Quick commercial!

 

Una, thank you for waiting for this update for almost two months /suminghot/ most importantly, thank you for staying.

 

Pangalawa, I want to give a shoutout to user akisays_ and justjoohyunie who read these chapters early on and gave suggestions before I wrapped the final version. Para sa inyo ‘to.

 

At pangatlo, para sa’yo, dahil anumang tagal at lakas ng bagyo ng nakaraan; anumang lalim ng bahid ng ala-alang ‘di na makilo ang bigat; at anumang labo ng mga naging hudyat, alam kong ngingiti ka pa rin sa paraang matagal mo nang inaasam. At ang pagkakataong ipinagkaloob ng tadhana ay – sa wakas, iyo nang makakamtan.

 

Salamat, lagi’t lagi. Tapusin na natin ‘to.

 

 

 

 

Sabi ni Ely,

"Ang lahat ng bagay ay may'rong hangganan,"

 

At sabi naman ni Rico,

"Ang buhay ay sadyang ganyan,"

 

Pero ang sabi ni Bamboo?

"Sa malas kong ito, minsan sinwerte din ako,

Nang makilala ang taong tulad mo."

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

“Hey, where are you?” Roseanne asked through the phone, “The movie’s about to start in like… I don’t know, 20 minutes?”

 

“Parking na, Rosie.” Seulgi turned off the ignition of her car with her phone pressed against her left ear, “I’m on my way there, mag wi-withdraw lang ako. Kumpleto na ba kayo?”

 

“Almost. Cousin ko na lang yung kulang so, hurry up. I want us to have a nice spot in the field.”

 

“Okay, I'll see you guys in a few.” Seulgi ended the call before unbuckling her seatbelt. She adjusted her rear-view mirror to the frame of her face so she could fix herself. After tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear and reapplying her lipstick, she smiled smally at her reflection and got out of the car.

 

It was movie night. Well, more like movie afternoon since it was only 4:30, and the sun was just preparing to set. The outdoor cinema, which is hosted by Globe Studios, was in town for a week. Rosie thought it would be nice to come with her co-workers after a few hectic days at the firm. She also mentioned that her cousin, who just moved back to the country, was tagging along. Gladly, everyone was fine with it.

 

After withdrawing a few blue bills and putting them in her wallet, Seulgi was caught off guard when a woman much shorter than her accidentally bumped against her body.

 

It was their small collision that made the items they were holding fall to the ground.

 

“,” The stranger muttered before quickly picking up the items on the floor. Seulgi did the same.

 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking.” The woman apologized before handing Seulgi her wallet, “Here.”

 

“Okay lang, thanks.” She gave the stranger a pursed smile as she accepted the items in her hand.

 

“Are you maybe on your way to the outdoor cinema?”

 

Seulgi thought the stranger must have seen her movie ticket that slipped from her hold when their bodies collided. She was planning on telling her a white lie but when she saw the same movie ticket in the woman’s hands, she knew it was safe to give her an honest answer.

 

“Yes, I am.” Seulgi replied, “Why?”

 

“Can you show me the way to the place? If it’s okay with you,” The stranger asked kindly, “I’m not from around here, so I'm not really familiar with the whole place.” She added with a nervous chuckle.

 

Ah, that explains the kiwi accent.

 

“Sure,” Seulgi answered flatly but not without a polite smile, “Follow me.”

 

Together, they walked side by side towards their destination in silence. Seulgi admitted to herself that she was a bit socially awkward especially to strangers and people that barely knew her but she knew to herself that she isn’t the type of person to turn down someone in need of help.

 

Minutes later, the two of them were greeted by the refreshing afternoon breeze that blew from the distant trees as they arrived at the open field.

 

“This is the place,” Seulgi said when they stopped past the entrance, “I better get going, my friends are still waiting for me.”

 

The stranger nodded once, “Okay, thank you for—”

 

 

“Jennie!”

 

 

The two of them looked to the direction where the familiar voice was calling. Rosie waved excitedly with a big smile on her face, “Hi! Oh my god, I've missed you! Kumusta ka?” She weakly tackled Jennie into a hug with a kiss to her round cheek.

 

Seeing the scenario, Seulgi realized that the stranger she just helped must be Rosie’s cousin that was going to tag along with them.

 

She was a little startled when Rosie lunged forward to her direction to do the same, “Hi abogago, I see you already met Jennie.”

 

“I told you to stop calling me that,” Seulgi chuckled before breaking free from her friend’s embrace, “Nagpaturo siya papunta dito. Siya ba yung cousin mo? Tsaka akala ko kasama mo na yung iba...”

 

“I had to go to the washroom first and oo, she’s my cousin. Wait, let me introduce you two formally,” Rosie pulled Seulgi a little closer to where Jennie was standing, “Seulgi, this is Jennie, pinsan ko who just moved back from Australia. Jens, this is Seulgi, one of the lawyers from our firm. We work together.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you, Seulgi. Magkasama rin pala tayo. Thanks for helping me get here.” Jennie shook the mono-lid woman’s hand with a kind smile.

 

“Likewise, Jennie. Nag ta-tagalog ka naman pala.” Seulgi let out a small laugh and so did the other, “Asan sila Lisa, Rosie?”

 

“Naka-puwesto na sila sa may bandang gitna, hinihintay tayo so let’s go.” Jennie and Seulgi started following Rosie in her tracks with a bit of small talk.

 

“Ayan na pala sila!” Lisa pointed at the three women who were inching closer to their spot on the field. This caused two of their other colleagues to turn their heads to the direction Lisa was pointing at.

 

Stopping by the side of their picnic mat, Rosie smiled at her friends as she put her hand on Jennie’s shoulder to introduce her to them, “Guys, si Jennie, cousin ko. Jens, that’s Sana with the specs. Si Eri yung naka polo. Then that’s Lisa with the bangs.”

 

The three women greeted Jennie with genuine smiles and small waves. Lisa, being the friendly woman that she is, even stood up from her spot just to shake hands with their new acquaintance and offered her a place to sit on. This caused Seulgi to snort, which she tried to hide by looking away. She knew why Lisa was acting that way.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Lisa. You too, Eri and Sana.” Jennie returned their genuine smiles before taking a seat on the checkered picnic mat with her cousin and Seulgi.

 

The small group ended up sitting in a concave formation with Seulgi between Lisa and Jennie while Rosie stayed beside her cousin with Eri and Sana to her right.

 

“Musta, abogago? Natraffic ka?” Lisa asked the moment they were settled.

 

“Medj. Ang dami kasing pa northbound. Tsaka kailan niyo ba titigilan ‘yang ‘abogago’ na ‘yan?”

 

She chuckled, “Never. It’s cute. Sino ulit nagbigay no’n sa’yo, si Yeri ba?”

 

Seulgi scoffed, “Inamo sa cute. Basta don’t call me that at work.”

 

“Pero huy,” Lisa tapped her friend’s shoulder once and then whispered to her ear, “She seems nice ‘no?” she subtly pointed at Jennie using her lips.

 

Seulgi nodded as an answer before whispering back, “She does,”

 

Beside her, Jennie couldn’t keep still. Seulgi noticed she seemed to be struggling in finding the right sitting position because her dress was too short.

 

“Jennie, here.” She didn’t hesitate to hand her leather jacket to the other woman after taking it off.

 

“Oh, you really don’t have to. Thank you.” Jennie waved her hand in a small motion with a sheepish smile, still trying to settle in a comfortable position.

 

“It’s fine, ‘di naman ganun kalamig.”

 

Jennie finally stopped budging. “Sige,” she shot Seulgi a shy but grateful smile and took the black leather jacket in her hands before covering her legs with it.

 

“Thanks,” Her voice was gentle.

 

“No worries,” Seulgi smiled back, “So…” she started and then paused, “Have you watched Ghost before?” she asked, pertaining to the film they were about to watch.

 

“Countless of times.” Jennie answered.

 

“Really? So you like the classics?”

 

“Yeah,” She said with a nod, “I’m quite a fan of movies.”

 

“Uy nice!” Seulgi said through a smile, sparks shining in her eyes, “Ako rin. Ano pang pinapanood mo aside sa classics?”

 

“Ocean’s anthology, Wong Kar Wai’s films, Before Sunrise trilogy, and… marami pa, honestly. But I mostly like heist and coming of age movies.” Jennie said with the same happy expression.  

 

“Favorite ko yung Before Sunrise trilogy, ‘di ko na pinagsawaan.” Seulgi smiled smally at her own comment, “What about Dead Poets Society?”

 

“It’s in my top 10. Can’t miss out on any of Robin Williams’ movies. He’s my favorite, who’s yours?”

 

“George Clooney. I loved him in Up In The Air and Ocean’s anthology, too. That guy’s a legend.” Seulgi answered before spitting a compliment for her new acquaintance, “You got nice taste, Jennie.”

 

This put a pretty smile on the latter’s lips, “Thanks, Seulgi. I could say the same. I discovered a lot of hidden gems when I was still in Australia out of boredom and homesickness. Torrent torrent lang muna, wala pa kasi akong Netflix nun.”

 

The two shared a hearty laugh. “We’ve all been there. I still use it until now kapag wala yung hinahanap ko sa Netflix. What about Filipino films? Got any favorites?”

 

“I’m a er for romantic dramas!” Jennie said excitedly, “Basta Cathy Garcia-Molina and Olivia Lamasan, I’m always up for their movies. What about you?”

 

Seulgi smiled at the other woman’s enthusiasm before answering, “Trip ko rin mga romantic drama but I love Pinoy Indie films more.”

 

“I don’t think I’ve watched any new indie films before,”

 

“Well, I can introduce you to a few if you’d like.”

 

Jennie smiled sweetly, “I’d love that.”

 

Before they can converse any further, the movie began to play and all the other voices around them vanished into silence. Rosie even shushed them as she was excited to watch the film since it’s her first time to see it. Jennie and Seulgi never felt bored in those 2 hours and 9 minutes despite having seen the film before.

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

“So, Jennie,” Eri dabbed the side of twice with a paper napkin, “Rosie told us you stayed in Australia for 7 years, what made you come home?

 

When the movie finished, the small circle of friends decided to have dinner. Rosie suggested that they eat at Mary Grace to which Lisa immediately chuckled at and teased, ‘Mary Grace? Ano ka kwarenta?’ She received a smack to the shoulder from Rosie afterwards. The rest of them couldn’t help but laugh. When the two stopped bickering, the group ended up eating at Nonna’s since most of them were craving for Italian cuisine.

 

“My work environment got too toxic that I couldn’t stand working there anymore.” Jennie answered truthfully, “It was a tough decision to make because it was paying me well but something else was already waiting for me here in the Philippines by then. One of my good friends nung college established her own firm and asked me to be her partner and theeeen here I am, beyond excited to work with her in a few weeks.”

 

Eri smiled, “That’s amazing, Jennie. It’s never easy to leave a job that pays well. Ano nga pala’ng work mo?”

 

“Oh, I’m an interior designer.” Jennie pursed a smile. Eri and the others gave her an amused nod.

 

“Taga uste rin si Jen, Seulgi.” Rosie butted in all of a sudden before taking a mouthful of her vongole olio.

 

Surprised, Seulgi raised her eyebrows, “Talaga?” she asked excitedly, directing her question more to Jennie than Rosie.

 

“Oo,” Jennie said with a nod, “Ikaw rin?”

 

“Yes. Edi nag CFAD ka pala?”

 

Jennie nodded once more, “BS interior design. I graduated in 2015. What about you?”

 

“Pol sci, 2014.” Seulgi answered.

 

“One year lang pala,” Jennie commented, “It’s too bad na ‘di tayo nagkakilala agad. I feel like we would have been good friends in an instant.”

 

Seulgi’s knife stopped midway through cutting her lasagna. She returned Jennie’s smile to let her know she felt the same. She wanted to tell Jennie her real answer that went along the lines of ‘It’s not too late for that,’ and ‘We can always make up for lost time,’. However, Seulgi thought her words were too cheesy to be said out loud that the chance of her co-workers teasing her about them for forever was a big possibility. 

 

Instead, she uttered a genuine “Likewise.” before popping the slice that she had just cut in .

 

Seulgi will never forget the gummy smile that bloomed on Jennie’s lips after she spit her answer.

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

She found herself walking through an aisle of bookshelves with Jennie after dinner. Seulgi had told her co-workers that she was quickly going to drop by Fully Booked to find a good read and maybe purchase a book if she fancied any. Jennie decided to tag along, saying that she had to buy a few new fountain pens because her old ones weren’t doing the job anymore. Rosie and the others gave them mere nods and told them they were going to catch up once they’re done with their pot of tea.

 

“Trevor Noah? I didn’t know he wrote books.” Jennie said when Seulgi showed her the book that caught her eye with the title ‘Born A Crime’.

 

“First niya ata ‘to, I think.” Seulgi commented as she inspected the back page, “You watch his shows too?”

 

“I felt sick of Jokoy after a while.” Jennie shrugged, “‘Di na bumebenta sa’kin yung Vick’s jokes.”

 

The two shared a laugh, “I get what you mean,” Seulgi said with a smile. She briefly observed the book’s back page once more until she finally made up her mind, “I’m buying this one.”

 

“Alright, shall we go downstairs? I think I saw the fountain pens displayed there.”

 

With an ‘okay’ from Seulgi, they made their way to the shop’s first floor. Jennie took her time in picking the best pens, Seulgi on the other hand, just patiently waited and observed the expensive materials in her acquaintance’s hands out of interest.

 

“Can I ask you something?”

 

“Sure.” Jennie said without sparing Seulgi a glance.

 

“San mo ginagamit yung fountain pens mo?”

 

“Calligraphy,” She answered, “I picked it up as a hobby in college but since my plates kept multiplying each week, I stopped. I feared I might have art burn or worse, I might get sick of it completely. I didn’t want that.” Jennie explained, grabbing another fancy looking pen then inspected it.

 

“Pero nagbalik loob naman din ako when I flew to Australia,” She smiled a little, “I needed something to keep me sane while I was far from home anyway.”

 

Seulgi nodded, “We all need something to keep us sane. It’s a crazy world after all.”

 

“It really is,” Jennie put the pen back to its rightful place, “What about you? What keeps you sane?”

 

“I used to paint back in college but I .” Seulgi laughed at her own answer. “Kaya I decided to try film photography instead. I think it’s doing a good job in keeping me sane.”

 

“Really? Pwedeng patingin nung shots mo?”

 

“As long as you’ll show me your .”

 

The side of Jennie’s mouth curved up, “You got it.”

 

Seulgi unlocked her phone and opened the gallery to press on an album entitled ‘mga kuha’. She scrolled all the way up and tapped the first photo before handing the device to Jennie. As her friend swiped through her favorite album, Seulgi felt nostalgic upon seeing the photos she took in the past few years.

 

“Uy, uste!” Jennie stopped and stared at a photo of their university’s chapel, “Nakakamiss.” She mindlessly said with a gentle smile.

 

Jennie swiped through more of Seulgi’s warm-filtered photos with an amused look on her face. The next batch of pictures was mostly shot indoors; if it isn’t a photo of symmetrical books or a big cup of coffee, it’s the interior of what Jennie guessed is a café.

 

“I see you like hanging out in coffee shops too,” She commented without looking up from the screen, “They got nice interior, saan ‘to?”

 

“Somewhere around Maginhawa. I barely remember the name of the place but I’d go there whenever I need a break from studying for boards back then.” Seulgi scooted closer with folded arms to take a better look at her photos.

 

“Is that your style?” She looked at Jennie.

 

The latter softly shook her