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"WHY DON'T you ask her out, hijo?"

Isang tipid na ngiti lamang ang naisukli ni Zeph sa kanyang ina. Ang tinutukoy nito ay ang kinakapatid niyang si Sophie. Matagal na niyang kilala ang babae at masasabing kababata niya ito. Sophie was a very beautiful woman, but he had no plans of dating anyone else but Flor.

Wala pa siyang plano para sa kanila ng dalaga pero ang makipag-date sa iba ay hindi niya maaaring gawin. Because he didn't want to. He had never felt very excited about a relationship before. It was true, he had been in relationships before but none of those ever came to the point where he didn't want to fool around or break up with the woman.

Hanggang sa matuto na siya at maunawaan niyang hindi na niya kailangang pumasok pa sa mga romantikong relasyon. Para saan? Hell, he could get laid anytime he wanted to. Why waste a woman's time? Why waste his time?

But Flor was different. She made him feel excited about the littlest things. At kung noon ay inaakala niyang hindi ito magiging interesado sa pagkukuwento niya tungkol sa kanyang trabaho ay natuklasan niyang nagkakamali siya. It was just sad that Flor was not educated enough but she was a very intelligent woman. At hindi niya inaasahan na dito niya masasabi ang mga gusto niyang gawin sa negosyo. He had professional advisers but Flor was most of the time enough.

Ang plano niya, kung hindi nito mamasamain, ay tutulungan niya itong makapag-aral uli. Iyon ang isa sa mga bagay na ayaw niya rito. Masyadong ma-pride ito. Ayaw na ayaw nitong binibigyan niya. Subalit maano ba at makakarating din sila sa puntong iyon.

Flor had so many ideas—from the craziest to sanest. And he adored her so.

What she had was an amazing soul. She made him feel so alive, so important. And she made him feel important not because he was an important man but because she cared about him as Zeph.

At sa abot ng kanyang makakaya ay nais niyang ibalik dito ang lahat ng ibinigay nito sa kanya. He was taking baby steps though, because he did not know what it was like to be in a relationship like that. But he welcomed the change. He loved it.

And although most of the time it still pissed him off that she could tell him off the way she always did, he loved the fact that someone held him steady, someone was not too intimidated or too shy or too frightened to tell him things he should know or pay attention to.

Noong minsang pinuntahan siya ng kanyang ina sa hotel at kasama niya si Flor ay aminado siyang nagkasagutan sila nito. Matagal nang hindi nangyayari iyon. Mayroon daw nagsabi ritong masyado na siyang nagiging abala sa isang housekeeper. Hindi pa niya alam kung sino ang espiya ng kanyang ina at hindi na rin siya interesadong malaman pa.

Nainis siya sapagkat hindi niya matanggap na ganoon kababa ang pagtingin nito kay Flor. At lalong nakapagpainis sa kanya na mismong ina niya ay may prejudice pagdating sa kabuhayan ng isang tao.

He was never the type who looked down on people just because he was the Zeph McNally. And although he understood why his mother told him off, it still irritated him because it was Flor she was talking about and criticizing.

Naunawaan niya ang kanyang pagkakamali sa pagsagot niya rito kaya kinabukasan din ay nag-usap silang mag-ina. Ni hindi na nito binanggit ang tungkol sa sagutan nila, bagkus ay iginiit na lumabas sila ni Sophie. Ilang ulit na niyang tinanggihan ito subalit mukhang hindi ito susuko. Hayun at naroon ang babae kahit ang usapan nilang mag-ina ay sila lamang ang lalabas nang araw na iyon.

Of course he knew his mother had some hidden agenda. She had always asked him to settle down. But he was not ready for that yet. Marami pa siyang plano at nadagdagan pa iyon nang makilala niya si Flor. He wanted to see her studying again and climbing up the ladder of success.

Minsan ay parang hindi na niya kilala ang kanyang sarili. O mas tama sigurong sabihing minsan ay naiinis siya na kay tagal niyang iniba ang kanyang sarili para makabagay sa mundong ginagalawan niya.

It was a tough world and the weak perished easily, so he had to be tough. He had to grow up fast. He had to learn things as fast as he could—he was the only person in the family who everyone figured would manage the empire. And he had been told that ever since he was that young boy wanting to be a musician.

Hinigitan niya ang lahat ng expectations sa kanya. And he, in all fairness, enjoyed parts of it. He learned to love solving business puzzles, negotiating with different sorts of people, being in control of the lives of so many people, and all the embellishments that went with all that—including the women.

Maybe he was starting to get bored with all that. Maybe he was looking for something genuine, something pure.

"She's a nice girl, ask her out," patuloy na udyok ng kanyang ina habang hindi pa nagbabalik mula sa restroom si Sophie.

"I can't."

"And why is that?"

"Because I don't want to." He smiled. "Come on, old girl, you know me. If I wanted to go out with her, I would have already."

"Is it because of the housekeeper?" Nabura ang ngiti sa mukha nito, pagkatapos ay sumimsim ng juice.

"Her name is 'Flor,' if you don't mind, Mother."

"Well, is it because of her?"

"What if it is?"

"That's preposterous! You're smarter than that! You wouldn't really introduce her to the family! Oh, hijo." Inabot nito ang kanyang kamay at pinisil iyon. "You know I love helping the less fortunate and I don't really look down on them but... this is different. You do realize you are a McNally and—"

"And what's that got to do with anything?"

Tumikhim ito, matagal bago nakapagsalita. "Okay, so maybe you are fascinated by her and I do understand. Lilipas din iyan. Do your thing with her, get it over and done with and fast, hijo."

That bitter taste of bile formed in his throat. He didn't want to feel that infuriated, especially at his own mother, but how could he stop himself? Tumayo na siya at tahimik na ibinaba ang table napkin.

"I'm going now. My driver's going to be back to take you home. Please tell Sophie I left."

"Zephyrus!" Napatayo na rin ito. "Why are you doing this?"

"I have to go." Halos hindi umawang ang mga labi niya. "I'll see you."

Tumalikod na siya at nagtuloy sa sasakyan. Alam niyang nakauwi na sa oras na iyon si Flor. Doon na siya nagpahatid sa driver, saka niya pinabalikan ang kanyang ina sa Manila Polo Club.

Nang buksan ni Flor ang pinto ay nawala kaagad ang init ng ulo niya. He tugged her by the waist and said, "Kiss me."

She did. How she easily made things feel so right.