#NewClassicILIB

Chapter 34
Work

Still very careful, my lips were pursed tight as I parked my sedan in between two more cars.

It was my first time driving without my father's supervision. I wasn't confident to drive by myself, but daddy encouraged me. He said that I wouldn't get used to it if I'd always rely on him. And that's why on my first day reporting to work, I decided to finally gather my courage to drive myself on the way to the company.

Once I was done parking the car, I let go of the steering wheel and breathed out in relief. I was thankful that I didn't encounter any accidents on the road.

After I unbuckled my seat belt, I took my phone out and texted my father.

To: Daddy
Nandito na po ako. I made it safely!

Tiningnan ko rin ang orasan at nakita kong mayroon pa akong thirty minutes na natitira. Maaga akong umalis ng bahay dahil alam kong mabagal pa ako sa pagmamaneho. I also didn't want to be in the middle of a traffic jam. Medyo nababahala pa akong magmaneho mag-isa sa ganoong sitwasyon dahil marami ang mga sasakyang sumisingit.

Nang pumasok ako sa lobby ay dumiretso ako sa public restroom para ayusin ang sarili. I wore a semi-formal office attire, making sure that I wouldn't violate the company's dress code. Light pink high-waist tapered pants, white buttoned down shirt tucked in, and cork wedge white sandals. Pinagkaabalahan ko ring maglagay ng kahit kaunting make-up sa aking mukha para mas magmukhang presentable.

Matapos ay dumiretso ako sa room kung saan magpapakuha ng litrato para sa aking identification card. Mayroong instructions na sinend sa akin ang supervisor sa email kung ano ang gagawin ko ngayon. The I.D. was printed fast after I took the picture. Nang makuha ko 'yon ay umakyat na ako sa department kung saan ako naka-assign.

As soon as I was out of the elevator, I wore my I.D. and went inside. Kahit medyo maaga pa ay madami na ang mga nasa kanya-kanyang cubicle. Some were still having a leisure time, having coffee while chatting.

"Excuse me..." I approached the department's receptionist.

Busy pa siya magmake-up kaya medyo nagulat siya sa aking paglapit. She snapped her gaze up to me.

"Oh!" she exclaimed a bit and stood up, suddenly smiling warmly. "How may I help you?"

"Uh, tanong ko lang sana kung nasaan ang office ni Mrs. Molina?" tanong ko at saka pinakita sa kanya ang aking I.D. "I'm a newly hired employee."

"Ah! Just straight on the right. Iyong pinakahuling office, that's her office. May nakalagay rin na pangalan niya sa labas," agad niyang sagot sa akin. "Kaya lang ay wala pa siya. You can wait and sit on the waiting bench outside her office."

Bowing my head a bit, I smiled. "Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome!"

Tinungo ko ang opisina ni Mrs. Molina. There was only one office when I reached the end. But just to make sure, I still read the small name plate beside the crystallized glass door. Nakapatay pa ang ilaw sa loob ng opisina kaya naupo ako sa maliit na waiting bench habang hinihintay siya.

Inilapag ko ang aking bag sa aking hita bago inilabas ang cellphone para tingnan ang oras. Mayroon pang limang minuto bago mag-alas otso. I could see more employees arriving minute by minute. Some were curious by my presence. May mga iilang lalaking employees pang lumapit sa akin para itanong kung ano ang sadya ko. They also offered me something to drink and eat that I declined.

It was awkward trying to answer their questions and holding a conversation with them. As a social introvert, it felt like my energy was being sucked up. I was feeling a bit drained. I wanted to run away and hide away from these strangers to recuperate, but that would be rude.

Fortunately, Mrs. Molina finally arrived. She jokingly chased away the men trying to give me company before she invited me inside her office.

"Pasensya ka na sa mga 'yon," natatawang paghingi ng pasensya sa akin ni Mrs. Molina nang makapasok kami sa kanyang opisina. "They're just really friendly."

I timidly smiled and said, "Okay lang po."

Ngumiti naman siya pabalik sa akin at saka inilahad ang upuan sa harap ng kanyang lamesa habang binubuksan ang inverter. I sat quickly on the chair and watched her as she set the temperature of the aircon to 18 degrees.

When I saw her bickering and joking around with her subordinates, I could tell that she's very friendly. I suddenly thought that I was lucky for having a kind supervisor. I was expecting a strict one, so I already considered myself very lucky.

"By the way, you're Zendaya Gregorio, right?" she suddenly asked as she sat in front of me. "Baka kasi mamaya ay nagkakamali ako."

"Ako nga po."

"Okay..." she trailed off, while she got busy scanning over my papers. "Hmm... Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead po," agap ko.

"You're a Political Science graduate," she said, then looked up to me. "The HR must have asked you this already during the interview, but why did you apply for the position?"

"Uhm, honestly, I really want to be a reporter, but I thought starting off as a journalist is a good foundation," I told her my reasons. "And I'm interested in entertainment, so I ended up applying."

She nodded her head. "That's understandable." She brought the papers down and picked up the intercom. Ilang segundo rin siyang naghintay bago nagsalita. "Lina, nandyan na ba si Lucas? Okay. Pakisabi namang pumunta siya sa opisina ko. Okay. Thank you."

Mrs. Molina informed me that she'd introduce me to my senior since she wouldn't directly supervise me as a junior journalist.

Almost a minute had passed when the door opened. A tall and good-looking man entered the office, wearing a black polo with sleeves neatly folded up to his elbows. Just one glance at him, he looked mature, quiet and serious. He seemed like the type of person who's very dedicated to his job.

"Pinapatawag ninyo raw po ako?" bungad niya kay Mrs. Molina gamit ang isang medyo baritonong boses.

"Lucas, this is Zendaya. She'd be under your supervision," Mrs. Molina introduced me to him, so I stood up in courtesy to properly greet him. "Zendaya, this is Lucas Daniel. He was just promoted last month as a senior entertainment journalist, but you can definitely rely on him."

My eyes widened a bit when his name rang a bell. I had read his articles about New Classic. Most of his published articles online were also the most top-voted. Personally, I love the way he writes. It's actually an honor for me to be supervised by him.

"I'm Zendaya Gregorio. Nice to meet you." I smiled, formally introducing myself and offering my hand.

He turned to my side and faced me. His eyes traveled to my hand hanging in the air. I thought he wouldn't take it, but he shook my hand a bit.

"Lucas Daniel," he simply said, then let go of my hand.

Nang nilingon namin ulit si Mrs. Molina ay nakatayo na siya sa tabi naming dalawa. She was smiling widely, which made it seem a bit creepy.

"Ilang taon ka na nga, Zendaya?" bigla niyang tanong sa akin.

"Uhm, twenty-one po," sagot ko.

She clasped her hands happily. "Tama! I'm sure you and Lucas would get along together," she said. "He's the youngest senior here in our company. He's only three years older than you."

Ngumiti na lang ako kahit hindi ko alam kung bakit masyado siyang masaya. But I guessed it was also a good thing that our age gap wasn't huge. Sana nga ay makapalagayan ko siya agad ng loob kahit na mukhang mahirap dahil sa pinapakita niyang personalidad.

"Lucas, take her to your wing and give her a table," utos ni Mrs. Molina kay Lucas. "I'll leave her to your hands."

Lucas just courtly bowed his head to Mrs. Molina before turning to me. "Follow me."

Mabilis akong nagpaalam kay Mrs. Molina bago sumunod kay Lucas palabas sa opisina. Ang mga iilang employees na nagpakilala sa akin kanina habang naghihintay ay pasimpleng kumakaway sa akin nang madaanan namin ang kanilang mga lamesa.

Lucas' wing was on the quiet side of the department. He had a separate table detached from the cubicles.

"There's your table..." He pointed at the closest vacant cubicle to his table.

I immediately went to my table. Wala pang computer chair doon kaya nakatayo lamang ako habang sinusuri ang magiging lamesa ko. It's spacious enough. Siguro ay bibili ako mamaya ng puwedeng mga ilagay sa lamesa kapag nagkita kami ni Kuya Zedrick.

"I'll request a computer chair for you," he told me. "You can go home now. Bukas mayroon na 'yan."

Gulat akong napabaling sa kanya. "I can go home now?"

He nodded once. "You can officially start tomorrow. For today, you can go home already."

I thought I'd start working today, but it wasn't the case. My brother and I planned to have dinner after work. Mukhang mapapaaga ata ang pagkikita naming dalawa. Good thing his firm was somehow near to the company. We could just grab lunch instead of eating dinner.

"Uh, okay..." nag-aalangan ko pang sabi. "I'll go ahead, then?"

Muli siyang tumango at saka iniwas na ang tingin sa akin. I pouted my lips because of his indifference as I walked out of the office. I never imagined that my first day at work would end that way. Hindi ko alam kung matutuwa ba ako dahil maaga akong makakauwi o hindi. I felt like I just wasted time coming to work―only to be sent home way too early.

While waiting for my brother at the nearby mall, I went shopping for office supplies. I also bought some decorations to give life to my table. Time flew fast and lunch finally arrived. Nauna ako sa restaurant kung saan kami kakain ni Kuya Zedrick at agad din naman siyang dumating.

"I thought you're starting today?"

"I thought so, too," I said. "Pero bukas pa raw talaga. I was just introduced to my senior."

Tumango-tango si Kuya at saka tumikhim. "How's dad, by the way?"

Medyo nagpantig ang tainga ko nang madinig siyang kinukumusta si daddy. I grinned widely, which made him frown.

"Why are you acting like a weirdo?"

Mas lalo akong napangiti saka umiling. "Ayos lang siya," sabi ko. "You should visit at home sometime. Sa unang sahod ko ay bumisita ka sa bahay. Ipagluluto ko kayo ni daddy. You can take Ate Allison with you if you want."

"I'll think about it," he said, dismissing the topic.

Napanguso na lamang ako at nagsimula na sa pagkain. I kept looking at my brother, but he seemed so bothered. Para bang may gusto siyang sabihin pero pinipigilan niya.

I suddenly wondered if it was about the dating issue with Isaiah. He knew about it. Kaya nga lang ay hindi na niya ako tinanong pa ulit tungkol doon nang malinaw na ni Isaiah ang isyu tungkol sa aming dalawa.

"My colleagues told me that he has been declining female clients."

Saglit akong natigil. I looked up to my brother. He was in deep thoughts.

"Ha?" Medyo naguluhan ako sa sinabi niya.

He exhaled and leaned back on his seat. "Dad," he said. "He won't sign projects from female clients."

When I finally understood what he meant, my lips slightly parted. I felt like my brother and I were thinking of the same thing.

"D-do you think it's because of mommy?" I asked cautiously.

He licked his lower lip. "I don't know."

Habang pauwi ay iniisip ko ang nasabi sa akin ni Kuya Zedrick. I wanted to ask daddy about it, but I also didn't want to pry. Inabala ko na lang ang sarili ko sa paghahanda ng aking isusuot para bukas. Inayos ko rin ang mga gamit na dadalhin ko sa opisina.

I was busy when I suddenly received a message from Isaiah. Isang malalim na paghinga ang pinakawalan ko.

From: Isaiah
Good evening! Are you home now? How's first day at work?

As far as I knew, the band was so busy for some reason. I couldn't believe how he still had the time to check up on me regularly.

Nagdalawang-isip ako pagreply sa kanya, ngunit hindi ko rin napigilan ang aking sarili at agad na nagtipa ng mensahe pabalik.

To: Isaiah
Yes. Wala masyadong nangyari. Bukas pa talaga ang start ko.

Hindi pa ako nakakabalik sa ginagawa ko ay muli akong nakatanggap ng mensahe mula sa kanya.

From: Isaiah
Guess you are busy, then. Preparing for tomorrow?

Agad akong sumagot.

To: Isaiah
Yup. Ikaw ba? Akala ko ay busy kayo?

I waited for his response which came right away.

From: Isaiah
We are. Just checking on you.

His reply made my heart burst out in both happiness and pain. I had no idea why I still had the strength to avoid him when all I wanted to do was to be with him.

Before I could even let go of all the feelings I had kept inside me, I turned my phone off and decided to just focus on arranging my stuffs. I woke up the next day and was greeted by a mysterious message from Isaiah which alarmed me a bit.

From: Isaiah
See you soon.

While driving on my way to work, I couldn't stop thinking about his message. Why would he see me soon? I wasn't allowed to see him yet!

I was having mixed feelings. I was thrilled with excitement to see him soon, but at the same time, I was worried and anxious that we might get seen again―no matter what the setting of our future rendezvous might be. I was torn between spoiling myself and doing what I had to do to protect him and the band.

Once I arrived at the office, I saw Lucas already sitting on his table. His eyes were fixed on the monitor of his laptop. Maaga pa pero mukhang nagsisimula na siya kaagad sa pagt-trabaho. Maybe I was right about my first impression of him―he's really workaholic.

"Good morning, Sir Lucas!" I greeted him as a sign of respect.

Lumapit ako sa aking table at napansing mayroon na nga akong computer chair gaya ng sabi niya kahapon. Nang ibinalik ko ang tingin ko sa kanya ay nakapirmi ang kanyang nakakalusaw na tingin sa akin. It made me feel like I just did something wrong, when I was just starting to work.

"May problema po ba?" nababahala kong tanong sa kanya.

His intimidating eyes just stared at me as he said, "Just call me Lucas and don't be too formal with me."

Ayon lang ang sinabi niya, pero pakiramdam ko ay maiihi na ako sa kaba. Napalunok ako at saka hilaw na ngumiti sa kanya.

"S-sige, Lucas," sabi ko na lang bago nag-iwas ng tingin sa kanya.

Habang hindi pa nagsisimula ang office hours ay inayos ko muna ang aking lamesa. I was too engrossed organizing things on my table that I almost jumped when Lucas suddenly called my name.

"P-po? I mean, bakit?" natataranta kong tanong.

He calmly stood up and went to my cubicle. I just watched him strode his way to me.

"We're invited to an exclusive interview tomorrow after lunch," he told me. "I'm going to take you with me to experience it. But for now, I want you to come up with questions regarding New Classic."

Nagparte ang aking mga labi sa gulat. "New Classic po?"

His eyes squinted a bit. "Yes..." he answered. "Is there any problem?"

Mabilis naman akong umiling. "Wala po."

"Okay, then," he said. "Make sure the questions won't be too private nor personal. Also, do not touch the past dating issue about their vocalist, Isaiah Mallari, because it might make the members uncomfortable. That's all for now. I will review it later."

Lutang akong tumango-tango na lamang kay Lucas. Matapos sabihin sa akin ang dapat kong gawin ay bumalik na rin siya sa kanyang lamesa.

My heart started to run miles, and I could feel my cheeks heating up. A spark of excitement had set off a fire inside me. I finally understood the context of the message I received from Isaiah this morning.

He's right. We're really going to see each other again soon.