AMACON 4: SERENDIPITOUS (30-Day Writing Challenge)

Mornings

AMACon 4: Serendipitous
Drabbles Day Four: Coffee, Tea, or Me?

It's the same everyday.

She'd arrive at exactly 7:45 am, her long brown hair fluffed and blown by the polluted air of Makati. She'd step in through the revolving doors, stop in the middle of the lobby, flip her hair to bend and change her white Keds sneaks to heels, then slowly walk towards me with her sultry eyes and full red lips.

"Hey handsome... come here." Her right hand grabs me by my tie from behind the reception desk and plants a full wet kiss on my mouth while her left hand rummaged through my thick hair.After a full thirty second make out session, she straightens and slowly teasingly licks her lips, as if savoring the taste of my mouth on hers. I'm left staring, most probably with disheveled hair and the most hopeless face.

Then she snapped her fingers and I blinked.

"Kuya guard! Hello? Okay ka lang? Huy! Kuya Guard!"

Shit. Imagination ko lang pala!

"Ha?! Ah ano po yun Ms. Maine?"

Shit did she notice? Langya this is embarrassing. Tumulo pa yata laway ko pakshet.

"Sabi ko mamayang lunch may bisita ako! Here's her name, patuluyin mo na lang sa office ko. Wala kasi today si Mama Tenten so ako ang sarili kong assistant today."

Wait, ano daw? Shet kase stop staring at her lips! Listen to her! Ah basta ano may bisita mamaya, okay.

"Earth to Kuya Guard!"

"Ay! Opo Ms. Maine. Sige po."

"Susme Kuya Guard. Maine na lang and hello parang halos magka-age lang tayo wag mo na ko pino-po!"

"Ay, sorry... uhm... Maine... nako nakakahiya naman."

"Naku Kuya Guard, nakaka ilang weeks ka pa lang, masasanay ka din. Maine na lang ha."

Ano ba to, kinukuya ako. That needs to stop.

"Sige, Maine. Saka RJ na lang din tawag mo sakin, wag mo na ko kuyahin. Ang sagwa nung Kuya Guard."

"Hahahaha sige, RJ. O sya akyat na ko. Finally I got to talk to you. Last week pa I've been meaning to approach and welcome you dito sa building eh. So welcome!"

She held out her hand for a handshake and I was just all too glad to take it.

The next morning was the same. She came in, changed her shoes in the middle of the lobby then chatted with me for maybe five minutes before going up to her office.

This went on everyday like clockwork. By my 3rd month at my job, I'd learned that she's just 3 years younger than me, she's single (yung kilig ko di maipinta!), and very career oriented. Half of the entire 8th floor is her department. She's also probably one of the kindest people I know. I had told her about the challenges of working during the day and going to school at night, that's why she'd never see me on duty in the late afternoon/evenings. She said she knew the feeling because she did the same in college. I told her about my family and the reasons why I got delayed. She just gave me a pat on the shoulder and told me that I was doing a great job.

Our little chats in the morning became longer, from 5 minutes to 10 and eventually longer that she'd had to run to the elevators laughing to make it to her 8 am briefings. Sometimes she'd come with a cup of coffee, sometimes with a tumbler of tea. Soon she started coming in earlier than usual and her beaming smile and our little chats would always be the highlight of my day. Until I couldn't deny it anymore. I was falling for her.

One day, I decided to surprise her. I asked her assistant Mama Tenten a favor to make Maine come to office really early, in exchange for a double order of Turon from Concha's. As expected, she came at exactly 7 am.

"Gooood morning, Maine!" I giddily greeted her and she was surprised that I waited for her by the revolving doors. The building was still empty, save for the two early shift janitors who already went to their stations upstairs.

"Uhhh... good morning, RJ. Taas ng energy natin ah. Ang aga! Pero sorry ha, I'm not gonna be able to join you for kwentuhan today. Super early meeting. Late na nga ako! Dumating na ba sya? Di ko maalala, Richard yata yung name..." She said hurriedly but with a smile that was brighter than the sun that rose that morning, while changing shoes. Then she started rummaging in her purse. "Teka let me check ng my ph--"

"No need." I stopped her. And as soon as she looked up, with puzzled but amused eyes, I proffered my hand.

"Hi, I'm Richard." I guess that's when she noticed that I wasn't wearing my usual security uniform because her eyes leisurely roamed from my hair to the tip of my shoes.

"Uhm... hi... Richard? Richard pangalan mo? Ano to?" She asked shyly.

"Hahaha ano ka ba, Maine. Richard Faulkerson Jr. ang full name ko... and I'm here today as a guest. It's my day off, kaya nagpa-appointment ako with you. Ayos ba?" I said, wiggling my eyebrows.

"Hahahaha ikaw talaga ang porma mo! Ano naman pagmimeetingan natin? Mag-aapply ka na ba sa department ko?"

"Hindi ba pwedeng gusto lang kitang makasabay mag coffee or tea?" Smooth self, smooth. Good job.

I was expecting her to laugh, but she just smiled shyly and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"So?" I asked expectantly.

"Teka lang... hayaan mo naman akong magpabebe nang slight..." she said and tucked her hair behind her ear again. I couldn't help but laugh at her cuteness. I decided to just go for it.

"Maine... ang tagal na nating nagkukwentuhan every morning... and I know I should've just asked you for your number so I could text or call you outside our morning 10 minute chats, but I wanted to do it properly. So Maine... will you go out with me?"

"Took you long enough. Tara. Di pa ako nag-breakfast!"

(Originally published in "Tapunan Ng Feelings" on January 5, 2017.)