"Mommy!"

Sinalubong din ito ng yakap at halik ni Drew, tapos si Juno rin. Nakita kong inabot at pilit nitong binubuksan ang box ng J.Co donuts na pinasalubong ko kanina kay Drew.

Hindi ko malaman kung manlulumo ako pero isa ang sigurado... I was shocked. Hindi ako agad nakakilos sa pinagkukublihan ko.

The child was about three years old at maputi. Hindi ko masyadong kita ang itsura nya, pero tila hindi ito mataba kumpara sa ibang bata tulad sa kanyang edad.

Nakita ko silang pumasok sa katabing bahay lamang. So, that's where they live.

I do not know how long I stayed outside looking at their house. Basta umalis ako nung isang malamlam na ilaw na lang ang natitirang bukas sa loob ng bahay nila.

Binalikan ko ang bigbike ko. Ilang sandali akong naupo roon ng hindi ini-start iyon. Blangko ang utak ko. Ayokong tanggapin na may asawa na si Drew at hiwalay. Walang matinong lalaki ang iiwan sa kanyang asawa na katulad ni Drew... dahil kung ako yun, hinding-hindi ko iyon gagawin.

FUCK! Realization just hit me. I just don't like her. But does it mean ... I love her? I don't know. I'm confused!

All I know is gusto ko lagi syang makita o kahit makausap. Minsan nga, yung marinig ko lang ang boses nya kahit hindi ako ang kausap nyo, ayos na ako. Kahit na nagsusungit si Drew sa akin, I'm fine with it so long as I hear her voice. 

Nasasaktan ako kapag nasasaktan sya kaya iniiwas ko sya sa mga bagay na alam kong makakaranas sya ng ganoon. Iniiwas ko sya sa stress. 

Gusto kong nasa malapit lang sya para alam ko kung ayos lang ba sya. O kung kailangan nya ng tulong ko. 

  Ang gusto ko, masaya sya lagi. Kahit ano, basta masaya sya.  

Maybe that was the reason behind my subconscious that I finally decided to get a personal assistant and she is the first on my list to take the post.

I started my Ducati and went back to the hotel.

I just took off my jacket and threw it somewhere in the room then put my helmet on the couch. Humiga ako sa kama ko ng hindi nakapagpalit ng damit. Nakatitig lang ako sa kisame.

Wait... the girl, she was more or less three years old. I started counting the years and months.

Damn! Anak ba iyon ni Aris? Kaya ba siya biglang umalis dahil buntis siya pero ikakasal ito sa ibang babae? Alam ba ni Aris? 

Pero... wala sa karakter ni Drew ang pagtatago ng ganoong lihim lalo na at karapatan ng bata na kilalanin ng ama nya. 

Another thing, isa itong malaking bagay na panghahawakan nya para siya ang pakasalan at hindi si Madison. O talagang walang halaga ang bata para mapigil ang pagpapakasal nina Aris at Madison?

O kaya bigla syang umalis dahil nabuntis sya ng ibang lalaki? Kaya siya umalis dahil nagrebelde siya kay Aris at nakipag-relasyon sa ibang.... Hindi! Hindi ganoon si Drew. Naaksidente nga raw siya. Kinumpirma nung kapitbahay nilang dalagita.

Sumasakit ang ulo ko. Ang tagal mag-umaga. Hindi ako mapakali ng hindi nalalaman ang totoo.

Nakatulugan ko ang pag-iisip. Napabalikwas ako ng bangon nung mag-ring ang telepono sa sidetable ng kama ko.

"Sir," si Myra. "Anong oras po kayo bababa sa office nyo? Dalawang beses na po kasing tumawag si Ms.Wina."

Napatingin ako sa orasan. Shit! It's almost ten in the morning!

"Bakit ngayon ka lang tumawag?" may inis sa boses ko.

"Ah, eh, Sir...kanina pa po ako nagte-text at tumatawag sa cellphone nyo pero di nyo po sinasagot. Nagtanong na lang po ako sa reception, di naman daw kayo lumabas."

Napasapo ako sa ulo ko. I remembered putting my phone to silent nung bumalik ako sa Tommy's para sundan sina Drew.

Si Drew!

"Ah, Myra,"

"S-sir?"

"Pasensya na. Sorry for my outburst. Anyway, cancel my visit to El Nido site today with hotel service. I will call the engineer there myself. Just get any message for me and do not schedule any appointment today. "

"Sige po."

"Myra, can you transfer my call to the HR head?"

I spoke with the HR head to come to my unit and bring Drew's full 201 file. I instructed her to make this inquiry confidential.

While waiting, I ordered my breakfast to be delivered to my unit plus some meds for headache.

Nag-uumpisa pa lang akong kumain nang dumating ang HR head.

"Take a sit," I offered Mrs. Sancho, the HR head.

"Thank you, Sir. Ito po yung file na hinihingi nyo."

Inabot ko iyon at hininto ang pagkain. Una kong tiningnan ang resume ni Drew. Andromeda dela Cruz. Single pa rin. Nakahinga ako ng maluwag.

I checked her Philhealth and BIR forms. She has one dependent. So, anak nya nga yung bata. Hope dela Cruz. Napangiti ako. Magandang pumili ng pangalan si Drew.

"Mr. Schulz, ah, may problema po ba kay Ms. Dela Cruz? Kasi so far, maganda po ang record nya sa amin," may pag-aalala sa boses nito.

Napaangat ako ng tingin sa kanya. "No, wala naman," tinitigan ko ito. "Mrs. Sancho, I have questions about her, but I want my inquiries kept in utmost confidentiality, alright?"

Tumango ito.

"Can you tell me anything about Ms. Dela Cruz?"

"Matalinong bata. She aced her exams during recruitment. Actually, over qualified sya pagiging receptionist kung pagbabasehan ang exams at interview nya. Even in the skills she is showing now. Gusto nga sana syang kunin sa management team. It's just that, she was not a college graduate. Requirement po kasi iyon."

"What about these two records? Kaka-regular pa lang nya yet she went on a three-day leave, at the same time she took a company loan?"

"Nakiusap po kasi sya. Umiiyak sya na tumawag dito. Na-confine yung anak nya. Binabawas naman po sa sweldo nya yung loan nya katulad sa iba."

"Do you know anything about Ms. Dela Cruz' daughter?"

"Wala naman syang nababanggit. "

"Anything about the father?"

Nagulat ito sa tanong ko at tila nalambungan ng pagdududa ang mata nito. Iniisip nya bang anak ko yung bata kasi halata naman na matagal na kaming magkakilala ni Drew? Well, wala akong pakialam kung ganoon ang isipin nito. Mabuti nga iyon.

"Wala, Sir. She is a very private person. Wala ngang pakialam sa mga tsismis dito kahit iyung iba ay tungkol sa kanya."

"Do you have any idea why would she decline my offer for the personal assistant post for the ground that she cannot travel a lot?"

Umiling lang ito.

"I see. Alright. That's all. I will keep her 201 file and review it further. Thank you!"

Matapos itong umalis, binuksan ko muli ang folder ni Drew. I flipped on some papers there, then I saw her transcript. And it surprised me. She could have graduated as magna cum laude based on her weighted average, lamang kulang ng isang semestre. Tiningnan ko ang petsa kung kailan sya huminto. Ito yung panahong nawala sya, at malamang nagbuntis. Hindi na sya nakabalik sa pag-aaral.

I looked at her transcript as well... St. Margaret University .... wait! Tiningnan ko ang batch nya at kurso.

I took my phone and dialled.

"Hello, Kuya Rich?"

"How are you, li'l sis?"

"Himala, kinamusta mo ako?" pang-aasar pa nito sa akin.

"Nah, I just miss you and mom. Where is she?" tanong ko.

"She's doing better. She's with Tito Frank sa therapy room. Sya ang kasunod after mom's session. " sagot nito. "I'm just waiting outside."

Nasa US silang tatlo ngayon. My mom and my dad had a vehicular accident almost two months ago and had to undergo therapy to be able to walk right again. Si Sarah ang pinapunta ko sa US para samahan at alagaan ang dalawa, maliban sa mga private nurses ng mga ito.

"'Musta preparation ng kasal mo?" tanong ko dito.

"Hold muna. Naintindihan naman ni Erol. Unahin muna sina mommy. Next year pa naman ang wedding date namin. Tsaka next year pa rin naman matatapos ang El Nido site mo, di ba?"

Iyun kasi ang pinangako kong regalo sa kasal nito. Sagot ko ang venue ng kasal at reception. Sila ang unang wedding event doon.

"Sarah, may itatanong sana ako sa iyo."

"Basta wag calculus!" tumawa ito.

"Silly!" natawa rin ako. "Sarah...do you happen to know a certain Andromeda dela Cruz?"

"Si Andie?!" she exclaimed. It's confirmed, she knows her. "Yes! Why, you met her?"

"So, you do know her."

"She is ... well , was, I guess, my bestfriend," tila may tampo sa mga sinabi nito. "After her freak accident and that asshole Aris break up and all, she told us she and her sister needed to go to Cebu and poof...they disappeared! She could have talked to me or Rika or Sam. But she chose to cut all communication with us. We can't even get in to her FB account, kahit kay Juno. I don't know."

Then Sarah told me that Drew was really a good singer and pianist. She was popular at the school choir aside from supposedly running magna cum laude, kundi lang ito nahinto sa pag-aaral. Even the death of her parents which lead her to work as a band vocalist to earn a living for her and her sister. I cut her off when she was telling me about Drew's relationship with Aris. I wasn't interested.

"I see. I will call you back,ok?"

"Wait, Kuya. Did you see her? Please tell her to call me, or better yet, give me her number."

"I will but not now. She doesn't know we are related. I ... I just need to figure out something first."

"Are you in Cebu?"

"No, I'm in Palawan. She's here. Working in our hotel for almost a year now."

"What?!"

"Yes, anyway, I met her and that Aris guy long time ago," I said, then I told her how I met Drew years ago, and what happened in Palawan... but I never mentioned about the child. It seems that Drew disappeared because of that. I want to keep it that way until I know what happened. And until Drew is ready to come out in the open.

"I'm going there!" Sarah said.

"No, please...not yet. Not now!"

"Why is that?"

"She's trying to avoid something or someone."

"Like what?"

"I.. I don't know. That's something I'm trying to figure out. Kaya nga tinawagan kita agad nung makita ko ang transcript nya. Pareho kayo ng university, kurso at batch. Just not now, ok. I will let you know, and I will tell her eventually about you."

"Hhhmmm....Kuya, what's going on?" parang gustong mag-init ng mukha ko sa tono ng salita ni Sarah. "You like her, don't you?"

"Ahhm...well..."

"Alright, I'll let you be... for now. I'll tell Rika and Sam... but not Erol yet. He's Aris' buddy. Not good if that asshole knows where she is."

"Why? Isn't he married? I was there when his engagement to another girl was announced more than three years ago!"

"No, they're still engaged. Dunno know why that long."

"Thanks for letting me know. Sarah, don't come here yet, ok? It might scare her away."

"Sige, pero keep me posted, or else I will go there."

After that conversation, nadagdagan ng dalawang bagay na ang gumugulo sa akin. Hindi alam ni Sarah ang tungkol sa bata, considering they were bestfriends. Itinago nya talaga since she planned their disappearance. Second is, that douche bag is not yet married.

Pero, si Drew ... mas magiging masaya sya kung mabubuo ang pamilya nya. Pero, alam ba ni Aris na buntis si Drew? Baka hindi rin, dahil malamang, lalong hind imaghihiwalay ang dalawa. 

Baka tinakot sya ni Mr. Kho kaya sya lumayo. Pero, paanong malalaman ng daddy ni Aris kung ito mismo ay hindi alam? O alam nila pero pinili pa rin ni Aris ang... ah ewan...ang sakit sa ulo.

I need to make a move. 

Pinilit ko na lang tapusin ang kinain ko. Then I took a quick shower and changed.

I called Mrs. Sancho again.

"I will talk to Ms. Dela Cruz today. Have someone from the agency to cover for her at the reception. "

"Yes, Sir."

Bago ako bumaba, tinawagan ko si Myra na pupuntahin si Drew sa opisina ko.

Drew's face was calm yet determined. I know she's thinking that I will ask her about the personal assistant post offer, and she will say no.

"So, what's your decision?" I asked.

"It's still a no, Reid," she said.

"You haven't heard the compensation yet."

Umiling ito.

I really admire this woman's disposition. She is striving hard to support her child even on her own.

"The personal assistant post is very demanding so I will triple your salary plus travel, food and clothing allowances. I've seen your 201 file," itinaas ko ang folder na hawak ko. Nagkaroon ng pag-aalala sa mukha nya. "I can even cover the payment for a stay-in nanny for Hope, or you can bring them together when we travel. "

Doon na nanlaki ang mga mata nya.

"You had me investigated?!"

================  

Don't forget to comment and vote on each chapter!

Thanks and hope you enjoy!