“OH well, he’s always been like that.”
Aguas decided to have coffee before going back to their rooms. The coffee shop looked like a dreamlike place at night. Maraming maliiit na ilaw ang nakasabit sa mga puno, may mga kandila ang bawat mesa. At dahil nakatanaw ito sa karagatan, naaaninag ang repleksyon sa tubig ang mga ilaw na nagmumula sa iba’t-ibang establisyemento doon. Maliwanag rin ang bilog na buwan.
He was talking about Mr. Tantoco. Naitanong kasi niya rito kung bakit parang ‘bad mood’ ito.
“At hindi talaga ‘yon basta-basta nakikipag-usap, lalo na sa mga babae.”
‘Bakit po?” tanong niya. “Is he…”
“Gay? No,” natatawa nitong sagot. Humigop ito ng mainit na kape at tumingin sa kanya. “Ganoon lang talaga si Sir. Mailap sa mga babae. I’ve known him for about nine years, at simula noong magkakilala kami, hindi ko pa nabalitaang mayroon siyang naging girlfriend, o kahit na nai-date.”
“Bakit po?” muli niyang tanong. Siya naman ang napainom ng kape. Paano ko siya pakakasalan kung ayaw man lang makipag-usap sa mga babae? Natawa si Sahara sa sarili dahil sa naisip.
“Well, the legend has it that since his wife left him, he became like that – cold to everyone. Iniwan kasi siya dahil sa ibang lalaki. Sinamba niya ‘yung asawa niya, ibinagay lahat, tapos ganoon lang, malalaman niya na may iba na palang mahal ‘yung babae. And do you know what’s the worst part? He caught her in the act. Sa mismong mansyon, sa mismong kama nila. Kaya ayan, nawalan na ng tiwala, at gana sa mga babae. Siguro, pakiramdam niya lahat ng babae, katulad ng dati niyang asawa. Na lahat ng babae, manggagamit, manloloko, at iiwan lang siya sa huli.”
That probably explains it. Kahit naman sinong lalaki, masyadong maaapektuhan sa ganoong klaseng pangyayari.
“Mr. Tantoco is a walking-talking-working robot. Mabibilang ko sa daliri kung ilang beses ko siya nakitang ngumiti, sa totoo lang.”
Too bad for him. Guwapo pa naman.
“Hay, bakit ba natin pinag-uusapan si Mr. Tantoco? His story is too depressing.” Sumandal si Aguas sa upuang kahoy at tiningnan siya nang maigi. “Let’s talk about you instead, Miss Smith.”
Tumaas ang dalawa niyang kilay. “Ako po? Ano pong tungkol sa akin?”
“Anything.” Nilaru-laro nito ang red rose sa vase na nakalagay sa ibabaw ng mesa. “So, you are a singer?”
Tumangu-tango siya. “Dati po ‘yon, bago po ako nagtrabaho sa inyo.”
“But I’m pretty sure you still know how to sing.”
His stare was starting to make her feel warm. Or was it just the coffee?
“Can you sing for me some other time?” seryoso nitong tanong.
“Sure,” sagot niya. Dahil wala naman siyang ibang pagpipilian kundi ang sumang-ayon rito.
It was around eleven in the evening when they finally called it a night. Muli siyang inihatid ni Arch. Aguas sa pinto ng kuwartong nakalaan sa kanya.
“Well, that’s it for tonight. Maaga pa ang meeting natin with the investors tomorrow kaya hahayaan na kitang magpahinga.”
“Thank you sir. Nag-enjoy po ako sa party,” aniya.
“Really? Kahit puro matatanda ang mga tao roon?”
Napangiti siya. “Sige po, good night, Arch. Aguas.” She should be opening the door now, and getting inside her room but she was held captive by his intense gaze.
“Good night, Miss Smith.” His voice was so low that she wasn’t sure about what he said. And then, he leaned forward and kissed her lips. It wasn’t long but it was just enough to know that there was something in his kiss.
~~
GUSTONG tawagan ni Sahara si Miss Gopez para itanong rito kung natural lang ba kay Arch. Aguas ang manghalik sa labi ng personal assistant. Pero siyempre, nahihiya siya rito, at baka iba pa ang maging interpretasyon nito doon. Gusto niyang itanong kay Arch. Aguas kung ano ba ang ibig sabihin ng halik na iyon, kung iyon ba ay kasama sa mga ‘perks’ ng pagiging isang personal assistant nito, o isa na iyong senyales na kailangan na niyang mag-ingat.
Kinakabahan si Sahara na humarap sa kanyang boss kinaumagahan. Pero parang wala namang kakaiba sa Linggo ng umagang iyon. They had breakfast at the hotel’s main restaurant and went through the meeting as planned. Walang nabanggit ang arkitekto sa nangyaring ‘halik’ at hindi rin naman siya nag-usisa pa tungkol doon. It’s probably just a natural thing for the architect because just like how Miss Gopez puts it, he is a very flirty boss so she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. At sabi rin ni Miss Gopez, Aguas is a decent man. Hindi naman siguro ito gagawa ng kahit na ano na makakasama sa reputasyon nito bilang isang respetadong arkitekto at negosyante. And it’s not as if it was her first kiss to be so affected by it anyway.
“And we’re done,” nakangiting sabi ni Aguas habang palabas sila ng coference hall. It was ten in the morning. “What do you want to do next? We could go around the city…we could take a stroll at the Siliman University or the Rizal Boulevard. Or the park? How about food trip? Masarap raw ang sans rival nila rito…or are you on a diet?”
Umiling siya.
“Ah, how about the beach?”
Tempting. But she didn’t bring any swimwear with her. And it seems inappropriate to go on swimming and have fun with her boss. Muli, umiling siya.
“Bakit? Our work’s done here. We could use some time out to enjoy ourselves, right?”
“Pero sir, baka po kasi…hindi po kasi-“
“Alright, alright. You’re thinking that it’s inappropriate because I’m your boss and you work for me?”
Marahan siyang tumango.
“Fine. How about we forget who we are, just this day. Just here, in Dumaguete. Ako si Ricardo, ikaw si Sahara. Walang boss, walang personal assistant. Isipin mo na lang na nagkakilala tayo rito, sa coffee shop, sa hotel. You’re here for a weekend vacation, I’m here to get away from all the stresses because of my job. Okay ba sa iyo ‘yon?”
Kumunot ang noo niya. Imposible ang gustong mangyari ni Aguas. Imposible niyang kalimutan na hindi niya ito boss, at hindi siya nito empleyado. Dahil nakatitiyak siya na sa oras na kalimutan niya kung ano ang totoong sila, mayroong mangyayaring sigurado siyang pagsisisihan lang niya sa huli.
“Call me Ricky, I’ll call you Sahara. And now, I’m inviting you out on a…date…with me. Are you okay with that?”
“O-on a date, sir?”
“Ricky. Call me Ricky,” natatawa nitong sabi.
“Pero-“
“You don’t trust me, do you?” kunut-noo nitong tanong. He didn’t sound angry – he’s probably more disappointed than angry. “Is this because of what happened last night?”
There. And now that he had mentioned it…
“I’m sorry, Sahara. That kiss shouldn’t have happened. Hindi ko dapat ginawa ‘yon, given our situation. I’m really, really sorry. H-hindi ko lang talaga napigilan ang sarili ko. You’re too beautiful and I felt like it’s a crime not to kiss you.”
Lalong namula si Sahara sa sinabi nito.
“Pangako, hindi na mauulit, Sahara. Please?” He was already holding the car door open but he didn’t let her in. “I promise, you’ll enjoy this day. I’ll make sure na mag-e-enjoy tayong dalawa. Then, tomorrow, back to reality. What’s there to lose?”
“Okay, pero may kondisyon po sana ako…”
“I think I knew it. Sahara, oo, ninakawan kita ng halik pero hindi naman ibig sabihin no’n masama na ‘kong tao. I’m not that kind of guy, okay?” He then smiled at her. “Well, I won’t deny that I find you attractive because you are attractive – that is a fact. But I promise, hindi ako gagawa ng anumang bagay na makakasira sa pagtitiwala mo sa akin, at sa pangalan ko. I’m not gonna use my position as your superior just to…you know.”
Yes, she knew. They both knew all the possible consequences of their actions.
“Sahara, let’s not make this complicated, shall we?”