RJ's POV
All my life that I am working, ngayon lang ako nainip sa pagdating 5:00 pm para makauwi na ako. I am too excited to go home now and it gives me much motivation to work. Medyo marami na akong naiwang trabaho because we prioritized the wedding but I was able to finish all that in my first day at work after I got married.
Ano kaya ang magandang pasalubong kay Celestine, ayoko namang tanungin si Meng because for sure tatangihan nya lang yun at sasabihin pang spoiler ako.
"Sir, nandito po si sir Mike may kasamang client." My secretary informed me from the intercom. I told her to let them in kasi alangan naman hindi ko papasukin eh client yun.
Eto namang si Mike hindi man lang sinabing may dadalhin palang kliyente dito sa opisina ko, alas kwatro na ng hapon, hindi dapat magtagal ang mga taong ito sa opisina ko, because I need to go home at exactly five in the afternoon dahil bibili pa ako ng pasalubong kay Celestine.
Next time yata kailangan ko nang sabihin sa secretary ko na dapat hanggang three pm lang ako pwedeng istorbohin nga mga client na basta-basta na lang sumusulpot nang walang appointment.
"Good afternoon sir Richard." Mike greeted as they enter my office with someone with a very authoritative aura, maybe of the same height as I am. Pwede kaming pagkamalang magkamag-anak ng lalaking ito ah. Hindi kaya distant relative ko 'to?
"Good afternoon Mike." I replied.
"Sir, apologies for the abrupt meeting. Mr. Ledesma met with Sir Ricky a while ago and I was instructed to introduce him to you, too. Sir, please meet Mr. Ledesma, over-all in-charge of the telco company we wish to work on. He is here for an ocular visit in our office. Mr. Ledesma please meet Mr. Richard Faulkerson, Jr. our company COO." Mike said.
"Pleased to meet you Mr. Ledesma, welcome to our humble office." I said and offered my hand for a hand shake and he accepted it.
"Pleasure is mine Mr. Faulkerson, like what Mike have said, I'm sorry for this sudden meeting. This is just part of our evaluation on to whom shall we grant the project on our office construction here in the Philippines." Mr. Ledema replied.
"No problem, I'm glad to finally meet you. Have a seat." I said.
"I hope your visit did not disappoint you Mr. Ledesma, and eventually award the project to our competitors." I said.
"I am honestly impressed. By the way, just call me Patrick, that's how my collegues call me." He said.
Bakit ba kasi napacommon ng pangalang Patrick at hanggang dito sinusundan ako ng anino ng ex ng asawa ko.
"Ok Patrick, you may call me Richard then. Mabuti na lang Filipino ka rin, we won't have a hard time communicating." I replied.
"Maybe that is the reason why I was chosen to lead this project. Anyway, the decision on to whom shall we award the project will be out by next week. Kung ako lang I would award it to your team. Mike were able to provide everything that we need." Patrick said.
"Great to hear that. By the way, when did you arrive in Manila?" I asked.
"Just last Monday and I went straight to work, I need to finish this evaluation of the companies so we could start the project immediately." He replied.
"Sir, the team is planning to go out after office hours with Patrick, you may join us if you want. I checked with your secretary, wala ka naman nang meeting tonight." Mike said.
"I guess I have to excuse myself for now Mike. I need to go home early today, but thank you for the invitation." I said.
"Oppss, sorry sir, I forgot na bagong kasal ka nga pala. Pasensya na po sir." Mike apologized.
"It's alright Mike, some other time maybe, magpapaalam muna ako kay Misis." I said.
"So you just got married, congratulations" Patrick said.
"Thank you." I briefly replied
"Malapit ka lang ba nakatira dito sa BGC?" Patrick asked
"Nope, sa Laguna kami nakatira." I said
"Malayo rin pala, hindi ba mahirap travelling from Laguna to BGC?" He asked.
"Hindi naman, maybe we get used to that kaya hindi na mahirap. Mas malayo nga ang office namin sa San Juan, before we transfer here in BGC." I replied. "How long will you be staying here in the Philippines?" I asked.
"I am staying here for good. My family lives in the North, just a few kilometers from where our Philippine branch will be build." Patrick replied.
"My wife lives in the north, too, before we got married." I said.
"Wow North and South pala kayo, maybe you love her that much to endure that long distance of travelling." Patrick said and I just smile at him because I don't know how to reply to his statement.
"Are you married?" I asked to just sway the topic from me to him.
"I was married. I got married three years ago and eventually get divorced after two years." He replied.
"So technically you are single." I said.
"Yes." He quickly replied. "But I am not yet really ready to mingle." He added.
"Why is that? Nakakatrauma ba ang may asawa?" I asked beaming.
"Nope if you love your spouse, wala namang trauma." He straighly replied. "Don't get me wrong, I got married because I thought I love my ex-wife enough to forget someone who got away five years ago." He replied and I could not explain why is it that I had a different feeling about that someone he is talking about.
"We are beginning to be too personal here. I hope it means that there is a bigger possibility that we could have the project awarded to us." I asked.
"Like what I have said, I don't have problem with your team, if I am the only one to decided, I will award it to your company so we could start the construction of the office immediately." He said.
"Thank you for the trust Patrick, I am looking forward to work with you." I said.
"Let's have our fingers crossed that the board would grant your team this project." He said.
"We will certainly do that." I said. "In what hotel are you staying now?" I asked.
"I am staying in my ancestral home in Bulacan. Mas gusto ko dun, may malapit kasing motocross tracks." He replied and it made my heart beats fast.
"Motocross? You are into motocross?" I asked.
"Yes, matagal na before I left to work abroad." He replied.
"My wife is into motocross driving, too." I told him.
"Really, I would love to meet your wife. Mukhang marami kaming mapapag-usapan. Saang tracks sya madalas?" He said.
"There were times sa San Mateo but mostly sa Malolos. She was eyeing a tracks located in Cavite, nearer in our place in Laguna instead of going to Bulacan or San Mateo." I replied.
"So it will be impossible to meet her in the tracks in Malolos." He said.
"There maybe sometime, my in-laws are staying in Bulacan." I said.
"Really? Such a small world, where in Bulacan?" He asked.
"Sta. Maria Bulacan." I replied.
"I know someone from Santa Maria Bulacan who was into Motocross but I don't know if she is still into that sports. Perhaps, your wife knows her." He said.
"Really? Who is she?" I asked.
"Charmaine Mendoza, daughter of the famous Engineer Teddy Mendoza." He replied.
"Indeed a small world Patrick, I know her too, Charmaine Dei Mendoza is now Charmaine Dei Mendoza-Faulkerson. She is my wife." I said.
"What????? May asawa na si Menggay?" He exclaimed, how dare he call Meng as Menggay, as far as I know, only family members call her in that nickname.
"If you are talking about the Charmaine Dei Mendoza, who is the second daughter of Teddy and Mary Mendoza. Who has friends with the name of Hannah, Camila and Olga her bestfriend who is already dead by now. The Charmaine Dei Mendoza who is fearless in all her motocross stunts, then yes, Menggay is already married. And she is married to me." I told this Patrick guy, with emphasis on Meng's status now.
If Patrick Ledesma is the same Patrick na iniyakan ng asawa ko five years ago, then he definitely got my eyes on him. At kung si Meng ang sinasabi nyang someone who got away five years ago sisiguraduhin kong hindi na 'to makakalapit sa asawa ko.