Sa isang iglap lang ay bigla akong nagkaroon ng urge na kausapin itong si Terrence upang makahingi ng paumanhin sa kanya sa mga naging kasalanan ko noon. Sa tingin ko ay kailangan din namin ng closure, at least bago man lang siya ikasal. Will it be a good idea to talk to him tonight?
Hahanap ako ng tiyempo. I'll try to build a conversation between the two of us.
Ininom ko pa ang natirang Margarita na nasa loob ng cocktail glass na hawak ko. Naisipan kong lumapit sa lamesa ng mga taga-Praxis. Halatang mga lasing na rin ang mga taong naroroon. Timing naman na nag-cr yata si Sir de Guzman kaya naging bakante ang isang upuang nasa tabi ni Terrence. Naglakas-loob akong umupo roon. Dala na rin siguro ng mga nainom kong cocktail drinks kaya naging malakas ang self-esteem ko.
“Oh Miss Bea, tara join us. Do you like to have some hard drinks?” pagpansin sa akin ni Manolo pagkakita niya sa akin na papa-upo sa tabi ni Terrence.
“No I'm fine with this,” wika ko habang minumuwestra sa kanya ang hawak kong cocktail glass.
Biglang napalingon sa direksyon na kinaroroonan ko si Terrence; may kinakausap siya ngayong isang staff ng Praxis.
“Sir Terrence this is Miss Bea Esguerra our Project Manager for Admin,” pagpapakilala sa akin ni Manolo.
Inilahad ni Terrence sa akin ang kanyang kanang kamay pagkatapos magsalita ni Manolo.
“It's nice to meet you again Miss Esguerra. I guess we haven't been properly introduced. I am glad that we have this opportunity tonight,” sabi ni Terrence habang nakikipag-shake hands sa akin. I suddenly felt uneasyness when Terrence started to move his gaze towards me.
“It's nice to meet you Terrence. But do we really need a proper introduction?” natatawa ako habang sinasabi ko iyon. Sa kabila ng nararamdaman kong pag-palpitate ng dibdib ko dala ng matinding kaba. Halatang nabigla rin si Terrence pagkarinig niya ng mga sinabi ko.
“Maybe, it has been a long time since we met each other in college. I thought you forgot everything you knew about me.”
“I never forgot you Terrence even a single bit of you.” His eyebrows were meeting halfway when he looked straight to my eyes. I could feel that my knees started to tremble because of his stares.
Until I heard Manolo spoke; that pulled me back to my senses. “You mean schoolmates kayo no’ng college. Small world talaga 'no?”
I took a shot on my cocktail glass after that.
“It is a small world indeed,” Terrence said in a husky voice. He started again to roam his eyes towards my direction. Hindi ko mapigilan ang sarili ko na titigan ang mga labi niya matapos niyang magsalita.
Napalingon sa direksyon naming dalawa ang iba pa naming mga kasama sa lamesa.
“This means a strong camaraderie and harmonious relationship between Praxis and Cher Hotel team all throughout this project,” pagbanggit ni Joseph isang engineer ng Praxis na kasama rin namin sa lamesa.
“Let's cheers to that!” pag-aaya sa aming lahat ni Manolo. Pagkaraan noon ay sabay-sabay naming pinag-toast ang mga hawak naming mga baso.
“So Bea, how's life? After what? Nine years of not seeing each other,” Terrence uttered. I tried to compose myself before making a reply. That was just a casual question after all.
“L-life has treated me very well Mr. President.” I said while I'm stammering a bit.
“Terrence na lang! Huwag kang masyadong pormal. Wala tayo sa opisina ngayon,” he said while wearing his grin. I smiled back.
BINABASA MO ANG
Got to Get Over You
ChickLitBea Esguerra was known for a being the "campus beauty queen" during their college days. Sa kabila noon ay magkakaroon siya ng lihim na relasyon sa isang nerd sa school-si Terrence Gonzales. But in the end she was succumbed with peer pressure and imm...
