The Paintbrush Deal

CHAPTER 19

Elio's POV

April finally came to an end. Mas lalo namang tumindi ang init lalo pa't kasagsagan na talaga ng summer. Habang ang mga kaklase ko ay nagkakani-kanyang post sa social media ng kanilang mga bakasyon kung saang lupalop ng bansa at ng mundo, ako naman ay nag-focus sa trabaho ko.

I'm really thankful dito sa bago kong workplace. Aside sa mababait at approachable ang mga katrabaho ko, malalaki pa magbigay ng tip ang mga customer. In fact, ni wala kaming competition na magkakatrabaho. There's just so much tips going inside the restaurant that we don't even have to fight over them.

Maganda rin na katrabaho si Sir Mico. He's really funny and lively. Ilang beses na ring dumaan dito si Kelly lalo pa't nililigawan nga siya ni Sir Mico. Despite Kelly's initial doubts with him, mukhang maayos naman na ang samahan nila ngayon.

As for me, I couldn't have hoped for the best. May AC sa trabaho, may AC sa bahay ng kulot. No rent. Free food. Hindi ko na kailangan na magtiis sa init at alinsangan dahil pagkalabas ko ng workplace na may AC, uuwi naman ako sa isang bahay na may AC. I'm actually starting to like the house.

The house. Take note.

"Thanks for dining with us. Have a good day!" paalam ko sa isang customer na nagbigay sa 'kin ng malaking tip. Hapon na at nagsisimula na ang rush hour. Tanaw ko mula rito sa loob ang namumula nang langit at ang unti-unting pagliwanag ng buong paligid kasabay ng nalalapit na pagdating ng gabi.

"You seem to be in a really good mood today. Well, you're always in a good mood whenever you're working. It's just that you're a lot livelier and more animated today," puna sa 'kin ni Ms. Olivia.

"Pay day po kasi," sagot ko naman.

The receptionist chuckled. "Of course."

Talaga namang kaninang umaga pa ang magandang mood ko dahil sweldo namin ngayon. Nag-compute din ako ng mga tip na nakuha ko kasabay ang regular at overtime payments ko. Malaki-laki ang makukuha ko ngayon lalo pa't mas malaki rin ang sahod ko rito sa restaurant ni Sir Mico. Mababayaran ko na ang pinautang na pera sa 'kin ni Adrian, marami pa ang matitira sa 'kin. Moreover, wala akong gastos sa renta, pagkain, at load kaya naman mas malaki ang savings ko ngayon.

Tadtad na ng peso signs ang mukha ko kaya agad naman akong kumalma. I don't want to jinx my good mood today. Still, the prospect of holding a thick stack of crisp and smooth three-headed money is enough to get me really fired up.

"Ano naman ba ang plano mo sa sweldo mo?" tanong sa 'kin ng isang katrabaho ko. "Nagbabalak lumabas ang mga kasama natin. Sumama ka na."

"I'll pass," sagot ko naman. "Kayo na lang muna. Enjoy na lang kayo. Uuwi rin ako nang maaga ngayon."

Bilang reward ko sa sarili ko, hindi na muna ako mag-o-overtime ngayon.

"Okay. Let us know if you're coming. You're always welcome," sagot naman ng katrabaho ko.

Sakto naman na bumukas ang pinto at pumasok ang isang customer. I was surprised to see one of Skyler's friends. Mukhang kilala rin siya rito dahil agad naman siyang binati ni Ms. Olivia.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Seleno."

Ngumiti naman siya pabalik. "Is Mico here?" tanong niya. Judging from her look, mukhang galing lang siya sa trabaho.

"Nasa ibang branch po si Sir Mico. Kailangan niyo po ba siya? I can call him—"

"No. Not really. I was just in the area, so I decided to stop by," Yana replied. She then caught sight of me while I was wiping a table.

"Elio, right? You're the one who's staying at Skyler's house," she said.

I smiled before nodding. "Opo. Please have a seat po," sabi ko naman.

"Thank you," Yana replied as she settled on a nearby table. "I'll have my usual order, please."

Wala akong kahit isang ideya man lang sa kung ano ang paborito niya rito. Tatanungin ko sana siya kung ano ang usual order niya pero agad naman niya akong pinutol.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Baguhan ka nga pala rito. I'll have spaghetti carbonara and plain water. Make it two servings, please. Thank you," sabi niya.

I nodded at her. "Right away, ma'am."

"Just Yana, okay? Don't make me feel old," sagot naman niya.

"Sige po."

As I headed towards the kitchen, I had the uneasy feeling that she's watching my back. Moved by pure instinct, hindi na muna ako lumapit sa kanya at nagpunas na muna ako ng mga table sa kabilang side ng restaurant.

Lumapit lang ulit ako kay Yana nang dadalhin ko na sa kanya ang order niya. I was wondering why she ordered two servings of food, considering na mag-isa lang siya at mukhang wala naman siyang hinihintay.

"Two servings of spaghetti carbonara," sabi ko sabay latag ng dalawang plato sa mesa niya. "Enjoy your meal po."

"Why don't you join me?"

I had to blink several times.

"Po?"

"Join me. I ordered that food for you," sabi ni Yana bago siya bumaling kay Ms. Olivia. "Is it okay kung hiramin ko muna si Elio? I'll be quick."

Despite the bewildered look on her face, our receptionist still nodded. "Of course, Ms. Seleno."

What does she want from me?

To avoid complicating the situation, umupo na lang ako sa harap ni Yana na nagsisimula nang kumain. I just stared at her blankly as she ate her food. I really wasn't able to look at her carefully the first time I saw her. Now that I'm face to face with her, I can really feel her powerful and dominating aura. Nakadagdag pa roon ang mga kalkulado at maingat niyang mga galaw. Halatang-halata sa aura niya na siya ang boss ng kumpanyang pinapasukan niya.

"I'm going to take it personally if you're not going to eat your food," Yana said after glancing once at the untouched plate of pasta in front of me.

I flinched. "Sorry po," sagot ko naman at agad akong nagsimulang kumain.

Yana smiled gently. "There's no need to be so stiff and awkward with me. Wala naman akong gagawin sa 'yong masama," sabi niya.

I just smiled at her awkwardly. Binilisan ko na lang ang pagkain ko dahil hindi ko talaga kaya ang aura ng babaeng 'to.

"Kumusta na pala si Skyler? Is he doing good?" she asked.

Natigilan ako. "He seems fine to me po. Nagtuturo po siya ngayon sa isang summer workshop. Bukas pa po yata matatapos ang workshop na 'yun," sagot ko naman.

"I see. Is he giving you a hard time? Baka naman kung ano-ano na ang mga pinapagawa niya sa 'yo?" tanong pa ni Yana.

"I just look after the house po," sagot ko naman. "I also do the laundry and cook food sometimes. Kailangan po kasing mag-focus ni Skyler sa personal collection niya."

Yana nodded, her eyes narrowing.

"May kailangan po ba kayo kay Skyler?" tanong ko naman agad dahil hindi ko nagustuhan ang titig niya.

Tila hindi niya narinig ang tanong ko. "Base sa napag-alaman ko, nasira mo ang painting niya, 'di ba? Dahil wala ka namang pambayad, you agreed to serve as Skyler's houseboy."

I nodded.

"I also did a little bit of research about you—"

What the hell? What is it with rich people and their connections?! Kailangan ba talaga nilang halungkatin ang nakaraan ng lahat ng taong nakikilala nila?

"What do you think about Skyler?"

I frowned. "Po?"

Yana placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her locked hands. "What do you think of him? What do you think of his behavior and attitude? Do you find him attractive? Handsome?" she asked.

I wasn't able to prevent myself. Frowning at her deeply, I asked, "What kind of question is that?"

"It's okay if you don't want to answer that question. Besides, halos isang buwan pa lang naman kayong magkakilala. Still, I'm really curious about your relationship with each other," she said. "Also, let me tell you something that you probably don't know about. Skyler usually doesn't care about anything or anyone. Aside sa painting, pamilya at mga kaibigan lang niya ang importante sa kanya. Oh, you can also count the children that he's helping. Kaya naman gulat na gulat kami nang malaman namin na pinapatuloy ka na pala niya sa bahay niya. It was a very unusual thing for him to do."

Her eyes locked onto me.

"Looking at you, you're pretty plain and unimportant, so I'm really curious kung bakit iba ang trato sa 'yo ni Skyler. What did you do? What do you have in you that made Skyler behave differently?" Yana asked.

I really don't know what she's talking about. Regardless kung ano man ang gusto niyang malaman, hindi ko gusto ang pinatutunguhan ng usapang 'to at unti-unti nang nauubos ang pasensya ko.

"I ruined his painting. That's all. 'Yun lang po ang ginawa ko," sagot ko.

Yana nodded before looking out of the window. Outside, darkness and light have reached perfect balance. On any other day, I would've appreciated this beautiful scene of pink sky and ethereal dusk, pero masyadong busy ang utak ko sa pagproseso ng mga pinagsasabi ng babaeng kaharap ko ngayon.

"Skyler is important to us," she suddenly said quietly, as if she's talking to herself. "He's a good person and we want only the best for him. Minsan na siyang nasaktan, at nakita namin kung paano halos gumuho ang mundo niya dahil doon. As his friend, ayaw na ayaw kong makita siya ulit sa ganoong sitwasyon. Someone like Skyler doesn't deserve to get hurt. He has a kind heart. Unfortunately, that's also his biggest weakness."

"I only came here to give you a friendly reminder. Skyler is generally gentle and kind to everyone. Like I said, his heart is just too big and too soft. People tend to misinterpret kindness for something else. Ngayon pa lang, I want you to know that no matter how kindly he treats you, hindi magbabago ang katotohanan na isa kang tao na may pagkakautang lang sa kanya. Nothing more, nothing less," she said.

"What are you even trying to say?" I asked. I'm now right at the very edge of my patience.

"I don't want you to misinterpret his actions. Skyler is kind to everyone, not just to you. Baka kasi akalain mo na may espesyal sa 'yo dahil lang iba ang trato niya sa 'yo," sagot niya.

Natigilan ako kasabay ng pag-alala ko sa nangyari sa 'min ni Skyler halos isang linggo na ang nakararaan. Thinking about it now, I was such an idiot for lowering my guard in front of him. Pinauna ko ang pagka-patay gutom ko kaysa sa utak ko. Still, I couldn't deny the fact that Skyler acted a little bit nicer and gentler back there.

"Look at those sick children. Look at Kelly. Haven't you noticed what they have in common?" Yana asked, eyeing me carefully with her calculating eyes. "Skyler likes to fix broken things. He's only treating you differently because you're exactly the same as those children and Kelly—flawed and troubled. You are neither special nor unique in Skyler's eyes. You are just another broken thing in a massive pile of rejects that he wants to fix. Keep that in your mind."

I am not a fool to not realize that she just indirectly told me to know my place.

"Again, nasira ko lang po ang painting niya. May utang ako sa kanya, may kailangan siyang singilin sa 'kin. Hanggang doon lang po kami. You're being delusional if you're expecting that something else will happen to us," I said sharply, looking back at her right in the eyes.

Yana's lips curved into a smile. "Good. Also, I'm really sorry for being a little bit harsh to you. I only want you to know the truth, and the truth can be harsh sometimes. I always try to be direct and upfront with what I want to say. I hope you can understand me."

I nodded.

"By the way, nakapasok ka na ba sa workroom ni Skyler?" tanong niya.

I frowned. "No. Bawal po."

"Of course. Hanggang ngayon ay siya pa lang din ang nakakapasok sa kwarto na 'yun. Still, I have an idea kung ano ang laman ng workroom niya. . ."

Natigilan ako. I've always been curious sa kung ano ang laman ng kwartong 'yun, considering how Skyler's fiercely protecting it. I thought na baka ayaw lang niyang may nakikialam sa mga gamit niya, pero medyo exaggerated naman talaga ang pagbabawal niya sa 'kin na makapasok doon.

"There is one person that Skyler loved very much," Yana said. "He's so important to him that he actually made a portrait for that guy. Siya lang ang nag-iisang tao na bumago sa buhay ni Skyler, both for the better and the worse. Unfortunately, wala na siya rito ngayon."

She then smiled at me meaningfully before standing up to leave.

"Enter that room if you want to meet him."