Ineffable Euphoria

Kabanata 33

Kabanata 33...
Mistake

Naghintay akong may lumabas na footage nang pag sampal at sabunot ko kay Heaven, o kahit cryptic post lang mula sa social media accounts nito, pero lumipas ang isang linggo at wala namang lumabas na kahit ano.

It's refreshing to know that bitch still has few braincells in her.

"Ms. Bernaldez, I'd like to hear what you think," Pablo says, extending his arm toward me with a smile, waiting for my response.

Bahagya kong pinagalaw-galaw ang sarili sa swivel chair habang pinagmamasdan ang powerpoint presentation sa harap. Goodness, halos buong meeting na yatang lumilipad ang utak ko.

"The designs are fantastic and very much incline with today's trends, but don't you think the price's a bit steep? It's just that you said earlier that we're targeting those who are middle class families, and lower-middle even, but the pricing seems a bit... off." I tilt my head and gaze at Pablo, who's now pursing his lips in thought.

Nang nanaig ang katahimikan ay nagpatuloy ako.

"We could address this through crowdsourcing, perhaps by seeking out suppliers who can provide us with more cost-effective options while maintaining high quality?"

"She's right,"

Halos isipin ko nang nanaginip lang ako nang marinig ang pagsang-ayon ni Tito Mario.

"The materials are just standard. There's nothing so special about it, making it quite not worth it for its price..." nagtuloy-tuloy na ang mga suhestyon ni Tito habang bumalik naman sa paglutang ang isip ko.

Nang matapos ang meeting ay kumakamot-kamot pa at may hilaw na ngiti sa labi ni Pablo nang lumapit ito sa'kin, telling me he's kind of embarrassed to what I noticed with his presentation. He really did go through his way and prepare a buffet table for everyone, but regardless of his sentiments na "magtatampo" s'ya kung aalis ako nang maaga, ginawa ko pa rin.

Ilang minuto na lang ang layo ko sa pauwi nang maalala kong kailangan ko pa palang dumaan sa mall, kaya kahit na lumagpas na ay nagdesisyon pa rin akong umikot pabalik.

Plano kong manatili na lang sa bahay bukas, na sabado, hanggang linggo.

Honestly, there hasn't been much of a difference from the past few days, anyway.

What Ali told me never left my mind, not even for a second.

That night, I dedicated every hour until the sun rose again to researching everything related to what he had revealed. I found articles that gave evidence and even stumbled upon new information to me, that Ali hadn't mentioned.

Did my father actually end up in jail, guilty of all the accusations against him?

Gustong-gusto kong isipin na hindi... Hinding-hindi n'ya magagawa ang kahit anong ipinaratang sa kan'ya, pero nakalahad na sa'kin ang mga ebidensya... What's more to deny?

Isang linggo na 'kong walang ideya kung paano isasagawa ang bawat araw ko.

Trabaho lang, wala nang iba.

Ni ang pagsama kay Callie nitong nakaraang linggo, hindi ko nasisiputan. Kaya nang tumawag s'ya sakin, iniimbitahan ako sa darating n'yang birthday celebration sa Monday, pumayag agad ako.

It took me 2 hours to find Callie a decent gift, pero kay Mattie ay unang pasok ko pa lang sa store, tatlo na ang nasa cart ko. I've also been told Mia's attending with her kid, kaya bumili rin ako ng ilan para doon.

On Sunday morning, I woke up to a flurry of consecutive calls from Jyair, my phone buzzing incessantly.

"Hello," I uttered weakly.