Love and Cigarettes

Chapter Five

"Is it okay for us to spend so much money on the party, Sir Lars?"

We gathered for an informal meeting regarding the upcoming Christmas party. We've been so busy for the past few days but the loads of work were almost finished so we were able to find time.

"Of course!" Tobi replied eagerly. "We deserve to celebrate! Have you forgotten the all-nighters that we had to pull this month? We deserve to be compensated well. I demand a Christmas party!"

"Ang daldal mo, Tobi." nakangiwing sambit ni Miss Kyla.

That aside, the previous photoshoot ended successfully and this month's issue had already been printed. When I first got my hands on the finished product, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

Gano'n pala iyon. Sobrang sarap sa pakiramdam kapag alam mong pinaghirapan niyong lahat iyon at maganda ang kinalabasan.

"Well, I agree with Tobi. We did a fairly good job this month, plus we already reached the target quota of sales." malumanay na sabi ni Sir Lars at tsaka humalukipkip. "You deserve to be rewarded. What do you want? Name any dish. I'll make sure to have them prepared."

"I nominate Carbo! Life is meaningless without pasta!" Tobi spryly jumped out of his seat. "I second the motion. Bawal na umangal!"

"Kumalma ka nga, Tobi. Para kang may kaaway lagi."

Nami shyly raised her hand. "I'd like to eat beef steak."

Sir Lars took note of their requests. "Carbo and beef steak."

"Order some chicken, Lars." Neil wiggled his brows. "And beer."

I listened to their requests with mild interest. It was actually fun to discover what kind of food my colleagues liked. Nang mapansin nilang wala akong imik, ako naman ang tinanong nila.

"Ikaw, Aria? Anong gusto mo?" Miss Kyla politely queried.

"Is it okay to request mashed potatoes?" sambit ko at nahihiyang ngumiti sa kanila. "Baka kasi ayaw niyo. Ayos lang naman sa akin."

"You like potatoes?" Tobi gasped dramatically. "I love potatoes!"

Neil chuckled heartily. "Why are you so surprised, Tobi?"

"Because I love potatoes, too!" he childishly replied.

"Anyone can like potatoes, you dork."

"This conversation is getting nowhere." Sir Lars interrupted then burst into laughter. "Anyway, not bad. I like mashed potatoes, too."

When the list of dishes was finalized, Sir Lars assigned everyone by partner to organize the party. Tobi and Nami will prepare some games while Neil and Miss Kyla were paired for the decorations.

Kami naman ni Sir Lars ang makikipag-coordinate sa caterer.

"That pretty much sums all of it. Fret not, I'll wire you the necessary money alloted for the expenses by tomorrow." Sir Lars took a small box on his table. "Now, let's draw lots for the exchange of gifts."

Kanya-kanya naman kaming bumunot ng papel mula sa maliit na kahon. I straightened the scrap of paper and my eyes widened at the name written on it. Si Sir Lars pa talaga ang nabunot ko!

Sinulyapan ko naman siya na noo'y binubuksan pa lamang ang nabunot niyang papel. I noticed how his brows lifted in surprise when he looked at the piece of paper. Sino kayang nabunot niya?

"You decide how much the gift should cost."

"A minimum of one thousand?" Miss Kyla suggested.

Sumang-ayon silang lahat kaya hindi na lang ako umapela. Nakakahiya naman kapag sinabi kong namamahalan ako!