MAVIEL

INAYOS KO ang aking buhok pagkababa ng motor. Nakahinga na rin ako nang maluwag. Every ride that I took with Sigmund on Nikolai's Romanov was putting my life in immediate danger. Muntik na kaming ma-sideswipe ng van kanina, mabuti't agad na naiwas ni Sigmund. That almost took my breath away, literally and figuratively.

"This is fun!" Sigmund exclaimed when he removed his helmet. "Maybe we can borrow Romanov every time we need to go somewhere."

"I'd rather walk a dozen of miles kaysa sumakay ulit sa 'yo," tugon ko sabay abot ng helment sa kanya. "Muntik na tayong maaksidente kanina!"

"It's not my fault! It's the van driver's fault! We're lucky that I managed to move away from them a split second before they hit us!"

"You don't know kung hanggang kailan tatalab ang suwerte mo!" Ayaw kong isugal ang buhay ko kung meron namang accessible na alternative. "Let's choose a mode of transportation that's way safer than that motorcycle."

"You're hurting Romanov's feelings!"

"I'm criticizing your driving skills, not him!"

Nauna na akong naglakad sa kanya papasok sa cafe. Sumulyap sa akin si Landice na nasa sulok as always habang nakaabang si Nikolai sa tapat ng counter na may hawak-hawak pang mop. Ngumiti ako sa kanya at nginitian niya ako pabalik. This time, mukhang pilit ang smile niya. Hindi naman siya gano'n, ah? Did something happen while we were away?

I looked back at the parking lot. May dalawang kotse na naka-park, pero wala sa mga 'yon ang sasakyan ni Manager Jameson. So why did he look a bit tense?

"May problema ba?" pabulong kong tanong.

"Mav," mahinang tawag niya, "may naghahanap sa 'yo?"

"Eh? Sino? Classmate ko ba o teacher?"

"Mama mo."

"Mama ko?"

Mariing tumango si Nikolai bago itinuro ang table kung saan nakatalikod ang isang babaeng may maigsing buhok. Halos lumuwa ang mga mata ko at nalaglag ang aking panga nang nakilala ang posturang 'yon. Kahit nakatalikod siya, alam kong siya 'yon.

What is she doing here? Paano niya nalaman na nandito ako?

"That's your mom?" Sigmund whispered. "You didn't know that she's paying you a visit here?"

I let out a long sigh. "I haven't told her about my part-time job as a waitress here. Only my dad knows. Kaya nga nagtataka ako kung bakit nandito siya."

"Mas mabuti kung kausapin mo na siya," payo ni Nikolai sabay nguso sa direksyon ni Mama. "Kanina pa siya naghihintay. Lumamig na yata 'yong in-order niyang African Sunrise."

Ano pa bang magagawa ko kundi harapin siya? That was the most socially acceptable approach in this situation. Ang sama ko namang anak kung ida-drag ko siya palabas ng cafe. Ayaw kong gumawa ng iskandalo rito.

"Wait a minute." Tumuloy ako sa staff room at mabilis na nagpalit ng damit. Hindi ko kailangang mag-change agad ng outfit, but I thought of making a statement to my mom.

Ilang beses akong huminga nang malalim, inipon ang lakas na makakaya ko. Nanlamig ang mga kamay ko kaya kinailangan kong i-rub sa isa't isa para mawala 'yon. It had been a while since my mom and I met each other face to face. The last time we did, our conversation did not end well. Dahil nasa public kami, magiging mas kalmado ang interaction namin.

Kung kailan may iniimbestigahan kaming case, doon pa talaga siya nataong nagpakita sa akin.

One. Two. Three. Kaya mo 'yan, Mav!

Hinablot ko ang pabilog na tray sa counter at nagtungo na sa table niya. Tumayo ako sa kanyang tabi. "Excuse me, ma'am! May gusto pa po ba kayong order-in? Pwede n'yong i-try ang bestselling blueberry cheesecake namin kung gusto n'yo."

Umangat ang ulo niya sa akin, tiningnan ako mula ulo hanggang heels. Long time no see, mom. Sa tingin pa lamang niya, parang hinuhusgahan na niya ang buong pagkatao ko.

"Maviel," malimbing niyang tawag sa akin. Hindi pa niya nauubos ang in-order niyang African Sunrise.

"Wala pa po kayong naisip na order-in, ma'am?" nakangiti kong tanong. Hindi ganito ka-special ang trato namin sa customers. We never went to their tables and asked them for additional orders. Kung may gusto pa silang order-in, sila ang dapat na lumapit sa counter. But for her, I made an exemption. "Just call our attention kapag meron na. We're always ready to serve you!"

"That outfit doesn't suit you," she said as she wiped her lips. "Sit down, Maviel. Let's have a chat."

"Meron pa po akong duty. May mga customer pa kaming—"

"Sit down."

Biglang sumagi sa alaala ko kung paano niya akong pagsabihan noong bata pa ako. I rolled my eyes bago ako umupo sa tapat niya. Itinabi ko sa gilid ang tray na hawak-hawak ko. "Let's make this quick, Ma. May duty pa ako rito sa cafe. Bakit kayo nandito?"

"You didn't tell me na nagpa-part-time ka pala sa isang low-class cafe malapit sa uni n'yo," panimula ni Mama.

"Hindi po low-class ang cafe na 'to," depensa ko. At hindi lamang ito basta-basta cafe. "Hindi man ito kasing tunog ng Starbrocks o Jim Tortons, masarap ang bawat drink na sine-serve namin. Halos maubos n'yo na nga 'yong African sunrise na in-order n'yo. Kilala ko kayo. Kung ayaw n'yo sa isang pagkain o inumin, hindi n'yo titiising i-consume."

"Their African Sunrise is good. Nothing special." Baka ma-hurt si Landice kung narinig niya ang komento ni Mama. "I didn't expect you to go this low just to continue defying me."

"Hindi n'yo pa rin po sinasagot ang tanong ko." Tsine-change niya ang topic, eh. "Bakit kayo nandito? Hindi ko kayo sinabihan, kaya paano n'yo nalaman?"

Binuksan niya ang kanyang handbag at may inilabas na nakatuping papel. She tossed the folded piece of paper to the table. "I got this email just a few days ago. At first, I thought it was a spam. When I checked it, nakita kong naka-attach ang ilang photos mo habang ikaw ay nagse-serve ng customers."

Kinuha ko ang papel at tiningnan ang laman n'on. Namulagat ang mga mata ko. Whoever took those photos, malamang nagpanggap siya bilang customer namin. Obvious sa height at sa angle ng shot.

"I've also found out that you almost got murdered by a crazy girl just a few weeks ago," my mom added. "The sender told me that it's due to your association with this cafe. That crazy girl happened to be a former employee."

Napalunok ako ng laway habang patuloy na nakatitig kay Mama. Hindi ko ma-gets! Sa pagkakaalam ko, hindi ako pinangalanan sa case ni Vivien, 'yong crazy girl na tinutukoy niya. When the police arrived at the scene and asked us about what happened, my workmates left out my name from the report. Ang tanging nakaaalam na muntik na akong mapatay ay sina Sigmund, Nikolai, Landice, Manager Jameson, at si Vivien mismo. So how did mom's source find out?

"You almost died because of your employment in this cafe, and yet you're still enthusiastic about working here?" mom asked. "Are you that naive, Maviel? Are you that desperate to hold on to this part-time job just to spite me?"

Ipinikit ko ang aking mga mata at huminga nang malalim. Relax, Mav. Hindi ka dapat magpadala sa emosyon o sa mga ibinabato ni Mama.

Pagmulat ng mga mata ko, muli ko siyang tinitigan. "First of all, hindi ako nag-i-stay sa trabahong 'to dahil lamang gusto ko kayong suwayin. Nag-stay ako rito kasi maayos ang trato sa 'kin ng mga workmate ko at hindi ako dine-degrade sa way na ginagawa n'yo."

"You wouldn't have to work here if you've just followed my suggestions. But no, you chose to rebel against me. You wanted your so-called freedom."

Kumuyom ang mga kamao ko at nagawi sa ibaba ang mga mata ko. "You want me to take a path that I didn't want. Ang gusto n'yo kasi, basta-basta ako susunod nang hindi kinukuwestiyon ang suggestions n'yo."

"Kaya mas pinili mong sumama sa papa mo? Is that it? Did he even know na nalagay sa peligro ang buhay mo? If he did, why allow you to continue working here? If he didn't, how irresponsible of him."

I raised my head and forced my lips to curl into a smile. "I appreciate your concern so much, Ma. What will I do without you?"

"This has to stop. Get me the manager."

"Nasa out of town trip ang manager namin."

"Then get me whoever's in charge."

I heaved out a sigh. Heto na, nagsisimula na siya. Tumingin ako sa aking mga workmate at sumenyas kay Sigmund na lumapit. Nakapagpalit na rin siya sa uniform namin. He fixed his ribbon and smoothened his maroon vest. I wished his charms would work kay mama.

"Good morning, ma'am!" he greeted as he stood by the tableside. He put his hands behind him. "How can we help you?"

"I'm Miriam Montesa, Maviel's mom," she introduced herself. Yumuko ako sabay hinga nang malalim. This conversation would not end well. "I just learned that my daughter is working part-time here. I assume that you've asked her to sign a temporary employment contract. Am I right?"

Sigmund nodded. "Of course! We do stuff legally in this cafe. I can show you a copy, if you want, ma'am?"

"No need. But I want to terminate the contract. Right now."

Natahimik sa mesa namin. Nanatiling nakatayo ang mentor ko habang nakatingala si Mama sa kanya. Ako ang nahihiya para sa magulang ako. Kapag may gusto siyang isang bagay, gagawin ang lahat para makuha 'yon agad.

"I hope you don't mind if I take a seat? Ayaw ko po kayong magkaroon ng stiff neck," Sigmund replied before settling down beside me. He propped up his arms on the table and placed his hands on top of each other. "As far as I know, Maviel is already of legal age when she signed the contract. Therefore, she doesn't need parental consent to sign into agreements. Or are you telling me that she's faking her age, ma'am?"

"During her short tenure in this cafe, her life was put in danger," my mom countered. "She almost got killed by a psycho killer who happened to be a former employee of this cafe. And she was targeted because she's working here. The safety and security of my daughter should be enough as grounds for termination of contract."

Walang pinagbago sa mukha ni Sigmund. Ang akala ko'y magugulat siya sa sinabi ni Mama. Was he already aware that the information got leaked to my mom? Or was he putting up a composed facade? "Maviel could have terminated the contract after that unfortunate incident, but she chose to stay here. On our part as her employer, we can't terminate her unless she consistently underperforms in her duties or she commits any of the serious offenses enumerated in the contract."

Sa totoo niyan, hindi ko na matandaan kung ano ang nakasulat sa kontrata ko. I was desperate that time to find a part-time job kaya hindi ko na sineryoso ang pagbabasa n'on. But that's outright wrong. Dapat basahin muna nang maigi ang kontrata bago pirmahan.

"But let's ask the person herself!" Sigmund turned to me. "Maviel, do you want to terminate your temporary employment contract with Cafe Moriartea?"

"No." I shook my head. "I intend to finish my contract."

"Did you sign the contract under duress?"

"No, I signed it of my own volition."

"Are you under duress right now?"

"No."

"Very well!" Sigmund's eyes flickered to my mom. "Since Maviel refuses to terminate her contract and since she hasn't met any of the grounds for termination, she can continue to work here. Unfortunately, ma'am, you cannot terminate the contract on her behalf."

Palipat-lipat sa akin at kay Sigmund ang tingin ni Mama. Hindi man siya natinag sa mga sinabi ng mentor ko. That was hardly surprising. She was not the type to take a no for an answer. Gano'n ko siya nakilala bilang magulang. Gano'n din niya ako sinubukang palakihin.

My mom roamed her eyes around the cafe na parang may hinahanap. What's she thinking this time? Makalipas ang ilang segundo, tumayo na siya pero patuloy pa rin ang paggala ng kanyang tingin. "I can think of one or two businesses that better suit this place."

Halos nagdikit ang magkabilang kilay ko. Is that a threat?

"We'll talk again, Maviel." My mom strode off to the cafe's exit. Pinagbuksan siya ng pinto ni Nikolai. Sumakay siya sa naka-park na kotse sa tapat ng shop namin. A few moments later, umalis na ang kanyang sasakyan.

Doon pa lamang ako tuluyang nakahinga nang maluwag. Hindi pa man ako nakakapag-duty, parang isang shift na ang pagod ko. Today was so intense!

"Your mom is quite interesting," Sigmund said. Given his work experience, baka marami na siyang na-encounter na medyo rude customers kaya alam na niya kung paano makipag-deal sa kanila. He did not even break a sweat.

"Terrifying is a more appropriate adjective," I replied before looking at him sideways. "You handled her very well. One point for you, zero for my mom."

"Based on her parting threat, this won't be the first and the last time I'd be dealing with her." He looked and sounded so amused. "But I'm proud of you, Mav."

My left brow crept up. "Proud? Paano?"

"You turned down your mom's financial support just so you could pursue your choices. She's pretty well off. She could have easily given you the money that you need to finish college. You won't even have to work part-time here! Pero pinili mong hindi magpaalipin sa kanya."

Napaisip tuloy ako kung may nabanggit ako tungkol kay Mama sa kanya o sa mga kasama ko rito. But this was the first time that I involved my mom in a conversation. Wala naman akong balak i-share sa kanya o sa iba. He must have figured it out the way I talked to my mom and the way my mom talked to him.

"My mom and my dad have decided to live separately," kuwento ko habang nakatulala sa labas ng cafe. "Marami kasing maling desisyon si Papa sa buhay kaya nakipaghiwalay na si Mama sa kanya. Noong una, nag-i-stay ako kay Mama. Pero habang tumatagal, parang nasu-suffocate ako sa kanya. Gusto niyang ABM ang kunin kong strand, kaya sumunod ako. No'ng pipili na ako ng course sa college, gusto niyang Business Management ang kunin ko. Doon na ako pumalag. Pinilit kong Communication Arts ang kukunin ko, pero tutol siya roon. Hindi kami nagkasundo kaya umalis ako sa side niya at nag-stay muna kay Papa. Mabuti pa si Papa, suportado ako kahit anong course ang piliin ko. Kaso, wala siyang masyadong pera kaya kinailangan kong maghanap ng way para masustentuhan ang pag-aaral ko rito sa university."

"And you haven't regretted that decision?"

Umiling ako na may kasamang ngiti. "Challenging ang maging independent, pero mas may freedom na ako ngayon compared no'ng nasa side ako ni Mama. Wala nang CCTV na nakabantay sa galaw ko. Wala nang final approving authority na dinaraan ang mga desisyon ko. Kung may pagkakamali man ako, wala akong dapat sisihin kundi ang sarili ko. Pero mas mabuti na 'yon kaysa ibang tao ang nagdedesisyon para sa 'kin."

"Is that why you see yourself in Charlize?"

"Ikaw ang nagsabi niyan, hindi ako." May biglang sumagi sa isip ko. "Wait, you heard my mom referencing about what happened a few weeks ago, right? No'ng muntik na akong patayin ni Vivien sa greenhouse at isunod kay Aria?"

His lips curled into a slight frown at the mention of his former mentees' names. "You're wondering how she found out about it? Unahan na kita. Wala akong pinagsabihan tungkol doon. I doubt that Landice and Nikolai would tell anyone about the incident too."

"Posible kayang si Manager Jameson?" nahihiya kong tanong. Ayaw ko sanang pagdudahan ang boss namin, but he was the only option left. Wala nang ibang posibleng nag-reveal kay Mama ng dinanas kong banta sa buhay.

"It's possible," Sigmund said with a nod. "But why would he tell your mom about it? Alam mo kung gaano siya ka-meticulous. Hindi siya gagawa ng isang bagay nang walang dahilan."

Kung wala sa amin dito sa cafe, sino?

"We can ask the manager once he returns from his trip," Sigmund said. "For now, let's focus on the case that you can relate to."

— M —

If you've enjoyed this update, let me know your thoughts or theories by using the hashtag #MoriarteaWP!

Credit goes to Raze Dali/Min-Min for the chapter title artwork!