Chapter Six

           She moved hastily as she packed her things she thinks she might need for whatever plan her mind has devised. Nang masiguro’ng nadala niya ang mga importanteng gamit, lumabas na siya ng condo niya at bumalik ulit sa sasakyan.

            She typed in the place she planned to go and she was already back on the road in no time.

            Mahigpit ang kapit ng mga kamay niya sa manibela ng kotse, too tight her knuckles were turning white.

            Sinabi lang naman niyang kapag may magtanong, sign na ‘yun. She didn’t expect it to be given to her this soon. Hindi pa naman siya ‘yung tipong hindi paninindigan ang sinabi niya, kahit hindi pa sa isip niya lang sinabi ‘yun.

            To her, ang hindi pagtupad sa binitawang salita, ang hindi panindigan ang mga sinabi, that’s cowardice and irresponsibility. Kaya kahit ano’ng sabihin niya, may it be a threat, a dare or a challenge, she would stand up to her words and what she believes in.

            She’s reached the vicinity, medyo secluded ang lugar at tahimik, kahit nasa daan palang at wala pa sa mismong gate. She could already feel the tranquility surrounding the whole place: no noise, no stress, just peace and quiet.

            There was a screeching sound from behind her, it gained speed and take over on the other lane before it came into a quick stop. She stepped on the brake just as quickly, muntik pa tumama ang mukha niya sa manibela sa biglaan niyang pagtigil.

            “What the fuck?!” with her grit teeth, mabilis niyang kinalas ang seatbelt at umibis ng kotse. “Are you trying to kill us both?!”

            Bumaba ng sasakyan ang loko-lokong driver ng kotseng biglang humarang sa dinaraanan niya at humarap sa kanya. She frowned.

            “White?”

            “What the hell were you thinking, Ate?”

            “As far as I know, I’m still thinking straight, White.”

            “No, you aren’t, Ate.” White insisted. “Because if you are, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

            White’s cheek puffed before her tongue traced her teeth, an indication that she was starting to get really pissed off.

            “Seriously, Ate?” White mocked, voice strained with irritation. “St. Mary’s Convent? Nag-iisip ka pa nang maayos nito, ha?”

            “I asked for this.”

            “Asked? For this? For what?”

            “For a sign.”

            Natameme ang pinsan sa narinig. White gave her a look as if saying she’s going crazy, which she thinks she migh be. “Sign?” hindi makapaniwalang anas ng pinsan. “Seryoso ka ba? Ang lala mo na, Ate, alam mo ba ‘yun?”

            “Don’t mock me.”

            “Oh, should I praise you then?” sarcastic na tanong ni White sa kanya. “Should I applaud you for this?” bigla ay pumalakpak ang pinsan, nag-e-echo pa ang tunog nito sa katahimikan ng lugar at gabi. She worried the nuns and the guards would hear, tapos ay puntahan silang dalawa. “Ayan, pumalakpak na. Masaya ka na ba?”

            “I’m not.”

            Patlang.

            “Are you done?” she didn’t get an answer from White, tumitig lang ito sa kanya. “If you are, please move aside.”

            “You either drive back home or I’d call Uncle Key.”

            Hinamon pa ako.

            Nang hindi siya sumunod, bigla ay parang nag-dial ang pinsan sa phone bago ilagay sa tenga nito ang hawak.

            Fuck.

            “Ito na nga, diba? Papasok na nga, oh.” Mabilis siyang sumakay sa kotse at minani-obra ang sasakyan. “Pahamak na Datu Puti ‘to.” She mumbled as she maneuvered her car back into the highway.

            It was past eleven when they arrived at their condo building. Bago pa man niya maisara ang pinto ng sasakyan, nasa tabi na niya si White, nakalahad ang kamay.

            She stared at her hands with confusion.

            “Give me your keys.”

            “What? Why?”

            “Just hand it over.”

            Reluctantly, she placed her car keys into White’s waiting palm. White made sure her car was securely locked bago nito isiniksik ang susi niya sa purse nito.

            Bago pa siya makapagreklamo, nagsalita na ang pinsan. “I can’t trust you with your car yet. For the mean time, sa’min ka sasakay. Or I’d have Kuya Raf be your temporary chauffeur.”

            “What?”

            “You heard me.” Nagpati-una itong maglakad papasok ng elevator. “Do you plan to sleep here, Ate?”

            Barely holding her annoyance, she marched inside the elevator and wait for her floor to finally come.

            Pagkabukas niya ng pinto, mukha ng tatlong pinsan agad ang bumungad sa kanya.

            “What are you all doing here?” nilagpasan niya ang mga pinsan at basta ibinato ang dalang duffel bag sa isa sa mga couches. “May sarili kayong unit dito. Kung gusto niyo rito tumira sa unit ko, magbayad kayong renta.”

            “What was that about?” nakataas ang kilay na tanong ni Last sa kanya. “Ano’ng balak mo’ng pumasok sa kumbento?”

            “Na-chismis na pala ni Datu Puti sa inyo?”

            “Piss off, Ate.” White retorted. “Stop calling me that.”

            She just gave a smirk before she intentionally let herself fall into the couch.

            It was rare for White to snap like this. She keeps her head cool, most of the time. Sa kanilang limang, isa ‘to sa may pinaka-matino’ng isip. Kung ika-categorize ang personality nilang lima: Last is in the extreme level, si Aye naman ang high, siya ay above average, average si White at low naman si Ember.

            Level-headed si White most of the time, minsan sinusumpong sa pagtataray, but often she’s smiling and cool about stuff. She’s also the mediator ninety percent of the time, she’s never the one to start a commotion or an argument― unless, of course, if White’s been wrongly accused. It’s only been her third time seeing White lose her cool, at dahil pa ‘yun sa kanya.

            Iniiwasan niyang mag-away si Last at Aye, pero mukha’ng sila naman ni White ang ‘di magkaintindihan.

            Oh, the irony!

            “You can’t possibly do that unless may calling ka galing sa Kanya.” Itinuro pa nito ang ceiling, na hindi agad na-gets ni Aye.

            “You mean,” Aye asked in total perplexity, “si Mrs. Florencia sa next floor?”

            Sabay-sabay silang lumingon kay Aye na may blangko’ng tingin.

            “What?”

            “You really thought you’re gonna be a nun?” tanong nalang ni Last sa kanya.

            White added, “Binigyan ka lang ng sign mo kuno, go ka na agad? Do actually feel it in your bones that you want to become one, Ate?”

            “Oh, Christ!” Aye shrieked. “I totally get it na!”

            “Will you stop using His name as an expression?” saway ni Last kay Aye, may kasama pa’ng irap.

            “Ano ba’ng pumasok sa isip mo at ginawa mo ‘yun?” pag-iiba ng tanong ni Last.

            Nawala na sila sa usapan. She should thank Aye for suddenly butting into their rather serious conversation, her cousin, who’s all about birds and the bees, just saved her from a hot seat.

            Maybe I’d treat her to a spa.

            “Aunt Kirsten was there,” Ember, out of nowhere, answered them instead. Naglapag ito ng isang tray na may lamang ilang can ng beer. “Alam niyo namang favorite niyang i-judge ang lovelife ni Ate Awa, diba?”

            “What?!” the three chorused.

            “Wait, she was there? Ba’t ‘di ko alam?” naguguluhan at naiiritang tanong ni Last. “And why didn’t anybody tell me?”

            “Like may magagawa ka.” Aye rolled her eyes at Last.

            “I heard from Kuya AJ, napadaan ako nang seryoso silang nag-uusap-usap nila Ate Ada.” Seryosong kwento ni Ember. “Bigla silang nagkaron ng council meeting, e.”

            “Ako sinundan ko lang si Ate Awa nang makita ko siyang mabilis na naglalakad palabas ng hotel.” White said, reaching for one can of beer. “Hindi ko na tiningnan kung saan siya nanggaling at kung sino naka-usap niya prior to her dramatic exit.”

            Binato niya ng throw pillow si White dahil sa sinabi nito.

            “Gaga!” White just stuck her tongue out at her in reply. “But yea, Aunt Kirsten was there. As usual, tinanong kung kasal na raw ba ako. Hindi ko talaga alam ba’t masyadong invested si Auntie sa lovelife ko. It’s not as if I’m gonna be a sole owner of the corporation once I finally get married. Ano naman mapapala niya sa pagiging chismosa, diba?”

            “But if you think about it, Ate,” Ember’s tone caught Awa’s attention, it was too serious, almost as if she was rather analyzing calculus instead of just the situation. “I think she’s trying to get into your system, that maybe she’s interested because you’re running your own company. Hindi kagaya nila Kuya AJ at Russ na sa corporation mismo nagta-trabaho, although, I’m not saying they’re not good at it, pero kasi ikaw?

            “You ventured on a different one, on your own, and manage to build your own name without relying on the family and our name too much. If you finally take and do your part on the family business, alongside your brothers and the other Acosta’s, you’d be one tough competitor, unstoppable. Aunt Kirsten might see you as a problem, a threat, if she ever plans to unseat our family again.”

            “Like we’d even let her.” Aye scoffed.

            “She couldn’t even come close to unseating any of us before, how much more kapag nasa corporation na si Ate Awa, diba?” Last replied smugly. “I bet she’d be crawling back under her blankets in defeat if she cross Ate Awa.”

            “Let’s not talk about it for now.” Saway niya sa mga pinsan. “All I care about now is for this to not reach my father.”

            “Oo na po.” sabay-sabay na sagot ng mga nakababatang pinsan.

            “Good.” She popped open her own can of beer and chugged down its content.

            Napa-isip din siya sa sinabi ni Ember. Her cousin might be right about the intentions of their Aunt Kirsten. Hindi naman niya kinukwestiyon ang kakayahan niya, but for someone who’s been in the corporate world for decades now to see her as a threat, it’s just so astounding.

            She was early the next day, wala pa nga si Mia pagkadating niya sa opisina. She just ordered a coffee and pastry for breakfast at nagkulong na siya sa loob ng opisina niya. She busied herself with works she’s left yesterday.

            It was already nine o’clock when the door opened. Mia came with a bunch of envelopes in hand and the iPad on the other.

            “Morning.” Mia greeted. “Heard from White.”

            She sighed.

            Of course, hindi sasabihin sa Tatay niya, pero sasabihin sa mga pinsan at kaibigan.

            Yea, sure.

            “It was a disaster,” inisa-isa niyang tingnan ang envelopes na dala ni Mia. “It was a good thing, though, that White was there before it was too late for me to back out.”

            “Mabuti nalang talaga, girl. I can’t even imagine you wearing a nun’s habit. Hindi mo bagay.”

            “Oh, shut up.”

            “That was, by far, the worst of your fiascos over the years.” Mia guffawed. “Definitely one for the books.”

            She gave her the middle finger as an answer.

            Bigla siyang napatigil nang makita ang nakasalut sa sunod na mail. Daglian niyang binuksan ang sulat. It was from her publisher in the US, saying that they’d print and publish the story she’d submitted a few months back. They’d inform her nalang daw kung kailan ang magiging release date ng libro and would update her with the progress of her book.

            Muntik na siyang sumigaw at tumili sa sobrang saya sa nabasa.

            “What’s that? Para ka’ng nanalo sa lotto.”

            “Girl, dolyar ‘to, ‘wag ka magulo.”

            Akala niya okay na ang buong araw niya, but boy was she wrong. Isa sa mga sponsors na nakuha niya ang biglang nagbackout. She tried calling them but to no avail. Kaya nagkumahog silang humanap ng bago’ng sponsor.

            The whole afternoon and they made no progress with the sponsor. Tuloy ay na-stress siya at napasalampak nalang sa swivel niya. Nalipasan nalang siya ng gutom pero wala pa rin silang nakuha.

            We’ll try again tomorrow.

            Her eyes landed on the opened letter sitting on her office desk,

            “Maybe it’s high time I go back to reading, e?” kinapa niya ang phone sa bag na dala. “I just needed a little time to escape.”

            And so escape she did.

            She brought herself over to the fantasy world of Ceres. The story’s title was The Guardians of Ceres, from a rising author, it was written in heavy Tagalog, kaya medyo nahirapan siya, nonetheless, the story line was so good she managed to finish the book in just one sitting.

            Alas otso na nang tingnan niya ang orasan sa desk niya. She was too engrossed with the story that she didn’t notice how late it was.

She checked the author’s profile and saw her F******k link, kaya clinick niya ito. Chibi lang ang profile ng author na si lalalaella, kaya hindi siya sure kung babae ba o lalaki, kasi even with the author’s username, she just couldn’t be sure.

            Before she knew it, she was already typing a long-ass message for the author. Huli na nang mapagtanto ang ginawa dahil na-send na ang mensahe niya para rito.

            “Shit.”