#RTG11 Chapter 11

I spent day in and day out in the office... The only promise I made to myself was that Sundays will always be for Sean. Walang trabaho na dapat akong isipin o gawin kapag Sunday. It was a challenge dahil parang puro trabaho lang iyong nasa utak ko dahil pakiramdam ko ay marami akong kailangang patunayan... But I also knew that I was marrying Sean and I needed to take care of him, too. Hindi naman pwede na sa trabaho umikot ang buong buhay ko.

"How's the case?" Sean asked.

"No work talk," I said, shaking my head.

"No?"

Umiling ako habang pinapa-libot ang mga braso ko sa leeg niya. We were on wedding errands today. Dahil busy ako sa work at pumapayat ako dahil sa dami ng ginagawa, palaging kailangang iadjust iyong gown ko... And hopefully, last adjust na ngayon dahil kasal ko na next week.

"We're gonna talk about our wedding... and our honeymoon."

Sean pursed his lips and nodded. "Honeymoon," he said.

"Since I'm the one in-charged with the honeymoon," I replied since I pleaded na ako na ang mag-ayos nun para may contribution naman ako sa kasal namin bukod sa presence ko. "I already booked us a flight so we'll leave on Friday then come back Monday morning. We'll be in Puerto Princesa. No signal. No phone. No distraction. We'll just honeymoon..." I said, slowly grinning.

I felt him wrapping his arms around my waist. "Just honeymoon?"

I nodded, planting a kiss on his lips. "Yup. Sex all you want."

Sean laughed. God, I love hearing him laugh.

We spent the entire Sunday together. We went to hear mass first—religious kasi iyong family ni Sean kaya nasanay na rin ako na magsimba tuwing Sunday. Nung nasa law school kasi ako, hindi ko 'to nagagawa kasi I'd seriously rather sleep on Sundays.

We went to BGC din for my gown pero naghiwalay kami ni Sean dahil pupuntahan niya naman iyong sa tux niya. As expected, kailangan ng final adjustment sa gown ko. Grabe naman kasi sa work! 'Di na talaga ako nakaka-kain ng normal at puro sandwich lang ako. Gets ko na si Atty. Yuchengco sa kaka-sandwich niya—with the time constraint, iyon nga lang talaga ang pwede mong kainin.

After that, nagkita kami sa isang resto kung saan kami kumain ng early dinner. Then, we headed to my condo... Tapos pagka-gising ko nung umaga, it's a Monday and Sean already left to go to his duty.

I couldn't wait to be married! Kung pwede nga lang dito ko na patitirahin si Sean, e... Pero baka atakihin sa puso si Papa kapag ginawa ko 'yun. 'Di bale, isang linggo na lang naman.

Pagdating ko sa office, same old routine. I was already done building the defense—medyo natagalan lang ako kasi I wanted to make sure that all bases were covered. Ang dami kasi nung discoveries ng prosecution and I wanted to have contingency plans for all possible scenario. This was the first case I was handling! I mean, provided na si Atty. Yuchengco ang counsel talaga, I still treated this case as my first baby. No room for mistakes.

By Wednesday, I was already satisfied with my defense kaya naman pumunta ako sa office ni Atty. Yuchengco kaya lang ay nasa court hearing siya kaya naman kailangan ko pang maghintay ng hapon. At dahil wala naman akong ginagawa, pupunta sana ako kay Paige para magtanong kung may iba pa ba akong pwedeng ganon. Iyong Legarda case pa lang kasi iyong assigned sa akin.

"Nako, wala, e," Paige said. "Feeling ko kasi tinitignan muna ni Atty kung ano'ng klaseng case load ibigay bago siya nag-aassign," she continued, tapos bigla siyang natigilan. "Wait lang, ha," sabi niya sa akin bago tumingin sa likuran ko. "Atty. Cantavieja."

Agad akong napa-tingin sa likod ko at nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makita ko si Sancho. Nang tumingin siya sa akin, mukhang hindi siya nagulat kagaya ko... Alam niya ba na dito rin ako nagta-trabaho?

"Hey, Paige," he greeted.

Ang weird... Naka-ngiti siya! He's really just serious around me.

"Done with the Uy case?" he asked and Paige gave him some files. Nagpasalamat lang siya bago umalis... See? He's definitely weird around me.

"Kilala mo, Atty?" Paige asked.

"Kinda..." sagot ko. "Blocmate ko."

"Oh? Parang 'di naman kayo close."

I shrugged, not really wanting to discuss Sancho further. "If may kailangan ka ng assistance, nasa cubicle lang ako, okay?" I told her bago ako pumunta sa cubicle ko. Habang naglalakad ako, natigilan ako dahil nakita ko si Atty. Gulmatico—sobrang bihira lang makita sa office daw 'yan kasi kapag sobrang high profile lang at saka siya tumutulong.

If only I could have him as my mentor sana! Pero mukha okay naman si Atty. Yuchengco... Iyon nga lang ang tahimik masyado.

Nang maka-balik si Atty. Yuchengco ay nagreport na ako sa kanya.

"Looks good," he said.

"Thank you," I replied.

Naka-tayo ako roon, naghihintay ng susunod na ipapagawa niya sa akin... If Paige was right, the Legarda case was like an initiation for me para malaman iyong capacity ko dito sa firm... And I seriously believed that I did a great job with the Legarda case! I even went as far as tracking someone all the way to Baguio para lang masigurado na tama lahat ng ibibigay ko sa kanya. I didn't want my first assignment to be a failure. That would surely haunt me for years!

"Do you need anything else?" he asked.

"Do you have anything for me, Sir?" tanong ko sa kanya.

He stared at me for a bit bago tumingin sa paligid niya. It seemed like he was trying to decide kung ano ang ibibigay niya sa akin. I didn't want to get over my head, but I really wanted to prove my worth in this firm. Na hindi porke hindi ako topnotcher, hindi na ako magaling.

The BAR was definitely hard... but that was an exam.

This? This was application.

They're 2 different beasts.

And I was gonna make sure that I was good in one of them.

"Draft an appeal," sabi niya habang may binigay sa akin na papel na may sinulat siya na pangalan. "The files from the case are with Atty. Cantavieja."

Ano ba 'yan.

How to work with him when he's so weird with me?

But I forged a smile on my face because it wasn't my place to complain. Nagpasalamat na lang ako sa kanya bago ako nagtanong kay Paige kung nasaan iyong cubicle ni Sancho. Nang naglakad ako papunta sa cubicle niya, natigilan ako dahil nakita ko na kausap niya si Atty. Gulmatico.

Seriously! Lahat na lang yata ng tao kilala nito! Even our Dean in College of Law ay kilala niya!

I stood from afar, just waiting for them to finish talking. Ayoko naman na lumapit doon dahil nakaka-hiya... Bago pa lang ako rito sa firm at wala pang napapa-tunayan. Gusto ko na kapag pinakilala ako kay Atty. Gulmatico, I already proved something. I wanted to be remembered—not forgotten along the sea of faces he sees every day.

Nang maka-alis na si Atty. Gulmatico, I straightened the imaginary crease on my skirt and walked up to Sancho. He seemed really friendly with Atty. Gulmatico dahil nakita ko na nagtawanan pa sila sandali kanina. Seriously... Medyo nakaka-inggit iyong koneksyon ng tao na 'to.

I didn't know if he was just too focused on reading whatever he was reading o kung sadyang hindi niya ako pinapansin, pero ilang segundo na ako sa gilid ng cubicle niya ay hindi niya pa rin ako tinitignan.

"Atty. Cantavieja," I called when seconds passed and he was still ignoring me. But he wasn't such an asshole dahil nang tinawag ko ang pangalan niya ay tumingin naman siya sa 'kin. "Can I request for your files for the Payumo case? I was assigned to draft the appeal."

Medyo kumunot ang noo niya. "It was assigned to me."

"Well, it's now with me," sagot ko.

High profile case ba 'yun? God, I wanted it even more now! Hindi naman na yata kailangan ni Sancho iyon because he already knew the people in the right places habang ako, nagsisimula pa lang ako.

"Who assigned it to you?" he asked.

"Atty. Yuchengco."

"Atty. Zobel assigned it to me," he replied.

My lips parted. The hell?! Kilala niya iyong dalawang namesake ng firm?! So unfair!

"If you have a problem, take it with him," he casually said, shrugging his shoulder.

I stood there, unable to decide kung ano ang gagawin. Gosh... Bakit ba hindi kami naging close ng isang 'to nung law school days? I mean, 4 years kaming nasa iisang classroom! Lahat na ng kahihiyan nakita namin sa isa't-isa... pero ganito siya sa akin dahil lang crush niya ako dati? Grow up naman sana!

"Sancho," I called.

Agad siyang napa-tingin sa akin. He seemed a little surprised by the change of my tone. Kailangan kong maki-sama sa kanya. We're working in the same place... It's inevitable na mangyayari iyong ganito na magkaka-trabaho kami. We needed to, at least, be civil.

"Can we make the draft together?" I asked.

I was willing to let bygones be bygones... Kahit siya lang naman talaga ang may problema sa akin. Wala akong problema sa kanya. I believed that we could be good friends dahil okay naman ako sa ka-triplets niya basta 'wag lang nila kaming inaasar kasi ang gago lang dahil alam nilang may Sean.

"I really need this..." I pleaded. "Please?"

Kasi kung si Atty. Zobel mismo ang nag-assign... then this case must really be something... And with the hoard of lawyers in this firm? I needed to make sure I'd be noticed.

"Fine," he said.

"Really?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"Yeah," he replied.

I bit my lower lip and smiled. "Thanks!"

He shrugged, pulling something from below his desk. I grinned when I saw the name of the file on top of the folder. Akala ko ay inabot niya sa akin iyon, pero naka-hawak lang siya.

"Let me be clear—this was assigned to me. I'm just letting you help," he said, holding the envelop.

I pursed my lips. "Loud and clear."

"I'll be interviewing Mrs. Payumo tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I asked. Shit! Hindi ako pwede bukas.

"Yeah. Why?"

Hindi ako nakapagsalita agad. Wedding weekend bukas. Hindi talaga ako pwede. Naka-schedule na lahat ng gagawin ko. I had a date with my sorority sisters tapos dinner with Sean's family. Then wedding on Sunday.

"My wedding," I replied.

His lips parted a little, but he was quick to show me that neutral expression on his face. This was so awkward.

"But maybe on Monday?" I followed up because I couldn't deal with the silence from his end. He should really stop whatever he was doing. Sancho's really good looking—he looked so Filipino, iyong tipong tall, dark, and handsome... But I was already smitten with my doctor.

"Sure," he just said, handing me the files, and then focusing his eyes on the monitor in front of him. He was back to ignoring me. Tignan mo 'to... Parang tanga. Mas para siyang tanga kung magagalit siya sa akin dahil wala akong maalala na pinaasa ko siya kahit kailan.

'Suit yourself,' I thought to myself before I walked back to my cubicle.

* * *

Mas naging busy ako nung mga sumunod na araw. I studied the files hard and read it again and again para makita kung may paraan ba para ma-overturn iyong decision. But when Friday night came, I really left everything in the office and repeatedly told myself na kailangang this weekend, focused ako sa kasal! I went to the spa-date that my sorority sisters prepared for me and I was so relaxed! Grabe pala talaga iyong stress na nakuha ko sa trabaho! Parang kailangan ko na ng neck-brace sa sobrang dami ng binabasa, e.

When Sunday morning came, I felt like I could feel every fiber in my being. I thought I'd be scared... but all I could feel was excitement! Sobrang excited na akong makasal kay Sean! I couldn't wait to live in the same place as him... to sleep beside him and wake up next to him. I was so tired of constantly missing him and feeling bad dahil hindi ko siya makita dahil sa trabaho.

"Sigurado ka na rito?" Papa asked while he's walking me down the aisle.

I laughed. "Pa, literal na hina-hatid mo ako kay Sean ngayon," I said but my eyes were on Sean... my almost husband. I bit my lower lip when I saw him wiping the side of his eyes. This baby. Ngayon ko lang yata siya nakitang umiyak. I wanted to run to him and hug him and kiss him and just marry the shit out of him.

"Gusto ko lang naman na sigurado ka rito," sabi niya.

I looked at Sean and smiled. "Siguradung-sigurado, Pa."

When I finally reached the end of the aisle, kitang-kita ko iyong pamumula ng mga mata niya. It seemed like it was only yesterday when I saw him outside the club... It seemed like it was only yesterday when he brought me to Maldives...

Siguro nga mabilis...

But time was never the measurement of a successful marriage...

"Hi," I said.

"Hi," he replied, his eyes red from crying. He looked at Papa and thanked him for trusting him. I felt how sincere he was... I hoped that Papa would truly give Sean a chance because this was really happening.

"Ready?" I asked, trying to fight the tears from falling because we couldn't both cry at our wedding! At saka baka isipin ni Papa na tears of distress iyon kahit tears of happiness naman talaga!

"Ready," he replied as he held my hand and we faced the priest.