Chapter 3: How the tables turned
#UNI3

COOLER

My reading was interrupted by a knock on the door. Sumingaw doon ang ulo ng aking sekretarya. "Excuse me Sir, may naghahanap po sa inyo—"

"Trina, didn't I tell you not to accept—"

A smiling face I least expected to popped from the door walked in. "Hi, sorry I did something," she raised a hand holding a locket compass. "Sana wag mong pagalitan ang sekretarya mo."

It was rainbow girl, less the rainbow hair. She's far from the kid-like woman I met at the coffeeshop few days ago, even farther from the woman who looked like a prostitute at the jail. She looked different now, she looked normal— except for her screaming pink hair tips.

Napabuntong-hininga ako at ibinaba ang hawak na files. Niluwagan ko ang suot na necktie at minasahe ang sintido. I didn't expect her to be here.

"Trina, you can take a break."

“Go Trina, spread the word okay?” kindat niya sa sekretarya ko. What was that by the way?

Agad namang umalis ang sekretarya ko nang wala man lamang sinabi.

Rainbow girl— Miss Rustia entered my office at iginala ang paningin sa kabuoan niyon. She looked like a kid amused by the amount of grandeur inside the office.

"Wow hanep, your office is bigger than our entire house," bulalas niya at nakangiti.

Bahagya lamang akong tumango, unsure what to reply to what she just said. Ano nga bang iba sa kanya ngayon? Ah she looked normal. I'm certain she had a small amount of makeup on her face, or maybe some loose powder and a lipstick that doesn't scream hoe.

Ipinilig ko ang ulo nang may marealize ako. Oh damn, here I am again paying too much attention. I gestured my hand on the sofa. "Have a seat."

"Salamat," she muttered. "Sorry, ang hirap palang magset ng appointment sa'yo so I..." Hindi niya tinuloy ang sinabi at bahagya lamang ngumiti. I knew she wanted to say she used trick towards my secretary. Hypnotism or whatever.

"I am a busy man, state your purpose," sabi ko nang makaupo ako sa harap niya.

Bahagya pa siyang tumikhim. "About the job you offered—"

"That's no longer available," putol ko sa kanya. Just to  remind myself, she offended me by refusing and walking away like that. Ni hindi niya ako binigyan ng pagkakataon na ilatag ang mga benepisyo na maari kong ibigay sa kanya!

And now she's here? The audacity!

Napalis ang awkward na ngiti sa kanyang labi. “Not available? May na-hire ka ng iba?”

Umiling ako. “Wala.”

Now that seemed to dread her. “Then why it is not available kung wala ka naman palang nakukuhang iba para sa trabahong iyon?”

Wow, she’s impatient and sort of demanding. Sino ba ang nangangailangan ng trabaho sa amin? Hindi ba dapat maging mabait siya, not bossy or anything like that?

Sumandal ako mula sa kinauupuan. “Because I realized, you’re right. Bakit ikaw when I can hire the world’s best magicians, right?”

Her eyes were shooting me glares. Kung nakakamatay lang ang tingin malamang bulagta na ako. Now she had a dose of her own medicine. This is my payback for making me look desperate asking for her service but then rejecting me afterwards.

Huh now look how the tables turned.

“Pero bakit hindi ako?” naniningkit ang mga matang tanong niya.

I shrugged. “Sabi mo, you’re busy and wala kang time na turuan ako. Your words, not mine.”

Napansin kong bahagyang nakakuyom ang kanyang mga palad. I could tell she’s desperate to get some job. She looked away with a scowl. She pressed her eyes closed at nang muli niya iyong buksan, gone was the fierce looked it it. Wow this woman is capable of changing her emotions in a second like an experienced con man.

“Pero pwede pa namang magbago ang isip mo diba?” she batted her lashes. “You can change your mind like how I changed my mind in turning down this job, diba?”

Napakamot ako sa sintido ko. “Unlike my secretary, your hypnotism won’t work on me.”

Napasimangot siya sa akin, putting down the facade of being kind like a puppy longing for some petting she held a while ago. “Look I’m sorry if I offended you that time, pero can’t you reconsider?”

Now this is fun. Watching her go desperate. Huh naniniwala talaga ako sa what goes around comes around. She had me troubled for the past days over her rejection. And it’s not even that hard! Hindi siya lugi sa hinihingi ko but she had the guts to turn me down with her head held high.

I snapped my fingers. “I remember you saying, I hope our paths do not cross again,” natatawang sabi ko. “It’s supposed to not cross again, until you come all the way here.”

“Masyado ka namang matampuhin,” nahihiyang ngiti niya. “Please try reconsidering, please? Ikaw na mismo ang nagsabi, magaling na mahikero ang tatay ko. You had my background checked right? Plus I am a woman, hindi mo ba alam na mabilis magbago ang isip ng mga babae?”

“Why is gender a factor to consider? I haven’t heard of it,” sagot ko sa dismissing na tono. Napatingin ako sa suot na relo. “Now if you have no other concern, you may now go. I have no time to spare.”

Her jaw ticked as she started glaring at me again. Padabog na tumayo siya, flipping her pink tip hair at naglakad patungo sa pinto. Bago tuluyang lumabas ay nilingon niya ako, mabilis na inalis ko naman ang matagumpay na ngiti sa mukha. 

“You’ll regret this,” sabi niya sa akin. “And when you do, call this number.” 

In a snap of a finger, she held out a small paper, like a card and throw it towards me. It seemed like it landed swiftly on the table, sa harap ko. A card with some numbers scribbled on it.

That trick is simple. Just plain misdirection. She had the card prepared in front of me. Malamang nailagay niya iyon kanina nang nakaupo siya sa harap ko, o di kaya ay noong tumayo siya. She made it seemed like it perfectly landed from that distance by producing another card and acted like she tossed it on the air.

Well-played. 

She had it well done that if I haven’t known about the trick, malamang na-amaze na ako.

At anong sabi niya?

I will regret it?

I doubt.

Ngumiti siya nang matamis. “Goodbye Cooler Vander, see you later!” She dropped something which seemed like her keys at mabilis na pinulot niya iyon mula sa ilalim ng coffee table.

Pagkatapos pulutin ay pinagpatuloy niya ang pagtingin sa akin nang masama bago lumapit sa pinto para makaalis. She even blew a kiss as she walked away.

Natatawang napailing na lamang ako, clearing some hair that fell on my shoulder. Huh, she still had that confidence ha? Napatingin ako sa card na iniwan niya sa harap ko, surprisingly it was the number of the receptionist na nasa ground floor the The Vander Building.

Then it means she will wait there?

Wow, that confidence is just too high. Akala niya siguro magbabago ang isip ko.

 Never.

I crumpled the card and tossed it on the nearest garbage bin. Natatawang tumayo ako sa kinauupuan at bumalik sa harap ng office table ko ngunit bigla akong nabuwal. There was something on my...foot?

“What the hell?!” bulalas ko nang mapagtantong nakaposas sa antique coffee table ang isang paa ko.

What the actual fuck?!

Bigla kong naalala ang sinabi niya sa sekretarya ko kanina.

“Go Trina, spread the word okay?”

What the fuck is that?

I tried my best to get out of the cuff, I knew it wasn’t hard but this one is something I couldn’t! Ilang beses akong napamura at pinagtatapon ang lahat ng nakapatong sa coffee table! Damn that woman!

Naiinis na napabuga ako ng hangin. She will surely regret this! I pushed the coffee table towards the nearest phone and called one of the personal guards na nasa labas ng opisina.

“Where’s mys secretary?” tanong ko nang sagutin nito ang tawag.

“Sir nakabreak po yata--”

“I heard there’s some news about me going around the office, what is it?”

“Sir...”

Now that’s making me mad and made me wanted to wring that woman’s neck! That little mouse! She’s smarter than I thought!

“What the rumor going out there?!” bahagyang tumaas ang boses ko.

“Na bakla kayo Sir... and you like to play it rough like... like using belts, handcuff--”

First there’s nothing wrong in being gay. What’s wrong here is that hindi iyon totoo! Not that I have to explain that one. But if you’re young, with money and power but no woman to parade around for everyone to see, they’ll start a rumor. Bad rumor affects business.

Damn it.

And if my guard or anyone enters here and saw me cuffed on the coffee table, loose shirt and hair messy dahil sa ilang beses kong pagulo out of anger and frustration, that would only strengthen the rumor.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

I must have said it louder than cussing silently. 

“Sir do you need anything?”

“No. Just call the ground floor receptionist and tell her to send the woman with a pink hair here in my office. NOW!”

Hindi ko na hinintay ang sagot ng guard at pinatay ang tawag, tossing my phone somewhere on the wall kung saan iyon tumama at nabasag. Huh she knew how to rile me up and push my buttons. If I were as impatient as my cousin Ryu, i would have got her in gun point and threaten her.

But no, I have less amount of patience like the other Vanders but among us, I think I have the longest thread of patience.

But still we have a little to none patience at all!

It didn’t took long before there was a knock on the door at ang nakakaasar na mukha ng babaeng iyon ang sumungaw mula roon.

“Wow you called me sooner than expected,” bati niya at pumasok. “Akala ko magmamatigas ka pa rin and won’t surrender in defeat like this.”

Umupo siya sa sofa na inupuan niya kanina. I watched her with cold eyes. 

“Do you know this coffee table is a vintage midcentury one? Aztec motif and designed by the famous antique designers of Hungary. This is up around 1900’s. costly as fuck. Peruvian hand-tooled leather that stood a test of time. Kung hindi ka lang babae, I would have smashed this coffee table on you.”

Sumagot siya ng malutong na tawa. “Ano nga ‘yong sabi mo kanina? Why is gender a factor?  You could do what you want.”

She is more annoying than I thought.

“Just get me out of this fucking handcuffs,” pagpipigil na sabi ko. I swear I’m getting annoyed over this. Most of the time, I have a strong gut feel on how things are supposed to turn up. Hindi ganitong ako ang nasa lowerhand.

“Ah, before that,” ngumisi siya sa akin. “Shall we discuss about the scope of work, schedule and benefits?”

Damn it, I should get my revenge soon.

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ShinichiLaaaabs