Chapter 1

TERRENCE

"Thank you Babe! This is really beautiful. I can't believe I own a Bolide Hermes bag now! I've been dreaming of having this since Kendall Jenner posted it on i********:!" sabik na salita ni Jordana nang may napakalawak na ngiti.

Simpleng umangat lamang ang isang sulok ng aking bibig habang tinitingnan ko siyang napapaakap sa paper bag sa tuwa. Kung ilaw lang ang mga mata niya, baka nagliwanag na ang buong Marina Bay.

"Here," I gave my card to the cashier.

"Is it installment sir?"

"Straight payment."

"Okay Sir." She gave me a wide smile then bowed. "Thank you for shopping. I hope you enjoy your time at The Shoppes."

Tumugon ako ng tango habang tinatanggap pabalik ang credit card ko mula sa nakagwantes na mga kamay ng kahera.

"I'll carry it," ani ko kay Dana, my girlfriend's nickname. Walang pagdadalawang-isip na inabot niya sa akin ang paper bag. Yumapos siya sa aking kaliwang braso nang papalabas na kami ng designer shop.

"You have no idea how happy I am right now! Thank you Babe. Sobra-sobra naman tong pa-celebrate mo sa akin ng monthsary natin. Dinala mo na nga ako dito sa Singapore, ibinili mo pa ako ng designer bag. Sobrang blessed ko talaga na makatagpo ng kagaya mong ubod ng gwapo, successful, thoughtful at gentleman na boyfriend. Ako na yata ang pinakamaswerteng girlfriend sa buong mundo. If I can only announce to the whole world that I'm your girlfriend, I'm sure napakaraming babaeng mamamatay sa inggit," komento niya nang di inaalis ang pagkakatitig sa aking mukha.

Payak akong ngumiti at marahang tinapik ang kamay niyang nakakapit sa aking braso. "I'm glad that you're enjoying the day. I'm sorry that this is all I can do for you now. Alam kong marami akong mga pagkukulang kaya gusto kong bumawi kapag may pagkakataon."

Tila batang ngumuso siya nang may maluha-luhang mga mata. Halatang naantig sa aking sinabi. "Aw that's so sweet babe! Wala kang pagkukulang at hindi mo kailangang bumawi. From the start, alam ko namang busy kang tao kaya naiintindihan ko kung wala tayong masyadong oras sa isa't isa. Please don't think that way. I never wanted to be a burden to you in the first place. I understand that you have other priorities."

Tumingin ako sa malayo at napakagat sa aking labi. Gusto kong ipakitang nakokonsensiya nga ako. "And I'm sorry kung kailangan pa nating pumunta sa malayo para lang magkasama sa espesyal na okasyon na to."

"Stop that babe. What are you sorry for? Naiintindihan ko namang bawal tayong makita ng mga nakakakilala sa atin lalo na ng mga taga kumpanya. I don't want the rumors to explode too that the boss and the intern are dating." She gradually smiled with spark in her eyes. "Saka being in a faraway place like this has advantages for me. Una, nakakapamasyal ako. Pangalawa, mas masarap kumilos pag walang nakakakilala sayo. At ang pinaka sa lahat ay nasosolo kita ng ilang gabi."

I chuckled. "Thank you. I'm also very lucky to have a bright, beautiful and understanding girlfriend. And I'm thankful for the day I met you."

Marahan niya akong hinampas sa braso. "That cringes me out pero sige na nga kinikilig pa rin ako," hagikhik niya sabay higpit sa pagkakapit sa akin.

Mahinahon akong naglakad nang nakangisi sa aking isipan. The envious eyes of men looking at us were quite entertaining. I've worked hard all my life to experience this kind of pride. I'm a president of a real state corporation and my net worth is a reason enough to have piles of marriage proposal from conglomerates' daughters. There were quite interesting candidates but marriage is still far from my mind now.

I'm a man two years from being forty. And I'd been in similar situations like this many times before. Yung may maganda at seksing babaeng nakapulupot sa braso ko habang walang pakialam sa kanyang paligid sapagkat hindi niya maalis-alis ang kanyang mga titig sa aking mukha. I dated countless women. Younger, older, same age but I'd never gotten into a serious commitment for I have no plan of giving even part of myself to anybody else... maybe never or maybe not yet. Ang papel lamang ngayon ng babae sa aking buhay ay palamuti sa aking tabi. They can temporarily give me pleasure and excitement but they can never contribute to my personality and success. That's why I don't really care if a woman loves me genuinely or not, for neither I have any expectation from them too. I just wanted to be admired and be complimented for my ego's sake.

"But don't you feel awkward that you're dating a man sixteen years older than you?" nakangising tanong ko kay Dana.

"No!" mariing sagot niya. "I'm the proudest girlfriend regardless of your age. And I love matured man saka my gosh you don't look your age. No one will think you're 38 kung hindi ka kilala. Akala ko nga nung una tayong nagkakilala ay nasa late 20's ka lang. With the way you dress and carry yourself, mahihiyang tumabi sayo kahit pa higit na nakababatang mga binata diyan."

Napangiti ako. Ilang beses ko na ring narinig ang ganitong klase ng papuri. Pero sa mga sandaling ito na nakatingin ako sa mga mata niya na siyang paborito kong parte ng kanyang mukha habang sinasabi niya iyon ay nakaramdam ako ng kaunting kiliti sa aking puso. Her eyes is my weakness.

Anim na buwan na kaming nagdidate ni Dana. I met her through Billy, my bestfriend. His girlfriend s***h mistress, Hailey brought Dana along with her when we had drink at the bar of a luxury hotel. Don't get me wrong, hindi ko kinukunsinting mangaliwa ang kaibigan ko. He was legally separated already but not annulled dahil ayaw siyang hiwalayan sa papel ng asawa niya dahil sa kanyang kayamanan. It was an arranged marriage kaya di na ako magtataka kung nauwi sila sa hiwalayan but they have two children, a son and a daughter who are now in the custody of their mother. 

Dana then was a fresh accounting graduate at La Salle University. Pinakilala siya ni Hailey at ipinakiusap na bigyan ko ng intern position sa aming kumpanya. Dana made a huge impression on me. No doubt that she's beautiful but it wasn't her beauty that captured my attention. I've been with more beautiful and classy women. She got the typical stinks of a social climber and even now her love for material things is undeniable too. She flirted and attempted to seduce me on our first meeting. She got flaws but despite that she instantly became a special person to me... because she have those eyes that remind me of the brief yet wonderful moments of my life.

When Dana entered the bar, I thought I was seeing someone I knew. She just looked like her! But as she got closer, I gradually realized that they were two different person. The woman I remembered was a year older than me so there's no way she'd look that young. Bagamat namalikmata lamang ako subalit panandaliang naghatid iyon sa akin ng munting alaala, a memory of good old days when every minute of my life was full of spirit, smiles and excitements because of a woman I secretly adored. An adoration that resulted to emptiness dahil kagaya ng tipikal na torpeng pag-ibig, nanatiling lihim na lamang hanggang sa huli iyon hanggang sa ang babaeng yun ay nakapag-asawa na ng iba. Sadly, that's the first and last and I never felt that way to a woman again.

I hired Dana because of that memories until we ended up secretly dating at the office. Though she looks like the woman in my past, she got unique traits too that makes her interesting in her own way.

"Babe can I just check my phone?" Inalis niya ang mga kamay sa aking braso matapos tumunog ng sunud-sunod na messages ang kanyang telepono.

"Go ahead."

"Hay ang kulit naman ni Tita!" Napalakas na sabi niya sa sarili at pagkuway biglang nahiya sa akin. "Sorry Babe. It's my aunt. I told her not to visit the condo because I'll be out of the country pero pumunta pa rin."

I didn't react to what she said. When a woman mentioned about her family, I always avoid it because it's like taking the bait of having one step towards a deeper relationship.