THE next few months were spent focused on VVatch’s latest watch collection. Natapos lang ang preparasyon kung kailan malapit na mag-Disyembre.

Sinimulan na i-market sa social media accounts ng VVatch ang mga bagong modelo ng wristwatch. Simpleng mga teaser pa lamang ito at pinapa-hype pa nila bago tuluyang gawing available sa merkado.

Kasalukuyang, tinatapos pa ang final packaging ng mga relo. Mabusisi rin ang pag-double check kung gumagana ang mga ito. Paige and Stacey worked together in personally checking the quality and design of each woven wristbands for the watches.

Si Renante naman ang bumisisi sa mismong mga relo, sa paggalaw ng mga kamay nito, at functionality ng mga knob nito. He was assisted by his hired watchmakers headed by Sir Monty all throughout the process.

Until second week before the end of November came. Sa panahong ito, halos mag-iisang buwan na rin hindi nakaka-interact nina Stacey ang sinuman mula sa Gallardo’s, kaya laking gulat nila nang bumisita sa kanilang opisina si Pierre.

“Good morning!” he beamed while being assisted by Eloisa to the Design Department.

Mabilis na iniwas ni Paige ang tingin dito. She focused her eyes on her tablet and tapped quickly on her Bluetooth keyboard. Stacey immediately got the message, kaya siya na ang tumayo mula sa silya para salubungin ang bisita.

“Pierre! What brings you here?” hilig niya ng ulo nang malapitan ito.

“I have news,” then Pierre turned to Eloisa. “You can join us, Eloisa.” Pagkatapos, ibinalik nito ang tingin sa kanya. “Saan ba tayo puwedeng mag-usap?”

Stacey lowered her eyes. Naramdaman niya kasi ang excited na paghablot ni Pierre sa kanyang kamay, malapit sa pupulsuhan. She stared and confirmed that it was really him holding her there.

Pagkatapos, inangat niya uli ang tingin nang magsalita ang lalaki.

“Puwede ba na ikaw na rin muna ang umabala kay Renante? Itong si Eloisa kas, natatakot abalahin ang boss niya. I want him to be the first to know this news. I know because he's the boss here, so he should be the first to know—”

“You didn’t even set an appointment. Bakit kailangan mo siyang istorbohin?” prangka niyang sagot sa magaan na boses.

“Well, what else is he doing? I know it still involves our companies’ partnership. I am your company’s collaborator, so it means, we can freely talk to each other, because we still work together.”

“I know, pero kailangan na namin tapusin ang packaging ng mga items—”

Pierre groaned. “Kung bakit ba naman kasi, hindi n’yo na lang ipinaubaya ang packaging sa mga tao ko sa factory.”

“For an additional fee? We’re already good,” pamewang ni Stacey gamit ang isang kamay. “To be honest, we don’t mind paying. Your employees did great with the wristbands anyway. Kaya lang, inconvenient para sa amin. Iku-quality check ang mga relo rito ‘tapos ita-transport ang mga ito back and forth? QC dito, packaging sa Muntinlupa, pagkatapos, ipapadala uli rito para itabi sa stockroom? Baka during transit pa masira ang mga relo!”

Pierre sighed and boredly waved a hand. “I know. I know. I understand. Nabanggit n’yo na iyan, I was just—” Nagliwanag uli ang mukha nito. “I just have an exciting news, okay?”

“Just tell it already,” tindig ni Paige mula sa upuan nito. “Your noise is disturbing us during our work hours.”

Nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ni Stacey sa dalawa. Are they glaring at each other?

Matalim ang tingin na ipinukol nina Paige at Pierre sa isa’t isa. Inekis pa ng babae ang mga braso nito habang naghihintay magsalita ang binata.

“At least, offer your guest a seat. Where’s the hospitality, Miss Uychengco?”

Mabuti at sumingit agad si Eloisa. Magalang itong nagtanong sa kanilang dalawa ni Paige.

“Dito na lang po ba ninyo kakausapin si Mr. Gallardo?”

Nagpalitan sila ng tingin bago nakuha ni Stacey ang sagot ni Paige. She looked at Eloisa. “Ah, oo. Dito na lang.”

Magalang na tumango ang kanilang HR Manager at hinarap si Pierre. “This way, sir.”

Ipinaghila nito ng isa sa mga upuan malapit sa mahabang table si Pierre. It was one of the seats across where Paige and Stacey’s seats were placed.

Pierre sat with one thigh atop the other. Then, he placed his hands on his knees. Paige returned to her seat as well, poised with straight posture.

“Ano pong drinks ang gusto nila?” ani Eloisa habang pormal na nakangiti.

“Don’t worry, Eloisa, ako na ang bahala rito,” aniya. “Puwede ka na bumalik sa office mo.”

She politely nodded. “Thank you, Ma’am Stacey.”

Pagkaalis nito, doon na nag-inarte si Pierre.

“I want an ice cold Coca-Cola—”

“Mamaya, pupunta tayo sa coffee shop sa ground floor. Nagse-serve din sila ng softdrinks doon.” Umupo na si Stacey sa kanyang upuan. “What is this good news?”

Pierre rolled his eyes. “I’m parched.”

“Should have bought a drink before barging in here,” Paige mumbled saltily.

Pinaningkitan na naman ito ni Pierre. Maagap naman na sumingit si Stacey para hindi mamuo ang tensiyon sa pagitan ng dalawa. She had no idea what’s their issue, but she will make sure that none of that will affect their work and will be tackled in this professional setting.

“What is the good news, Pierre?”

Pierre returned his eyes on her. He relaxed as well. “Oh. My friend told me about this Christmas bazaar. Kung hirap kayo mag-allot ng malaking budget for a product launch, you might want to do it in this bazaar.”

“Magkano ang booth rental?” tanong niya agad dito.

“Save your questions for Ms. Olivia Lucero,” he pulled out his wallet and fished out from it a calling card. Pinadulas ito ni Pierre sa mesa para makuha niya. “She organizes this Christmas bazaar every year. And before you complain, it’s better to be there than to have no venue for your product launch.”

Tinitigan niya ang calling card. “People still use calling cards?”

“Duh,” Pierre rolled his eyes. “It is still a necessity, Stacey, kahit nasa internet age na tayo, okay?”

Ibinaba niya ang calling card at matamang tinitigan si Pierre. “The problem is, hindi namin solo ang venue na ito. Marami kaming makakasamang sellers. It will be a competitive environment for us.”

“And you’re afraid of a little competition, Ms. Vauergard?” nanunukso nitong ngisi.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Hindi ka marunong lumaban ng harapan?”

“Are you implying something?”

He just giggled. Nagkatinginan sila ni Paige na nakabusangot ang nakasanayan niyang walang-emosyon na mukha. At iyon ay dahil sa presensiya ng Pierre na ito.

“I’ll consult Renante about this.”

“Of course. Kaya nga gusto ko siyang makasama rito sa meeting na ito,” ibinaba na nito ang isang paa at akmang tatayo na nang unahan niya.

“Samahan na kita sa coffee shop. Grabe, sa haba ng sinabi mo, mauuhaw ka talaga,” she said sarcastically with a straight face.

“Wow. Grabe ka naman, hindi lang naman sa pagdaldal ako nauhaw. And what’s with that attitude? You should be thanking me for helping you find an affordable venue!”

Isa lang sa mga sinabi nito ang tumatak sa kanya. “What attitude?”

Tumayo na rin si Pierre para sabayan siya sa paglabas ng pinto.

“This attitude! Kung paano n’yo ako kausapin!”

“You started it. Feeling close ka kaagad kung makipag-usap. You are even invading our workspace unannounced.”

“Well, you made me clean someone’s condo by manipulating me to it. So I guess we’re already even!”

Nilingon ni Stacey si Paige at kinawayan. She looked serious this time but her eyes lit with satisfaction. Nasasabi na agad ni Stacey na malaki ang pasasalamat ng dalaga dahil ilalayo na niya rito si Pierre.

Then then left the office and headed to the coffee shop.

“Ano’ng meron sa inyo ni Paige?” walang-gatol niyang tanong nang makahanap sila ng table.

Pierre, oddly, ordered a milkshake instead of the softdrinks he was requesting earlier.

“What do you mean?”

“Nagtatarayan kayo!” panlalaki niya ng mga mata rito. “Kulang na lang magdukutan na kayo ng mga mata!”

“I don’t know. Nakita lang niya ako na tumutulong sa paglilinis ng condo ni Renante, and she already hates me.”

Hindi natuloy ni Stacey ang balak na uminom sa cup ng kanyang salted caramel chocolate drink. “At paano mo nasabi na ‘hate’ ka niya?”

Pierre shrugged. “I don’t know. I just feel it.” Then he became defensive. “Hindi mo puwedeng sabihin na nag-a-assume lang ako! Kita mo naman, ’di ba? Nahalata mo rin naman na may galit siya sa akin!”

May namuo tuloy na katanungan sa kanyang isip.

“Eh, kayo ni Ronnie? Kumusta na?”

Muntik na nito maibuga ang iniinom sa straw.

“Kami?”

“Oo. Pagkatapos natin maglinis ng condo na gagamitin ni Renante, what happened?”

“Are you expecting we will be best buddies again after that only one time we’ve met?”

“So, after that, hindi na kayo nagkita ni Ronnie?”

“Never!”

“No calls or texts?”

“Nada!” marahas na iling ni Pierre bago uminom uli ng milkshake gamit ang straw.

Napasandal tuloy siya sa kinauupuan. “Kaya ka ba naiinis kay Paige?”

Pierre groaned. “Alright, maybe it has something to do with my comment. I mean, ang babaw lang n’on! Bakit kailangan niyang masamain para hanggang ngayon, mabuwisit pa siya sa akin?”

“Comment kanino? Kay Paige?”

“Yes.”

“What comment?”

“The ‘of course’ comment.”

“‘Of course’ comment?”

“Remember? Kumuha ako ng niluto niya noon na baked sushi. Sinabi niya na fave iyon ni Ronnie at ang isinagot ko, ‘of course.’ Iyon. Doon siya na-offend. Sure ako.”

Kumunot ang noo niya. “Bakit naman siya ma-o-offend doon?”

Pierre shrugged. “Uhm, dahil mas marami akong alam tungkol kay Ronnie kaysa sa kanya?”

“Okay?” nagdududa niyang reaksiyon.

Sa loob ng ilang buwan na nakasama niya si Paige, may idea na si Stacey sa tunay na ugali nito. She’s quiet and very matured. The reason why she was always poked-faced was because she would always assess things before giving a reaction to it. Paige is just this very careful person, maybe because she came from a rich family that upholds their public image. Or maybe, her concern about image is influenced by being a well-known digital artist whose vlogs were followed by millions of internet users.

“Look. I really don’t know, okay?” simangot ni Pierre. Nakahalata kasi ito na hindi siya makapaniwala sa mga sinasabi nito.

Maybe there’s a deeper reason. Puwede kong alamin iyon mula kay Paige. Kaya lang, nadala na ako noong nakialam ako sa relasyon nila ni Ronnie dahil sa Rosa Cobra tattoo na iyon. I don’t want to make the same mistake again.

.

.

.

IT was a two-week pre-Christmas bazaar. The opening day started on a Friday night. The booth for VVatch was set. Napapagitnaan ito ng booth para sa mga jewelry accessory at ang isa naman ay nagtitinda ng mga leather wallet at bag. Lahat ng mga seller dito ay mga start-up business. Ilan lang katulad ng VVatch na kakasimula lang bago nagkaroon ng pandemic at lockdown, at naririto para makabawi muli.

Yellow Christmas lights twinkled, making the brightly lit venue sparkle with a touch of gold. May nakabitin na pulang Christmas decorations sa paligid, partikular na ang mga streamers, maliliit na parol, at berdeng garlands. Nakatayo sa sentro ng venue ang napakataas na Christmas tree. Imbes na berde ay kulay puti ito na nadedekorasyonan ng pula, asul, at gintong mga bola.  Ang mga booth ay mistulang office cubicles na puting maninipis na dingding lang ang partition mula sa kanilang katabi.

Luckily, VVatch’s booth was near the descending stairs from the entrance of a two-year old commercial shopping and lifestyle center in the south of Manila. Kaya naman, isa sila sa unang nadadaanan ng mga mamimili pagdating at bago umalis sa venue.

On-site si Stacey at Renante sa first day ng bazaar kasama ang nag-iisang staff sa Sales Department na si Geneva. Stacey met her for the first time a week ago, because she’s a freelance seller and marketer that only works online and co-manages VVatch’s online store. On a normal day, Renante could contact her via video calls, phone calls, emails, or chat. Pumayag ito na tumao sa booth nila sa kondisyon na magsasalitan sila ng araw sa pagbabantay nina Stacey at Renante sa susunod na mga araw sa kasagsagan ng bazaar. Samantala, walang araw na pumalya ang binata. He both assisted Stacey and Geneva for every night. Tuwing gabi kasi nagbubukas ang bazaar at tumatanggap ng customer.

Until three days of the bazaar remains. Next week na ang Pasko at karamihan ay naka-vacation break na kaya mas dumami ang mga sumasadya sa venue. Sa pagkakataong ito, magkatuwang sina Stacey at Renante sa pagtao sa booth. May mga oras na dinadaanan lang sila ng customer, kaya nakapirmi sila sa upuan. As much as possible, they avoid opening their cell phones. They didn’t want to make an impression that they are unapproachable. Kaya naman, nag-uusap na lang silang dalawa habang nasa harap ang tingin. Kapag may humihinto sa tapat ng kanilang booth, kapwa sila tumatayo at inaabangan ang mga itatanong o ikokomento ng mga ito tungkol sa relo. Some went to buy their latest models, kasi nakita nila sa ad sa social media. It was a busy night that’s why Stacey got confused when Renante suddenly went MIA.

Panay ang lingon niya sa paligid pero dahil na rin sa kapal ng tao at dami ng dumaraan sa tapat ng booth, nahirapan siyang makita ito. Saglit na napunta ang atensiyon niya sa dalawang babae na tumigil sa tapat ng booth para tingnan ang kanilang mga display.

She was busy accommodating them when Renante returned without her noticing.

Kaya naman nang kunin niya mula sa display ang isa sa dalawang Rosa Cobra wristwatch na bibilhin ng dalawang babae, nagulat siya nang mapatalikod at makita roon si Renante. Thankfully, she didn’t drop the precious wristwatch and its box!

They have a spare bottom shelf for drinks and snacks. Ipinatong agad ni Renante roon ang dalawang cup ng malamig na fruit juice at inabutan siya ng paper bag naay logo ng VVatch. After the wristwatches were carefully packaged, inabot ni Stacey ang mga ito sa mga mamimili. They paid, stole a breath-taken glance at Renante, exchanged smiles with her, then left.

Umupo na uli si Stacey sa tabi ni Renante. Saktong inabutan siya nito ng isang malaking cup ng apple pomegranate fruit juice.

“Bumili ako sa food section nitong bazaar,” he finally informed her. “I didn’t want to disturb you earlier, so I just left.”

Stacey nodded and smiled. Tamang-tama at nauuhaw na siya. Kahit may baon silang tubig, iba pa rin kapag naka-consume ng sugar. Once she sipped the juice from the straw, she was instantly brought to life . . . energized.

Natulala siya saglit. Napaisip. The passers-by became just a blur of light that blended with the sparkling Christmas lights.

Gumuhit ang ngiti sa kanyang mga labi. Hanggang sa hindi na niya napigilang magpakawala ng magaan na tawa.

Binitiwan tuloy ng mga labi ni Renante ang straw ng iniinuman nitong cup. Nagtatakang napatingin siya rito?

“Why?” he asked.

Natatawang nilingon niya ito. “Nothing. I just . . . I just didn’t expect that the day will come that I will see Renante Villaluz sell wristwatches in a Christmas bazaar.”

He just smiled softly. “Is that a bad thing?”

Mabilis siyang umiling. “Not at all, silly!” Pagkatapos, kumalma na siya. Ang naiwan na lang ay ngiti sa kanyang mga labi. “It’s just that, who would have thought that you . . . so of a metal trading magnate, who used to be following the steps of your business man father and CEO brother will be right here, directly selling wristwatches, personally talking to your buyers . . . carrying boxes, and standing in this booth—” she looked around their booth, “—the whole night for two weeks straight?”

Napayuko si Renante at mahinang natawa.

“It just feels strange. I have never seen you this humble.” Stacey turned and looked at him lovingly. “Ikaw pa ang nag-aasikaso sa akin,” angat niya sa hawak na cup ng juice. “How does it feel, having to start from scratch? You could have just stayed with your family, get a house and food for free from your share of stocks in your family’s company. You can just live your lust for life while waiting for the CEO position gets handed down to you.”

“That sounds pretty nice, but like what I said, I wanted to create my own path. If I have to start from scratch to do it, then I will. Suwerte pa nga ako kasi, para sa isang anak-mayaman, mas madali magsimula sa square one.” Renante looked around. “See the other booths here? Mas kahanga-hanga sila. Some of them doesn’t have the same resources as me. Hindi sila anak-mayaman, pero kayang makipagsabayan ng mga negosyo nila sa akin.”

She smiled wider. Lalo niyang hindi maalis ang paningin sa binata. It was as if the glow from the soft lighting in their booth and the Christmas lights made him glow in a romantic way. It was as if she was wearing a pair of rose-colored glasses again. It felt like, she is falling in love again.

In that moment, she remembered why she loved him in the first place—his broad perspective about people and life, his sense of maturity, his quietness as a result of his impeccable timing on when to speak. That Renante . . . seemed to have resurrected tonight.

“So, how does it feel to start from scratch? To start at the bottom?” he smiled at her. “It excites me. It fills me with hope. Because just like what they say, when you’re at the bottom, the only way to go . . . is up.” Then he sipped a little fruit juice through his straw. “I love new beginnings, most especially with you, Stacey.”

Napaiwas siya kaagad ng tingin sa binata.

“And I don’t mind starting from scratch over and over again, as long as you’re with me in all of the new beginnings in my life.”

She could not help a soft smile.

Alam niya na tungkol sa pagnenegosyo ng lalaki ang kanilang pinag-uusapan, pero bakit parang ipinapahiwatig din nito ang saloobin tungkol sa kanilang relasyon?

He's willing to start over and over again, huwag lang ako mawala sa kanya . . . She glanced at him and caught his loving eyes. In this world full of people giving up so easily, Renante and I are lucky to have someone who won’t give up on us. Each other.