Chapter Four

           “Here’s the final draft for HD’s concept.”

            Barely looking up from what she was doing, she replied, “Pakilapag nalang diyan sa tabi. Thanks, M.”

            “Anything else?”

            “Coffee,” she pleaded, groaning, as if caffeine was her lifeline.

            “Coming right up.”

            Asia’s week had mostly revolved around her paperworks, and, well, her work in general: phone calls with sponsors, meetings with the whole HD team, signing papers. The only break she had was that day they met Jed’s girlfriend: Venus McGraw.

            She literally lived up to her name, the Roman Goddess of Love. She was gorgeous, the way goddesses would look like if they were real. She was elegance dressed in skinny jeans, a peplum top and heels. Plus points sa kanilang magpipinsan na hindi ito snob o mahiyain man lang.

            After that lunch date with her cousins, she went straight back to work the next day for the schedules she’s cancelled for a quick family catch-up.

            She didn’t regret it, though.

            It was an early break from all the works yet to come.

            Nananakit na ang leeg at likod niya kaka-upo sa swivel chair buong hapon. Pati mata niya gusto nalang niyang ipadukot, buong hapon din kasing tutok sa screen ng computer niya.

            She’d been camping at her office for three days now. It’s a good thing the rest of Voltes Five were busy themselves, otherwise gabi-gabi siyang bubulabugin ng mga ‘yun. She can’t afford to waste her time at the moment.

            “Umuwi ka kaya sa unit mo, Awa?”

            “I can sleep here, I have a sleeping quarter, remember?”

            “I know that.” Mia leaned close and poked the bags under her eyes. “But your bags here are telling me that they haven’t met sleep for quite some time now.”

            “But I―”

            “I’ve already called a chauffer.” Sinimulan nitong ayusin ang mga papel na nasa mesa niya. “He’ll be here in ten minutes’ tops.”

            “What?” naguguluhang anas niya. “Chauffer? I don’t remember having a chauffer.”

            “Now you have.” Mia gave her a wink before she wnet on with tidying her table up. “Ayusin mo na sarili mo at uuwi ka na maya-maya lang.”

            “But―”

            “No more buts.”

            Bago pa man matapos ang ten minutes, malinis na nga mesa niya, maayos na rin ang mga personal na mga gamit niya, she herself look decent enough.

            “Tara, sa baba na tayo maghintay.”

            “You gonna hitch a ride with me?”

            “Aba, syempre, ano!” agad na hiyaw nito. “Mahal ang pamasahe sa Grab at taxi, mainit at siksikan sa bus at tren. Mahirap din makasakay kapag ganitong oras na, ano. Doon na tayo sa libre, beh!”

            “User.”

            “Friendly.” Dagdag nito. “User friendly, girl. ‘Wag ka’ng ano.”

            She checked the time on her watch and it said six thirteen.

            Too early to go home.

            She wanted to run back up to her office and finish whatever work she’s left in there. But of course, sa higpit ng kapit ni Mia sa braso niya, makaka-alis ba naman siya?

            She breathed in heavily.

            “Naku, girl, ‘wag mo’kong mabigyan ng buntong-hininga, it won’t work on me.” The elevator ting for the ground floor, hinatak siya palabas ng kaibigan. “Baka nandito na sundo natin, girl.”

            “You mean, sundo ko?” she teased.

            “Magkano ba singil mo sa pamasahe?”

            “One K.”

            “Ano?!”

            “Sa nagtatanong ka, e.” she gave her a shrug,

            “Hindi mo ikakayaman ‘yan.”

            “Pero ikakadagdag ng pera sa bank account ko.”

            “Peste!”

            They reached the entrance of the building bickering, sunod-sunod na rin ang labas ng ilang empleyado niya. Maya’t maya’ng may nagpapaalam sa kanila ni Mia habang nakatayo sa may tabi ng pinto.

            “Magbayad ka, ha? Mahal ang gasolina ngayon, ano ka.”

            “Sana ‘di masarap ulam mo mamaya, pati bukas!”

            “Hey, girls.” Bati ng isang pamilyar na boses ng lalaki. Napalingon naman siya agad sa pinanggalingan nito. “Are you arguing? Am I interrupting or something?”

            “Finally!” Mia roared at her cousin, Raf. “Kanina ka pa namin hinihintay.”

            “Sorry.” Raf turned to her and gave her a kiss on her cheek. “Traffic jam.” Kinuha nito ang mga gamit na dala niya at iminuwestra siya papunta sa kotseng naghihintay sa tabi ng daan. “Let’s go?”

            “Mabuti hindi ka busy?” she finally asked.

            “Are you not gonna at least pretend to offer me help with my stuffs, too?”

            “Kaya mo na ‘yan, big girl ka na, diba?” Raf smirked at Mia, the kind of smirk that suggest an inside joke na sila lang ang may alam. “But I can open the door for you, if that would make you feel better.”

            “Magpinsan nga kayo!” she grumbled, stomped her feet once and marched towards Raf’s car. “Magsama nga kayo.”

            “Nangyari dun?”

            She shrugged.

            But for all she knows, baka hindi lang ito nadiligan kaya grumpy. Or maybe her monthly visit.

            Hinatid nga nila si Mia sa unit nito, said a quick goodbye and a few nagging words from her before they finally went straight to her unit’s building.

            “Thanks for taking me home, Raf.”

            “No problem. Sige na, akyat na. The girls are there, ipagluluto ka ng dinner.”

            “The Voltes Five?”

            “Four palang, wala ka pa, e.”

            Tumango siya. May point naman ang sinabi nito.

            “Hindi ka na ba aakyat?”

            “Nope.” Raf immediately replied, popping the letter p. “Sinundo lang talaga kita. May pupuntahan pa ako, e.”

            “Babae na naman?”

            Raf just smiled at her.

            “Sige, drive carefully, okay?”

            “And you, young lady: rest.”

            Pagkadating niya nga sa unit niya ay, as usual, maingay na naman ang bibig ni Last, na halos pasigaw na kung magkwento. Her unit is spacious, pinasadya given na pag-aari ng Lolo nila ang building, pero rinig na rinig niya pa rin ang boses ni Last galing kusina.

            “― know if you remember, but he’s the psychiatrist one.”

            “I think I remember him,” she heard Aye said, hindi na siya magugulat kung oo dahil halos kilala ni Aye ang majority ng male population inside and outside the metro. “Then what happened after?”

            “Ayun, ni-lap dance siya nung baklita! Napaka-swerte, beh!”

            Last’s audiences burst out laughing at her story. Doon na siya pumasok sa eksena.

            “What’d I miss?”

            “Oh, hi, Ate.” Aye, who was standing by the breakfast counter, greeted. “Nagluto si White, it looks masarap. I’m not sure lang kung what’s it called ba.”

            “Hanep ka talaga sa conyo, girl!” reklamo ni Last.

            Tinanguan niya ang sinabi ng nakababatang pinsan. “You’ve been here for a couple of years already, bihasa ka na sa Tagalog, diba?”

            “I’m not used to it pa, Ate. And you guys are almost always speaking in English when we converse, like right now.”

            “But you have to get used to speaking the language, at least try to adapt with it.”

            “I’m trying naman, Ate.”

            “Luto na ‘yung ulam, Ate Awa.” Bungad ni White sa kanya, may hawak na isang malaking mangkok na may lamang menudo. She paused to kiss her on the cheek, before walking past her and into the dining area. “Last, Aye, paki-ayos na ang mesa at kakain na.”

            “Where’s Ember?” she turned to the dining area and sat on her designated seat.

            She has a six-seater dining table, at bawat isa sa kanilang lima ay may nakalaan na pwesto para upuan: she sits at the head table, to her right are Ember and Aye, respectively, and White and Last to her left. Sa other end ng table, vacant, dahil para raw ‘yun sa lalaking magiging boyfriend or asawa niya.

            It was Aye who declared it, saying, “this seat is reserved for Ate Awa’s future boyfriend.”

            She wishes.

            Kung kailan may ma-uupo sa pwestong ‘iyon, hindi niya sigurado.

            Or better yet, the question should be: may uupo pa ba?

            “Gumagawa ng maiinom.” White replied, handing her a plate.

            At the mention of maiinom, Last and Aye’s ears perked up.

            “It’s not what you think.” Pangunguna ni White nang mapansin na magtatanong na si Last. “No alcohol for tonight, may trabaho tayo bukas at busy si Ate Awa.”

            “Aww!” Last and Aye chorused.

            Sakto naman dumating si Ember na may dalang tray ng Arnold Palmer mocktails― a non-alcoholic cocktail drink. “I didn’t have much time to prep a more sophisticated mocktail, mas madali’ng gawin itong si Palmer, e.”

            “That’s okay, upo ka na at nang makakain na tayo.”

            The dinner consisted of Last and Aye rumbling about Ember not serving alcoholic cocktails, and bickering which cocktail drink tasted better. Habang nagbabangayan ang dalawa, nag-usap silang tatlo tungkol sa trabaho.

            “Ito si Ate Awa,” umpisa ni White, nakaturo pa sa kanya ang point ng tinidor na hawak nito. “Hindi ko na halos makita ‘to sa company building, e. She’s practically camping inside her office!”

            “I had a lot of things to do. I also have to ensure the success of HD’s comeback, ano.” Tinusok-tusok niya ang isang maliit na piraso ng karne sa plato niya. “I might have the team to do that, pero alam mo naman na ayaw ko’ng wala akong ginagawa for any of my talents.”

            “I get that, Ate, but don’t you know rest?”

            “Kung hindi nag-chat si Mia, hindi pa naming malalaman na taga-opisina ka na pala ngayon.”

            “Wait…” she regarded Ember with confusion, “kaya nandito kayo dahil sinabi ni Mia?”

            Umiling ang pinsan. “We’re here because we wanted to. But it was Mia who told us about what you were doing. Kaya napasugod kami agad dito. Dapat nga si Jed ang susundo sa’yo, but, apparently, he’s with the elders, kaya si Raf na ang sumundo sa’yo.”

            “What?”

            White answered with a sigh. “We couldn’t really let you go on another day stuck fast inside your office with nothing but your computer screen and the airconditioning as company, Ate.”

            “This is just dinner, after maghugas nila Last at Aye, aalis na rin kami.”

            “Parang hindi naman tayo nakatira sa iisang condo building, adik!”

            Isa sa pruweba, maliban sa mga pangalan nila, na weird talaga sila’ng lahat sa pamilya.

            Voltes Five plus Raf each owns a unit at the same condominium building, compliments to their Grandfather, Zeus Acosta, her father’s father.

            Lahat ng apo ng Lolo Zeus niya sa anim na anak ay niregaluhan niya ng condo unit. They were all grouped, or more like categorized, by their age bracket, kaya silang lima at si Rafeal ang magkakasama sa iisang condominium building.

            That’s how weird the people are in their family.

            “Still, you need to rest, Ate.” White insisted. “Ang laki na ng bags mo, oh, kasya na buong unit mo.”

            “Pwede ka na ma-evict niyan.” Nanunuksong sabat ni Last. “Kuya, forced evict po si Ate Awa, hindi na po siya marunong makinig sa ibang tao po, Kuya.”

            They all erupted in fits of laughter, which then immediately filled the four corners of her dining area. A sound her unit has rarely heard since her hectic schedule.

            True to White’s words, after Aye and Last took care of the dishes, sabay-sabay na silang nagpaalam sa kanya. Sleep and exhaustion must’ve been evident on her face because they didn’t take long to say their goodnights.

            The clock on her bedside said it was still eight forty-five in the evening, kung tutuusin hindi niya pa talaga time para matulog but her eyelids were already halfway closed. Ni hindi niya na nga nakuhang magbabad sa bathtub dahil gusto nalang niyang ibagsak ang katawan sa kama niya.

            Her bed was really starting to look so inviting.

            Sakto naman na pa-upo na siya ay biglang bulabugin ng kung sino ang pinto niya; a ping from her small doorbell before it was followed by a knock.

            Dragging herself out of her bedroom, she lazily opened the door to whoever it was that decided to disrupt her rest.

            “Awa?”

             She blinked, trying to recognize who the owner of the voice is.

            “Hey, baby, is this a wrong time?”

            Ano raw? BABY?!

            Parang biglang nagising ang diwa niya sa narinig. She immediately opened her eyes to see who in Hades dared to call her such… cheesy endearment. But what was before her was something her mind stubbornly failed to process.

            Awa might be tired and just about ready to drop, but she’s sure her eyes are still twenty-twenty. Pero bakit parang dinadaya ata siya ngayon ng malinaw niya pa’ng mga mata?

            Because standing before her is her brother: the reticent, taciturn and aloof Russ Acosta. What he was doing in her doorstep? She has no idea.

            She cleared her throat before opening the door wider for him. “Kuya, um, what are you doing here?”

            “I was around the area, so I thought of dropping by.” Her brother tried for a smile but it only looked as if that slight stretch of his lips hurt him. “Is this a wrong time?”

            “No!” she quickly replied, faster than she intended. “No, of course not. Halika, Kuya, pasok ka.”

            Her brother took careful steps to her unit. She didn’t know if it was just her or they were both really awkward with each other. Awa could feel the walls surrounding her brother, his guards were up, na para ba’ng hindi kapatid ang kasama nito.

            “Have a seat, Kuya.” It was a good thing the girls tidied her unit first before leaving, masyado kasing OC ang kapatid niya. “Do you want anything to eat? Or drink?”

            “No, I’m fine. I just had dinner meeting with a client nearby. Dumaan lang ako.”

            She nodded.

            Patlang.

            She stood there uneasily, playing with her fingers in an attempt to calm her nerves down. It was ironic, how she could talk with other people so easily, though with sarcasm most of the time, but couldn’t even find the right words to say to her own brother.

            “Um…” Russia cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably on his seat. “Sorry, were you about to sleep?”

            “Not yet, Kuya.” That’s a lie, of course. Kanina ay parang gustong niya nalang murahin ang kung sino man ang umistorbo sa knaya. “I still have a paper to review. Bakit po pala?”

            “Napansin ko lang kasing parang pipikit na ‘yung mga mata mo, e.” Russia speaking Tagalog sounded like he came from abroad, as if English was his first language. “You’re working too much, Awa.”

            Wow, coming from him talaga? Eh mas malala nga ito kesa sa kanya, asawa na ang trabaho nito.

            Hindi niya sure kung saan magugulat: sa fact na pinagsasabihan siya ng kapatid o because he noticed.

            “One of my boy groups is making a comeback soon, Kuya. I can’t afford to slack off.”

            “I understand that but you need to slow down with work.”

            “Eh bakit ikaw?” she pouted, too late she realized that she’s voiced that question loud enough for him to hear. She heard him chuckled softly, a first. “Sorry po.”

            “I think I know what you need.”

            “What I need po, Kuya?”

            “I’ll have it arranged the soonest.”

            “Wait,” she was confused, hindi niya masudan ang sinasabi ng kapatid. “I don’t understand, Kuya. Arrange what?”

            “It’s a surprise.” Tumayo ang kapatid at lumapit sa kanya. He put his hand on top of her head tentatively and ruffled her hair. “Look, I know this is weird of me, because I’ve never done something like this, but this is me trying to reaching out… to my family, my siblings.”

            Tumango siya sa kapatid, sa kawalan nang sasabihin.

            “I’m a couple of years too late pero babawi ako sa inyo, sa’yo.”

            “Hindi mo naman po kailangan gawin ‘yun, Kuya, e.”

            “But I want to, Awa. Unti-unti, babawi ako.” Her brother said with finality, the way he does when he means business. “Don’t forget about Pat’s engagement party, we’re all gonna be there.”

            “Yes po, Kuya.”

            “I’ll let you rest na.” Conyo rin pala si Kuya, cute. “Don’t forget to lock the doors, okay?”

            “Mahigpit ang security ni Pops, Kuya.”

            “Kahit na,” he planted a kiss on her forehead. “Goodnight, Awa.”

            “Goodnight, Kuya.” She tiptoed to kiss him on the cheek. “Ingat sa pagda-drive.”

            Habang nasa higaan, hindi niya mapigilan isipin ang nangyari kani-kanina lang. How her brother showed up at her doorstep unannounced, lahat nang sinabi nito sa kanya, the smile and the sudden skinship… those were nowhere near the Russia Acosta that everyone knows.

            But of course, she was open to changes, especially if it means cracking and breaking the walls her brother had built over the years. Pero siguro, it would take time para masanay siya sa mga pagbawi ng Kuya Russia niya.

            What she’s excited, though, was the surprise he’s talking about. The last time he surprised her? She couldn’t even remember. Baka nga ay hindi pa at ito palang talaga ang una.

            She couldn’t help but wonder what would the surprise be.