005

Inubos namin ang oras ng gabing iyon. Kung ano ano lang ang pinag kuwentuhan namin tungkol sa trabaho niya. Henry is quite talkative, minsan ko lang siya nakitang ngumiti sa mga kuwento niya. Ang seryoso niya kasi kapag nag k-kuwento siya. He never talked about his parents to me, which I respected.

He only told me all about his work—how he became a pilot and became a successful CEO.

"I was a working student before. I started working at my friend's mom's cafe. I'm working as a barista at that time. I make coffee every day. Dahil baguhan lang ang lugar na iyon dagsa ang mga tao doon. Naging puntahan 'din ng mga tao ang cafe noon. Her mom's coffee is another level, I must say. It's way different from the coffee that I tasted before. That's why it became talk of the town."

"Dahil doon ay naging CEO ka?" Tanong ko.

"No," Henry replied, making my curiosity eager to know more about it.

"Tell me more." Tumango si Henry.

"There is this one older man who often visits the cafe. I can tell that he is just a newbie because of all the people who come to the cafe I already memorized their faces; he is the only newbie in my eyes. I thought he wanted to try the cafe because it gets popular. It turns out he did, but that wasn't all he went for. It's funny because, at first, I thought he needed some help or something; I never knew that he was rich. Who would have thought that the older man who's wearing holey shirts and torn pants is hella rich? He humbled me for a second."

I laughed. "That's why you shouldn't judge based on their suit." He chuckled.

"Beats me; I can't help it." Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "I'm born into a family with lots of judgment. It's the thing that I get from them."

"Maybe from now on you can get a hang of it."

"Hang of it? "He says, "I don't think so; I even judge you when I meet you." Hindi na ako nagulat doon. I can tell by the way he looks at me.

Napailing ako pero kalaunan ay napangiti na lang. "You're so bad." I almost pouted.

He scratched his nape. "Judge you in a nice way."

"Meron bang ganon?" Sagot ko sakaniya at ininom ang hawak ko na juice.

"Well yeah..."Tinitigan niya ako sa mata. "kapag ako gumawa?" He smirked at me. "That's my bad side, Rae; I'm easy to judge other people because that's how I get from my household. I never get called to be a good guy after all."

Right. Even I once never was called a good person. Not that I'm eager to know about it from them, but I just wanted to prove that I'm not a bad person. They just saw in me the bad side of me.

Nginitian ko si Henry. "Maybe I understand why that old man helped you become successful."

"Tell me." He replied. Sumandal ako sa upuan at nanatiling nakatingin ang paningin sakaniya.

"Because he sees something special in you." Nanatili siyang nakikinig saakin. "Your being judgmental made him risk at you. Because he knows that you can help him to prevent circumstances that may happen in the future. You're using your right judgment on the people; you're not the one who basically judges other people wrong; that's what I see from you; you're not the one who talks; you're the one who talks when your judgment is right, isn't it? "

He fell silent for a second, then suddenly he smiled at me. I'll take that as a yes.

"At that time I didn't know that the owner was going to close the cafe; I must admit I got scared. Scared of what will happen to me, my father doesn't like me. So I work hard. That older guy talked to me; I don't know why he wanted to talk to me; he told me that someone already bought that building; even my friend doesn't know about it."

"Hindi sinabi sayo ng mama niya?"

"Her mom doesn't know about it either. They made a way, Rae. I was angry with the old man because I wasn't the only one he fired. His father died, and the only thing that he left from them was the cafe." I nodded to him to indicate that I was listening to him. "That older guy helped us; he built a new cafe again, but in a different place, which I find good because of what he did. But I never expected that old man to take me. At first, I hesitated, but later I agreed. It taught me and gave me money that my father should have worked for. He acted as a father to me, and I never find it so wrong. I'm just 20 years old at that time; I still have a lot to learn in life."

Every time Henry shares with me what he went through, I can't help but admire him. I wasn't brave then; I'm so scared, but like Henry, he faced his fear and overcame it all.

Tinignan niya ako. "Dahil doon parang nag karoon pa ako ng pag asa. Nag sumikap ako mag trabaho kahit nag aaral ako nun. I was his secretary until I got promoted. As a barista, my life suddenly changed when I became an acting CEO. For me, it's like a dream come true; that guy helped me get where I am now. Many people disagreed, and I understand that, because who am I to handle his company? I'm not even his relative. But he trusted me, even though I'm just a nobody. Many people withdrew stocks; many employees also left. But that never stopped me."

"I'm glad that didn't stop you." Sabi ko.

"When he got sick, I worried too much, not because I would lose my job if he disappeared. Hell, I'm not even scared, even if he fires me from my job." Bumaba ang paningin niya sa paa niya. "He talks to me. He said his body can't fight anymore, but I don't want to lose him because I promised him that I would do everything to make his company successful. I studied everything; I did several projects; I spent millions of dollars; he knew that, but I didn't hear a single word from him. I thought he just let me do what I wanted, but he was there watching me and helping me even though he was lying in the hospital. He still helped me out. "He looked at me to check if I was still listening to him.

I smiled at him."Go on, I'm listening." His eyes softened for a second, and my heart warmed because of that. He licked his lower lip and continued again.

"That's when I built my first machine, AMRs. Until someone saw my projects that I was the only one who created and developed, they took them, and that's when the number of investors started and the company grew. That's when I knew I succeeded." He smiled a little as he remembered the past. All those hardships make him successful for where he is now. But then his smile faded away and he looked up at the sky, like he was looking for something up there. "We celebrated it at the hospital, but then that same day, he died. When the company became successful, he disappeared. He only left me a letter with his lawyer, including his company. He named the company after me; I never expected it nor saw it happen. He was the one who made it happen for me. I'm just a mere stranger to his life. Who he helped me out and now become the owner and CEO of the highest paid company."

From all those hardships, he managed to survive. And the life he fought so hard to reach. Indeed, Henry is a strong man. I really can tell how he admires his old man. That guy saves his life and changes it for so much bigger.

"I know we've only known each other for a while. But my intentions toward you are pure. I just wanted to know how brave you are to face all of that. You're old man must be so proud of you." He looked me in the eye, and that's why I can't help but show him how sincere I am to him. "He cares for you like a son; I can tell it to your story. He believes in you even to his last breath; he makes sure that you will be well. You're old guy is an angel," I said full of sincerity. He smiled at me and looked up at the sky again.

"He really is." Sagot niya.

"Thank you for telling me your story, Henry. It made me realize a lot of things about life. Bumaba ang paningin niya saakin at nag pa tuloy ako. "And you opening it up to me is a lot of trust to take, so thank you for that."

His blue eyes keep looking at me for almost a second that turns to minutes. I don't know how to react, but I like looking into those eyes, and I never said a word. Then he spoke.

""I tell it not because I trust you; I did it because I want to and I feel like I need to." He chuckled. "It's crazy because I feel so comfortable with you. Thank you for listening to me, Rae. I really appreciate it. Looking at you sitting there and telling my story to you, I realized that there are still people who are ready to listen to my story. That's a lot of appreciation."

I can't help but smile at him too. "You deserve it after all." He smirked, and he shook his head before he looked at me again. I shrugged and softly chuckled. I never knew that I could meet a man like him. His way is different, but I like it the most.