Hospitality Man Series II: His Magnificent Specimen

CHAPTER 17 PART 1

I’m on the foyer right outside my office. Ginagawa pa kasi ang fit-out ng office ko.  Paano ba naman? Dumating ako ng wala man lang pasabi. Kung baga, ambush arrival kasi ang nangyari. Si Zoren na ang nagbubuhis ng buhay sa loob, siya baga ang commanding officer as to where and how to set every single thing up. I was outside, watching them as time goes by. And I’m feeling a bit odd too.

People are gathering around me. There’s a whispered conversation all over the place and I know that the subject of that, is me. I look around to see their faces, and when I did, I saw what they feel. I scan their faces and a glint of smile erupts on each person’s faces. They lower their heads in a gesture of a bow, while their faces wear the unfathomable fact that they are grateful to see me. After which, I gave them my most charming CEO mega smile, the 100000 megawatts smile, and all the women nearly explode.

I bow slightly to them and smiled. Women are blushing. Men, well, they're not inevitable to my panty-combusting-dropper smile but somehow I feel others get affected completely. Some of them sweat and nearly swoon to hide their immoral taste for me. I just ignore them. f**k! It’s just a face dude! And for the record, exchanging favors with men is not my scene.

I set back again and watch the people inside my office pretending to be busy just to please the CEO – me. And it seems to me like I’m waiting for forever so I stood up and walk ahead to the floor-to-ceiling window outside my office and I glance towards a picturesque, the entire busy Manila is under my feet. For a bit, I forgot the main big reason why I came back to this country. For a bit, I forgot that behind the calm, soothing, and uplifting sensation that I’m feeling right now, the loss, the nightmare, the painful truth that I’m still uncoordinated resurfaces again.

I sigh; this inner struggle will last forever if I’m not going to find them, to find my long-lost love. I glance back from inside and look upon the world beneath my feet. Where are you Saphire? Where are you, and my son?  I break up with my sentiments before I could start the waterfalls from my eyes. I’m like a possessed man. My other self wants to jump off this building and start finding them, my other self keeps restraining and it’s hard. So hard I could nearly break a stone with my head.

I was taken aback by a discreet yelling of my name. At napatingin ako sa paligid ko. Who was that? Kakalimutan ko nalang sana na may narinig ako nang muli na namang isinigaw noong taong iyong ang pangalan ko. I look towards the crowd and search the origin of that likened to an almost-slaughtered-pig kind of yell and I found someone who’s trying to get his way out of the crowd to me. I just watched him, I can’t deny to myself na medyo naiinis ako sa kaniya. Nananahimik ako dito pagkatapos bigla nalang akong tatawagin.

But then, noong nakita ko ang mukha niya, agad na nag-automatic function and face recognition interface sa utak ko. It’s Halter, my I.T. guy. I wave my hands to the crowd where he’s trying to pass through to give him direct access towards me.  And they move along, and he slips on the space they're giving him and hurries before me.

“Sir,” he wants to say beyond that but he keeps his tongue still and I’m grateful that he did. He grins at me, all servant kind of grin, and lowers his head.

“Halter, what’s with the wailing?” I laughed softly. Hinihingal siya, parang hinabol ng isang daang asong ulol.

Bigla namang lumabas mula sa office ko si Zoren and before I could compose myself again, nasa tabi ko na siya.

“Young Master, Sir. Mr. Zoren,” he said once again and nod at the far side of the floor implying for us to move there. He must have something important to sing kaya naman, ako na sa aming tatlo ang nangunang pumunta doon.

Habang naglalakad ako, it suddenly looks to me like there’s a big blow that Halter wants to say to us and I’m twitchy, hopeful that on some level, my inner struggle will somehow ease. Oh, God! Please make it the things I wanna hear for a long time! The coin is spinning vertically in a slow oh-so-teasing motion and I’m mad, too mad to wait to hear him out.

Noong narating na naming iyong bahaging iyong, walang nagsasalita sa amin. We just exchange stares and then I feel that the silence is killing me. Ako na ang unang nagsalita. Jeez! This waiting is jinxing in my veins.

“What is it, Halter?” I gave him my CEO-tell-me-right-this-instant look but he just grinned. And I want to kill him. Shut up, wimp! Don’t kill him yet until you heard him out or you’ll rather be left hanging. f**k this man! Ganito din itong lokong ito noong sinabi niya sa akin na nalaman niya na ang location nila Saphire . I just keep my flaming palms to myself, baka mapatay ko ito .

“Young Master, how was your flight? Did you arrive yesterday or today?” I shoot him with my predator glare. f**k! Walang hiyang taong ito! Papatayin ata ako sa pa-thrill niyang nalalaman. But I’m not into it so I remained impassive. Pero alam kong napapansin na ni Zoren na nababanas ako and he just look at Halter and they’re both staring at each other. Zoren’s stare is dominating and it’s as though they’re having communication telepathically.

I cross my arms across my chest and sigh heavily. Of all people, Zoren does know as much as Halter na pag bumuntong-hininga ako ng malalim, ibig sabihin noon, nababanas na ako at ayoko ng pinaghihintay ako kasi iyong ang pinakaayaw ko sa lahat ng bagay. Halter swallows hard and keeps his gut on the rail. And later after that, he grinned. What’s the meaning of it?

Halter points his eyes at me, like reading my thoughts and I slightly arch a brow to remind him of his rightful place. Ano kaya ang gusto niyang sabihin? I wondered to myself.

“I’ve located Lady Saphire.” Suddenly, my expression changes into a surprise. Nakita ni Halter at ni Zoren ang biglang pag-iba ng expression ng mukha ko kaya they both manage to have that lopsided smile. f**k! Thank God! – Wait that was quite an inappropriate combination.

“Where is she?” I cracked my voice as I managed unconsciously to reply. All emotions hang in the air as it hovers over me, filling my whole self like an aura. And eventually, I just felt the increased rate of my breathing. It’s from both excitement and fear of losing her again. I won’t let her slip from my fingers again. If I can’t be with her for the meanwhile, I’ll just be from afar, content just by watching her.

“Someplace too near, you can walk from here.” He replied reassuringly.

I grinned, that childish grin I used to wear when I’m around Saphire. Bile rises from within me but I disregarded it. I have no time to think it this instant. I’m losing my composure and I stop immediately as I heard the crowd from afar having their whispered conversation, exchanging opinions as to what possible reason there could be that I’m acting so weird for a CEO.

I look directly at Zoren and he gave me that sympathetic smile.

“Finally.” He muttered. I just nod in agreement and again, I flash my bittersweet grateful smile. And I lowered my head to contain my bittersweet emotion. I’m not going to ruin this moment just because of that painful truth. For once I want to feel relieved and happy.

“She’s in this company.”

I and Zoren shoot our eyes directly at Halter. I am shocked!

“What did you just say?” I can’t hide the doubt as the words came out of my mouth.

“Lady Saphire works for you, Sir. And she’s the Managing Director of this company.”

By default, my mouth opens involuntarily so as Zoren. How the f**k did that happened? If I knew, if I just only knew, I could have avoided all these heartaches to the proximity! f**k!

My sentimental self is waiting by the gate, and he’s only waiting for my green signal. Rather, I keep him contained.

“What floor is she in?” after I said it. A drop of tear escapes from my tear-dam that is my eyes. And only then when I realized that even though how hard I want to restrain or forbid myself from doing things I know I shouldn’t, I can’t somehow try and fight it. It’s stronger than I expected.

Halter looks at me with a guilty face. Iniisip niya siguro na siya ang dahilan kung bakit ang isang kagaya ko na controlled, dominant and grandeur ay umiyak. No. hindi siya ang rason kung bakit ako umiiyak.

“She’s on the …”