#LGS1Ga #LGS1Chapter42 #LaGrilla1

***

"IMEE," tawag ni Leo sa kaniya nang matanaw siya.

Naghihintay si Leo sa tabi ng sasakyan nito, sa bukana ng village ng mga trabahador sa Hacienda Hermano. Simula kasi nang malaman ni Ava ang namagitan sa binata at kay Melissa ay iniiwasan na nito ang nakagawiang iparada ang sasakyan sa tapat ng mansiyon ni Jamer.

May usapan sina Imee at Leo noong Pasko na susunduin siya nito ngayong ikaapat na araw ng Enero ng madaling-araw dahil sasama na siya sa bahay nito sa Maynila. Kaya heto at nilapitan na niya ang binata.

Imee smiled and raised the plastic file envelope bag she was holding. Ito ang naiwan niya sa bahay at binalikan dahil narito ang mga dokumento na kailangan niya sa pag-e-enroll sa college.

Iikot na sana siya patungo sa pinto ng passenger seat nang pigilan ng naglalambing na boses ni Leo.

"Gaaaa . . ."

'Ga' na ang tawagan nila, short for 'pangga,' a Bicolano word for 'love.'

Nagkabalikan na sina Imee at Leo noong mismong bisperas ng Pasko. Pag-uwi kasi nila ay bumulaga sa kanila ang pagiging supportive ng mga magulang niya sa kanila kung sakali na gusto nilang magkabalikan uli. Imee didn't know what Leo's parents told her parents, but they seemed to help fix the strain between Leo and her parents.

Nagpipigil ng ngiti na nilingon niya ito. "Yes, ga?"

"Come here."

Imee obeyed him.

"Turn around," he smiled as soon as they were face to face.

Napanguso siya saglit pero tumalikod din agad dito. "Ano'ng gagawin mo? Pipiringan mo 'ko?" mahina niyang tawa.

"No," mahigpit nitong wika bago gumaan at lumambing ang boses. "Nare la'ang."

"Pagkalamyos-lamyos naman ng boses 'pag nag-Batangeño na, e! Nakaka-in love!"

They both chuckled heartily at how true that was.

Her question earlier was completely answered when she felt a gold chain slide and cling around her neck. Leo secured the mini lock on her nape before he gently turned her around to face him.

He beamed. "Ah, so beautiful. I'm talking about you, Imee. The necklace comes second."

Nangingiting yumuko si Imee at tumingin sa hawak ang pendant ng kuwintas.

"I can't read it," nakangiting angat niya ng tingin dito.

"Ganileo," basa ni Leo sa mga letrang dikit-dikit at cursive ang pagkakasulat na pendant ng kuwintas.

"Galileo?" kunot-noo niya.

He chuckled lowly. "Ga ni Leo. Pangga ni Leo."

Natatawang napailing si Imee. "Aba'y matulin! Mga one week pa lang ang call sign natin, may k'wintas na!"

"Ano'ng call sign? Endearment!" Leo corrected light-heartedly as he walked her around the car and opened the car door for her. "Nagustohan mo ba ang k'wintas, ga?"

"S'yempre naman, ga!" upo niya sa tabi ng driver's seat. Her fingers still fondled and twiddled the pendant lightly, tracing its letters at times.

"I glad," patong nito ng siko sa ibabaw ng bukas na pinto ng kotse. "Araw-araw mong suotin para alam ng lahat na pangga kita. Para na rin lumayo agad ang mga patron mo sa Atlantis kapag nakita at nakilala ka nila."

"What a possessive baby," she teased.

"Me? A possessive baby? I'm not even possessive yet! Maingat lang ako!" tawa ng binata. "Mabuti na ang sigurado. Hindi ko pa rin nakalilimutan 'yong pagsayaw-sayaw n'yo nina Curtis."

She grinned. "To tell the truth, intensiyon ko lang din talaga noong una na asarin ka kaya kahit hindi ko sigurado kung ano ang motibo ni Curtis, e, ginawa ko 'yong dance na 'yon."

Leo took his elbow away from the top of the car door. "And you really know how to play with my feelings, ga. You won that night. Naasar mo talaga ako no'ng gabing 'yon. Kaya nagalit talaga ako sa pagsayaw mo no'n, e, kasi alam kong parte 'yon ng pagganti mo sa 'kin, na nag-e-enjoy ka lang noon na galitin ako. Birthday na birthday ko, hindi mo man lang ako binigyan ng break sa war natin!"

They shared a hearty laughter before Leo closed the door to take on the driver's seat of the car.

As he started the car, Imee asked, "E, pa'no naman ako? Kung ako may talisman—" angat niya sa pendant ng kuwintas, "—pangontra sa mga mahaharot na lalaki, pa'no naman ikaw na malakas sa mga chicks?"

He cocked his head to her direction, smirked smugly, and tugged down the collar of his blue button-down shirt to show her his 'Ganimi' necklace

Leo pulled the necklace out and tucked it under the collars of his shirt to stop from sliding under his shirt, to keep them in place and exposed.

"Ganimi!" she giggled, having a hard time to conceal how giddy she felt.

He stared into her eyes soulfully. "Ga ni Mimi. Mahal ni Mimi, ni Imee. I enjoyed reading law books, pero ito—" kapa ng hintuturo ni Leo sa mga letra sa pendant ng kuwintas, "—ito ang pinakamagandang nabasa ko sa buong buhay ko. Na mahal mo ako."

Imee melted as her smile turned softer.

"'Yan, may talisman na tayo laban sa mga manlalandi sa atin. Not sure though if this is effective against relationship wreckers." Leo shrugged then maneuvered the car away from where it was parked.

"Ay, tiyak na hindi tatalab. Hindi rumerespeto sa label ang mga taong gay'on, e."

"E, 'di kaltokan na lang natin?" biro nito bago sila bumunghalit ng tawa.

***

IMEE smiled when she laid her eyes on Leo. In the car, he was smiling, grinning, or laughing as they talked. She had a feeling that Leo was getting better, recovering well from his trauma.

But, it was too early to say though . . .

Sinaway tuloy ni Imee ang sarili.

'Leo can handle his issues, okay? Huwag mo nang tanungin o pakialamanan kung kumusta na ang therapy niya. Let him sort things out on his own. It's his responsibility to take. Ang gawin mo lang ay maging sweet at supportive sa kaniya He'll ask for your help, when he needs it. Trust him.'

"About Curtis, dadaanan muna natin siya sa isang mall bago umuwi," anunsiyo ni Leo nang makarating sila sa Alabang. "I promised to drop off some signed papers for his complaint to this modeling agency."

"Okay lang, ga."

"Saglit lang 'yon, kaya p'wede tayong mamasyal at kumain kung gusto mo. I'm sure Yaya Lumeng restocked but, if you need to buy some groceries that you prefer, let's drop by the supermarket too."

Upon arrival at the mall, they split up because Leo volunteered to search for a restaurant where they can have late lunch and book a reservation for 1 P.M. It was only eleven in the morning, but Leo assumed that the noon schedule might be fully-booked already at this point, so they agreed to dine-in at one in the afternoon.

Samantala, naiwanan si Imee mag-isa para mamili ng mga kakailanganin niya sa supermarket. At dahil nag-iisa ay malaya siyang inatake ng mga alalahanin sa kaniyang isip, karamihan ay tungkol sa kapakanan ni Leo.

Napabuntonghininga si Imee. 'Bakit ba nag-o-overthink ako rine? Leo seems happy today, and I should take it for what it is.' Sinaway niya uli ang sarili. 'Huwag mong isiping bala-balang tawa at ngiti ang ipinapakita n'ya sa 'yo ngayong araw, Imee. Hindi sa lahat ng oras ay may kinalaman ang trauma n'ya sa mga ikinikilos n'ya o sinasabi.'

"Ga."

Napalingon si Imee kay Leo, may bitbit itong dalawang pack ng mixed nuts.

"Kompleto na ba ang gusto mong bilhin?" sulyap nito sa cart niya na tatatlo lang ang laman—isang pack ng chocolate, isang pack ng wipes, dalawang pack ng sanitary napkins, at isang puting scrunchie.

"Ayos na 'to."

Leo grinned. "Sa cashier na tayo at hinihintay na raw tayo ni Curtis."

After their quick shopping, Leo carried the grocery canvas bag and his brown briefcase bag with one hand as the other guided Imee by the elbow to the bowling area of the mall.

"Do you want me to teach you how to play bowling, ga?" lingon nito sa kaniya.

Nakangiting umiling si Imee. "Hindi na. Panoorin na lang kita kung maglalaro ka."

"Come on, ga," akbay nito sa kaniya. "Sino'ng makakalaro ko kung manonood ka lang?"

"Leo!" tawag ng kung sino.

Pinanood nila ang paglapit sa kanila ni Curtis. Leo's eyes narrowed when Curtis smiled at her.

"Don't you dare," he warned.

"Yeah," tawa lang ni Curtis nang ibalik agad ang tingin kay Leo. "So, you finally got back together, huh? There must be something about Christmas possessing you with the spirit of forgiveness. It doesn't work for my brother though–" Nabasa ni Curtis ang nakasulat sa kuwintas ni Imee.

"Ganileo?" he snickered. "I don't know what 'Ga' means, but the 'Leo' makes the context obvious. What a possessive turd!"

"Shut it," Leo rolled his eyes. "Tapos ka na ba manggulo? Can I give you the papers now?"

"Later!" anito at nagpatiuna sa paglakad.

Imee looked at Leo curiously when he scowled at Curtis before following him. Sa pagkakataong ito ay hila-hila na siya sa kamay ng binata habang nilalakihan nito ang mga hakbang.

"One-on-one tayo?" masiglang hamon ni Curtis dito.

"Sa bowling? No, thanks. As you can see, I'm with Imee. After our meetup, we're heading straight to the resto where I booked a table for us."

Lumaki ang ngiti nito. "That's sweet! Thanks for considering me. Tamang-tama, hindi pa ako nagla-lunch—"

"We," tila aburidong putol ni Leo sa pagsasalita ni Curtis. "By 'we,' I mean, Imee and I. Just we two."

Curtis led them to the sleek seats by the sidelines of the bowling area.

"Bilang kliyente ko, karapatan mo na manatili sa pagitan lang nating dalawa ang usapan tungkol sa ihahabla mong reklamo. So, should I tell Imee to leave?"

Curtis shrugged. "Nah. She can listen in to our meeting. I permit."

Leo nodded.

They took their own seats and without a word, Leo opened the briefcase on his lap and handed a folder to his client.

"I signed it except for one because I had it retyped and revised. Pirma mo na lang ang kulang sa page na 'yon. Please, double check."

Curtis scanned the documents hastily. Wala man maunawaan si Imee sa pinag-uusapan ng dalawa ay matiyaga siyang nakinig sa mga ito at inobserbahan ang facial expressions ng mga ito.

"Why did you freaking lowered my asking amount for the damages?" simangot ni Curtis kay Leo. "I hope this isn't you taking this personally. Alam kong nakukulitan ka na sa 'kin, but all I wanted is to just be your friend."

"Only because I'm your brother's friend," Leo answered, unaffected.

"Is it only Claude who has the right to have cool friends? A lawyer, a beer manufacturer, a maf—" He coughed and chuckled. "A motherfucking hotel chain magnate, a long-haired engineer, a J-Rock inspired rockstar—"

"Just focus on the papers, Curtis. Ayokong malipasan ng gutom ang pangga ko."

Nahihiyang napayuko ng ulo si Imee. Of course, there's nothing to be embarrassed about being called in an endearment in public, but she was just not used to it yet.

Curtis closed the folder and met Leo's eyes. This time, the curly-haired man was dead-serious. "I don't like the amount in your revision. Hindi gano'n kababa ang katumbas ng image at consent ko."

"I'll use layman terms so you'll understand. You signed an agreement with them, giving the modeling agency the right to pick projects for you. So, we are only charging for moral damages, for attaching a predatory tagline to your butt-naked ad photo for a wristwatch brand. We will emphasize that although you have no say to how they'll market their products, the tagline will tarnish your good image and doesn't align with your values—something that your agency should have looked into before putting you into this project. You can't complain, though, that they trespassed your right to consent since you relinquished that privilege by entrusting them to choose projects for you."

Curtis clicked his tongue in disappointment and shook his head. "Fine."

"Just call or email once you've decided when to file the complaint. I have to prepare since it'll be tedious to file cases against an international based agency."

"You're sure, you can hold international cases, huh?"

"Yes. You know I took Master of Law. A degree in International Law." Leo turned to her and gave her a nod, signaling her to stand up. "We're leaving, ga."

Sabay silang tumayo ng lalaki nang nagmamadaling napatayo na rin si Curtis. The moment Leo held her hand, the man spoke in calm frustration.

"Up to this point, you're still detached and cold to me. Hindi ka naman siguro manhid para hindi ma-realize na ako ang dahilan kaya nakasama mo uli si Imee. I made you go to Atlantis to see her. I made arrangements so that you can take her home. I broke the ice between you two by suggesting that sexy dance on your birthday."

"Well then, thank you," malamig na saad ni Leo at hinila na siya sa kamay. "Ang tunay na kaibigan, hindi humihingi ng kapalit sa pagtulong. So, stop asking me for anything in return."

Napatigil sila nang magpahabol si Curtis. "Is it Claude? Did he warn you to stay away from me? Do you really think, kinakaibigan ko kayong mga kaibigan n'ya para espiyahan s'ya o ano pa man?"

Leo turned to Curtis. "I never liked you since I started tutoring you and your batchmates in college, before I even became friends with Claude and the rest of my men."

Nagsalubong ang mga kilay nito. "Why?"

"Because you always carry a camera. You love taking stolen shots of people. I hate that." Then he glanced at her with worry in his eyes. "Let's go, Imee."

Nang nakaalis na sila sa bowling area ng mall ay pasimpleng sinilip ni Imee ang mukha ni Leo. She was wondering how she could snap Leo out of his bad mood. Should she talk about his feelings or talk about something else to divert his mind away from Curtis?

Maybe, it was better if they would settle the issue first.

"Si Curtis . . . ka-batch nina Claude?"

"Yes. Hindi ko sila ka-batch. I'm two years older than most of them," ani Leo. "I met them when I was studying Political Science. I was their tutor. Naging kaibigan ko lang sila no'ng graduating na 'ko at lilipat na sa Law school."

"Pero hindi mo kinaibigan si Curtis dahil may camera s'ya?"

Leo took in a deep breath and squeezed her hand. Bumagal ang paglalakad nila.

His eyes remained to the front as he continued, "Curtis must be a nice guy. But, I just can't be friends with him. He reminds me of Melissa. He's like Melissa. He likes using his camera, he takes stolen shots of people . . ."

Imee swallowed and nodded before she lowered her head. Pinisil niya ang kamay ng binata para iparamdam dito ang pagdamay at pagsuporta niya. "Nauunawaan ko."

Then, she changed the topic to lighten the mood a bit.

"Since maglo-Law ako, p'wede ko bang malaman kung ano 'yong kaso na pinag-uusapan n'yo ni Curtis?"

"I can, since pumayag naman s'yang makinig ka sa meeting natin kanina. Ang i-e-explain ko nga lang ay kung ano ang mga narinig mo kanina. Iyon lang kasi ang parte nitong complaint ni Curtis na may permiso n'ya na marinig mo."

"Okay," excited niyang ngiti. "May narinig akong modeling agency, moral damages, at . . ." sinikap niyang alalahanin ang iba pang mga narinig. "At butt-naked."

Leo frowned, facing her. "Ga, sa dami ng pinag-usapan namin kanina 'yong pagpapakita pa talaga ni Curtis ng p'wit ang pinaka-naalala mo?"

This was only when she realized what she just said. Butt-naked!

"Aba'y, pa'no ko malilimutan 'yon, e, nagrereklamo s'ya na pinicturan siya na labas ang p'wit niya!"

Nahihiyang napatingin sa mga tao sa paligid si Leo bago ibinalik ang tingin sa kaniya. "Ga, hindi 'yon ang inirereklamo n'ya. He's an international model and he agreed to show his butt in the photos."

Naningkit ang mga mata niya dahil sa pagtataka. "International model? E, 'di sikat siya? Bakit hindi s'ya pinagkaguluhan dito sa mall?"

"He's an international model, yes, but his photos are not published that much here in the Philippines. He poses for high-end products, mostly European brands and his ads are aimed at the European market."

"A, hindi umaabot dito sa Pilipinas ang pictures n'ya," translate ni Imee para masiguradong tama ang pagkakaintindi niya sa paliwanag ni Leo.

Leo shook his head. "Nope. Unless, may mag-search sa Internet."

Imee nodded. "A, ayos!"

At habang naglalakad patungo sa restaurant, ipinagpatuloy ni Leo ang pagpapaliwanag sa kaniya tungkol sa narinig niya na pinag-usapan nito at ni Curtis na may kinalaman sa reklamo ng huli. Imee got distracted only once, because she felt herself smiling and she wondered why.

Then, she realized that she was just happy. She realized that what made her happy was watching Leo do what he loved doing—teaching, explaining things, even to her. And the sweetest thing about the way he explained things to her was how sweetly he smiled at her, how gentle his manner of speaking was, and how patient he was with her questions. He never found her questions stupid even when deep inside, Imee felt like a fool for asking simple questions about their conversations.

Lumapad ang ngiti niya nang lingonin uli siya nito at ngitian.

"Nakuha mo ga?" magaan nitong tanong tungkol sa paliwanag nito tungkol sa moral damages.

She smiled and nodded. "Oo, ga. Kuhang-kuha ko. Kuhang-kuha ko na may ilalalim pa pala ang pagmamahal ko sa 'yo."

He froze, pleasantly stunned for a moment before he chuckled andsheepishly looked away. As he chuckled, he gently shook his head making hisblond hair sweep in the air, as if he was totally swept off his feet by herwords.

***

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COME HERE
La Grilla Series #1
Copyright Registered: 2024
R-18, General Fiction, Sexy Romance, Drama

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