The Paintbrush Deal

CHAPTER 05

Elio's POV

Sa wakas ay malapit nang magtapos ang event. Tapos na ang dinner kanina pa. Nandito na kami sa kabilang hall kung saan katatapos lang ng auction para sa mga painting. Hindi ko na lang pinansin kanina ang auction dahil alam kong maglalaway lang ako sa dami ng perang maririnig ko. The guests are just roaming around and inspecting the paintings. Ako naman ay nagpakalayo-layo na mula doon sa Skyler pagkatapos ng dinner. Madalas ko siyang makitang may mga kausap.

Upon hearing his story and perfect childhood, mas lalo lang na tumindi ang inis ko sa kanya. His childhood is the complete opposite of mine. He has loving and supportive parents, and above all, he's rich. Kumpara sa impiyernong dinanas ko noon, nasa kataas-taasan ng langit ang buhay niya. More importantly, he's rich enough that he was able to pursue the thing that he loves the most. He doesn't have to work on a dead-end job in order to keep himself alive. He probably has enough money to support himself for the rest of his life. That just pisses me off.

Naglilibot na lang ako ngayon sa hall habang may dalang isang tray ng mga champagne. Kakakuha ko lang ng bagong batch ng mga inumin kaya agad akong nagpunta sa mga mataong parte ng hall.

"Hey, waiter."

Agad naman akong lumingon. I saw a guy smiling at me. Ngumiti naman ako bago ako lumapit sa kanya sabay baba ng tray na dala ko.

"Thanks," sabi niya matapos niyang makakuha ng isa. Tatalikod na sana ako pero tinawag pa niya ako.

"Hey."

"Yes, sir?"

"What's your name?"

Natigilan ako. "Elio, sir. Have a nice evening," sabi ko bago ako tumalikod.

"You're a cute one. Can I have your number?" tanong niya.

Habang nakatalikod pa rin ako ay nagpagulong ako ng mga mata, pero pagharap ko ay nagawa ko pa rin naman na ngumiti. "I cannot do that, sir. I'm sorry. It's against our protocol. Now, if you'll excuse me, I still have other things to do."

"I'll give you my number, then. Or I can wait for you outside after this," the guy replied. "I have a place."

I fought back the urge to kick his crown jewels. "So do I, sir. Have a nice evening," I said before marching away without even glancing back at him.

Sa dami talaga ng mga tao rito, ako pa ang napagtripan.

Iniwasan ko na lang ang lalaki hangga't maaari. That wasn't the first time that someone tried to hit on me while I'm doing my job. I have good looks, and I attract both men and women, pero wala sa plano ko ang pumasok sa relasyon o lumandi. I cannot afford to get distracted. Kahit gaano sila kayaman, wala akong pakialam kung habulin nila ako o ano.

"Oh? Ba't tila mas lalong umasim ang mood mo?" tanong sa 'kin ni Zoe nang madaanan ko siya.

"May malanding lalaki na gustong humingi ng number ko," sagot ko naman.

Zoe laughed. "Here we go again. Wala pa talagang event tayong pinuntahan na wala man lang sa 'yong nagpakita ng motibo. Iba rin talaga ang appeal mo kahit na nag-uumapaw sa kaasiman ang ugali mo."

"Yeah. Whatever."

Akala ko titigil na 'yung lalaki sa kalalandi niya sa 'kin. Unfortunately, tila ako pa mismo ang sinusundan niya. Madalas niya akong tawagin pero hindi ko na siya pinansin pa. Obvious na rin na medyo may tama na siya dahil sa dami ng naiinom niya. Sa bawat tawag o sutsot niya sa 'kin ay unti-unti ring nauupos ang pasensya ko.

Whenever I reach my limit, I really lose it.

Malapit ako sa centerpiece ng art exhibit at kasalukuyang kumukuha ang mga guest ng champagne na dala ko. Without any warning, a hand suddenly clasped over my butt, making me flinch in shock.

I moved purely on instinct. Fuelled by my already short patience, I balled my free hand into a fist before swinging it behind me.

"WHY, YOU LITTLE—"

Unfortunately, I was able to hit nothing but empty air. The force of my swing caused me to lose my balance, making the glasses of champagne wobble. I was able to grab onto something before I fell butt-first on the floor. The tray of wine glasses I was carrying on my other hand also slipped, causing them to shatter and spill their contents.

I couldn't care less about the shattered glasses, but what made my heart literally jump out of my chest was the piece of torn canvas that I was holding on my other hand.

Just my luck.

●●●

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?" sigaw sa 'kin ni Ms. De Vera habang nasa loob kami ng kusina. Dinala ako rito matapos kong mapunit ang centerpiece ng art exhibit. They didn't even care about my bleeding hand. They just immediately brought me here after the incident.

"I'm sorry po. Hindi ko naman po 'yun sinasadya. There was this guy who kept hitting on me. Sinubukan ko naman siyang iwasan pero mapilit po kasi. Kasalanan ko naman po na napuno ako, pero hindi ko naman po ginusto na sirain 'yung painting," sagot ko naman.

"Ano ba ang sinabi namin sa inyo tungkol sa mga guest? Do not engage in casual talks! Iniwasan mo na lang dapat kasi!" sabi ni Ms. De Vera.

"Babayaran ko na lang po—"

She laughed before pointing a finger at me. "Babayaran? BABAYARAN? Do you seriously think na kayang bayaran ng isang kagaya mo ang painting na 'yun? Alam mo ba kung ilan ang offer doon? Roughly five million pesos! Kahit magtrabaho ka buong buhay mo, hinding-hindi mo mababayaran ang painting na 'yun! Pathetic."

Napayuko na lang ako kasabay ng biglaang pagdaloy ng mga luha ko. I just held on to my clothes and bit my lip as I cried silently. Nakahawak naman sa balikat ko si Zoe.

Ms. De Vera stormed out of the room, leaving the two of us with Ms. Laina.

"Ma'am, sigurado naman po ako na nagsasabi ng totoo si Elio," sabi sa kanya ni Zoe dahil hindi na ako nakapagsalita pa sa kakaiyak ko. "Nagtimpi naman po si Elio, but the guy assaulted him."

"Kahit na. Alam niyo naman ang protocol natin!" sagot ni Ms. Laina. "Wala kayong ideya kung anong klaseng gulo ang ginawa nito ni Elio. Sinabihan ko naman na kayo na mag-ingat kayo, 'di ba? Hindi kami nagkulang sa pagpapaalala sa inyo."

I heard her sigh.

"I'm sorry, Elio, but you're done."

Napaangat ako ng mukha kasabay ng biglaang pagsikip ng dibdib ko. "Ma'am naman—"

"Hindi na ako maniningil sa kanila ng service natin in the hopes na baka hindi na nila tayo singilin sa sinira mong painting. Sinasadya mo man o hindi, mali pa rin ang ginawa mo. I'm sorry," sabi ni Ms. Laina bago siya lumabas ng room.

Sumalampak na lang ako sa sahig at umiyak dahil hindi ko na alam kung ano pa ang gagawin ko. Zoe tried to comfort me, but even she cannot change the fact that I just probably screwed up my own life.

●●●

Skyler's POV

"Our sincerest apologies, sir," sabi sa 'kin ni Ms. Laina. "Napagsabihan ko na po ang waiter namin. Hindi na rin po kami maniningil ng bayad para sa service namin dito sa event niyo. I'm really, really sorry."

I sighed. "The damage has been done. Hindi naman ako maniningil sa nasirang artwork. The cash donations were enough to compensate for it. Babayaran pa rin namin kayo dahil nagtrabaho kayo."

"What will happen to the waiter?" tanong naman bigla ni Kelly.

"He's been sacked from his job. Pinagalitan na rin namin siya. Unfortunately, a mere waiter like him won't be able to pay for the damages," sagot ni Ms. De Vera.

"WHAT?!" sabi naman ni Kelly. "Isn't that too much? Hindi naman po yata niya sinasadya ang nangyari."

Bumaling siya sa 'kin. "Sir, baka naman po magawan natin ng paraan. I'm sure na aksidente lang naman po ang nangyari. He's been working so hard for us tonight, and he seemed a really nice person. Hindi naman po yata niya deserve na mawalan ng trabaho."

I massaged my temples. "Where is this guy?"

"He's at the kitchen, Mr. Alba," sabi ni Ms. Laina. "I can go with you—"

"No," sabi ko doon sa dalawang babae. "I'm sure that you already traumatized him enough. Pauwiin niyo na lang ang mga guest. Kelly, come with me," I said before taking off my eyeglasses and heading for the kitchen.

"Sir, sana naman po 'wag niyo nang ipagdikdikan pa ang nangyari—"

"Calm down. Gusto ko lang siyang makausap," sagot ko.

Naabutan namin siya na kasama ang isa niyang katrabaho. I was surprised to see na wala man lang nag-aasikaso sa kanya maliban sa kasama niya. His hand was also bleeding, at kasalukuyang tinatalian ng panyo ng kasama niya. The guy was crying silently.

Kelly, being the kindhearted person that he is, immediately approached the two. "Are you okay? That looks really bad. Wala ba kayong first-aid kit?"

"May dala po kami. Kukunin ko lang po," sagot naman ng babae.

Kumuha naman ako ng dalawang stool na nasa isang tabi sabay abot noon kay Kelly. "Sit," sabi ko bago ako naupo. Inalalayan naman siya ni Kelly.

The guy didn't even look at me. He was just holding the edge of his uniform and biting his lips while crying silently.

"What's your name?" tanong ko.

The guy didn't reply.

I sighed. "For your info, hindi po kita sisingilin dahil sa ginawa mo. I just want to know what happened. Alam kong pinagalitan ka na ng mga boss mo, at hindi ako pumunta rito para pagalitan ka. Mabait akong tao. Just answer my questions, and we will get along well."

The guy finally raised his tear-streaked face. His tears seemed to wash away his tough and dominating aura. For the first time ever since I saw him, I saw vulnerability and fragility on his face. It was both disarming and mesmerizing that I just stared at his face for several moments.

"Elio. . . Elio Rivera."

I blinked several times. "I see. I am Skyler Alba. I'm the one who created the painting that you ruined. Tell me what happened."

"I was only doing my job, but there was this guy who kept hitting on me. Sinubukan ko naman po siyang iwasan at lumayo naman po ako sa kanya, pero siya pa rin 'tong lapit nang lapit sa 'kin. He suddenly assaulted me. Kahit naman po may protocol kami, kahit sino naman po magugulat dahil sa ginawa niya. I was only trying to defend myself."

I nodded. "I see. . ."

"Alam ko naman po na hindi ko mababayaran ang painting niyo. I'm only a working student. Wala na rin po akong trabaho, pero gagawin ko po ang lahat para makabawi sa ginawa ko. Sorry na rin po dahil sa ginawa ko—"

"Where are your parents?" putol ko sa kanya.

Elio looked like he was on the verge of crying once more. "I. . . I don't have parents. I live with my friend, Zoe. Ako lang po ang sumusuporta sa sarili ko, pati na rin po sa pag-aaral ko," sabi niya sabay punas sa mga luha niya.

Kelly looked at me meaningfully, nonverbally telling me to take pity on the guy.

"Dahil nawalan ka ng trabaho, wala ka na ring pagkukuhanan ng panggastos mo?" tanong ko.

He nodded.

"I want to help you, but I cannot just ignore the fact that you ruined my painting. Malaki sana ang ambag noon sa funds ng charity. Still, you're lucky enough dahil hindi personal collection ko ang sinira mo. Kung nagkataon, mas malala pa sana sa kawalan ng trabaho ang nakuha mo. I created that collection specifically for the charity, that's why it doesn't have that much sentimental value to me."

I took a deep breath before massaging my temples.

"I am currently creating a personal collection for another art exhibit. Kelly has been helping me ever since I started it, but I don't want to overwork him dahil papatayin ako ng parents ko," sabi ko. Elio and Kelly just looked at me in utter bewilderment as I talked to myself.

"I want to help you, but you have to pay for what you have done," I said. I then offered him my hand before looking at him right in his gray eyes.

"Come and live with me, Elio Rivera."