“Okay, last shot! You’re both doing great.” I commended the couple I was taking photos. It’s for their prenup, they look really happy with every shot.
Nang matapos kami sa prenup pictorial, we wrap up and bid their goodbyes. Halos tatlong araw din bago natapos ang photoshoot, well, it’s a quick job, advantage na rin sa amin na mga modela sila, hindi na kami nahirapan para turuan sila sa proper posing.
“Lexus, oh my god, you’re a business and money savior!” Hanna’s voice echoed in the whole room, “Thank you! Thank you! I love you so much!” I chuckled, this girl.
“You dimwit, kinuha mo ko sa kabilang photoshoot para dito? I can’t believe you.” She texted me three hours ago, saying she has a huge problem with her photoshoot right now, turns out, hindi sumipot ang hired photographer nila today.
“Eh sorry naman, hindi ko naman kasi alam na talkshit kausap yung gungong na yon, nakakabanas kaya! Kala mo lang! nakakainis kaya talaga, hindi nakakatuwa.”
I patted her head and just shrug, this girl, simula college, lagi ako binibigyan ng problema.
“Okay, aalis na ko, patay nanaman ako sa manager nito, sumibat nanaman ako bigla, nag iinit na tumbong non.” She chuckled and nod, “Ge, bye.”
At hind inga ako nagkamali, nang makarating ako, abot abot na sermon ang inabot ko, letse, sabi ko kay Miles, pagtakpan ako, umalis din pala ang ulupong.
After our photoshoot, binayaran na din ako, wala akong bank account or what, meron lang ako drivers license na hindi legit, syempre nag mamaneho ako, mahirap na, baka mahuli ako.
Dumiretso ako sa kumpanya ng kaibigan ko, hindi tumawag sakin si gago, sabi kakain daw kami, saying libre, syempre sisipot ako. Masarap manlibre to.
“Hoy, pareng Melchor, ano, kamusta date mo? Sinunod mob ba relationship advice ko sayo kagabi?” bati ko sa sekyu sa building, tropa ko rin to.
“Oo boss, girlfriend ko na sya ngayon!” proud na sabi nya at nakipag apir sakin.
“Yown! Speed! Ganon sana! Congrats, invite sa kasal!”
Binati ko pa ang ilan sa mga nakasalubong ko, syempre tropa ko rin yon, yung iba crush ako,hindi nman sa nag mamayabang, pero pogi talaga ko.
“What the hell? I told you to knock! Fuck you!” malakas na tawa ang sagot ko, paano nahuli ko nanaman sya nakikipag laban ng dila sa bagong chicks nya, every week yata iba iba, buti hindi pa nagkakasakit ang hayop na to.
“What? okay lang, continue, manunuod lang ako dito, live Pornhub.” At umupo sa sofa na nakaharap sa kanila.
“Tangina talaga nito,” humarap sya sa babae na kahalikan niya at inabot ang bag na nakapatong sa table niya, “I’ll call you baby, okay? Uwi ka muna.” Tumango lang ito, pero nakatingin pa rin sa akin.
“Ano balita?” umiling lang siya at kumuha sya ng instant coffee, iniangat ko naman ang tea cup sa ibabaw ng mesa, at nilagyan ng mainit na tubig galing sa astig na termos nya, spiderman kasi, bigay ng isa sa mga anak ng empleyado nya.
“Tangina mo talaga, di kita kailanga sa buhay ko, bakit ba nabuhay ka pa? para manggulo? Para pigilan ang kasiyahan ko? Sabihin mo lang? para mapatay na kitang hayop ka.”
Tumawa lang ako, wala lang enjoy talaga pag nagagawa ko syang asarin, mukha syang tae na ibinilot sa papel.
“Ikaw ang nagsabi na pumunta ko dito, hindi ka ba masaya? Nakita mo ang pinaka gwapo mong kaibigan at ampon?” umiling na lang sya at tuluyan na ring natawa dahil sa mga katarantaduhan na sinasabi ko, “So, ano nga meron?”
“Well, we have a new app, and ikaw ang naisip ko na gamitin para sa beta test, alam ko naman na hindi ka tatanggi, after all, mahal mo ko, putangina ka.”
“Grabe ka naman magsalita sakin, hindi, ayoko na, masama na loob ko, walang nagsalita sakin ng ganya, ikaw lang.” arte ko at hinawakan ang dibdib ko para maging kapani-paniwala.
“Hayop, masusuka ko sayo,” hinagis nya sakin ang ipad nya, “Take a look, dahil trending ngayon ang mga online dating, naisipan na rin namin na gumawa ng ganito, well, titignan pa namin kung gagana.”
“What? rental boyfriend? Bobo ka ba? Ano, pati boyfriend pwede na rin rentahan?”
“Come on dude, mga kabataan ngayon, boyfriend at girlfriend, kahit hindi pa nagkikita, paano kung gusto mo ng kasama, pero walang may gustong sumama sayo?”
“Sige nga, paano kung yung makuha nila mamamatay tao pala? O kaya nangungulimbat na babae? Edi napahamak pa kumpanya mo.”
“Tanga, syempre, naisip ko nay an, of course, may background checking, hindi sila basta makakapasok, what I need right now is trusted people for beta testing, naaya ko na sila Jobs at Jacob, tsakamsila Bem, ikaw na lang kulang. Launching week lang naman, that’s it.”
“What the fuck, tsk. Fine.”
---
Damn it,
I mumbled my curses when I woke up, kanina pa tunutunog ang phone ko, hindi ko alam kung sino ang tumatawag sakin, ang haba ng pasensya nya sakin, nakakatawa naman po talagang tunay.
“Yow,” I answered without even looking at the caller ID.
“Bitchhh! Let’s go shopping!” I rolled my eyes, kahit na nakapikit ako, sa utak ako umirap, bakit ba, wala may pake.
“It’s fucking early, bitchera!” I groaned.
“What the fuck? It’s nine in the morning! Akala ko ba perfect daughter ka? Bakit nine o’clock na, tulog ka pa?”
“What the hell? Ayoko.” I said, still, closing my eyes and ready to go back to sleep.
“Come on, my treat.” I sighed, mukhang gusto nya talaga ng kasama.
“Alright, mag aayos na ko, wait me there.”
----
“ASTREA BELLATRIX ESTRELLA!!” Mabilis akong napabangon dahil sa malakas na sigaw na pumailanlang sa buong kwarto ko, potek! “Kahit pala mag tumbling ako sa mall, walang pupunta, dahil nasa panaginip pa!”
“OMG!” nakita ko si Yana sa pintuan, galit na galit, pulang pula ang mukha, mukha syang monster sa totoo lang. hehe
“Hindi ba sabi mo mag aayos ka lang?! ano, six hours ka mag ayos?!”
“I’m sorry okay, I was sleepy, nakakapagod ang event kagabi, I overslept, hindi mo ko sinabihan ahead of time that we’re going somewhere!” I tried to explained, tsaka tumayo at inipitan ang buhok ko. It’s already three in the afternoon. I can’t blame her, kahit ako, sasabog sa inis.
“Then, come on, let’s go, bitch, ten minutes, after that, I’ll drag you outside, kahit naka underwear ka lang. Be waiting downstairs.”
Tumakbo ako agad sa cr dahil sa sinabi nya, I know my best friend, Alyana, pag sinabi nya, gagawin nya, hindi ka lang nya binibiro. Damn it. Umayon lang ako sa suot niya, she was wearing a highwaist shorts and fitted backless, so, I wore a denim romper, black sneakers and my favourite sling bag. I curled my hair and applied a small amount of make up, sa mall lang naman kami.
Bumaba agad ako, at nakita sya na kumakain ng cake sa kusina, hinintay ko na rin sya matapos bago kami tuluyang pumunta sa mall. We both dresses and new pair of heels, hindi na ko bumili after that, kaso si Yana, hindi napipigilan yon, kaya nagpaiwan ako sandali, masakit na ang paa ko, partida, naka sneakers pa ko, while her, naka three-inches heels pa.
I texted her, para sabihin na hihintayin ko na lang sya sa kinakainan naming na restaurant. I roamed my eyes, busying myself, may practicum ang boyfriend ko ngayon, kaya hindi ko rin sya inaabala, ayos na rin, kesa naman, babae ang inaatu-
Nahagip ng tingin ko ang isang pamilyar na pigura, tinignan ko pa ulit ito ng mabuti. Why is he here? Akala ko ba may practicum sya?
And why?
Why is he with another girl? Wait, that girl,
Is she pregnant?
“Hey, bitch, are you okay? Kanina ka pa tahimik? Sabi ko sayo diba, sumama ka sakin, wag ka na magtampo tanga.”Hindi pa rin ako nagsalita, hindi kayang i-absorb ng utak at katawan ko ang nakita ko, I did not made a scene, hindi ako nag iskandalo gaya ng mga dapat na ginawa ko. Ayos lang sana kung kilala ko, or nagsabi sya, or hindi sya nagsinungaling, pero lahat yon ginawa nya, sakin. Hindi ako naniniwala sa lahat ng naririnig ko, dahil wala naman silang ibedensya, sabi sabi lang yon, at hindi ako naniniwala lang sa ganon. I love and trust Aiden.“Hoy!” sigaw ni Yana, “Okay ka lang?”Tumango lang ako, “Yamers uwi na tayo, sakit talaga ng ulo ko.” Dahilan ko na lang, kahit sa totoo na lang, gusto ko na talaga pumalahaw ng iyak, how could he fucking do this to me, how could he fucking cheat on me?How could he do this?Sino yung babae na yon? Nabuntis nya ba yon? Sya ba tatay non? Pero ang laki na ng tyan nya. So he has been cheating on me for that long?Hindi pwedeng sinamahan nya la
Fuck.I won’t ever think of drinking again; I woke up with the sun’s intense rays, my head throbbing, and I couldn’t understand what was happening.I tried to open my eyes; I was wasted; my god, when was the last time I got as wasted at this? Why did I even dr- memories flood seamlessly, like, it meant for me to remember.Tears started to flow from my eyes; my heart sank, and my throat felt dry like I had been stabbed with thousands of knives; memories from what happened yesterday were as fresh as my flowers, but they poisoned the happiness I planted and took care for I don’t know how many years.Jack, did he—did he cheat on me? Was I lied to? The Jack I loved for how many years, the man whom I thought would be my end game? Did he actually impregnate another woman, aside from me?I stood up, setting aside the heaviness of my heart; I won’t let them; Jack was mine from the very beginning; I can accept the child; we can even adopt that child if he really wanted to keep it; that’s how mu
Hindi ko alam kung ilang beses na ang buntong hininga na pinakawalan ko habang nakatingin sa bouquet na hawak ko, this are my favorite flower—tulips. I’m always happy when I see one, but not tonight.Tomorrow is our wedding, pero hindi pa rin siya tumatawag sa akin, I’m expecting him to cancel the wedding prior to the wedding, pero hindi ko alam kung bakit hanggang ngayon, ganito pa rin ang estado, na umaakto siya na akala mo, gusto niya talaga mag pakasal sa akin at wala siyang ginawang katarantaduhan.I was still holding the business card that Yana gave to me, I told her what happen, and she actually gave me this new business card containing the contact information of the company—obviously. Pero, sino ba naman ang tanga na gagamit nito.Napatigil ako sa pag iisip nang may kumatok sa pinto ko, narinig ko ang boses ni manag Salemn, “Nak, galing po dito si Aiden,” hindi ko alam, kahit nakakagago pakinggan, pero may kung anong tuwa sa dibdib ang naramdaman ko, bahagya akong napangiti da
“Congratulations on your big day, ma’am!” iyon ang bati sakin nang mga nasa loob ng room kung saan naka ready na ako dahil in 20 minutes ay mag sisimula na ang kasal.Kung hindi siguro nangyari ang lahat nang nangyari nang mga nakaraan, siguro abot abot na ang iyak at ngiti ko, pero hindi. Right now, I can feel my heart breaking into pieces, I can’t utter any words without breaking my voice.I felt my phone on my inner pocket vibrating. I immediately get it and saw that there is one message from unknown number.“Hello, this is hire me, group inc,” My heart beats so fast, “Your order with tracking number of 121615814916 has been delivered, we hope you enjoy your purchase. We will appreciate if you leave us a review, thank you!”“Ma’am,” may staff na pumasok, nakangiti sa akin, “Someone important might want to see you,” kumunot ang noo ko, pero maya maya ay parang may bumbilya na umilaw sa ulo ko.“Thanks,” I muttered, tumango naman siya at iniwan nang nakabukas ang pinto.As he stepped
“What do you want me to do, then?” Asked the man in front of me, wearing his plain shirt and ragged pants. Like he came from straight to a fashion show, while I, wearing my wedding gown, with my smudged mascara, “You want to hire me for your wedding today? Who wants a bride who looks like that beside him?”I gave him a death glare; I was still crying; this is so fucking ridiculous; how dare that worthless man brings this kind of embarrassment not just to me but to my whole family? I fucking hate him, yet love him.“Just save me from this huge fucking embarrassment, and I’ll pay you a good amount,” I sternly said, “We didn’t put names on our the invitation, it’s just the date of our wedding, and besides, few people knew that it’s our wedding, eighty percent of our guest was my parent’s business partner,”“So, I’m not just saving you, but your surname, your family must be that rich,” he mumbled; I looked at my wristwatch; I think he noticed that; I heard him sigh, “Alright, let’s just t
“Thank you, pres!” tumango lang ako habang tumatawa, we decided to celebrate our success event. Last year na naming bilang student supreme government, we are all graduating students, pero isinama na rin namin ang mga newly appointed personnel namin. “No worries, hey, Liza, kumain ka pa, don’t be shy! Bawal nahihiya dito!” I wanted all my members to enjoy my treated dinner. “Where’s Allan?” I was talking about our vice president, laging missing in action si tanga, nagkaroon lang ng girlfriend, hindi na naming matawagan agad. “Papunta na daw, hinatid lang daw girlfriend nya, pabebe nga, gusto pa sa tapat ng bahay, hinatid na nga, gusto pa car.” “Hay nako! Nakausap ko nga yon nung nakaraan, guys, bad breath! Paano hinahalikan ni Allan yon?!” “Fake naman mga stuffs nya, like, wala naman problema if hindi branded right, bakit need pag mag pretend like she’s rich kung hindi naman?” Naisipan ko nang pumagitna sa pag uusap nila, “Hey guys, stop it, ang salbahe ng bibig nyo ha! Stop bad m