CHAPTER 6: I Didn't Ask You
1896 Words
“Anak, gising na.”
I opened my eyes.
“Hmm?”
“Baka mahuli ka.”
I looked at my phone.
6:47 A.M.
“Shit.”
Napabangon ako agad.
“Bakit hindi mo ako ginising nang mas maaga?”
“Ginising kita.”
“Anong oras?”
“Mga alas-singko.”
“Ma!”
Tumawa si Mama mula sa labas ng kwarto.
“Eh, hindi ka nagising.”
I grabbed the nearest shirt from my chair and hurriedly changed.
“Nasaan bag ko?”
“Nasa sala.”
“Bakit nasa sala?”
“Hindi ko alam. Baka ikaw naglagay.”
“Ma, wala akong maalala!”
“Eh di lalo na ako.”
I rolled my eyes while putting my hair into a messy ponytail.
Normal morning.
Magulo.
Maingay.
At somehow, kahit nakakapagod, familiar.
Paglabas ko ng kwarto, nakita ko si Mama na nagluluto ng itlog.
“May pagkain?”
“May itlog.”
“Okay na.”
“Baon mo.”
“Hindi na.”
“Bakit?”
“Late na ako.”
“E di lalo kang magutom.”
“Bibili na lang ako.”
She looked at me.
“Wala ka nang pera, 'di ba?”
I stopped.
“Meron pa.”
“Magkano?”
“Enough.”
Hindi siya sumagot.
Alam naming pareho na hindi iyon totoo.
Pero wala na akong oras para makipagtalo.
“Ma, alis na ako.”
“Anak.”
I turned.
“Mag-ingat ka.”
Tumango ako.
“Oo.”
Then I left.
---
I ran toward the main road.
Pagdating ko roon, puno na ang sakayan.
“Isa pa!”
Sumakay ako sa jeep at sumiksik sa gilid.
“Bayad po.”
I handed the fare forward.
“Bayad, bayad!”
The morning traffic was terrible.
As usual.
May busina sa kanan.
May tricycle sa kaliwa.
May isang pasaherong nakikipagtalo sa driver dahil kulang daw ang sukli.
Typical.
I looked outside.
Then my phone vibrated.
Dave.
I stared at the message.
«Dave: Good morning, Miss Galit.
Dave: Alive ka pa ba?
Dave: Kasi 7:30 na.
Dave: And you're usually here before me.
Dave: Which is concerning.»
I typed.
«Me: Late ako.»
His reply came immediately.
«Dave: Bakit?
Dave: Nagising ka ba nang maaga?
Me: Oo.
Dave: Then?
Me: Hindi ako nagising.»
I could almost imagine him laughing.
«Dave: Makes sense.»
I locked my phone.
Then another message came.
«Dave: Kumain ka na?»
I stared at the screen.
Hindi ko alam kung bakit parang ang weird ng tanong na iyon.
I typed:
«Me: Oo.»
Lie.
I hadn't eaten.
But before I could put my phone away—
«Dave: Sinungaling.»
I frowned.
«Me: Paano mo alam?»
His reply:
«Dave: Kasi ikaw 'yan.»
Napairap ako.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
---
Pagdating ko sa school, halos tumatakbo na ako papunta sa classroom.
“Miss!”
I heard his voice.
I stopped.
Dave was standing beside the stairs.
May hawak na paper bag.
“Late ka.”
“Alam ko.”
“Hindi ka nag-breakfast.”
I stared at him.
“How do you know?”
He held out the paper bag.
“Intuition.”
“Dave.”
“Hmm?”
“Hindi ko kailangan.”
“Hindi ko naman sinabing kailangan mo.”
He shoved the bag toward me.
“May pandesal diyan.”
I didn't take it.
“Bakit mo binilhan ako?”
“Dalawa kasi binili ko.”
“Then eat both.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Busog ako.”
I stared at him.
He looked at me.
“Please.”
One word.
Simple.
I took the bag.
“Thanks.”
“Welcome.”
I started walking.
“Uy!”
I turned.
“Anong laman?”
“Pandesal.”
“May palaman?”
“Meron.”
“What?”
“Secret.”
“Dave.”
He grinned.
“Cheese.”
I shook my head.
“Ang weird mo.”
“Good morning din.”
---
During lunch, I was finally able to check the paper Dave gave me yesterday.
The part-time jobs.
I circled one.
Cashier — 4:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
The schedule was perfect.
The pay wasn't much, but every peso mattered.
I took a picture of the number.
Then I called.
“Hello po?”
“Hi, good afternoon. I'm calling about the part-time position…”
After a short conversation, the woman on the other line told me to come for an interview that afternoon.
I smiled.
Finally.
One problem with a possible solution.
I was about to put my phone away when someone sat across from me.
Dave.
“You're smiling.”
“Hindi.”
“Ngumiti ka.”
“Hindi nga.”
“Okay.”
He looked at my phone.
“Good news?”
“Maybe.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Again?”
“Yes.”
He leaned back.
“Okay.”
I looked at him.
“Hindi ka magtatanong?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you said nothing.”
I stared at him.
“Ang bait mo ngayon.”
“Baka may sakit ako.”
“Probably.”
He laughed.
For a few minutes, tahimik lang kaming kumain.
Then—
“Interview?”
I looked at him.
“How did you know?”
“May narinig ako.”
“You weren't listening?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“Malakas boses mo.”
I sighed.
“Part-time job.”
He nodded.
“Good.”
“That's it?”
“That's it.”
“Hindi mo ako pipigilan?”
He looked confused.
“Bakit kita pipigilan?”
“Wala.”
“It's your decision.”
I nodded.
“Okay.”
He smiled.
“Good luck.”
---
At 3:40 P.M., I left school.
The interview was at a small grocery store about twenty minutes away.
I took a jeep.
Pagdating ko, humarap ako sa maliit na tindahan na may karatulang:
NOW HIRING.
I took a deep breath.
Kayang-kaya.
I walked inside.
“Good afternoon po.”
A woman behind the counter looked at me.
“Yes?”
“I’m here po for the part-time position.”
She smiled.
“Ah, ikaw yung tumawag kanina.”
“Opo.”
She looked at my resume.
“Okay. Sit down muna.”
I sat.
She started asking questions.
School schedule.
Experience.
Availability.
Expected salary.
Simple questions.
I answered everything.
Then she looked at my resume again.
“May experience ka sa inventory?”
“Opo.”
“Good.”
She smiled.
“I think you can start tomorrow.”
I blinked.
“Tomorrow po?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you po.”
I couldn't stop myself from smiling.
One problem solved.
Maybe.
I stood up.
“Thank you po talaga.”
“Just be here at four.”
“Opo.”
I walked outside feeling lighter than I had in weeks.
Then my phone rang.
Mama.
“Hello, Ma?”
“Anak…”
Her voice sounded different.
My smile disappeared.
“Bakit?”
“Umuwi ka muna.”
“Why?”
“May kailangan tayong pag-usapan.”
“Ma, may interview ako kanina—”
“Alam ko.”
I stopped.
“How?”
Silence.
“Ma?”
“Umuwi ka muna, anak.”
Then she hung up.
I stared at my phone.
Something was wrong.
---
By the time I reached home, the front door was open.
May dalawang pares ng sapatos sa labas.
Hindi pamilyar.
Pagpasok ko, nakita ko si Mama sa sala.
Kasama niya ang isang lalaki.
Mid-forties.
Maayos ang damit.
May hawak na brown envelope.
At sa tabi niya—
may isang folder na may pangalan ko.
I stopped.
“Anong nangyayari?”
Tumayo si Mama.
“Anak…”
Tumingin siya sa lalaki.
The man stood.
“Althea?”
I frowned.
“Opo?”
He smiled politely.
“Ako si Mr. Santos.”
“Anong kailangan niyo?”
Hindi siya sumagot agad.
Instead, he looked at Mama.
Then back at me.
“Your mother didn't tell you?”
My stomach dropped.
“Tell me what?”
Mama wiped her eyes.
“Anak…”
I looked at her.
“Ma.”
She took a deep breath.
“Yung bahay…”
My chest tightened.
“Anong bahay?”
“May utang tayo.”
“Alam ko.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“Hindi mo alam kung gaano kalaki.”
The man opened the brown envelope.
He pulled out several documents.
Then placed them on the table.
I stepped closer.
My eyes moved across the first page.
NOTICE OF SALE.
I couldn't breathe.
“What is this?”
Mama started crying.
“Hindi ko na alam kung paano aayusin.”
I looked at the papers.
Then at her.
“Magkano?”
She didn't answer.
“Ma.”
“Three hundred thousand.”
My knees almost gave out.
“Three hundred…”
“Anak—”
“Three hundred thousand?”
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because my brain couldn't process it.
“Paano natin babayaran 'yan?”
“We'll figure it out.”
“Paano?”
No answer.
I looked at the papers again.
There was a date.
A deadline.
Thirty days.
Thirty days.
I swallowed.
“Ma…”
She reached for my hand.
“I'm sorry.”
I pulled away.
Not because I was angry.
Because I didn't know what else to do.
“Bakit ngayon ko lang nalaman?”
“Akala ko maaayos ko.”
“Paano?”
“I was trying.”
I looked at her.
“You should've told me.”
“I didn't want to burden you.”
I almost laughed.
Burden me?
I had been carrying everything for years.
And she thought this was the one thing I couldn't handle?
I took a deep breath.
“Okay.”
Mama looked at me.
“I'll figure it out.”
“Anak…”
“I'll figure it out.”
I grabbed the documents.
“Thirty days.”
The man nodded.
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
I walked toward my room.
Then stopped.
I looked at Mama.
“Ma?”
“O?”
“Tomorrow, papasok ako sa trabaho.”
She stared at me.
“Anak, hindi mo kailangang—”
“Kailangan.”
I went inside.
Closed the door.
And finally—
I let myself cry.
---
My phone vibrated.
I ignored it.
It vibrated again.
Again.
I finally looked.
Dave.
«Dave: Nakauwi ka na?
Dave: Kumusta interview?
Dave: Nakuha mo?
Dave: Hello?
Dave: Miss Galit?
Dave: Thea?»
I stared at the last message.
He used my name.
For some reason, that hurt.
I typed:
«Me: Nakuha ko.»
His reply came almost instantly.
«Dave: I knew it.
Dave: Proud ako sa'yo.»
I stared at the words.
Then another message appeared.
«Dave: Treat kita bukas.
Dave: Pandesal ulit.»
I smiled despite myself.
Just a little.
Then—
another message.
«Dave: By the way, may kailangan akong sabihin sa'yo.»
My smile disappeared.
«Me: Ano?»
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Appeared again.
Finally—
«Dave: Yung grocery na pinasukan mo…»
My heart sank.
«Dave: Sa'kin 'yon.»
I stared at the screen.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then another message arrived.
«Dave: And I think you should know why I gave you that job.»
I stopped breathing.
Because suddenly, the job that I thought I had found by myself—
might not have been an accident at all.
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