Ilang araw na akong hindi pumasok sa trabaho ko sa convenience store. Nung sinabi ng boss ko na kailangan ko raw i-check yung inventory pagbalik ko, hindi ko naman inasahan na maaabutan kong wala na palang laman yung last row kung saan dapat may mga malalaking pakete ng chips.
I couldn't believe na hindi man lang ito ginawa nung bagong employee at ipinasa pa talaga sa akin. If only I knew how stressful this shift would be, I should've just spent my day binging a show on Netflix.
"Tapos na?" Nagulat ako sa boses ni boss. Muntik ko pang mahulog yung pen na hawak ko nang makita ko siya sa may counter. Hindi ko man lang napansin na pumasok siya.
"Opo," sagot ko. Gusto ko nang matapos itong shift ko pero ayaw ko namang galitin pa si boss dahil baka tuluyan na talaga niya akong palayasin. Besides, I already owed him a lot after allowing me to work here over the weekends.
When my phone vibrated from my pocket, I knew it was my mom calling. I remembered her telling me she was going to call today.
Glancing at my boss, I studied his stern face, not really sure if he would let me answer the call.
"May problema ba?" He asked, widening his eyes at me.
"Uh, boss, pwede ko bang sagutin ang tawag ni mama?"
"Saglit ka lang ha," he answered, lifting his head.
"Opo, salamat," sabi ko sabay lapag ng inventory list sa may counter.
"Jam, anak." Mom's sweet voice greeted me over the phone as I lifted my phone to my ear, making my way outside the store.
"Ma," I mumbled, taking a breath. "Kumusta?"
"Okay naman kami dito, anak. Kumusta ang finals mo?" mom asked and my breathing hitched for a moment. I didn't exactly do well with all the things going on in my mind the past days, but I didn't want to share this to her right now.
"Uh... okay lang po. Pasado naman," I answered honestly. "Medyo stressful lang po."
"Okay ka lang diyan, anak?" Mom's voice cracked. I just knew telling her would just cause her worry even more and I didn't want to stress her. "Nahihirapan ka na ba dyan?"
"Hindi naman po, ma. Mahirap lang po 'yong exams."
It took another ten minutes of her trying to lecture me about going back to the province. Kahit na ilang beses ko na itong narinig sa kanya, hindi ko maitatanggi na miss ko nang marinig sa personal ang paglilitanya niya.
"Opo ma," was my only answer to everything she said.
"Miss ka na ng lola mo. Uuwi ka ba sa Christmas break?" she suggested.
I knew she was bound to say that. That was actually my plan and with how things were going right now, I might as well take a breather. "Siyempre po. Balik na po ako sa trabaho."
"Sige, anak. I love you. Ingat ka diyan."
"Kayo rin po ni lola. Love you," I ended the call, clenching my jaw shut.
Pagtingin ko sa harap, napansin ko agad ang dalawang pamilyar na lalaki sa may gilid ng daan.
Nakatayo sila sa tabi ng isang itim na kotse. Wala akong balak na tawagin ang atensiyon nila kaya agad akong tumalikod at bumalik sa loob ng shop.
Sighing, I saw Boss Clyde checking something on one of the aisles as I went back to manning the counter.
It hadn't been long when the two guys suddenly entered the store. "Jannah!" Mason raised a hand, greeting me.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Broken Soundtrack
Teen FictionSometimes we choose what we only want to hear... **** Jannah Mariz Colston is shy and awkward. But when she meets rising musician Asher Felix, her walls get shaken up and instant chemistry develops between them. As their friendship deepens, Jannah...
