"Aargh! 15 minutes na hindi pa rin tayo nakakahanap ng taxi. I'm going to be sooooo late! Pag ako nabuwisit, bibili talaga ako ng kotse para wala na akong problema sa pag-commute," Sam vented out her frustration by kicking a soda can lying by the side of the road.
"Huwaw! Mayaman! Bibili ka talaga ng kotse kasi hindi ka lang makasakay ngayon? Ambunan mo naman kami ng grasya mo," I teased Sam as the Ben and Ryan were searching for a taxi while we stayed at the waiting shed.
Sam looked at me and raised her eyebrow. "Hindi ba pwedeng bumili ng second-hand na kotse? Yung maayos na second-hand ha, hindi yung basta-basta lang. Besides..." she muttered, looking down at her bag and ruffling the fringes on it.
"Ano yun?"
Taking a deep breath and sporting a wry grin, she continued. "Besides, wala na rin namang gamit yung ipon ko na pera para sa kasal namin di ba? Might as well spend it on something that can be useful for me, for us."
I couldn't resist it - I hugged Sam suddenly, almost toppling us off the bench.
"Gaga! Ano ka ba? Bigla ka naman makayakap dyan muntik na tayong malaglag!" Sam exclaimed while laughing out loud.
"E ikaw kasi! Ang aga-aga nalungkot na naman ako para sa iyo. I'm so sorry for what happened, Sam. Really sorry about your douchebag fiancé. Pero itaga nya sa bato! Mas malaki kang kawalan sa kanya. Swerte ng magiging 'Forevermore' mo," I said as I hugged her.
"Eeeek! 'Forevermore'? E yan yung song naming dalawa. Never. Never na akong magkakaroon ng song na ganyan. Dami ko kilala na yan kanta nila sa isa't isa tapos naghiwalay din in the end. Jinx yata yang kanta na yan," she said with a shiver.
I laughed out loud with what she said. "O bakit tawa ka nang tawa dyan? May nakakatawa ba sa sinabi ko?" Sam asked.
"Hahaha! May sasabihin ako sa iyo ha? Wag ka tatawa, promise mo muna."
Rolling her eyes at me, Sam said, "Fine! Hindi ako tatawa. Ano ba yun?"
"Kasi... 3rd year high school ako when that song was released. Ang dami talagang mag-boyfriend na yan ang kanta. And... isa na kami ng ex-boyfriend ko dun! 'Forevermore' victims din kami!" I guffawed as I answered Sam.
Sam tried to keep a straight face but ended up laughing with me. Tears were streaming down our face as we embraced each other. And that was how the men found as the taxi finally arrived.
"Hoy! Bakit kayo umiiyak? May nangyari na naman ba?" Ben asked anxiously, looking at Sam and I.
"Oo! Umiiyak kami... sa katatawa!" Sam answered.
"Oo nga! Umiiyak kami kasi mga biktima kami ng kantang 'Forevermore'! Wag na wag ninyong gagawing couple song nyo yun ha?" I added.
The men looked at each other and shrugged, probably thinking we're both crazy. "Ah, tara na? Baka ma-late pa tayo sa office," Ben invited.
We piled into the taxi with Ben in front then Sam, Rich and I at the back. Rich sat between Sam and I as Ben insisted on being able to talk to her along the way. Para-paraan, Ben ha.
As soon as the taxi started to move and Ben and Sam were engaged in a conversation, Rich whispered to me. "Punta daw dito yung manliligaw mo? Yung... sino ba yun? Jim?"
"Kim po. Kim ang pangalan," I corrected him, "And hindi pa sure kung pupunta sya. Di pa ako pumapayag e."
Rich stared at me intently. "O bakit? May dumi ba ako sa mukha ko? Grabe ka makatingin ha," I commented nervously, sweeping my short hair behind my ear.
"Wala naman. Nagtataka lang ako kung bakit hindi ka pa nakakapag-desisyon. Ma--" he cleared his throat. "Maganda nga yun nang makilala mo sya. Nang makilala namin sya."
I stared incredulously at him. "Excuse me? Para makilala ninyo? Bakit kailangan dumaan sa inyo? Kayo ba magiging boyfriend nya?"
He smiled sheepishly. "Eh, kasi wala yung pamilya mo dito. Kami na yung parang mga kapatid mo na kami dito. Mas maganda na pumasa din sa amin si Kim para sigurado kami na hindi ka nya sasaktan."
Color me surprised. Wow, I never thought they would be this concerned about me. Touched, I squeezed his arm and smiled at him. "Thanks Rich. Hindi pa rin ako sure if ipapakilala ko si Kim sa inyo at this point of time pero if ever maging kami, dadalhin ko talaga sya sa bahay para makilala ninyo."
"Promise yan?" He said with a bedimpled smile.
"Promise," I swore as I crossed my hand over my heart. "Teka, maiba ako. Kamusta naman yung girlfriend mo? Going strong pa rin?"
He suddenly lost the grin on his face then answered, "Okay naman kami. Kakakausap pa lang namin kagabi."
OKAY. Mukhang okay nga sila.
"Hoy kayong dalawa, anong pinagbubulungan nyo dyan? Bawal yan! Bawal yan kasi hindi kami kasama, charot!" Sam interrupted while sporting a wide, teasing grin.
"Hello! E nag-uusap kayo dyan ni Ben, ayaw namin maka-istorbo at ayaw din naman naming mapanisan ng laway kaya kaming dalawa nag-usap," I retorted while my face flushed.
"Weeeeeeeh! E bakit ka namumula?" Sam replied with a disbelieving look on her face.
"Sira! Imbento ka dyan ha! E talagang pulahin mukha ko."
The men looked on at us with amusement, trying hard to stifle their laughter.
"Excuse me, kung tapos na po kayong magsipagtawanan dyan, nandito na po tayo sa office. Pwede na ba tayo bumaba? Lalo na yung mga male-late dyan," I pointed out and suddenly, the three of them scrambled out of the car.
"Te-teka!!!" I shouted after the three but they already went inside the building. "Yung bayad nyo," I mumbled and went on to pay the taxi driver instead. I'll just collect their payment later or have them treat me out to dinner instead! Hmm, a meal at Jo's Chicken Inato would be a perfect way to cap off our busy day.
As I was walking into the office, the motivational poster caught my attention.
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"Hmm, is this the sign that I've been waiting for?" I muttered.
Finally making a decision, I called up Kim's number.
"Hello Kim? It's a yes. But I have certain conditions..."
