I Would Hate To Be You

Chapter 43 [bitter pill]

Chapter 43

"Ay, nakakaloka 'yung picture!" Halos maubo ako nang makita ko sa LED screen ang photo na ginamit nila para sa pa-welcome party/team lunch namin. Dahil may new hires, nag-decide ang department namin na magpa-mini celebration. Actually, last Monday pa originally scheduled 'to since 'yun ang first day naming mga bago. But we had to move it to a Friday since the bosses from our department just arrived yesterday. They were out because they went to Palawan to check the construction development of the new site we're building there. 

I looked at my picture again and I can't help but feel a little shy. Wala naman sanang kaso dahil maganda naman ang kuha pero masyado lang bida-bida. Todo awra naman kasi ang ganda ko rito. This was taken in Hong Kong. Si Aleah ang kumuha nito nung nasa Salisbury Garden kami. O.A pa naman ang effort ko sa serious face ko na 'to. Jusko. Had I known na magagamit nila 'to ngayon, I shouldn't have changed my profile picture that day.

"Ikaw ba ang kumuha nito sa Facebook ko?" I shyly asked Bella, my colleague. We're from the same department. Kami ang magkatabi ngayon sa table. Siya ang unang pumasok sa isip ko dahil kami pa lang naman sa mga katrabaho ko ang FB friends. We've gotten really close over the week since we're seatmates and she's helping me with the transition.

She smiled at me widely. "Yes," she replied, laughing. "Masyado kasing formal 'yung kuha mo ro'n sa ID picture mo. Kaya ito na lang 'yung binigay ko sa kanila," dagdag niya.

"Dapat 'yung isang profile picture na lang bago 'to. Masyado akong fierce dito. Do'n sa previous, nakangiti ako," natatawang sabi ko sa kaniya. But it's not as if I can still take it back. Everyone in this room already saw it. That's why I decided to let it go.

"Atom, come here," said Ms. Joyce, our department supervisor. She's a woman who's almost the same height as me. She's in her early 30's, but she still looks so young. And oh, she's already married and she has two kids.

She gestured me to come in front.

I flashed her a smile before standing up. When I am already standing beside her, everyone looked at us. Nasa around twenty siguro kami rito sa room. Hindi lang kasi mula sa department namin ang present ngayon. Mayroon ding one representative each mula Finance, IT, at HR departments. Karamihan naman sa mga tao rito ay na-encounter ko na dahil naka-one week na ako sa company. Kaya naman hindi sila totally strangers sa mga mata ko. 

"Everyone, these are our new staff," Ms. Joyce said while stretching her hand at us who are lined up. "This is Atom Cervantes. Some of you have already met her. But for those who have seen her just today, she will be helping our team as the new Junior Program Officer. She will be the point person when it comes to coordinating our scholarship program."

I smiled at the people and bowed a little.

Pointing at the person on my left, she carried on, "And this is Trinie Jimenez. She is our new Donor Relations admin. She will help us with our fundraising campaigns. And, oh, she just got back from her honeymoon. She recently got married. Say congrats!" Ms. Joyce laughed.

So . . . that explains the reason why we just met today. At kung bakit blooming na blooming siya.

"Congrats," I forced myself to tell her, half-smiling.

"Wow, congrats!" Bella exclaimed. 

Hearing the words wedding and marriage still makes me feel a little uncomfortable. After what happened in Hong Kong, something inside me still breaks every time this is the topic. I still carry the pain from that engagement. And truth is, even though my family has already returned last Monday, my brother and I still haven't talked about it. It's almost already a week since I started giving him the cold treatment whenever I see him at home.