Zofi looks around. Everyone’s eyes are on her. “Tantantanan…tantantanan…” her teammates hummed to the tune of a bridal march.“What’s with the bridal march? Who got married?” she asked.“Who got married?” Julia repeated what she said in a tiny voice.Everyone laughs. The all-girl squad is obviously in a good mood.“What happened when I was away yesterday?” she repeated her question.“Tell us the truth. You got married over the weekend?” Julia asked.Zofi’s eyes got big upon hearing the question. “Are you kidding? Where did you get that news?” she asked Julia.“It came from someone in human resources. They saw you and Billie last Sunday and they were told that you two were married couple,” Julia said.“I’m telling you, it’s not true. Billie’s visit happened a little earlier and we certainly missed each other but we were not that crazy to get married over the weekend. And where could we possibly go to get married during weekend?” Zofi said.“Hmmm…that made sense,” Lizzie said.“
“His full first name is Gerardo. He is his father’s junior so it makes sense if he wants to be called either Gerard or Jiro,” Jaja, the human resources manager said.“I didn't know that's his real first name. He only went by the name ‘Jiro’ when we were colleagues. Even his emails showed it as his name,” Zofi explained.“That could be possible. How long have you been colleagues?” Yves asked.“Just a couple of months. I stopped working in that company because of the rumors circulating about us,” Zofi said.“What were they saying the two of you? We have to know as well,” Jaja asked.Lizzie listens attentively to the conversation.“They were saying that I was dating him,” Zofi said.“And that wasn’t true at all?” Jaja asked.“I would go out with him for coffee. I was very nice to him because I didn't want him to be alone. I thought people in the office were ganging up on him for reasons no one would ever tell me until it went that far already," Zofi said."And how did you find out? D
It’s so unbelievable how happy moments could turn into scary ones in just a blink of an eye. And the way these ugly moments linger seems to be longer than that of beautiful moments and they could even produce a domino effect impacting almost everyone around the people involved.Zofi calls Billie on the phone. She tried messaging him earlier but he was still offline. The attempted phone calls turned out unsuccessful too.“He must still be sleeping or he's with his relatives or still figuring out his connections,” she told herself while thinking of reasons why he was unreachable.She looks around her room. Her door is locked and her windows are only partially open. Before coming inside the room, she made sure the unit’s main door was properly locked.“I’m going crazy. I hate this feeling,” she said.Without Billie, there’s really no one else she could open up to for really serious matters like this. Her officemates are nice people but they are still very far from being that kind of
Julia walked fast to the exit of the building and almost runs away from there. The amount of hate she poured out to Zofi was too much, it also consumed her. Across the street, Jiro stands at the sidewalk waving at her. “Hey, you seem to be in a hurry. Are you going on some party tonight?” he asked as soon as she crossed the street.Julia looked at him for a few seconds. She knew he’s trying to get some information from her.“No. There’s no party tonight. I am hurrying because I was the only one left in our area,” she said.“All your teammates are already out by now?” he asked.“Yeah. I better go now. Happy weekend,” she said fast and left him without looking back.She really has no plan to go somewhere but her feet seem to know where to take her.The arcade is always expected to be full of kids and young adults starting Friday afternoon. She went back there to pass the time before heading home.Unexpectedly, someone recognized her.“Julia,” Paul called her.In the office, Zo
“How come she’s there with him and I’m dealing with my stalker here?” Zofi asked herself.Once again, she recalls the happy events that took place just last week. She and Billie meeting for the first time since she left for Singapore a few months ago and becoming a couple in a long distance relationship for a month. Every moment was magical. Now, everything seemed to have turned to the opposite direction.Saatchi is the last person she will ever want to contact even now that there is crisis involving Billie.“Uncle, this Zofi. I’m Billie’s girlfriend. I would like to know what is going with him there,” she asked Billie’s uncle on the phone.“Zofi? Were you the one he met in Singapore?” Uncle Bruce asked.“Yes, it was me with him last weekend,” she said“Have you checked yourself? Some doctors here say he may have contracted the virus while on his trip there. I’m also having myself checked and I’m just waiting for the results,” he said.“But how is he right now? Is he okay?” s
“Zofi, is that you? Is that really you?” Billie asked. He almost ran to her as soon as he saw her enter the wedding reception venue.“Oh my goodness, Billie! Yes, this is me! Why are you here? When did you arrive?” Zofi asked too.“I flew in just last night. I didn’t know you would be here,” he said.“Aren’t you happy to see me here today?” she said.“Of course not, I’m so happy to see you. Can’t you see it on my face?” he said.Zofi smiled. She’s in complete disbelief herself. Billie’s the last person she expects to see in this wedding.“Had I known you’d be here, I’d have bought presents for you,” he said.“Who needs presents? The most important thing is we are here for our friend,” she said.“Did you really intend on attending this wedding?” he asked.“Both of us made a promise to her long time ago, right? I kept my promise,” she said.“I told her that I would be in her wedding to ensure that if anything went wrong, someone would dance with her,” he said.“All good then. I
“Zofi, what’s the result? You’re negative, right? Tell me you are,” Natalie asked.“Yes, I am negative,” Zofi answered. She tightly holds the copy of the result in her hand.Natalie looks so relieved. She and Zofi haven’t spoken in two weeks since Zofi reported that she had a close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus within the last two weeks.“I just need to call human resources to report the results and ask them about the next steps I need to take,” Zofi said.“Just be calm. I believe that no one in the office tested positive for the virus. If there’s one, they are surely doing some measures by now,” Natalie said. She tried to help her lessen her worry.“I can’t believe everything that’s been happening. I never imagined being a possible carrier,” Zofi said.“Anyone could be a carrier so don’t beat yourself too hard,” Natalie said.After almost an hour, Zofi joined Natalie in the kitchen where she sees her cooking for the first time.“We really hadn't each
A new life. A new start.Birds are flying freely on a beautiful mid-morning. The air is cool even when the sun is up. The situation gives way to the hope that everything will be okay soon.Billie’s eyes indulge in the beautiful scenery of a simple farm. Seeing this view everyday makes his spirit stronger than ever.“Hey, Billie!” Saatchi called him from the farm’s gate. “Hi, Saatchi. Good morning,” Billie greeted her back while watching her walk towards him.“Nice morning, right?” she said.“It is. It’s always like this since I came here,” he said.“Glad you’re loving it here. I’m sorry I was a little late today but I was able to do a lot. I made a phone call to Manila to update them and then got us our supplies for the week,” she explained.“Thanks for everything that you’re doing for me. I made coffee just a few minutes ago. I’ll get a cup for you,” he said.“No, I’ll get it myself” she said.“Please. Just sit there,” he said.Billie came back with a cup of hot coffee.“I’l