Chapter 04:

Nakabalik na ulit kaming apat sa couch pero hindi pa rin tumitigil sa pagkulit sa akin si Architect Corpuz na lapitan ko 'yung babaeng maliit na nakaupo sa high chair.

"Dali na! Matapang ka, 'di ba?" he laughed. "Hindi mo naman type, 'di ba? Lapitan mo na, dali."

I laughed, shaking my head. Hindi talaga nawawala sa bar ang ganitong mga dare, eh. Ininom ko ang laman na alak ng shot glass bago siya hinarap.

"Kapag lumapit ba ako, titigilan mo na pangungulit sa akin?" I said, grinning.

Nagkatinginan sila nila Architect Yael at Architect Ton na nagsasalin ng alak sa mga baso namin nang may ngisi sa labi.

"Oo ba, basta makukuha mo number," Architect Corpuz laughed. "Dali na!" he massaged my shoulders as he pushed me to stand up. "Go for goal, Jin!"

Tumawa na lang ako bago sinunod sila. Tumikhim ako bago inayos ang sarili kong paglalakad papunta sa bar counter kung nasaan 'yung babaeng maliit na 'yon. Nakatingin siya sa bandang nagpe-perform pa rin sa stage nang may malawak na ngiti sa labi.

Base sa pagkakaalala ko, sinabi niyang pinsan niya ang bokalista. Totoo kaya 'yon? O baka nagkamali lang ako ng rinig?

Tumayo ako sa tabi niya at umorder ng isang shot ng Tequila at isang margarita on the rocks para sa kan'ya. Nakita ko sa gilid ng mga mata ko na nakatingin siya sa akin kanina, pero ibinalik na niya ang tingin niya sa bokalista ng banda.

Nang ibinigay sa akin ang order ko ay iniabot ko sa kan'ya ang margarita on the rocks, dahilan para makuha ko ang atensiyon niya.

"For you," I said.

Sumenyas ang kamay niya na parang ayaw niyang tanggapin. "No thanks, baka may drugs 'yan."

Hindi ko napigilang tumawa sa naging sagot niya sa akin. Number one rule nga pala sa pagba-bar ng mga babae, huwag tatanggap ng shot sa hindi kilala.

"Kagagawa lang niyan ng bartender," I reasoned out.

Tumingin siya sa bartender na ngayon ay inaalog na rin ang canister niya, para siguro sa panibagong order ng margarita. She shrugged her shoulders and took the margarita from me.

"Thanks, then," she said before smiling at me.

I didn't even know why I am so fond of her super red lips. It suits her well. She's small but she looks feisty. I don't know why. Nakipag-toast siya sa akin bago namin ininom ang mga alak namin.

Naglahad ako ng kamay sa kaniya. "I'm Jin."

She smiled again before accepting my hand shake. "Ruby."

Nang magbitiw ang kamay namin ay sumandal ako sa likod at tumayo nang kumportable sa tabi niya. Tahimik kaming nanood sa mga nagsasayaw sa dance floor habang tumutugtog ang banda sa stage.

"Do you need something?" she asked in a clear voice before looking at me. "Type mo ba ako?"

Kung may iniinom ako ngayon, siguradong nasamid na ako.

"I... I was dared to—"

Hindi ko na natuloy pa ang sinasabi ko nang tumawa siya. "Oh, bakit ka nauutal? Type mo nga ako."

She laughed again after saying that. And for the quick moment, I was mesmerized with her. It feels like I heard my own heart beating despite the loud noise and music, playing inside the bar.

She flipped her hair. "Okay lang 'yan, maganda ako, eh."

I chuckled before getting my cellphone out of my pocket. "Then, can I get your number?"

She laughed again before getting the phone out of my hand. "Wow, seryoso ka talaga, ah? Sige. Tingnan lang natin kung tatagal ka."

She continued chuckling while typing her number. After that, she gave me back my phone.

"Anyway, I need to go—"

"Wait lang, tatawagan ko, baka ibang number 'to..." I said before dialling the number she put in the screen.

Kitang-kita ko kung paano siya namutla, kasabay ng pag-awang ng bibig niya nang bahagya. I saw her phone together with her pouch. The number continued ringing but her phone is not open.

I knew it. It's not really the first time it happened.

I smirked when someone answered the call.

"Hello, sino 'to?!" malakas na boses ng lalaki mula sa kabilang linya.

Pinatay ko ang tawag bago ko ibinigay ulit sa kan'ya. "Come on..."

She chuckled. "Grabe naman, nagawa na siguro sa 'yo 'to dati!" She typed another batch of numbers and gave it to me. "Ako na mismo mag-dial, sige," she said before dialling the number she typed.

Her phone opened and it flashed my number, which made me convince that she really gave me her own number. Kinuha ko na sa kan'ya ang cellphone at ni-save ang number niya.

"Thanks. I'll call and text you the following days. Wait for it," I winked at her. She chuckled. "Anyway, taga rito ka?"

She nodded. "Yup. Mukha ba akong turista?" she laughed. "Naka-casual nga lang akong nag-bar, eh."

I looked at her clothes and she's wearing shorts and red fitted shirt. She let her wavy hair down without any clip like Anna did sometimes. Pakiramdam ko nga ay lipstick lang ang naging effort niya, pero kahit na ganoon, ang ganda niya pa rin.

Ang dami palang maganda na taga-Baguio?

"Ikaw? You're just wearing casual clothes but you really look like a tourist," she shrugged. "Ewan ko, feeling ko lang hindi ka taga-rito."

I chuckled. "Hindi nga. I'm just here for work."

Tumango siya. "Are you from Manila?"

I looked at her and smiled. "Yup."

"What's your work here?"

"I have a project here. I'm an architect."

Her mouth turned O. "Ohh, 'yung girlfriend ng pinsan ko, architect din!"

Ngumiti ako at tumango na lang. Ang dami naman niyang pinsan. She must have a big family.

"Anyway, ilang taon ka nang licensed architect?" she asked.

"One year."

"Ohh, so mga 25 ka na?"

I chuckled. "Turning 26."

She pouted. "Ang tanda mo na."

"Bakit? Ikaw ba?" natatawang tanong ko.

"I'm just 21. Nag-aaral pa ako."

Ohhh, kaya naman pala mukha talaga siyang bata. I'm five years older than her.

"Saan?"

"Saint Louis University."

Wow, she must be smart. I know that not all of the students in the SLU are smart, but the fact that some are struggling to pass the entrance exam, it means that it's hard, right?

"You must be smart."

She laughed. "Hindi naman. Nag-review lang," she shrugged before facing the bottle of alcohol at her back. Nagsalin siya sa dalawang shot glass, tsaka ibinigay sa akin ang isa. She held her shot glass higher, asking me for a toast, before drinking it. "So, aalis ka rin ng Baguio?" she asked.

I nodded after drinking the alcohol. "In more than two months, I think."

She nodded. "Ohh, enjoy your stay here, then!"

She smiled before watching the band at the stage again. "May pinopormahan din na Architect 'yang pinsan ko," she laughed. "Bakit ba ako napapaligiran ng mga architect?"

I laughed. "Baka architect ang nakatadhana sa 'yo?"

She laughed louder before facing me. "Wow, gan'yan pala kayo bumanat."

I just shrugged and ordered another bottle of Whiskey. We continued chatting about our lives. We even exchanged username of our SNS accounts so that we could follow each other.

I wasn't paying attention anymore to the place, time and even the people I was with earlier. Naaalala ko na lang na may kasama nga pala akong nagpunta rito nang tawagan ako ni Architect Yael.

"Akala ko ba hindi mo type?" he said on the other line, which made me look at our couch. They waved their hands on me. "Uuwi na kami, lasing na mga babaeng kasama natin. Sasabay ka ba?"

I looked at Ruby and saw that he's already talking to the vocalist of the band who performed earlier. Siguro, sabay silang uuwi.

"Oo, sasabay na ako."

They all laughed. "Pwede ka namang maiwan kung masama sa loob mo," Architect Yael said.

I laughed. "Hindi na. Sasabay ako."

After I said that, pinatay ko na ang tawag. Tinapik ko ang balikat ni Ruby, dahilan para mapalingon siya sa akin, maging ang kasama niya.

"I need to go," I said. "Lasing na 'yung ibang kasama namin. They need a driver," I chuckled.

She smiled and nodded. "Okay, ingat. But before you leave, I want to introduce you to my cousin," she glanced at the guy who's looking at me. "This is Hennessey. Hennessey, this is Architect Jin."

Bahagya pang napaawang ang bibig ng lalaki bago naglahad sa akin ng kamay.

"Architect..." he murmured. May problema ba sila sa mga architect? "Nice to meet you," Hennessey smiled.

I smiled at him too before accepting his offer of hand shake. "Nice to meet you too, Hennessey," lumingon ako kay Ruby. "I'll just call or text you the following days. Thank you and good night."

Ngumiti siya at tumango. "Okay, then. Good night!"

Iniwan ko na sila ro'n at pumunta sa mga kasama ko. They all cheered for me because I did what they asked me to, and they said that I actually enjoyed it. Kitang-kita raw nila dahil pinanonood nila ako the whole time I was with Ruby.

Napapailing na lang ako bago tinulungan silang magbuhat ng mga lasing palabas ng bar at papunta sa mga sasakyan namin. I drove away the bar when everything's already settled and drive Architect Divine and the apprentice, who's passed out from drinking too much, to their home.

When I got home, that's when I felt how tired and tipsy I am, so I went straight to the bathroom and took a shower, before heading to my bed to sleep.

___

"There is a more common experience that resembles jamais vu—word blindness. A survey at SMU revealed that most (60%) (N = 167) college students have experienced a familiar word suddenly looking unrecognizable, so that it momentarily appears to be a nonword."  --sciencedirect.com