DUCANI LEGACY SERIES 10: Kahel

Kabanata 5

Eloisa

I saw how Noa's eyes widened in amusement the moment Ma'am Khalila placed a slice of cake in front of him. Kumuyakoy ang anak ko habang tila nanunubig ang mga matang pinakatitigan ang cake.

Hinaplos ko ang ulo ni Noa. "Ano ang sasabihin mo kay Ma'am Khalila, anak?"

My son glanced at me. Maya-maya ay ibinaling niya ang tingin kay Ma'am Lila. "Ahpy burday po!"

Umugong ang mahinang tawanan. Nakangisi namang nagsalin ng juice si Sir Kali sa baso at itinulak iyon patungo sa harap ni Noa.

"Hindi birthday ni Mommy, Noa," si Sir Kali.

Labis na nalukot ang noo ni Noa. "Weh? May cake aman po, eh!"

Tumikhim ako. "Pasensya na po. Nakakakain lang siya ng cake kapag birthday o kaya kung may pupuntahan kaming birthday party."

Sir Klinn flashed a fatherly smile. "Mind sharing a bit about yourself? I'm curious about how you can manage to stay in your job that long."

Napalunok ako. Tatlong buwan pa lang naman ako sa trabaho pero parang sa paningin nila ay napakatagal na no'n. Siguro dahil walang tumatagal kay Kahel. Kung hindi kasi nasisisante dahil nahuhumaling sa kanya, tinatanggal niya naman dahil hindi masabayan ang ugali at takbo ng utak niya.

"Uhm, there's not much to share, Sir."

"Come on. I'm sure there is," he insisted. "Something very interesting."

Sandali akong nag-isip. Nahagip pa ng tingin ko ang tila nabo-board na si Kahel. He's leaning his body a little towards his grandmother. May pakiramdam tuloy akong lola's boy ang isang ito magmula noong maliit pa.

"Hmm, iyong daddy ko po, may weird na disgusto sa mga negosyante. Parang successful ka lang kung teacher ka, nurse o kaya engineer. Iyong kuya ko po, civil engineer. Ang ate ko, nurse."

Sir Kali shifted to his seat. "So how did you end up in the corporate world?"

Napangisi ako nang maalala kung paano. "I took up nursing for one semester. I gave it a try but I realized that nursing isn't really for me so I secretly changed my course. I falsified my father's signature for four years until I finally graduated as a Laude."

"Wow! That's such a bold move!" bulalas ni Sir Kali. "Hindi ka na mapapalo no'n. Laude ba naman pag-graduate."

I scratched my temple. "Actually, nagalit pa rin si Daddy. He's a pastor in our church so he thought my love for money had driven me to lie to him. Para kasi sa kanya, makasalanan ang isang taong naghahangad ng maraming pera."

Ma'am Khalila lifted a brow while a slight smirk was written on her lips. Tila naaaliw sa aking kwento.

"Are you solely driven by money, dear?" she asked.

Umiling ako. "No, Ma'am."

Sir Konnar smirked. "Then what does?" he asked in a more professional approach. Parang hindi ko na tuloy makita iyong Konnar na kanina lang ay kinakalabit ako para sa bente pesos.

I sat up straight and filled my chest with enough air. "It's not about the amount of money, but the things I can do with it, Sir. I can create jobs and introduce my ideas to others. I can do the things I want in a responsible manner. I can . . ." Payak akong ngumiti. "I can pave my own path and be free to live my life the way I want to . . ."

"And you think you can't do those if you're a teacher, a nurse, or an engineer, huh?" tanong ni Kahel na hindi ko inasahan.

I swallowed the pool of saliva in my mouth. "I salute those people who are dedicating their lives to the profession that they chose, but I have a belief that in order to thrive on something, one must love what he or she does. Because love will make you keep choosing that path no matter how hard the journey is."

Sir Khalil smiled. "Wanna have a penny for my thoughts?"

I smiled at him. "Yes, Sir."

Sandali niyang sinalat ang kamay ng asawa saka siya humugot ng malalim na hininga.

"You cannot always love what you committed yourself into, Eloisa. There will be days that life will knock you down. That your love for that thing will not be enough for you to get back on your feet. What will is . . . your purpose. Your reason for choosing that path. Dahil kahit dumating ang mga araw na hindi mo na kayang mahalin nang buo ang ginagawa mo, kung matibay ang dahilan mo para gawin 'yon, kahit ilang beses kang bumagsak ay muli kang babangon. Palagi mong pipiliin ang magpatuloy." He looked at his wife with something beautiful and everlasting flickering in his eyes. "Right, love?"

Ma'am Khallisa smiled at her husband. "Yes, love."

Tila may mainit na palad na humaplos sa aking puso. That love in their eyes, mararanasan ko kaya iyon?

Ma'am Khalila cleared her throat. "If you don't mind me asking, what kind of business would you open if you're given the chance to put up one?"

Umayos ako ng upo. "I grew up in a small town by the beach, Ma'am. I love to surf and do free diving. I'd like to sell products related to the things I love."

"Like what? Surfboards?" Kahel asked casually.

I was caught off-guard. Siguro kasi hindi ko pa sigurado kung ano talagang gusto ko.

Hindi ako nakaimik kaya isinangkal niya ang kanyang mga braso sa mesa saka siya ngumisi. There goes my annoying boss again activating the side of him I really hate. Probably because he makes me feel how much I still need to learn in order to survive in the business world.

"If building a business is easy, then everybody would've done it already. Once you take your steps into the business world, you gotta brace yourself and know what you offer. Otherwise, you're not gonna be able to build anything." He showed his thumb and index finger. "You will either offer a service or sell something. When you become a pro, you can do both at the same time just like in DCN. We offer our services by helping potential buyers customize their homes, and then we sell them the unit that would fit their liking. Ikaw? Would you sell surfboards, teach surfing, or do both?"

I felt like he just put me in a hot seat. Nanlamig ang mga palad ko at halos maging bulong ang tugon ko.

"I am . . . not a pro surfer. I can't teach them something na hindi pa naman ako mahusay. Isa pa, maliit pa si Noa. I still have a lot to consider."

He smirked. "Wanna know the first step before you enter the business world?"

"A-Ano?"

"You gotta learn how to stop doubting yourself so you can stay curious about the things you don't know." He ran his fingers onto his hair. "Still a long way to go. Until you're no longer a prisoner of your limiting beliefs, you can stay as my assistant and pretend you have no bigger dreams."

Hindi ako nakakibo. Naging tahimik na rin ako magmula nang sabihin iyon ni Kahel. No, he didn't offend me. Siguro nasampal lang ako ng katotohanang malayu-layo pa ako sa gusto ko talagang marating dahil ako mismo ang nagkukulong sa sarili ko.

Napabuntonghininga ako nang tuluyang nawalan ganang kumain. Wala na ako sa poder ni Daddy, pero bakit parang hindi pa rin ako malaya?

Humikab si Noa nang matapos ang dinner kaya nagpaalam na rin kami. Kahel gave us a ride home. At habang nasa daan ay napapansin kong panay ang sulyap niya sa akin.

"Nakatulog na. Ang hirap pa namang gisingin nito kapag tulog na," namomroblema kong sabi.

Kahel went out of the car. Binuksan niya ang pinto sa passenger seat saka niya maingat na hinatak si Noa. Tila may init tuloy na lumukob sa dibdib ko nang buhatin niya ang anak namin. I almost teared up because I know my son wonders how it feels like to have a dad.

Binuksan ko ang pinto ng apartment namin ni Noa saka ko sila pinapasok. Idiniretso ni Kahel si Noa sa silid habang bumuntot naman ako. Nang maihiga si Noa sa kama ay inalis ko ang sapatos ng anak namin saka ko kinumutan.

Kahel looked around, studying the place. Maya-maya ay salubong ang mga kilay siyang tumingin sa akin.

"Dadalawa kayo rito?" he asked. "What happened to his Dad?"

Lumunok ako. "U-Uh . . . h-he's d-dead."

Napatitig siya sa akin ng ilang segundo. Maya-maya ay humugot siya ng hininga saka umiwas ng tingin.

"Sino ang nagbabantay kung nasa trabaho ka?"

"Dati 'yong kapitbahay namin. Minsan 'yong kaibigan ko kaso pareho na silang busy."

"So that explains why." Nagpamulsa siya. "Anyway, I gotta go."

Tumango ako at ihinatid siya sa pinto. Akala ko ay tuluyan nang aalis ngunit bago siya sumakay sa kotse niya ay muli pang bumaling sa akin.

"You can bring your kid to work if no one will look after him. Huwag lang niyang pasakitin ang ulo ko," he said, trying to sound strict but it didn't work.

Payak akong ngumiti. "Thanks, Boss. Goodnight."

He smirked. "Goodnight, love . . ."