Chapter Text
Organic encounters…written encounters…or whatever the hell this was
Stacey angrily wiped away the tears that rolled down her cheeks, the soft glow of her phone illuminating her face as her thumb swiped left as she viewed the newly posted photos on Instagram. She shouldn’t have opened the account. But the notification had pinged on her phone and had shown on her lockscreen - what was she supposed to do when it seemed like the universe itself decided to show it to her?
“Ba’t mo pa kasi tinitingnan-tingnan?” Her Ate Aiah chided as she entered the living room, crossing the room to switch on the dim lights of their shared unit. “Sinasaktan mo lang yung sarili mo, Staks.”
“Didn’t they say to put salt on wounds for faster healing?” Stacey countered as she set her phone down on the coffee table. “Sorry naman if we can’t all have a perfect lovelife like yours, Ate Aiah.”
Aiah rolled her eyes and then handed her friend an ice cold bottle of Mule. She sat cross-legged across the younger woman, and then leaned close to the table, resting her face on the palm of her right hand. “Alam mo, before I met Mikha, I went to see a psychic.”
Stacey’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Of all the things that cool and collected Aiah Arceta would do – meeting a psychic was never a part of her list. “Weh? Di nga! Ba’t ngayon ko lang nalaman ‘to?”
Aiah’s eyes crinkled in a smile and she shrugged. “Because I don’t like talking about it, okay? Nakakahiya kaya! Baka akalain nyong ginayuma ko si Mikhs. Sa ganda kong ‘to?”
Stacey scoffed. “Sa ganda mong yan na iniwan ng mga gagong lalaki, eh babae pala ang para sa’yo. Hindi ko na nga na expect yung plot twist na yun, and then now you’re telling me na nagpunta ka pala sa psychic bago mo sya nakilala? Kelan yan?”
Aiah reached for her drink and took a long sip before answering the question. “When I went to Siquijor. Naalala mo?”
“Didn’t you meet Mikha there din? Nung nasiraan ka ng motor and she offered you a ride?”
Aiah smirked. “Hindi sira yung motor.”
Stacey’s eyes widened. “Ate Aiah?!”
The older girl looked at her innocently and shrugged. “The day before, I was exploring the island on my own, okay? Diba I told you they sold gayuma-,”
“So ginayuma mo nga? Kaya bang patay na patay yung pulang manok sayo? Jusko, aakalain mo talaga ikaw yung ribs na kinuha ni Lord sa tagiliran nya!”
Aiah laughed loudly, her snortish laugh that sounded offensive but Stacey was used to hearing. “Patapusin mo ako kasi! So diba nga, nagbebenta sila ng mga gayuma? So napatanong-tanong ako, okay? Paano kung ayaw mong gayumahin kasi wala ka namang prospect? May ibang way ba na ma-meet mo yung taong para sayo?”
“Hindi ba’t nakakasira ng negosyo yang tanong mo?”
Aiah nodded in agreement. “Wala ngang pumansin sakin but there was another tourist there who called my attention nung aalis na sana ako. She gave me an advice. Yung tipong, wala namang mawawala sayo if susubukan mo?”
“Lumandi?” Stacey offered. “Yung dignidad mo, nawawala pag ganun minsan. Sala-ula ka pa naman minsan.”
Aiah leaned close to her and flicked her on the forehead. “No. She told me to write the attributes of the person I wanted to have as my partner on a piece of paper, pray over it, and then burn it.”
Stacey thought about it for a moment. She’s known Aiah her whole life – eh magpinsan sila eh – at alam na alam niya yung tipo ng ate nya. Kaya when Aiah came back to Manila after that trip and a month later, introduced Mikha to them as her manliligaw, she never expected her Ate to suddenly switch to the opposing team.
“Sandali, alam ko yung gusto mo eh. So you wrote someone who’s kind, and gentle, yung maalagain sa pamilya. Someone who gets your humor and your love for adventures…” Stacey said, listing down all the attributes of her cousin’s ideal partner. “And then what?”
Aiah bit her lower lip. “Yes, I wrote all that but before I did, I went to this bar. Dun ko nakita si Mikha, okay? She stands out anywhere with that red hair of hers and god, sobrang ganda nya, Staks. Flushed with alcohol and dancing in the middle of the room, absolutely carefree. Na para bang the world may burn around her but the flames are just there to keep her warm.”
Ah, spoken by someone absolutely in love. “Wag mong sabihin na sinulat mo ay ‘pulang buhok na maganda na nakita ko kanina’ at sinunog yun.”
“Hmm. When I got home that night, drunk with alcohol and the scent of the ocean and the thought of Mikha, I remembered what that woman told me. So ayun, naghanap ako ng posporo or lighter, tore a piece of paper from my journal and wrote the things I wanted in a partner. And then I did write that I wouldn’t mind if it turned out to be her.”
A shy smile filled Aiah’s face as she looked down on her drink as she continued the story. “I was always attracted to women, Staks. Alam mo yun. Mas marami akong girl crush keysa sa crush na lalaki. But I always chose to be with men because it seemed rational. Kasi nga babae ako. When I was burning that note, writing the fact that I wouldn’t mind if it turned out to be Mikha was more of an afterthought.”
“But lo and behold, I did end up with her. And as it turned out, she checks off everything in my list of ideal partners. Siguro palawakan lang ng options and then the world would give you the desire of your heart?”
Stacey mulled over the story that her Ate just shared. “So ano yung moral ng kwento mo?”
Aiah rolled her eyes and then stood up. She rummaged through their apartment for the sticky notes that she had a habit of hiding wherever, and the small lighter they kept to light their scented candles. She handed Stacey the items, and then looked for a pen for her cousin to use.
“Like I was told, subukan mo. Wala namang mawawala if you try it out, diba?”
Stacey’s eyebrows knitted together. “Pumasok sa isang wlw relationship?”
Aiah laughed and shook her head. “No, Staks! Just write down the partner you want to meet. The thing about you is, sa dating apps ka lagi naka-rely. Eh andaming gago dyan.”
“True.”
“Kaya ayan, baka organic encounter ang para sayo.”
Stacey stared at the paper. “I don’t think this is considered as organic encounter, Ate Aiah.”
“Hmm, then maybe think of it as…written encounter?”
Stacey made a face. “Alam mo, na-inlove ka lang ng ganyan, naging cringey ka na.”
“Are you gonna write, Stacey Aubrey?”
“Oo na, madam! Parang persuaded encounter naman ‘to eh.”
Stacey was done with all her tasks. Pumasok sya ng 8AM on the dot, and it was…only 9:30AM. Wala na syang gagawin pa other than pretend that she was working – which was a more tedious job rather than her actual job. She could use her phone – she could doomscroll on Instagram and TikTok and claim that she’s only checking to see if there’s any new trend they can use for another campaign.
But opening Instagram might mean seeing the face of her ex and ayaw nyang makitang masaya yung mokong sa bagong babae nya.
‘Sorry, Stacey. It’s not you, it’s me. I just want to focus more on myself and my career and masyado akong nadi-distract sa relasyon na ‘to.’ Linyahan talaga ng mga manloloko. And then biglang may hard launch sa IG, salamat daw at sinagot na sya sa ilang buwang ligaw nya.
Aba.
G na G pala magrelasyon, bakit pumayag pa sa waiting game?
Wait…could she call him an ex? Kasi technically – technically – hindi naman naging sila. Michael was a manliligaw. MU, pwede ding description. Pero hindi naman sila high school or college to have that label eh. They were dating, pero hindi exclusive? Ganun ba yun?
Tapos merong back-up plan pala si gago kaya ang bilis nya lang bitawan si Staku?
Mga lalaki talaga. Ganyan naman sila lagi eh. Pag feeling nila, walang kasiguraduhan sa babaeng gusto nila, hahanap sila ng backup plan, yung madaling mauto sa charm nila. Yung oo agad, arat na! Eh hindi naman ganun si Stacey.
Gustong gusto nya yung concept ng ligaw. Yung bibilhan ng flowers. Yung e-surprise ng paboritong snacks nya kahit na nasa kalagitnaan ng gabi. Yung tatratuhin sya na para bang Disney Princess sya. Bawal bang gustuhin na maging main character naman sya with a love interest sa kwento ng buhay nya?
Her phone vibrated on the table, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was a message from her Ate Aiah:
Aiah:
Mikha and I are going to Elyu this weekend. Gusto mong sumama?
Aba, gagawin pa syang thirdwheel ng couple of the year ah.
Stacey:
Libre ba yan?
Pero syempre, sino sya tumanggi if grasya ‘to?
Aiah:
I told her I’ll pay for the rooms na and you can have your own but your cousin is insistent na libre ka naman daw sa transpo so ambag ka daw sa room.
Kahit kelan talaga, yung pinsan niya, stingy when it comes sa pera. Sayang naman. Mukhang willing magwaldas pa naman yung Mikha para magustuhan ng angkan.
Stacey swiveled on her chair so she wouldn’t be facing her computer but the moment she moved, her knee hit someone, and hot liquid poured on her white pantsuits.
“Ay kabayo!”
“Shet, ang init!” Stacey yelled, standing up abruptly.
“Hala mam, sorry!” The other girl rushed for the stack of tissues on Stacey’s table, immediately rushing to pat her pants but abruptly stopped when she realized the stain was right on Stacey’s crotch. She looked up, her eyes framed by thick black rimmed glasses. “Mam?”
Stacey closed her eyes in annoyance and grabbed the pile of tissue from her hands and then tried to clean her pants. “Shit, hindi matatanggal yung mantsa.”
“Labhan ko po?” The other woman offered.
But the scent of coffee was already hitting Stacey and god, she hated it. She could never tolerate it. She pushed the girl away and then rushed to the bathroom to try and clean herself up. “Hala, Mam! Sandali! Tulungan ko ho kayo!”
Stacey marched to the bathroom and then opened the faucet. The water rushed out and she tried to look for whatever she could use to try and remove the stain. But tissues were fragile and would tear under water. Wala din naman siyang panyo na pwedeng gawing basahan. She could try to splash water on her crotch and stay lang at her cubicle until she dries away para hindi siya mapagkamalang umihi sa pantalon.
There was a soft knock on the door before it opened and the same woman came in. She still looked apologetic but she was holding sweatpants in one hand, and then a bottle of color-safe Zonrox in another. “Mam, ako na po. Palit na lang ho kayo nito.”
The girl glanced at the Zonrox in her hand. “Ah, wala po kasing for white only eh. Tsaka baka ho mag yellow if e diretso ko sa pants nyo. Kaya eto na lang pinili ko. Palit ho kayo mam.”
“Who are those pants from?” Stacey’s voice was sharp and firm, her annoyance clear in the question. “Please don’t tell me you rummaged in the lost and found box and got them for me.”
“Hala, hindi po! Sakin po ‘to. Nagpapalit po kasi ako after work lagi. Ayoko po kasing umuwi na naka ganitong outfit. Parang hindi bagay para mag jeep or Angkas. Extra ko po to for today.”
Stacey glanced at the woman’s outfit. She wore black slacks with a dark blue polo shirt tucked into it, and a thin belt around her waist. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and black-rimmed glasses framed her small face. Inspecting a little bit more, Stacey noted she barely had makeup on because black circles under her eyes remained evident. Kahit powder lang man sa mukha, wala din. Di ba uso sa kung saang lupalop ng mundo toh lumaki?
“Mam, tapos na ho ba kayong titigan ako? Di po ako masama, Mam, tsaka malinis po ‘tong sweatpants ko. Di nga lang ho amoy downy kasi may rhinitis ako pero komportable po ito suotin. Palit na ho kayo, Mam? Kasi baka may ginagawa pa kayo…”
“What’s your name?” Stacey asked her instead of retrieving the sweatpants in her hands.
“Jhoanna Robles po.”
Stacey pointed at the stain on her crotch. “Well, Jhoanna Robles, you stained my white pants with black coffee. How the hell are you going to remove this? Kailangang ipalabhan toh sa actual cleaner. Not just by…you. And if you happen to find me a cleaner, matatapos ba ‘toh within the morning? Kasi I have meetings to attend to.”
Stacey stepped closer to her after each statement, enough to be intimidating, but she stopped before she crossed the line as cruel. But Jhoanna simply stood right in front of her. She wasn’t shaking out of fear or nerves. She simply stood there – with the sweatpants and Zonrox still in her hands – and nodded her head anyway.
“Magastos po Mam pag sa cleaner pa natin ipapabigay yan. Tsaka kung gusto nyo hong agad agad, magbabayad pa ho ng extra dyan. Di po yan ano, budget-friendly,” Jhoanna started to say, her voice calm and collected. Na para bang hindi sya natatakot kay Stacey. Baka hindi naman kasi.
“Kaya eto po yung gagawin natin, since kailangan nyo nga ho yan mamaya, magpalit na ho kayo oh para malabhan ko na. Mainit naman sa labas. Pwede namang isampay lang natin muna, kahit ilagay lang sa upuan at e make sure na hindi sya liparin ng hangin dun sa balcony na smoking area ng kumpanya. Isipin nyo ho. Yung cleaner, magbabayad pa ho tayo dun. Aabot pa yun ng mahigit na isang daan. Eh etong Zonrox, bente pesos lang sa tindahan ni Aling Nanette.”
Stacey blinked, unsure of what she was supposed to do now. Or how to even respond.
And then, Jhoanna placed the Zonrox on the sink and took Stacey’s hands, placing the sweatpants into them and gently nudged Stacey inside a cubicle. “Wag ho kayong mag-alala, Mam. Nung bata ako, lagi kong namamantsahan ng putik yung uniform ko. Para matuto ako, pinaglalaba ako ni lola hanggang sa matalo ko yung mga commercial sa Tide sa puti ng uniform ko.”
Inside the cubicle, Stacey closed her eyes. This girl doesn’t stop yapping. She’s been saying too much in the short span of time that they’ve had an encounter.
Jhoanna had offered to wash her stained pants.
She even brought her a spare to change into.
Di nga lang daw amoy Downy kasi may rhinitis sya.
Putek. Bakit pati yung part na yun, naalala ni Stacey?
Stacey got out of the cubicle and handed Jhoanna her pants. The latter smiled. “Balik na ho kayo dun sa office po.”
And then Jhoanna’s eyes turned to the pants that Stacey wore and she smiled even wider. “Buti ho kasya. Sorry po ha, medjo di bagay sa outfit nyo. Next time po magbabaon ako ng mas maganda tingnan.”
By lunch, Stacey still wore the sweatpants. She hated how it looked with her full outfit. Hindi nga talaga bagay. But she was in the office, with people she’s worked with for over two years, and the last thing that they were going to point out was that bakit ganyan yung damit nya dahil hindi naman nya branding yun, but they’d ask what the heck happened kasi why didn’t she look as polished as she always did.
“Ate Maloi,” Kinalabit ni Stacey si Maloi who was sitting right next to her and eating her packed lunch that she had just heated. “Pwede bang magpalit muna tayo ng pantalon? Di pa ata natuyo yung saken eh. Yung Jhoanna Robles kasi…”
She was whispering to her Ate Maloi. “Ha? Eh naka bubble skirt ako beh! I mean, sure ka bang kaya mong mag meeting na ganun yung outfittan? Baka akala nila may audition ka pagkatapos. Ang haba pa naman ng legs mo!”
Stacey closed her eyes because Maloi had said it a little too loudly, making some of the heads of their co-workers snap in their direction. “Ate naman, pwedeng hinaan ang boses?”
“Eh ano ba nangyari dun sa pantalon mo? Di pa ba nabalik ng trainee?”
Trainee. So baguhan lang sa company si Jhoanna Robles.
“I doubt mababalik nya yun within the day. Ang laki ng mantsa, te! Jusko, kakabili ko nga lang ng pants na yun tapos ayun, wala na. Sira na. Kung di ba naman kasi lutang, edi di sana natapon sakin yung kapeng dala!” Angal ni Stacey sa kaibigan.
Sheena – another coworker and friend of theirs sitting at their table – leaned closer. “Alam mo te, pang wanmelyon na reklamo mo na yan tungkol kay Jho. Mabait naman yun. Tsaka, ang alam ko, madiskarte yun. Baka naman di pa natuyo masyado.”
“Magkakilala kayo?” Stacey asked, picking up how Sheena simply called the trainee, Jho.
Sheena nodded her head as she took a bite of her sandwich. “Ah, oo. Nung nakaraang linggo pa kaya yan dito. Di mo lang napansin. Busy ka kasi sa pagiging heartbroken nun.”
But Stacey ignored the last part of her statement. “It doesn’t matter. Kung last week pa sya andito, she could’ve adjusted already. Pero ayan, tingnan mo, clumsy pa rin. Natapunan pa ako ng kape.”
“Sus, eh si Laida Magtalas nga natapon yung kape kay Miggy kasi nabigla,” Maloi started to say, grinning teasingly at her friend and then she began to sing, “I never believed, in love I was deceived…”
Stacey made a face. “Ha? Anong konek dun, te?”
Maloi rolled her eyes. “Ikaw, alam mo, minsan, nagtataka ako bakit ikaw yung social media strategist. Ba’t hindi mo alam yung mga trend, bhie?”
Stacey merely rolled her eyes and then finished the lunch she had ordered. The salmon tasted stale which annoyed her kasi bakit andaming di umaayon sa kanya today, noh?
"Mam Stacey?" The voice was loud and clear and echoed around the room. Stacey, Maloi, and Sheena looked up at the door, seeing Jhoanna with Stacey's pants.
Sheena was waving at her enthusiastically. "Jho, dito!
Jhoanna approached them and then saw Stacey immediately. She smiled. "Mam, eto na po. Sorry ha, medjo natagalan. Mahirap ngang alisin pero tingnan nyo naman, pwede na sa commercial ng detergent! Kayang tibagin ang brand X!"
Maloi and Sheena laughed loudly but Stacey just grabbed her pants and then marched to the CR to change. When she came back, Jhoanna was seated at their table, a bottle of water in her hand.
Jhoanna looked at her when she arrived and smiled. "Ayan, mukhang bago."
Maloi eyed Stacey. "Wala bang 'thank you, Jho' dyan, Staks?"
Stacey reclaimed her seat and umirap. "Kasalanan nya naman, te. Ba't ako magpapasalamat?"
"Luh, tong si anteh. Eh allergic tong si Jho sa chlorine! Tingnan mo nga yung kamay ng tao oh tapos di ka magpapasalamat!" Sambit ni Sheena, nodding at Jhoanna’s direction.
But before Stacey could even look at Jhoanna's hands, she immediately pulled them away and hid them underneath the table.
"Okay lang po, mga mam. Kasalanan ko nga naman."
All Stacey could do was stare at her as Jhoanna smiled and promptly folded the sweatpants she had lent. She didn't seem to mind that Stacey was giving her attitude. She remained respectful.
Dahil ba intern sya?
"Stacey, meeting in ten minutes. Conference room A," Will told her as he passed by. He even held up a hand para makipag apir kay Jhoanna after greeting Sheena and Maloi.
It seemed like Jhoanna was already friendly with everyone.
But it doesn't mean pati with Stacey din. .
After all, Stacey always held grudges and Jhoanna and her started on the wrong foot.
Markado ka, Robles.