CALL ME (COMPLETED) (2018)

Part 14: CALL ME

 And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's meant to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

-Iris  

insert   requests   here        :=>

CHAPTER ONE

More than seven years ago. Before Christmas.

FAITH

When I heard a certain crash in front my old Toyota car I went back in my head and thought of what really happened. I stepped on the break while I was on a hump and instead of stopping, the car went flying hitting the bumper of the car in front of me. Errr, I was most certain I hit the break. I swear!

Sinilip ko ang kotse sa harap. Unang bumulaga sa akin ang logo niyon. No! This should be a fake Lamb! Walang totoo niyan dito sa Pilipinas! Maybe in ten years time but not now. No! No! No!

Kinabahan ako nang magbukas ng pinto ang driver. Mabilis na lumabas ako ng kotse. Hindi ko gusto na isipin niya na tatakbuhan ko siya. 

Agad akong pumunta sa harap at tiningnan ang kodisyon ng dalawang kotse. My hood against his bumper. Nakakapanlumo na hindi man lang yata nagasgasan ang itim na kotseng nabangga ko pero malaki ang yupi ng hood ko. It was totally bent, like a knee asking for forgiveness. Gosh! Kahit ibenta ko ang sarili ko ay hindi kakasya para maipagawa ko iyon.

I almost jumped when I saw the tall man in his dark blue coat and light insert long sleeves shirt inspected the cars.

Dear Lord! Kapag siningil ako ng insurance nito ay hindi ko talaga kayang bayaran!

Nang tumuwid siya ng tayo ay napanganga ako. I sworn that he was the most handsome man I had ever seen. Iyong hindi nakakasawang tingnan. His wavy brown hair was neatly comb though I could see that he didn't use any gel to fix it. It looked soft, thick and organized. Just like him. His face was very prominent, dangerous, define, devastatingly attractive. Three Ds, gah! And he stood more than six feet tall towering my five-five frame. Bumaba ang mga mata ko sa katawan niya. Flat stomach, black pants that was sexily hugging his hips and a pair of shiny black shoes. No flaws! Wow!

Nagulat ako nang bigla niyang hawakan ang isang braso ko. "I'm sorry, dear-,"

Dear? Deep-set eyes, sexy lips, and curly lashes...

"I don't have time for this right now. Please, show me your license and give me your phone number. Don't worry I have an insurance, I will have both of our car fixed." May kinuha siya sa bulsa ng suit. A gold calling card holder. He pulled a gold plastic looking card and gave me. "Those are all private numbers to my office. Please give me a call to schedule, okay?"

Wala sa loob na napatango ako. Kinuha ko ang calling card niya at pumunta ako sa kotse para kunin ang lisensiya ko sa wallet. I showed it to him.

He fished a gold flipped phone from the front pocket of his pants. He took a shot of my license and then touched the hood of my car. He asked me the model my car and I told him without reluctance. "Do you just want it replaced?"

Tumaas ang kilay ko, that was unintentional. "Wala po akong pang replace, Sir." Surely, he looked like a Sir to me.

"I have a friend who sells second hand cars. They'll have it polished, engine and all, then sell it at a best price."

"Bigay lang po 'yan ng Tatay ko. Bago lang ako sa trabaho, wala akong pambili ng second hand car."

He sighed. "I can't talk anymore. Please call me." He tapped my shoulder again and went to his car."

Natanaw ko ang traffic sa likod ng kotse ko. Sumakay ako at pinaandar iyon matapos ilagay ang calling card ng lalaki sa wallet ko.

After more than two weeks, I hadn't gotten an appointment. His calling card was genuine and I could talk to people who kept on saying they would rely the message to Mr. Portugal. But whenever I call the following day to follow up, they were asking me to call again because he had not answered, yet. He was not available. It was verging from all different sentences with the same meaning. The man was extremely busy and he had no time for me.

I had been driving the car with bent hood since the accident and it was an added embarrassment to what I felt and to the way it had been before. The only consolation I have was that I was not charged for anything, considering it was my fault.

And when I decided to just let it go, I got a call from a woman named Annie. She gave me an address to go to in Quezon City.

Alas kuwartro na ng hapon nang dalhin ko doon ang kotse ko. Hanapin ko daw si Justin. Pero pagkasabi ko niyon sa nasa customer's lounge ay magalang na ngumiti ang babae. "Ma'am, wala po dito si Sir Justin, bihira po iyon pumunta dito."

"P-pero pinapunta ako dito ni Mr. Portugal para dalhin ang kotse ko. Aayusin daw ni Justin." Although wala namang ganoong information. I just assumed.

Natigilan ang babae. "Sorry Ma'am, hindi po mekaniko ang boss ko."

Napapikit ako. Niloloko ba ako ng Mr. Portugal na iyon? "Sige Miss salamat."

Tumango ang babae.

I walked out of the big place and looked at seemed to be more than one thousand parked cars outside. Puro mukhang bago, though I knew they were second hand because of the plates.

I rode my car and drove and remembered everything that had happened. My abusive father just passed away a month ago. That was also a month after I moved from another company because of humiliation. My mother was diagnose with stage two breast cancer. I had a heart condition that was so hard to explain that could cause my sudden death and very young sister had a boyfriend before she finished college. To top it all I crashed my car to a Lamb and the one who promised fixing was a liar. And yesterday I was laid off from the new job. They needed a CPA and I hadn't taken the licensing exam yet. They said they had a mistake of hiring me. Not my fault, it's their fault. I'm good but they need a CPA. That was just crazy.

I could guess there was just nothing to smile about today.

And layo pa naman ng tinakbo ng kotse ko mula sa Ortigas hanggang sa Quezon City. Sayang ang gas. Ang sama-sama ng loob ko. Ang tagal ko nang hindi nakakaramdam ng ganito. I was a chill person, always calm and happy. Sabay-sabay naman kasi.

I parked the car in my slot at the basement. And then instead of going to our floor I went to the ground floor and grab some coffee, hot and black. It felt very dark, kahit sumisikat ang araw. I had drained myself from thinking anything. Baka makagawa lang ako ng maling desisyon. Ni hindi ko nga alam kung ano ang iisipin ko.

My father didn't let my mother work since they got married and even though she spent two years in college taking Economics, she was very inexperienced. Hope, my sister who was only eighteen was now maintaining a romantic relationship with a certain Nick Jacob. Who was seven years her senior. At kahit ano'ng paalala ko na kukunin lang ng lalaki ang gusto sa kanya at iiwan siya ay hindi siya nakikinig.

I was about to think of other things and maybe what should be done when a familiar figure entered the coffee shop. Now in his black coat and white shirt with open front buttons and black pants, he remained to be the most impeccably good looking male I had ever seen. 

But that was not an excuse!

Tumayo ako at lumapit sa kahera pagtapat niya doon. "Mr. Portugal, fancy seeing you here!"

Frowning, he stared at me blankly.

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I love you all!

-nimf