "I feel tired these days." Mahina kong sabi kay Andrea over the phone. I could feel the sting in my eyes. Because of work? Umiling ako. I'd been living here for almost three months now.

At sa isang buong buwan nay un. Nagiiwasan lang kami ni Dominic.

"Stop thinking about him. I told you, kung umuuwi ka na lang dito at tinitigilan mo na yang pagiging Cougar mo! There are lots of men in the sea." Andrea shouted.

"I'm almost there." I pouted.

"You know he's still in love with Rina, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"And you know that he's not in love with you?"

Ouch! Napangiwi ako dun. Need Andrea say it out loud? Truth hurts, you know.

"What if obsessed ka lang? You know, like kids with a toy they couldn't have. E what if—"

"Stopppp. I don't like what you're gonna say." Sita ko kagad kay Andrea.

"What? What do you think I'm going to say?" She started laughing.

"Like seduce him?"

"Jesus. How can you read minds, sweetheart?" Andrea's evil laughter seemed to reverberate through the walls. "You know, what if it's just an itch? Like you need to just scratch it. Kung ako sayo, I'll just taste him. And then see if it's real? Maybe because you imagined him and shaped him as someone you wanted in your mind? Kaya feeling mo inlove ka sa kanya? It was just mere hours Trish!"