Chapter 18
31st of October
"You speak nothing of last night." gulat na napa-angat ang ulo ko sa nagsalita at pumasok ng opisina ko na wala na namang katok katok.
Seriously? Should I teach them how to knock before coming in?
"Okay." sagot ko kay Magui.
Agad naman siyang tumango at umalis ng opisina ko.
Uh..?
"HEY BRO!" sunod na pumasok na walang katok katok si Sam.
"Learn how to knock before you come inside in anyone's room, will ya?" agad na sabat ko.
I don't care if I'm making a big deal out of this but I seriously don't like it when someone does that.
Back in New York, Leila always does that to my room. Tapos hindi pa isasara yung pinto.
"Yeah, sure. Anyways, I'm so excited for the Halloween Party!" he said, obviously excited fo later.
"You came up her just to tell me that?" tanong ko sakanya, uninterested.
"Aren't you excited to see your friends and have fun?" inosenteng tanong niya.
"I always see their faces back in college, ask me that again." I said with full sarcasm.
But this shit is getting on my nerves so he really asked it again. "Aren't you excited to see your friends and have fun??" he asked, again, not sure if he really has to repeat it but dis anyways.
"Don't you know sarcasm?" I asked giving him my full attention.
"Ofcourse, I know. I'm not dumb." he said so proudly of himself.
"A minute ago, you were." sabi ko at magsasalita na sana ulit siya ng itaas ko ang kamay ko nagpapahiwatig na tumigil siya. "Just go, I have a lot of things to do. I don't miss my friends, I'm not excited for later, I am busy. So please, do the honor." sabi ko sabay turo sa pintuan ng opisina ko.
"So please, do the honor." he said mocking me before he walk towards the door.
Wala pang ilang minuto ay may narinig akong katok.
At last! A person who knows how to knock!
"Come in." I said without looking who it is.
"Max texted me the details for the Halloween Party." sabi ni Jin.
"You know how to knock?" tanong ko walang connect sa sinabi niya.
"Yes, also, I ran into Sam and he told me to knock before coming in." sabi ni Jin ay tinuro pa yung likod niya.
"A thoughtful slowminded." sabi ko na nagpakunot ng noo ni Jin. "About the Halloween Party, didn't Max send the details to the groupchat?" tanong para mabalik ang topic sa topic kanina.
Umiling si Jin. "Why?" I asked.
Sinagot niya lang ako ng kibit balikat. "Here's the deets." sabi niya at bigay sakin ng cellphone niya.
Hindi ko na masyadong pinansin yung location nang makitang usual Bar lang naman.
11 PM
"11 PM?" tanong ko.
"Dude, we don't have work by tomorrow so that's fine." sabi ni Jin kaya napatango naman ako. "See you later, then?" sinagot ko ulit siya ng tango at yun na ang cue niya para umalis.
Pagtapos ni Jin, ay napahinga ako ng maluwag dahil wala na ulit sumunod na pumasok sa opisina ko after niya.
Kaya ginawa ko na ang mga kailangan kong gawin sa araw na to.
* * *
Pagkadating ko sa Bar na pinag usapan ay hinanap ko agad ang mga kaibigan ko.
Nang makita kong kumaway si Max ay pinuntahan ko agad ang pwesto nila.
Lahat ng nasa bar ay naka-costume. Hindi ko alam kung anong trip ni Max sa buhay pero ginawa niya Halloween Costume Party ang isang to.
Naka-avengers kami lahat, gaya ng napag-usapan.
Maximus is Tony Stark, not Iron Man. A safe one. Jasper is Captain America, his shield is on his back. He looks like a turtle. Lol. Dave is Doctor Strange. Jin is Ant-Man while Jane is the Wasp. Sam on the other hand is Thor. Me? I'm Doctor Banner, not Hulk because like Maximus, I chose the safe one.
"Where's Genevieve?" I asked.
"There's your Nat." sabi ni Max.
Napakunot naman ang noo ko at napalingon sa tinitignan niya.
It was Genevieve being Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow.
"Hey, big guy. Sun's getting real low." she said like how Natasha say those word to Hulk to calm him down.
"I'm not Hulk." sabi ko at tsaka inalis ang tingin sakanya.
"Wow." sabi ni Max at pumalakpak pa.
Sinamaan ko naman siya ng tingin kaya tinaas niya agad ang dalawang kamay niya.
Nag-umpisa na kaming mag-inom pagpatak ng alas dose.
Ilang oras din kaming nag-inom dahilan para malasing si Max.
Pinanood kong mag-gala ai Max at nang makita niya si Thanos ay biglang nagsalita ai Thanos.
"I am inevitable." sabi nung nakacostume na Thanos.
"And I am, Iron Man." sagot pa ni Max sabay snap ng daliri niya. Napa-iling naman ako sa kalokohan nila.
Nagulat naman ako ng biglang may maglagay ng kamay sa balikat ko.
"Sun's getting real low, sun's going down." sabi niya sakin, mukhang lasing na isang to.
"The fuck, Sam? Get your hands off." sabi ko sabay alis sa kamay niya.
"I am Thor, Son of Odinson." sabi niya at nilaliman yung boses para maging katulad kay Thor.
"Fuck off." sabi ko sakanya at pinakyu siya, pinakyu niya naman ako pabalik habang naglakad ako paalis para maghanap ng panibagong pwesto.
Nang makahanap ay pinanood ko ang mga andito sa bar na ininvite yata lahat ni Max. Buong cast yata ng Avengers andito. Napa-iling naman ako nang makakita ng Peter Pan at Tinker Bell. San si Wendy?
Napatingin din ako kila Jin at Jane na tahimik na umiinom lang. Can they shrink?
"Hey, Bruce." napalingon naman ako sa nagsalita. Si Genevieve.
"Hey, Nat." pagsakay ko sa trip niya.
"How's work today?" tanong niya.
"Daming papers." sabi ko sabay tawa bago ininom yung alak na nasa baso na kanina ko pa dala.
"That's a tough way to live." she said quoting one of Balck Widow's dialogue.
"Says from the one who do surgery everyday." sabi ko at napatawa siya dahil dun bago uminom.
Matagal pa kaming nagkwentuhan sa pwestong yun habang pinapanood ang mga tao sa loob ng bar.
Minsan pa nga ay pinagtatawanan namin yung iba kabilang na si Maximus na kung ano ank ang pinag gagawa sa buhay.
He even flirted Pepper, but not really Pepper, you know what I mean, right? Just damn this guy.
Nakita din namin si Jasper na nagbabagong buhag na daw pero may nilalandi sa gilid. Napa-iling naman ako dahil dun.
Si Dave naman na tahimik lang na umiinom sa kanina niya pang pwesto. Gumalaw ba yun dun? Grabe si Captain America.
And that's how the Halloween Costume Party goes.
