Chapter 11

Raj's was like a mini-mansion. He got it all.

When he brought me to the room where I would stay for the rest of our agreement, I was in surprised. Mas malaki iyon kompara sa tinutuluyan ko kina Priti. Ang banyo ng kwarto ko ay halos pwede nang mag-occupy ang isang guest. Nakakatuwa lang dahil magkakaroon na rin ako ng privacy. Hindi ko na rin iisipin ang mag-save ng pera para lang makalipat. I think Raj was a blessing in disguise kahit na may kapalit na gusto sa akin.

Hinayaan niya muna akong mag-ayos sa kwarto ko. I took the chance to call my family back home. Tuwang-tuwa naman sila nang makausap ako at ianunsyo ko sa kanila na natanggap na ako sa isang dream company ko. Seeing them all happy was enough for me. Iyon naman talaga ang gusto nila para sa akin. Nang tinanong nila kung nasaan ako, sinabi ko na lamang na may isa akong kaibigan na nagpapatuloy sa akin. Hindi ko sinabi si Raj dahil kilala rin nila ito at ang pamilya niya.

I didn't tell them about our agreement. For sure, hindi sila papayag do'n. Hindi naman ako fino-force ng magulang na magpakasal pa sa ngayon, but I knew at some point before, arranging me to marry someone else was brought to the table. Hindi ako umangal. Hindi ako nagbigay ng komento ro'n. Narinig ko lang 'yon no'ng pinag-uusapan nila kasama ang ibang kamag-anak namin. It seemed like they were trying to pair with me with a son of their friend who owned a construction business in the Philippines.

Ngayon na nasa Mumbai na ako, I marked myself safe from that situation, pero iba't ibang sitwasyon din naman ang naranasan ko bago ako makatungtong sa puntong ito.

Wala akong idea kung anong real deal with Pavan. Alam kong mabuting tao naman ang lalaking 'yon. I never had a feeling na may gagawin siyang masama sa akin. I knew about him about liking me was when Priti told me about it. Nahuli niya raw kasi one time sa isnag journal ito na puno ng pictures ko. Kulang na nga lang daw ay ritwalan ito para mahulog ako nang tuluyan sa kanya. I find it weird, pero hindi ko naman inisip na masama siyang tao.

Pero ngayon na inilagay niya ang buhay ko sa panganib, nagbago na ang pananaw ko sa kanya. The first time we met again sometime ago, he was telling me about all the achievements he had. Napag-isip-isip din ako na baka hindi naman totoo ang mga sinabi niya at gawa-gawa lang para maniwala ako. Kung totoo man ang ilan sa sinabi niya, good for him. Pero hinding-hindi na ako sasakay sa kotse niya. Baka iba na ang sunod na mangyari.

Saglit lang din naman nang makarinig ako ng katok sa pinto. Bumukas naman iyon nang kaunti at sumilip si Raj.

"How are you? Is everything okay?" he wondered. "Can I come in?"

I nodded and smiled. "Yes, obviously, you can. This is your house."

He smirked, putting his hands inside his grey shorts. "Yeah, I know, but this is your room and I don't want to intrude on your personal space."

I giggled. "It's okay, don't worry. And this room was bigger than I expected. You could've put me in a small room."

"No, no. I can't do that," he said, shaking his head. "I want my wife to stay in a comfortable space for her—even if it was just for pretending. Don't worry, Kash. You don't have to think about anything else. Ask what you want or need. You will meet Areesha tomorrow. She's a Pakistani and my helper in this house. She cook very good food, just ask her what you'd like."

"Does she also cook Filipino foods?"

He laughed. "Oh, that I'm not sure of. Maybe she can. Just ask her. She's nice. I don't even treat her as my helper at all."

"That's nice."

"Yeah. She wasn't today because she had something else to do, but she would stay here with us most of the nights. And don't mention anything about the car yet to her. She might panic and tell my parents immediately. I will get my car fixed tomorrow."

"No worries, you've got my word."

"Thank you, Kash. I won't keep bothering you anymore and you needed some rest. Tomorrow's your first day at work. I'm excited for you."

"Me, too, Raj! Thank you again. . . You're such a big help."

"You're welcome," he said, smiling. "Good night."

"Good night. . ." I said.

When I was left alone, I continued unpacking most of my stuff and put them in the closet. I never had a built-in closet so everything was new to me. Naging abala lang din ako sa pag-aayos ng mga gamit ko. It took me a while before I was able to settle everything. Marami pa naman akong aayusin, but I've got all I need there for now so I need a good rest.

Bago ako matulog ay nag-decide muna akong maligo para ma-refresh ko ang pakiramdam ko. Hindi naman sumagi sa isipan ko na halos thirty minutes na rin ang itinagal ko sa banyo. There was a bath tub in my bedroom's bathroom so I took the opportunity to do it. It was relaxing and refreshing. There was a free bath bomb that turned the water into silky pink foamy water. It has a scent of fresh picked rose kaya nakakagaan din sa pakiramdam.

It was an hour before midnight when I put myself in bed. Pagkalapat pa lamang ng likod ko sa kama ay halos lumubog ang katawan ko sa sobrang lambot at komportable nito. Makakatulog na ako nang maayos. A lot of things happened recently kaya siguro deserve ko namang magpahinga ng ganito.

The next morning, nagising na lamang ako na may kumakalabit sa balikat ko. I was having a good dream. Nasa Paris na raw ako at nakikipag-picture kay Cashel, pero hindi natuloy dahil may gumising sa akin. I was so annoyed, pero hindi ko na lang ipinahalata hangga't sa maimulat ko na ang mga mata ko at hindi pamilyar na mukha ang bumungad sa akin.

"Hello, Ma'am. Good morning!" pagbati nito sa akin na nakangiti. "I'm sorry if I came into your room. I was knocking for a few times already, but you weren't answering so I came in."

Umayos naman ako nang pagkahihiga ko. "No, no, it's okay. I think you didn't woke me up, I would up having a snooze fest. . . Are you Areesha?" I queried.

Ngumiti at saka tumango naman ito. "Yes, Ma'am. I'm Areesha. . . Sir Raj's beautiful helper. How can I help you today? Do you need me to get the bathtub ready or what?"

Agad naman akong umiling. "No, no. I'm fine. You don't have to bother."

"Oh, okay. . . What do you want to eat or drink?"

"Uhm. . . A coffee, I guess? And anything you would like to prepare for me. It doesn't matter which would it be."

"I see. . . Do you have any allergies?"

Umiling naman ako. "So far, I have no known allergies."

"Perfect! I'll be downstairs and you can check us out at the dining hall. Your food would be ready there."

"Nice. Thank you so much," aniko. "Can I ask where's Raj now? Is he still here?"

He nodded. "Yes, he's still in his room. I think he's still preparing. He said he will meet you at the dining hall that's why I also went to check on you."

"Got it, Areesha. Thank you so much. You're so nice."

"No worries," she said. "I'll be downstairs and if you need any help, let me know."

I put my thumbs up so she knew that I understand what she said. Nang umalis din naman siya ng kwarto ko ay mabilis akong nag-ayos. I quickly prepared for my bag and clothes to wear. Habang naliligo ako ay tinamaan naman ako ng kaba. This would be the first job I had in a corporate setup kaya hindi ko maiwasang mag-aalala.

Nang makatapos ako sa pagligo ay sinuot ko na ang damit na inihanda ko. I picked out a black pants and white blouse to wear. Something that was formal. First time ko ring mami-meet ang supervisor ko na si Kartik at umaasa ako na sana mabait siya. Naglagay naman ako ng kaunting blush on at lipstick para hindi masyadong bland ang hitsura ko. Matapos kong asikasuhin ang sarili ko ay lumabas na ako ng kwarto saka ko tinungo ang daan papuntang dining hall.

I was about to get lost, but good thing, Areesha saw me. Pagkarating ko sa dining hall ay wala pa naman si Raj. I settled myself while Areesha was putting plates and serving all the meals in front of me. Saglit lang din ay dumating na si Raj at umupo ito sa harapan ko.

"Here's your coffee, Ma'am," ani Areesha at saka nito inabot sa akin ang kape ko.

"Thank you. . ."

"And your tea, sir." Inabot ni Areesha ang tasa ng tsaa sa kanya.

"Good morning, Kash. How was your sleep?" he asked.

"Good morning, Raj. . . I had a good sleep. The room was cold and the bed was comfy. If it wasn't for Areesha, I think I might still be sleeping at this time."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I figured that. I'm glad you had a good sleep. Just like what I said to you last night, if you need anything else, just ask me or Areesha. Well, Areesha can help you with a lot of things around this place so she's your fairy godmother."

Kinindatan naman ako ni Areesha. Umalis din naman ito at naiwan kaming dalawa sa table.

"I have to say, Raj, since the day I came here to Mumbai, last night was the only night I got a good sleep. It was like I don't have to worry about anything else other than getting a good sleep."

"That's good," he said, smiling. "I'm happy for you, Kash. One more thing, please don't tell anyone that I was the one who processed your application, alright? They might wonder, but it shouldn't be a big deal. You have a good resume too so that shouldn't be a problem if someone questioned you or me."

Tumango naman ako sa kanya. "Yes, I will take note of that. . ."

"And that. . ." Tinuro naman niya ang singsing sa daliri ko. "You can take it of when no one's around, but in public, you have to wear it. . . Unfortunately."

"Yes, I will. I think I wouldn't just take this off since I don't want to lose it, and if I did, I have to pay you for it."

He chuckled. "Yes, please keep it safe. I'm trusting you on that one."

Nang matapos ang breakfast namin ay napagpasyahan na naming umalis ni Raj. Ibang sasakyan naman ang ginamit namin papunta sa work dahil sinabi nitong ipapadala muna ito sa repair shop para maayos ang side mirrors at maging ang ignition wires. Tahimik lang din naman ako buong biyahe dahil nangingibabaw ang kaba sa dibdib ko.

As soon as we reached the building, sabay na kaming pumasok ni Raj sa loob. He was greeted by some of his colleagues. I'm not sure if allowed ang magka-relationship dito. Nagulat ako nang kinuha niya ang kamay ko. I wasn't ready for this, but here I am now. . . it's now or never.

***