Chapter 2

Nagising si Matilda sa sakit ng sinag ng araw na tumama sa mata n'ya. Nang magising ito, una nitong nakita ay ang puting ding-ding ng kwarto at siya na walang damit.

Nataranta si Matilda kasi ang naaalala n'ya ay lasing siya kagabi. Hindi na mapakali si Matilda at pilit inaaalala kung may nangyari ba sakanya habang lasing siya.

"Mati, thank God you're awake, how are you feeling?" nagulat naman si Matilda sa biglang pagsasalita ng kung sino sa likod n'ya. Nakahinga ng maluwag si Matilda nang makitang si Mary ito.

"Maria, what happened last night?" tanong agad ng dalaga dito.

"Calm down, Mati. You fainted last night" saad nito habang nilalapitan si Matilda para pakalmahin ito.

Napaisip naman si Matilda sa kung anong dahilan kung bakit siya nahimatay. Bigla n'yang naalala yung pamilyar na mukha nang isang lalaki at ang pangalan nito na mas lalong napaka pamilyar.

"That guy, Maria. That guy, he's so familiar and his name." saad naman nito habang inaalala parin yung lalaki kagabi.

"What guy? Yung sumalo sayo when you fainted. Thank God, that guy was there kasi if wala baka tumama na ulo mo sa sahig noong nahimatay ka."

"Yeah and he's so familiar. The weird part is habang sumasakit ang ulo ko kakaisip kung sino siya, bigla dibg sumakit yung puso ko. I don't why, even the guy who called him, is so familiar. Do I know them?" natawa nalang si Mary sa mga pinagsasabi ni Matilda.

"What? Don't laugh, I'm serious." she said and sinamaan ng tingin si Mary.

"Stop thinking about it, baka himatayin kana naman kasi sumakit ulo mo. You should eat, it's past lunch time na." Nagulat si Matilda sa sinabi ni Mary.

"What!? Past lunch time na?"

"Kakasabi ko lang diba? Gusto ulit-ulitin?" Sinamaan ng tingin ni Matilda si Mary dahil s pagiging sarcastic nito na tinawanan lang din ni Mary.

"Come on, Mati. You should relax. Yes, it's past lunch time but everything is good, although, tumawag si Ava na they need you sa restaurant mo kasi maraming customers and since you past out last night, I asked Ali to help in your restaurant for a while." Ali is their chef best friend who is a famous chef in Italy, Ali has never been home for the past 3 years and so Matilda was even more shock.

"Tatlong beses kanang na shock in a span of 30 minutes" natatawa pang ani ni Mary.

"What do you mean Ali? Ali is back in the Philippines? Since when?" May halong saya sa tanong nito.

"Well, apparently, she's been home for a week now pero she didn't tell us kasi she was busy. She called me last night, in the middle of our partying, to tell us na andito na pala siya that's when you were in the cr and fainted." pagpapaliwanag pa nito. Nagmamadali namang mag bihis si Matilda para umalis na at pumunta s restaurant n'ya kaso pinigilan siya ni Mary at kumain daw muna.

"Are you sure you're okay na? Hindi naba masakit ulo mo?" Matilda can see the worries in Mary's eyes but she wants to help in her restaurant already and wanna see Ali as well.

"I'm fine, Mary. I already drink my medicine so I'll be more fine and besides excited akong makita si Ali, ikaw ba hindi?" tanong niya pa dito.

"I was. She was here last night when I told her you fainted and left at 6 am in the morning kasi may appointment pa daw siya. And I called her at 9 am para tumulong muna sa restaurant mo since you're still unconscious. So technically, ikaw nalang ang hindi siya nakikita." Matilda rolled her eyes to Mary.

"Sabi ko nga, ako nalang ang hindi pa nakikita siya kaya nga I gotta go." sabi pa nito sabay takbo papunta sa kotse n'ya.

"You want me to drive you there?" Pahabol na sigaw ng isang magiting na Maria.

"No need, I can manage" and with that, kumaripas ng takbo ang sasakyan n'ya.

Thirty minutes later, she arrived at her restaurant. There's still a lot of costumers which made Matilda smile, her business is growing and growing everyday.

Matilda's restaurants business is a living proof that she can be whatever she wants and can make her parents proud which they already are even when she still a child.

Matilda's father wants her to take care of their family business because Matilda is the only daughter of the Anderson's, that means she's the only heir or the next person who will manage her father's business when he'll decide to retire. But Matilda's heart wants something else, she loves cooking and so she studied Associate of Applied Science in the Culinary Arts, her parents was against it but Matilda promised that after she fulfill her dreams and when her dad is already retired, she'll take her position and the company wholeheartedly.

When she was still starting to build her restaurant, her parents are already proud of her. Day by day, as her restaurant grow bigger and bigger, her parents are becoming more and more proud than they already is.

"Ava!" she called Ava when saw her coming out of the kitchen holding a tray of foods.

"Ma'am, Matilda. I'm sorry, I didn't saw you, kinda busy here as you can see" Ava said which made Matilda laugh a little bit. Ava is an all around assistant of Matilda, aside from being her assistant, Ava is also her cousin in her mother's side that's why she's so comfortable talking to Matilda that way.

"I know, Ava. Anyway, do you need me in the kitchen?" she asks. Napatingin pa si Ava sa kitchen at sakanya at sa mga costumers at tumingin ulit sakanya.

"But you fainted last night, are you sure you're okay to work?" napabuntong hininga sa Matilda.

"Ava, I'm fine. I'm totally fine and can totally function very well so where do you need me? Kitchen or here outside as a waiter?" she asks her again smiling.

"But Miss Ali said—"

"Oh don't mind her, I'm excited to see and scold her but I'm still needed in my restaurant so just answer me, where do I needed because costumers are waiting for that food in your hand to be served and I'm waiting as well" she patiently said.

"Okay, we need extra waiter, some of our waiters are on leave right now." dali-dali namang nagbibis si Matilda ng pang waiter at nagtrabaho na.

Hours later, hindi nauubos ang costumers nila. Kada minuto may dumadating kaya double work silang lahat. No wonder Matilda's restaurant was featured in a magazine worldwide for being one of the most delicious foods for foreigners and locals. 

"Here's the order for table 78" chef Ali said and when she looks up to the waiter, nagulat ito nang si Matilda ang nasilayan.

"Matilda? What are you doing here?" gulat na parang galit na ani nito.

"Working, and have you forgot? This is my restaurant Ali so I can be here anytime I want" she smiled at her after saying that and lumakad na palabas ng kitchen dala ang orders.

"Here's your order, sir" saad ni Matilda at isa-isang nilapag ang mga pagkain sa table ng mga kalalakihan na obvious na may business meeting. Pero bago malapag ni Matilda lahat ng pagkain sa table, napatingin siya sa nakaupo sa tabi ng kinatatayuan niya at nagulat.

There's this eyes again. His eyes that seems so familiar. His deep blue eyes that speaks so many emotions that she cannot read. His  hair, his lips, his nose, his eyebrows, even his adams apple are so familiar to her. Every part of the man in front of her screams familiarity into her mind and it's making her head spin again kasi she can't remember where they meet or have they meet before.

Parang nahihilo si Matilda just by seeing this familiar man beside her and it made her out of her balance dahilan para matapon ang kape na hawak n'ya sa binata.

"What the heck, woman? What's wrong with you?" galit na tanong nito kay Matilda dahilan para mapatingin sakanila ang ibang costumer.

"I'm sorry, sir" hingi ng tawad ni Matilda, pati boses nito pamilyar din sa tenga ni Matilda.

"Does your sorry will dry my suit? What were you thinking na itapon sakin ang mainit na kape na hawak mo?" 

"I'm really sorry, sir. Hindi ko po sinasadya" sagot n'ya dito at pinapahiran ang kapeng nasa suit nito.

"What a great day! Really? Matatapunan ng kape in the middle of my very important meeting? How careless can you be? Do you even know how important this clients are?" napayuko nalang si Matilda habang umiiling-iling kasi alam n'yang kasalanan talaga niya.

"Precisely, and you can't even do your simple job right. How dumb can you be?" napatingin naman si Matilda sa binata.

"Mr. Gideon Martinez, let it go, it's fine" ani naman ng isang matandang kasama nito.

"With all due respect, sir. I'm not dumb, what happened was clearly an accident." sagot naman n'ya dito.

"Yeah, an accident that can totally prevent if you're just focus on your work at hindi tumitingin-tingin sa ibang bagay. That's stupidity." Matilda smiled sarcastically.

"Gago ka pala eh. I'm not dumb nor stupid, that's clearly below the belt. Yes, I've made a mistake, I accidentally spilled the coffee on you and I take full responsibility of that, I even said sorry. You have no right to insult me and call me names Mr. Gideon Martinez." galit na ani ni Matilda dito. Gideon smirk at Matilda.

"Your sorry won't fix what has been done and what has been the damage. You already caused trouble to your costumers which made you stupid and careless. I wanna talk to your manager after this, and don't think you're getting away because if my client declined my proposal, it will be your fault and you'll be in big trouble, woman" sabi nito sakanya at tumingin sa mga kliyente nito para magpaalam na pupuntang wash room.

"Asshole!" sigaw ni Matilda Kay Gideon at nilapitan ito sabay sinampal at umalis sa harapan nito.

Matilda saw how mad Gideon's eyes were and that made her smirk.