Sa Las Flores sa McKinley napiling makipagkita ni Elton. Dahil siya naman ang nag-aya ng date na ito ay siya na rin ang pinapili ko kung saan kami kakain kahit pa nga ba tinanong niya ako kung saan ko gusto. Hindi naman ako maarte, kung sasabihin nga niyang sa Jollijeep ay sasama naman ako. Rance and I had tried Jollijeeping once, pareho kasi kaming na-curious nang minsang mapanuod namin iyon sa isang vlog sa YouTube. Marami sa Makati kaya agad naming napuntahan, masarap at mura, mababait pa 'yung mga nagtitinda sa nakainan namin.

Elton had already reserved a table for us, kaya naman doon na ako iginiya ng maître d' nang sabihin ko ang pangalan niya rito. Lumibot ang aking tingin sa paligid, kahit itong Las Flores ay nakainan na namin ni Rance. Hilig rin kasi talaga naming dalawa ang mag-food trip lalo kapag wala kaming magawa.

"Summer," Elton exclaimed as he stood up from his seat, a warm smile spreading across his face.

I thanked the maître d' before taking in Elton's appearance. Hindi siya nagpasalamat rito o tinapunan man lang ito ng tingin, perhaps he was just too absorbed in seeing me after what felt like forever. Ang huli kong kita sa kaniya ay college graduation pa namin.

He pulled out a chair for me, his eyes lingering on me appreciatively. "You look so pretty,"

Tipid ko lang siyang nginitian dahil alam kong charot lang 'yun. Hindi naman ako maganda, sakto lang. Pero syempre, baka ganito talaga pag-date. Required niyong purihin ang isa't isa. Sandali kong nilingon si Elton bago maupo. "Thank you. You're not so bad yourself,"

Sa totoo lang, hindi ko na masyadong tanda ang itsura niya nung college kami kaya hindi ko rin masabi kung may nagbago ba rito. Although, looking at him now I could tell he was doing well for himself. He had a polished appearance and his attire was neat and stylish. Hindi rin nakatakas sa akin ang pasimple ngunit disimulado niyang paghawi ng suot na longsleeves, revealing a glimpse of his wristwatch. A Rolex.

I was never one to be impressed by material possessions, but perhaps he didn't mean to show it off. Who knows? It could have just been a subconscious gesture. Regardless, I made a mental note of it and focused on the conversation at hand. After all, there was more to a person than just the things they owned.

"Kumusta ka na? Ang tagal rin nating hindi nagkita, ah." Sabi niya pagkatapos naming umorder.

Medyo nahiya pa nga ako dahil alam kong hindi naman mura sa restaurant na ito, so talagang 'yung pinakamura lang ang inorder ko. But he insisted that I should try the steak, hindi ko na sinabing na-try ko na iyon dahil paborito ni Rance ang steak, kaya sa lahat ng pagdadalhan sa akin nito'y hindi 'yon mawawala sa meal. Hindi bale, mamaya kapag nag bill out ay sasabihan ko itong makikipag-split ako. Wala namang problema, sana lang ay hindi siya ma-offend.

"Ayos naman. Ganoon pa rin," sagot ko sa kaniya. "Ikaw? Kumusta ka? Sa totoo lang wala na akong balita sa iba nating mga kaklase at ka-batch maliban sa mga napopost niyo sa Facebook. Hindi rin naman ako masyadong tutok sa social media, kaya kung ano lang ang makita ko sa feed sa libreng oras ay iyon lang nasasagap ko."

Elton nodded, sipping his drink before launching a series of updates about our college batchmates. He seemed to know an awful lot about who married who, where they ended up after college, and how their lives were at the moment.

"Remember Jane? She's married now, moved to New York with her husband. They just had their first baby a few months ago," kuwento niya.

Tumango ako. I remember her, but we weren't friends. Kahit nga ata sa Facebook ay hindi kami connected. Nagpanggap na lang akong interesado sa sinasabi ni Elton para hindi naman siya mapahiya.

"Si Mark, natatandaan mo pa? He's doing really well for himself. Got a job at a big firm right out of college. Last I heard, he's engaged to his longtime girlfriend," he continued, his tone animated as he recounted the details. "Baka nga kinasal na."

Listening to Elton's updates, I couldn't help but wonder why he seemed so invested in the lives of others. Was he genuinely interested, or was there something more to it? Marami pa siyang binanggit na mga kaklase namin na halos hindi ko na tanda ang mga pangalan, medyo naaalala ko na lang kapag dini-describe niya.

As I took sips of my red wine, I nodded along, offering the occasional "Oh, really?" or "That's great to hear." But in reality, my mind was wandering, si Boy Abunda ata 'tong nasa harapan ko.

Perhaps it was just his way of making conversation, or maybe he genuinely cared about keeping up with old friends. Masyado ko lang sigurong hinuhusgahan agad.

As our orders arrived, I shifted my focus to the delicious food in front of us, eager to feast on the delectable dishes. Medyo pigil pa nga ang kain ko dahil hindi naman si Rance ang kasama ko, nakakahiya. Isa pa, parang gusto ni Elton na tuloy-tuloy lang ang usap naming dalawa kahit pa kumakain. Okay lang naman, since date nga kasi ito.

"How about you? What do you do for a living?" Interesado niyang tanong, sandali akong sinulyapan bago galawin ang pagkain na nasa kaniyang harapan.

I took a moment to consider my response. Everyone knew about my family and my father, who had recently finished his term as President last year. I couldn't exactly tell Elton the truth about my work designing weapons for Pen Def. Not only was it confidential, but I was sure he would freak out if he knew. Sinong hindi? Bali-baliktarin man natin ang mundo at kahit gaano pa pagandahin ang tawag sa ginagawa namin sa Pen Def, I'm still an assassin. Hired to kill.

"I design technology for my uncle's firm," I replied simply, opting for a vague but truthful answer.

Elton nodded, seeming satisfied with my response. "That sounds interesting. Must keep you busy," he remarked, taking a bite of his meal.

"Yeah, it does," I agreed, grateful for the change in topic.

As we continued to eat and chat, ay hindi pa rin mawala sa akin kakaibang damdamin sa paraan ng pakikipag-usap sa akin ni Elton. It was as if he wanted something from me. Eh, pero normal naman iyon, 'di ba? Kaya nga kami nag-date kasi may gusto siya sa akin.

Despite my reservations, I tried to relax and enjoy the evening. After all, Elton had been nothing but pleasant company so far, and it was nice to catch up with an old acquaintance, even if his interest in my life and the lives of others was a bit overwhelming.

As the night wore on, we delved into lighter topics, nasa ganoong usapan kami nang tumunog ang phone niya. Nahihiyang inilabas niya iyon mula sa bulsa at sinulyapan saglit bago ako balingan to excuse himself.

"Sandali lang, Sum. My wife is calling, sagutin ko lang 'to. Baka magalit si Misis, mahirap na." He grinned sheepishly before standing up and turning away.

Wife?

WIFE?!

Tama ba ang narinig ko? Asawa niya ang tumawag? So, he was married?! Tapos ano? Bakit nakikipag-date siya sa akin? Anong kalokohan 'to? Ano bang feeling niya? Papatol ako sa may asawa? Ano? Gusto niya pa akong gawing kabit?! Hoy, hindi ako nagpaka-virgin sa mahabang panahon just to become someone's side piece, okay! Animal na 'to!

Pinanuod ko siyang lumabas ng restaurant mula sa aking kinauupuan. I could feel the anger boiling inside me. How dare he deceive me like this? How dare he think it was okay to pursue me while he was married? Ang kapal ng mukha!

All my hopes for a pleasant evening shattered into a million pieces. Hindi ko naman syempre inaasahan na magiging boyfriend ko siya, o ni ginusto man lang. Pero umasa akong this was a start of something else. I genuinely believed this date would turn out well. I even allowed myself to hope for a connection, for a chance at something real. And now all I felt was rage and pity.

Rage for Elton, for his deceitful behavior, for his utter disregard for his marriage vows. How could he do this to his wife? How could he disrespect her like this? Putanginang 'to! Kasahan ko kaya 'to ng baril.

And of course, pity for myself, for allowing myself to be deceived, for allowing myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, this time would be different.

Ilang babae naman kaya ang dinate date ng hinayupak na ito habang may asawa na siya? How many other lives had he disrupted with his selfish actions?

Bigla akong natigilan. Kung binalak ni Elton na lokohin nga ako, bakit naman napaka kaswal ng pagkakabanggit niya sa misis niya? If he wanted me for a mistress, he wouldn't tell me his wife was calling. He would've made some shitty excuse, or simply just didn't answer the call.

Hindi kaya ako ang namali ng intindi?

Ilang sandali pa ay bumalik na sa table si Elton, nakangiti pa nga.

"Sorry about that. Hindi kasi mapakali si Digna kapag umaalis ako, lalo ngayong buntis siya."

Pilit akong ngumiti, unti-unting tinatanggap ang katotohanang ginawa kong tanga ang sarili ko sa gabing ito. I put my fork down and leaned against my seat, staring at Elton. "Why did you ask me out?"

I could clearly say that he was taken aback by my question, pero ngumiti pa rin atsaka tinuro ang plato ko. "Kumain muna tayo, Sum. We could talk business later,"

Business? Tumiim ang aking bagang. Kapag talaga tinanong niya ako kung open-minded ba ako ay itataob ko itong mesang nakapagitan sa amin. Dahil hind, hindi ako open-minded!

Sinulyapan ko ang pagkaing nasa aking harapan, masarap pa naman. Sayang at nawalan na ako ng gana.

As Elton noticed my lack of interest in the food, he cleared his throat and delicately wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin. "You seem distracted, Sum,"

Lalo akong iginugupo ng pagkapahiya. How fool I was to think this was a date. Clearly, I was mistaken.

Hindi ako nagsalita. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain whatever this was.

"I work for Star Life as a financial adviser," sabi niya sa mas pormal na tinig, tumuwid pa ng upo. "I asked you out tonight to see if you'd be interested in getting a life insurance policy."

My heart sank as his words registered. Hindi nga ito date. It was just another sales pitch disguised as a social outing. All the more reason I felt stupid for thinking otherwise. Kingina, insurance pa nga ang nais.

"I see," I replied curtly, trying to mask my disappointment. Kahit man lang konti ay maisalba ko ang pride ko. "Well, thank you for the offer, but I'm not interested."

Elton nodded understandingly, though I could sense a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "Of course, I understand. Pasensya ka na kung hindi ko agad sinabi sa chat, baka kasi hindi ka pumunta at makipagkita sa akin."

Hindi talaga! Putangina mo!

I forced a tight-lipped smile, not wanting to dwell on the embarrassment any longer. "It's fine,"

Kaya naman pala mukhang updated na updated siya sa ganap ng mga dati naming kaklase. Malamang ay nakumbinsi o sinubukan niya ring kumbisihin ang mga ito na kumuha ng life insurance policy sa kaniya. I wouldn't have entertained him, but I would've appreciated it more kung nagpakatotoo na lamang ito sa chat pa lang hindi 'yung ganitong mukha akong tanga.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of disillusionment wash over me. I had allowed myself to hope for something more, only to be let down once again.

The rage I felt earlier slowly dissipated, and the pity doubled.

Tanga mo, Summer.

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