400 Days After Fina

Day 492

400 Days After Fina by JellOfAllTrades
Chapter 29

The past week was chaotic. We were rushing the new Hera Foundation campaign and with the pressure to finish everything by Monday morning, everyone was unsurprisingly stressed. It had gotten so bad that by Saturday afternoon, I had almost reduced my secretary to tears after she took the brunt of my general unpleasantness. Later that evening, after everyone went home and I was left alone in the office with Francine and a couple of our editors, I received an angry call from Angel, reprimanding me of how awful I was to Kate. Naturally, after the ad campaign was successfully launched, I apologized to everyone in the office for my cranky behavior and I thanked them for their hard work. I announced Friday would be a rest day for everyone after which, I had food delivered to the office and we had a mini celebration.

The day after the launch, I finally got the time to visit Maria Perez in the hospital. She was in a much better condition after her heart attack but certainly not fit to return to her active lifestyle anytime soon. Like a master spokeswoman, she expressed her regret for her untimely affliction which got my company into a rush and thanked me for my efforts by assigning me to escort her daughter Melissa to an exclusive party the following night. I tried to decline the assignment, but ended up going after her eldest daughter, Marian, who introduced my firm to the Foundation and essentially handed me the account, told me only a fool would let that opportunity pass.

The exclusive party, as it turned out, was the birthday party of Poseidon Shipping Lines CEO, Percival Altamirano and Maria Perez's way of thanking me is to have Melissa introduce me to Percival and numerous other CEOs in attendance. By the end of the night, I managed to get my company name around, catch the attention of media mogul Katarina Rodriguez, and snatched an aquaponics deal with horticulturist Jenny Flores. To call the whole evening a victory was an understatement, the aquaponics deal alone can sustain my company for the next few years.

If anything, the only issue I had in that party was Melissa enjoying the wine selection a little too much. She was so intoxicated by the end of night that she was practically drooling on my coat on the drive to their house.

And now that the mayhem of last week has settled down, all I want is some peace and the soothing voice of Angel Mercadejas to sing me to sleep.

"Ma'am Jell, ito na po yung report ni ma'am Francine." Kate entered my office and placed a folder on my desk.

"Thanks," I mutter, thinking about what to do with my long weekend. There's the matter of my mother's birthday on Sunday, but my schedule for Friday and Saturday is quite empty. I turn to my retreating secretary and call her back. "Kate, may tanong ako."

"Ano po yun?"

"Anong plano mo this weekend?"

Kate smiled brightly at me. "Uuwi po akong Pangasinan para sa binyag ng pamangkin ko."

"Good for you. Anong pangalan ng pamangkin mo?"

"Marielle po. First birthday din niya sa Sabado kaya double celebration kami."

I nodded. "Send my regards to your family. Si Angel ba?"

Kate's eyebrow rose in suspicion but she kept her composure. "Maglalaba lang daw po siya."

I grin, imagining Angel hunched over a basin, hand washing her cartoon t-shirts. "Kailan ka babyahe pa-Pangasinan?"

"Bukas ng madaling araw po."

"Pauwi ka na ba?"

"Mag-aayos na lang po."

I close the lid of my laptop. "Ihatid na kita sa inyo, susunduin ko rin naman si Angel."