I kept checking the time on the professor’s lecture slides being projected at the front. Kakatapos lang ng midterms kaya ibig sabihin ay mag aaral na naman para sa susunod na final examination.
That’s just how it is when you’re a student. We can’t really do anything about it except get things done instead of regretting it later.
Umayos ako ng pagkakaupo bago pinaglaruan ang ballpen gamit ang kanang kamay. This class was seriousy boring, and I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling that way. I looked around, and hardly anyone was paying attention.
Some were sleeping in the back, others were busy doing random stuff. Buti nalang ay hindi ganoon ka strikto ang propesor dahil kahit kitang kita niya ang mga ginagawa namin ay hinahayaan niya lang.
She only ever called us out when we gt too loud. Pero hindi niya naman kami masisisi dahil nag iingay lang kami kapag naiintindihan namin ang tinuturo niya at nagtatalo sa tamang sagot.
She was actually a close friend of my favorite professor from last school year.
Nang natapos na ang klase ay nagsitayuan agad sila habang ako ay bahagyang nag unat ng braso at likod. My butt was already going numb from sitting too long.
Imagine sitting for almost three hours with only two 15 minute breaks the whole time.
"Azalea, sasabay daw sila Gracia saatin ulit ngayon" I heard from Macy.
Agad akong napatingin sa kaniya sa kabilang row at nakatayo na siya habang inaayos ang mga gamit bago ipasok sa bag niya. I shrugged my shoulders. "You girls can eat together. I'm not that hungry right now,"
Her lips parted as her brows slightly furrowed. "Hala, bakit? Anong nangyari?"
That question made me pause for a second. Why did she ask if something happened just because I'm not hungry right now? Kailangan ba ay meron?
"Huh? I don't get it," I chuckled awkwardly.
Hanggang sa sabay na kaming lumabas ng silid. I told her that I have a date today– a late lunch date to be exact. The Taft guy asked me last night, and honestly, I had no reason to say no. She started teasing me about dating someone new.
"Pakilala mo saamin next time ah. Hindi mo napakilala si Kaleb saamin nang maayos dati e," then laughed.
I rolled my eyes at her playfully. That's a fact. "That was actually a great move...an unintended one. It would be embarrassing on my part to introduce someone, then hindi rin pala magiging kami,"
"Sabagay, oo nga naman. Akala ko nga talaga noon matino siyang lalaki,"
I waved her off as I neared the elevator. She always heads to the ladies’ room to retouch her makeup before going to the cafeteria.
Pwede ko naman siyang hintayin at sabay na bumaba pero kailangan ko ring mag asikaso nang mas maaga.
Nang tuluyan nang makalabas ng unibersidad ay tanaw ko na agad ang sasakyan na magsusundo saakin. Mommy had already flown out of the country the day before I hosted the sleepover, so I have just been calling our family driver to pick me up when needed.
When I got home, I went straight to my walk-in closet to choose an outfit.
It had been a while since someone asked me out, so of course, I had to look presentable. Though, I always look put together. I would never leave the house looking like a crusty, musty lady. Never.
There were two things that would put me in a coma: being ugly and being broke. Who likes being ugly and broke, right?
I laid out three outfit options, but I ended up picking the last one—perfect for the weather and the place we were going. It was a white, round-neck, above-the-knee dress that fit me perfectly around the waist.
Since the dress was white, I went for contrast and chose a black ankle-strap heels.
Gosh, this is really giving me an adrenaline rush!
I just hope everything turns out well. After picking my outfit and shoes, I stepped out of my walk-in closet and headed to my bedside drawer to get my jewelry organizer.
I picked a diamond drop necklace and a pair of diamond stud earrings. After laying them down neatly on the couch, I headed for a quick shower–no need to wash my hair since I had already done that earlier.
Ngayon ay nasa harap na ako ng vanity mirror at inaayos ang buhok. I checked the time on my phone and saw that I still had an hour left to get ready.
My hair was naturally straight, and it looks boring, so for an occasion like this, I decided to curl it. Sampung minuto mahigit yata ako natapos sa pagkulot bago ko tinali sa half ponytail.
I turned slightly to the side to check if the curls looked good from the back, then faced the mirror again to start doing my makeup–a clean look, since it was still daytime.
–
Nasa loob na ako ng kotse at nagpapahatid ulit sa family driver. The Taft guy already made a reservation at a restaurant in Rockwell, Makati.
And since it was a bit far, I made sure to leave right after getting fully ready.
The entire time we were exchanging messages, I couldn’t help but smile. He said he was really excited that I was finally free to meet him. Kasi nga noong nakaraan na inaya niya ako ay nasa Boracay ako.
I let out a long sigh before glancing outside the window. Medyo madilim at sana naman ay hindi matuloy kung uulan man. Ilang minuto pa ang tinagal ng pag uusap namin at sabi niya ay kanina pa siya nakapag asikaso at nasa daan na rin.
After a few more minutes, I finally arrived at the restaurant.
I took a moment to admire the place from outside before heading in. Babalikan nalang din daw ako ng family driver kapag tinawagan ko na siya.
"Good afternoon, Ma'am. Do you have a reservation po?" a staff member in uniform greeted me at the entrance.
I briefly scanned the room, then looked back at him and nodded. He checked the reservation log and asked for my name. When I gave it, he confirmed that I was with a familiar guy’s name.
Slightly distracted by the guests, I just nodded. Hanggang sa iginiya niya ako sa medyo gilid kung saan may kaonting mga bakanteng lamesa at nilahad niya saakin ang lamesa namin.
Before he walked away, I asked for a bottle of sparkling water since my throat felt a little dry.
He acknowledged my request before excusing himself. Umayos ako nang pagkakasandal sa kinauupuan bago ginamit muli ang cellphone. I had arrived 5 minutes early, and he was still on the way.
Agad akong nagpasalamat sa bumalik agad na unipormadong lalaki na binigay agad saakin ang hinihingi. I poured some into the wine glass and took a few sips with one hand while stil checking my pone with the other, waiting for my date to respond.
Mga sampung minuto pa ang nakalipas at hindi pa rin siya dumadating. I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, glancing around at the other customers who were clearly enjoying their meals and each other’s company.
Kinuha ko muli ang cellphone na nakalapag sa lamesa at nagtanong muli kung nasaan na siya.
To: Taft Guy from Morato
Hey, I just arrived.
To: Taft Guy from Morato
The ambiance here is pretty cozy, I love it.
To: Taft Guy from Morato
Hello, are you still driving ba? I'm here already.
To: Taft Guy from Morato
Hey? Are you still going to come? Please reply ASAP.
To: Taft Guy from Morato
Where are you na?
I let out a sigh and quickly licked my lower lip as I reached for the wineglass again. This was starting to get awkward.
Kanina pa nagtatama ang tingin namin ng lalaking naghatid saakin dito at pakiramdam ko ay nagtataka na siya kung bakit wala pa rin ang dapat na kasama ko.
I waited a bit longer before finally getting up to fix my makeup in the powder room. If he wasn’t gonna show, fine. I would just enjoy this date by myself. The food smelled too good to waste the moment.
We made eye contact, and he immediately smiled—like full-on smile, all teeth, eyes almost gone kind of smile.
"Hey, I'm so sorry. There's something that came up kasi, and I need to run a quick errand," he said, looking and sounding super apologetic.
"Oh, is that so? Okay," I said as we both approached our table.
"I hope you're not mad," he added with a chuckle.
I chuckled as I shook my head. "No, that's okay. Mukhang importante naman e,"
And just like that, the awkwardness, boredom, and the bit of annoyance I felt earlier kinda melt away. He showed up, and that was all that mattered.
Ang nakakagalit ay kung hindi siya dumating at pinaghintay lang ako na hindi ko man lang alam kung anong nangyari.
"Hey, I really feel bad. I'm so sorry. I was with my mom earlier," he said, looking kind of guilty.
My lips parted. "You mean she was with you while on the way here?"
He nodded. "No, nagpasundo kasi siya, and she wants me to drive her to her office around Makati,"
I slowly nodded as I processed his words in my mind. Kaya naman pala natagalan e. But that's okay...I don't have the rights to be mad if his reason is really valid.
Ilang segundo ay may lumapit na saamin at tinanong kung ano ang o-order-in naming dalawa. I took the laminated menu from the lady in uniform and started checking out.
We took our time browsing their menu before we finally decided what to get. Habang hinihintay ang pagdating ng pagkain ay tinatanong niya ako tungkol sa school.
"Oh, I graduated senior high school in the same university. How about you ba?" I asked while looking at him.
"Hmm, nah. I went to a different senior high school pero around Makati lang din naman then I transferred na sa Taft,"
At naulit na naman ang pag uusap namin kung ano ang pinag usapan namin noong unang kita namin sa Morato. He asked for my course, my age, and if I have a suitor already.
I couldn’t help but laugh at that last one. I mean, would I even be here if I had someone courting me already? How silly of him.
"We should date more often. I am really interested to know you more," he chuckled.
That made my cheeks heat up, so I tried to hide my smirk and casually shrugged. "Why do you want to know me more, hm?"
His eyes widened a bit before leaning comfortably on his seat. "Hmm, nothing. Because I really find you pretty and...interesting?"
I laughed a bit to myself. Just because he found me pretty and interesting? Should I take that as a valid reason to get to know me better?
"We'll see..." I replied.
Dumating na ang starter kasabay ng bagong bote ng tubig dahil halos makalahati ko na 'to kanina kakahintay na dumating siya. The starter was baked capiz scallops and oh my gosh, it smelled so good.
Hindi pa namin nauubos ang starter at dumating na agad ang main dish at desserts.
He ordered muscovado beef belly, brown rice, and cassava, while I ordered spaghettini with baby crab fat and avocado tart as my dessert.
We started eating as we talk. He asked me what should we do after this, which made me surprised a bit. Akala ko ay late lunch date lang talaga ang sadya niya. Hindi ko naman alam na magsasama pa kami ng matagal ngayong araw.
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