What Belongs to Me [COMPLETE]

Chapter 27 "Milano"

2012-2014-2018

Stunning ladies and gentlemen equipped and rigged up in slim and clean lines uniform, displaying their perfect smile while saying their greetings perfectly practiced as the passengers inched inside. I verified my ticket one more time then sat on the third row seat C beside the window as I listened to the flight attendant on the intercom saying her demonstration. Closing my eyes, sighing heavily, I gazed out the window as the sun worked its way westward highlighting the edges of the deep silver-gray clouds with its gold and crimson and a pastel cobalt blue colors bursting around them. Fixing the buttons of my vanilla brown coat and wearing my black Zara hoddie as the chilling temperature is starting to penetrate on my skin. The view of Metro manila and its borders was giving me chills because apart from the astonishing sight, it's making me realized life; my work and all that I’m leaving for another journey prepared by Mr. Destiny for me. Clouds were just within my reach, delivering me the best comfort ever, being in the place which is the nearest to paradise is confiding me in assurance and keeping me optimistic. Beside me is an eight year old long curly haired boy with the most gorgeous angelic face ever, watching cartoon that I couldn’t recognize on the t.v. while glancing at me from time to time. And on his side was a business-like guy in his thirties reading reader’s digest pocket book intently, maybe he is his father, I thought. I plugged on my ear phones and played some K-drama OST and rested my head sideward staring outside until I dozed off.

The intercom awaken me panting, telling us to remain calm and to prepare using the oxygen mask and our headset because there was a harsh turbulence hit by the plane, but sooner, the jiggled stopped and the hanging mask pulled back voluntarily to its place. I chose boneless chicken barbeque on the menu and a glass of orange soda as the beautiful lady was asking our row, and the smiling handsome little boy at me chose the same food I picked and her father just asked for a glass of white wine. I was constantly going to the lavatory because I was being anxious flying alone going to an unfamiliar place, who knows no one on my destination. After the thirteen long exhausting hours sitting and sleeping on a luxurious Qatar Airways plane, we finally landed in Milan. January winter welcomed me cruelly and harshly with the six a.m. crisp cold seeping through my three layered jacket. The sun was climbing out of the well of winter but the two degrees temperature was still brutally and severely creeping through the whole of me. As I walked out the carpeted flooring of Malpensa International Airport passing the glitzy displays of luxury fashion brand stores inside that look like a shopping center and going to the taxi stand, I forcefully opened my arms, stretching it bravely to the bone-chilling and numbing cold. While standing in front of the taxi, I sighed hushing, “Duomo di Milano, here I come.” And I told the driver in a perfect practiced Italian sentence that I translated from google, “Mi scusi, mi potete portare in un hotel vicino all’aeroporto?” asking him to take me to the nearest hotel, he nodded and I said, “Grazie”.

Back in Manila after wrapping everything on its proper places, I sent my credentials on several design institutes and schools in Milano to enroll for my master’s degree in interior design. Few schools sent me a confirmation immediately, maybe after going through my backgrounds, being a licensed interior designer and a topnotcher at that, and having certificates for studying furniture design and fine arts. But I chose to settle at “Istituto Maragoni Milano”, a school of fashion and design in Milano after doing a deep background check. I also sent my resume along my portfolios on some furniture design studios in Milano, securing a part time work before flying. Few studios’ responded to my emails and so I chose one which I think matches my design style and can help me more to enhance my knowledge and skills in furniture designing.

I diddled out my bed after curing my jet-lagged, still cloaked on my thick blanket when the room service came pressing the doorbell of my room to bring my breakfast. I washed my face- sprayed some facial mattifier and brushed my teeth, forcing a smile on the full sized mirror of my room and then I checked out before my bill could drain my wallet. I grabbed a taxi with the mobile application that I just installed before sleeping the last night and went to the apartment that I reserved before coming to Milano. The time that I had used was fifty-three minutes by taxi and it cost me a fortune, but I didn’t care anymore, what’s important was arriving safely at my new place. The apartment that I chose was both close to the school that I’m going into and to my place of work.

The street was silent when I hopped out off the taxi, the lawn was covered with spikey yellow green grasses and an old three-story red bricked house that is partially covered with moss with some vines was standing before me. I tramped through the wavy one meter wide pathway of pentagonal cobblestones heading to the main door of the house. After pressing the doorbell twice, a woman in her fifties with a big curly dark hair and dark eyes wearing a flowery dressed inside her very thick long spun-bounded coat, opened the wooden double French door for me.
“Buon Giorno!” she said and asking me something in fast Italian phrases but she noticed that my brows were starting to knit, that’s why, she said, “What can I do for you?” in a trying hard English sentence.
“Buon Giorno, I’m Lheam! The one from the Philippines and I made reservation in your apartment through email and phone call.” I greeted her good morning and told her slowly,
“Ohh, si… si… Come in Lheam! I’ll take you to your room, your roommate is already here, he is also going to the same school as you.” She said explaining to me, I nodded. We ascended the second floor through the staircase with wooden railing and we stood in front of my room, she told me some important matters and telling me to ask her freely if I need something later on.
“Grazie…” is the only thing I said.
“Come sta?” she asked how am I.
“Sto bene, grazie.” I told her i was fine and thank her, while smiling gratefully.
“Piacere…” she said wishing me a good day, I nodded again… “Buona giornata” she said wishing me a nice day,
“Grazie…” I responded. She told me that my roommate speaks good English and that he can explain to me the other things that I needed to know and then she climb down the stairs.
Before knocking on the intricately carved paneled door of my room, I gazed down on the chevron wood parquet all over the hallway, appreciating it. I knocked on the door three times using the two rings on my pointed finger. And in ten seconds before I was about to knock again, the door swung open inward. The guy with a towel hanging on his shoulder trying to cover his hairy chest looked at my hand in the air about to strike his pretty face, like that golden cat waving its hand that you can see in every Chinese store. Staring at my awkward hand, he moved his eyes on my two silver luggage and my Reebok traveling bag and gazing back at me. After realizing that my hand was being raised for few seconds already, I dropped it and I said,
“Salve! Buongiorno…” I said hello and good morning with my voice trailing. He nodded,
“Buongiorno… Parla inglese?” he greeted me back and asked me if I speak English.
“Yes yes, I speak English and very little with Italian.”
“Va bene(alright), great! We could converse well then! Come in, come in!” he said excitedly shaking my hand and grabbing my one luggage and my travelling bag and motioned me to follow him.

He tossed his towel on his bed as soon as he closed the door and he said,
“Come si chaima, lei?” asking my name,
“Mi chaimo Lheam, what about you?” I asked back,
“Mi chaimo Stefano, I came from Florence and I’m studying furniture design at Istituto Maragoni, how about you? Let me guess, you’re a Thai?” just then I began to study his face, his pure hazel nut eyes with his sleek eyelashes below his cutting edge thick eyebrows, his stunning sharp nose and long messy wavy hair connecting to his perfectly shaved beard. He is quite tall, I supposed he is 5’11”, which makes me looked up at him a little when we’re close, his body is perfect- young and wild. After my fast observation, I responded to his question stuttering,
“A aah… no, I’m not from Thailand, I’m a Filipino…”
“Oww wow, Philippines!!! And why are you here in Milano?” he gasped asking excitedly.
“Si…” I said. “I’m taking my master’s degree in interior design at Istituto Maragoni too and going to work part time at Skrivo.” I continued flatly. He put his delicate hairy fair hands on his mouth, covering them in disbelief,
“No way! I thought you’re younger than me, you look so young!” I blushed. “Wow, you’re a licensed designer?” I nodded. “And what? Did I hear you said that you’re hired at SKRIVO??? My dream studio! But wait, Skrivo is a furniture studio” his face was still in deep awe.
“Yes, I graduated two years ago and after passing the board, I also studied furniture design and fine arts for a year before coming here.” I smiled at him. He couldn’t hide his astonishment…
“Hey men…! You’re a genius…!” I just snickered and we laughed together.

We talked about random things mostly about my life, conversing in English while he is sitting on his bed comfortably. Talking while being topless showing off his muscular body and only wearing a trouser as if enjoying summer and ignoring the freezing temperature and I on my own bed absorbing the warm air coming from the heater. When he stopped asking me too much, I started to study the feature of our room, the floor was wooden with a huge Persian rug on the center- but I guess it was an imitation. There is a big sliding window which open the plain view of another building with flowers on their terraces, the wall to the ceiling are painted in plain-off white seamlessly. Our standard size beds arrangement was symmetrical on both corners with our single side table and an ancient-like table lamp beside it. We have a joint dining and kitchen area with enough storages and pantry and beside it was a bathroom with a dresser before going inside. The room offers comfortability, with just a little furniture arrangements and it can have that touch of interior design.

Unpacking my things and fixing them on their right places took me a while, because I was avoiding on de-cluttering our room. After couple of days of more glacial, polar and arctic cold torturing me- yes the longest coldest days of my life. The first day of my class came and I decided on going to the school with Stefano. He usually prepares our coffee and breakfast because he was a good cook, maybe it’s on every Italian blood, those chefs’ shows I’ve enjoyed watching on t.v. while growing up. The bread had pop-out off the toaster; we dressed ourselves in warm clothing and stormed out our room climbing down the staircase, skidded our hands on the beautifully carved railings. We trudged up the street fully covered and wrapped in multiple jackets, making me looked like a marching army on the field preparing for a battle. With just more than five-hundred steps, we reached the five story building of our school sandwiched between other buildings. Located at Via Cerva at the heart of the city, in one of the areas full of the most important national and international design brands. There is a one way street with side by side pedestrian lane in front of our school, with few people holding coffee and others on bicycles and scooter passing by.

We ascended the three meters width, ten stepped golden-brownish marble stair, walls and ceiling painted in seamless light gray. And forcing ourselves with the other students inside the black sliding door with frosted sticker showing the logo of the school. All walls inside the building are in pantone off-gray and the floors are carpeted in gray as well. The space in front of the reception desk has an open ceiling continuing all the way to the fourth floor ceiling, enclosed with glass wall on every floor and illuminated by a custom made vertically falling combination of warm and cool LED chandelier adding life to the plain gray color. All types of chairs are in orange and yellow and some in red, walls are mostly glass with frosted stickers giving transparency on what’s going on inside, with light oak flush door in all rooms. All laboratory rooms are equipped with Mac computers, offered the best library ever with unending storages here and there. War rooms, conference rooms and huddle areas are designed with perfect purpose with complete facilities and a big room for collaborative works purposes. Hallways are designed with LED panels as bulletin boards and on the fifth floor was a huge terrace full of non-bearing green outdoor plants. The entire fifth floor is intended for a semi-theatre room with massive grid picture windows on bricked walls illuminated with reddish spot lights, and couple of revolving LED stand with multiple monitors containing important matters are scattered. Just everything about the school building is digital and modern, leaving me and Stefano speechless.

While doing my master’s, I’m also busy working at Skrivo, a multi-disciplinary design studio founded by Stanley Krivo. The studio specializes in industrial design across furniture and lighting sectors working with manufacturers. I was designated in the department that works on testing the mock-ups, checking the details, functionality and practicality of the furniture before its mass production. But I’m also being asked to participate in the brainstorming, scribbling of ideas to form a new and unique product. I was also being assigned sometimes to supervise the mass production and collaboration with furniture makers. I had also designed some of the furniture under the brand name that was now being exported in other partner countries. The process was teaching me so much about the world of furniture/industrial designing and its marketing; it was fulfilling and filling me with pride at the same time. I could feel that I was already ready and prepared to establish my own brand in the near future.