"Lagi ka talagang aabusuhin dahil sobrang bait mo," sabi ni mama sa akin habang kumakain kami ng hapunan. "Hindi pwedeng ikaw nalang lahat, Jill. Magtira ka naman para sa sarili mo." Nadiin ko ang pagtusok ng kutsara sa karne ng isda dahil sa irita ko. Nakatalikod si mama sa akin dahil nasa upuan ako, habang siya at ang dalawang kapatid ko naman ay nasa lamesa. "Oo, mama. Oo," sagot ko nang matigil siya. Mukhang nahalata niyang ayaw kong pinapangaralan ako ngayon dahil sa pagod kaya natahimik din siya. Hindi sa padabog ako kumain ulit, pero nagpatuloy ako nang nakasimangot. Ramdam ko pa ang tingin ng kapatid kong babae sa akin, pero hindi ko na siya tiningnan pa. Umalis ako sa boarding house dahil gusto kong matahimik ang buhay ko. Tapos paparangalan pa ako rito? Ano, dahil lang sa tumigil ako sa pagtatrabaho at wala na akong naibibigay na pera, gaganituhin na nila ako? Huminga ako nang malalim matapos kong isubo ang panghuling kanin at tumayo rin para ilagay ang nagamit na kubye
"Wow, congratulations, Jill! Highest ka sa reporting, ah?" komento ng isang kaklase ko nang magsabay kami sa paglalakad sa kalsada. "Ang galing mo rin kasing mag-English. Nakakadugo sa ilong, alam mo iyon?"Tinawanan ko lang siya. "Hindi ko talaga alam kung bakit sa English ko pa kung pwede naman sa delivery of speech, ate," aniko. "Pero thank you po!"Hoooo, nakakapagod kahit isang klase lang ngayong hapon. Marami kasing tanong ang instructor namin sa MSTE-1 tungkol sa topic ng reporting ko, at dahil ayokong mapahiya ay sinagutan ko lahat ng iyon kagaya ng pinag-aralan ko kagabi. I have always been competitive when it comes to academics without creating competitions against anyone. Gusto ko lang na mataas ang grades ko at malayo sa posibilidad na bumagsak ako. Nasa college na ako, kaya kailangan kong pagbutihan, lalo na at kasali ako sa scholarship program ng Cornelia Foundation College. Kumaway ako sa kaklase ko sa second year na pumunta sa waiting shed kung saan ang bus stop. Ako
"What do you mean you did not follow my orders?" Mr. Montenegro said and slapped his hand on the table. "I told you to go to the chairman and pass all these papers!”It felt like I wanted to just disappear as Mr. Montenegro continuously reprimanded me. Even though he was not shouting at me like a lunatic, every word is dropped and his tone is very serious. It is only an indication that he is angry at my mess at work."I... I am sorry, sir. It's just that I was too preoccupied with the coffee I was pouring from the machine f-for you, a-and..." I stammered in explaining as I could feel my tears stinging at the sides of my eyes. "B-But I won't do it again. I promise."I closed my eyes so that I would stop my tears from falling down my cheeks. Jill, you have to reconvene your senses. This is not the time for you to break down. You are in the office of your boss, so stop the fucking drama of yours!"You have been absent for the whole week, Ms. Castro. And now you are having a mess during y
I meant to put sarcasm in every word so they would recognize how I am pissed off seeing them."Jill," Cielo called my name and held my wrist. "I am sorry, okay? Can't you just forgive us? Grace and I love each other."I removed his hand away from me, disgusted by his touch. "Don't touch me! You don't have the right anymore!" I said in a whisper, remembering that we are still in a restaurant to cause a scandal."Jill!" Grace exclaimed, reacting to what I did to Cielo. "You are hurting him!""What the"I did not expect for her to push me on the shoulder, and because I was off guard by what she was about to do, the coffee I was holding spilled over my working dress. I exclaimed in pain because of its excruciating hot liquid. I felt my knuckles burning, so I cried out and muttered a series of curses.“Why would you do that?!” I said to Grace and glared at her. “Do you want a death wish, huh?!”Caring about the public place and the customers inside the coffee shop was the last thing I woul
It is not my nature to cuss and shouts, but I am just very frustrated. I don’t want to cry, but the tears betray me. Look, I was absent the whole last week, and I won’t have a choice but to work this week. I won’t have a salary, right? But I am not in the mood to work, the reason why Mr. Montenegro is rumbling about my spacing out behavior and mistakes.“Do you have to shout like that in my company?”I turned around abruptly and expressed my fear when I saw my boss standing in front of the door where I went in just for me to get here on the rooftop. His pompadour hair was being swished softly by the cold wind, his business suit tracing every muscle of his body perfectly, and his dark virility scaring the shit out of me. It was his austere and strict eyes that are indicating that he is not happy.“M-Mr. Montenegro…” I called and gulped.“Where is my coffee?” he asked.“Huh?”“I said, where is my coffee?”I bit my lower lip and panicked and looked around. Thankfully, I brought the plast
I smiled and reached out my hand. “It is a deal, sir,” I said. “But I would like to know about the benefits I can have if I have to perform this pretentious scheme.”“Sure. We will talk tomorrow regarding this contract. For now, I want you to go home, fix yourself, and be more alert for your work tomorrow.”And of course, as an obedient secretary, I followed Mr. Montenegro and went home to the apartment where I am staying just near the building of company. I showered, placed my filthy and stained clothes on the washing machine behind the kitchen, and worked out the statistical data for tomorrow that I have to pass to Mr. Montenegro.Amidst my silent work, I remembered how Mr. Montenegro showed up when I was shouting and hyperventilating like a lunatic. I just really hope that he is not thinking that I am a psycho.But as his secretary of him for three years, he is not the type of boss that would judge an employee based on his or her emotional vulnerability. Unless it is about the busi
“But they know that I am your secretary. Everyone has seen us being professional with each other. How would they expect that we fell?”Oh, my goodness. How did I grasp the audacity to ask him that?!“Well, it is not like I am not good-looking. I will just have to tell them that you fancy me,” he casually suggested.And I won’t accept that suggestion, though, so I placed the folder on my lap.“That is a little bit absurd, vice chairman,” I said and shook my head. “Let me suggest an acceptable yet interesting story…”“Let me hear it, then.”I squinted my eyes when I saw a challenge in his eyes. There was even a tease in his mouth as if the sides of his lips are slowly rising. He is like this when he is testing my capability and knowledge.“Hmmm,” I hummed. “Let’s just say that you found me extraordinary. More than a secretary and an employee. As time passes by, you found yourself enjoying my company, because I am your only friend in your life.”“My friend?”“Yes, because you don’t have
Just like what the vice chairman requested, I canceled all of his appointments and cleared his disorganized things from his table in his office when he was talking to the executive director of the committee outside. When I was done, I approached my bag on one of the tables and swiftly retouched myself so we can go. I looked at my foundation’s mirror and saw that my eyebags were getting bigger, so I sighed.I wonder when I will stop crying over a jerk who does not even give a shit on me. Like, Jill, chill, okay? You have a job to do and your salary will be triple if you just get into your senses!I breathed in deeply, getting it together, so I can be prepared in going out.“Ms. Castro?”I abruptly turned my back to see the vice chairman, Mr. Darwin Montenegro, opening the door of his office. His hands were stashed on his grey slacks, looking handsome with his newly cut pompadour hair, and his business suit looking neat and tracing the muscles in the right places beneath it.“I hope you