Thursday, 9:00 a.m. at Northern Avenue Cookery. Habang si Koeli ay abala sa mga hugasin, ang ibang kasama niya ay naroroon sa labas upang ituloy rin ang kanilang trabaho.
"Order number 12!" sabi ng chef, agad na ipinatong sa counter ang order at pinindot ang bell.
While Alishabeth was busy taking some orders from their customers, Carmine changed her position as their temporary server and Madison would be helping Koeli in washing the dishes since the restaurant's customers had doubled for that day.
"Hi!" Madison greeted Koeli happily though she was too exhausted from her work.
Hindi na rin sila madalas mag-usap tuwing may trabaho dahil abala sila sa mga gawain nila, kaya sa hapon na lamang sila nagkakaroon ng oras para mag-usap. So, Madison used this as an opportunity to have a short talk with Koeli. Napapansin din niyang hindi bumibisita si Rei sa restaurant kaya nag-aalala rin siya para sa kanilang dalawa ni Koeli—kung ano nga ba ang nangyayari sa kanila.
"Hello..." bati pabalik ni Koeli habang patuloy pa rin sa pagkukuskos ng plato at si Madison naman ang nagbabanlaw.
"Pwede ba rito mag-usap kahit oras ng trabaho?" bulong ni Madison kay Koeli at maikling nagmasid ang mga mata ni Madison sa paligid nila.
Madison heard a giggle from Koeli. "Pwede naman, dishwashers lang naman tayo ng ngayon e," she answered.
A smile was formed across Madison's face. "Kumusta naman si Rei at... ikaw?" tanong ni Madison ngunit ngisi lamang ang natanggap niyang sagot mula kay Koeli.
"Balita ko, miss ka na raw niya."
Madison was effortly trying to make Koeli comfortable with their topic, but she wasn't able to mention what Rei confessed to some of his friends about Koeli, and the confession was passed to the whole squad except for Koeli, she only knew it when Madison mentioned it.
"Kung anu-ano na naman ang sinasabi mo, Maddie." Koeli chuckled.
"Totoo 'yon 'no? Saka nakikita't napapansin din naman namin e," Madison dictated.
"We're just doing fine," biglang sagot ni Koeli.
Madison got her eyes staring at Koeli for a moment and felt the delight about what she heard, hoping that Koeli wasn't just joking around and she meant it because it would be a great news for Rei if Koeli really meant what she had said.
"You're not mad at him or something?"
Pinunasan ni Madison ang mga kamay niya pagkatapos niyang magbanlaw ng mga hugasin habang ang atensyon ay naroroon pa rin kay Koeli. She wanted to know the real reason, the answer. She was patiently waiting for Koeli's response.
"Why would I be mad at him? Wala naman siyang ginagawang masama, 'di ba?" tanong ni Koeli kay Madison sabay tingin sa kanya.
"Right, you have a point." Madison nodded her head and grinned.
"Kung ipapaalam mo man sa kanya ang mga sinabi ko, sabihin mo... 'wag siyang mag-alala... hindi ko siya iniiwasan," Koeli said which surprised Madison.
After what Rei had done to Koeli, she still managed to stay stay calm and be satisfied in maintaining her peaceful life, contented and accepted what had been the part of her history. Koeli may have experienced the harsh tragedy from the past, but she used them as her inspiration to motivate herself that she's worth it, she's not useless and she's capable in doing things that will make her happy and confident.
***
"Pwede bang hinaan mo 'yang paggigitara mo?!" Rei asked as he got annoyed by the sound of the guitar being played by her sister.
BINABASA MO ANG
When Destiny Plays
Teen FictionHigh school life, where teenagers experience new occurrences such as admiration, drama, friendship, goals in life and of course, memories. As high school life of Alishabeth Ly starts at Norkin Academy, making new friends will be a huge challenge. Re...
