Chapter 80
After they finished eating, neither of them rushed to leave the table.
Naiwan lang ang mga empty plates sa harapan nila habang napunta ang usapan sa mga maliliit na bagay—whether Ella had always been incapable of putting things back where they belonged and Maya's ongoing campaign to convince them that instant noodles were not an acceptable dinner three nights a week.
Eventually, Gianna gathered the plates and stood.
"I'll wash these."
Agad na napatingin sa kanya si Kairi.
"Miss, you don't have to. Ako na."
"It's alright."
Gianna had already reached the sink, turning on the faucet before Kairi could protest again.
"You brought the food. I think the least I can do is clean up afterward."
Sandali siyang pinanood ni Kairi bago itinulak ang upuan niya paatras at tumayo.
"Then I'll dry them."
"You don't have to."
"I literally just said that to you."
A smile tugged at Gianna's lips as she rinsed the first plate.
"I know. So let me do this."
Kairi crossed her arms. "Miss, I don't remember you being this stubborn."
Gianna looked over her shoulder.
"I was always this stubborn."
"You hid it well."
"I was your teacher."
"You say that like teachers aren't capable of being stubborn."
"We're professionally stubborn."
Napatawa si Kairi.
"Sure, Miss. Tatandaan ko 'yan."
She walked over anyway at sumandal sa counter sa tabi ng sink.
"I still feel bad na nakatayo lang dito habang ikaw ang gumagawa ng lahat."
"Then talk to me."
"Hmm?"
Gianna shrugged lightly without looking away from the dishes.
"If you're going to insist on staying in the kitchen, at least keep me company."
Sandaling pinag-isipan iyon ni Kairi bago tumango.
"I guess I can do that."
Kaya nanatili siya roon.
She talked while Gianna washed the dishes, pointing out which container belonged to her mother and which ones Ella had bought herself because they all looked almost identical.
Gianna listened more than she spoke, occasionally nagtatanong o nagbibigay ng comments para magpatuloy ang usapan.
By the time the last plate had been rinsed and placed on the drying rack, the kitchen looked almost exactly as it had before dinner.
Pinunasan ni Gianna ang mga kamay niya gamit ang towel bago humarap kay Kairi.
"There."
Kairi looked from the spotless sink to the neatly stacked dishes.
"You really didn't leave me anything to do."
"I told you."
"You should've at least let me help."
Ngumiti lang si Gianna. "You're the guest."
Kairi raised an eyebrow.
"So are you."
That caught Gianna off guard, blinking once before laughing quietly.
"So technically..." Gianna tilted her head in thought. "We were both guests."
"See, Miss? Kaya dapat nag-share tayo sa gawain."
"I'll remember that next time."
The words slipped out naturally.
Next time.
Neither of them acknowledged it, pero pareho nilang narinig iyon.
Si Kairi ang unang umiwas ng tingin.
Kinuha niya ang eco bag na nakapatong malapit sa counter at tiningnan ang mga natitirang containers sa loob.
"I should get going before Zoe starts calling."
Gianna nodded, then reached for her key on the counter.
"I'll drive you."
Kairi looked up.
"Hindi na kailangan, Miss."
"I know. But I'd like to."
There was no expectation in her voice. Wala ring assumption na papayag si Kairi.
Naghintay lang siya at napansin iyon ni Kairi, na unit-unting lumitaw ang isang maliit na ngiti sa labi.
"Okay."
The elevator ride downstairs was filled with the soft mechanical hum of the cables and the occasional ding as they passed another floor.
Nang bumukas ang elevator doors, sabay silang lumabas sa parking level.The fluorescent lights reflected faintly across rows of parked cars and the echo of their footsteps followed them. Naunang naglakad si Gianna papunta sa isang black sedan na nakaparada ilang rows ang layo.
Pagka-unlock ni Gianna sa kotse, Kairi hesitated for just a second before climbing into the passenger seat.
Kahapon, halos hindi niya napansin ang kotse dahil masyado siyang distracted sa naging pag-uusap nila para mapansin ang ibang bagay. Pero ngayong wala ng ibang bumabagabag sa isip niya, she found herself looking around.
May faint smell ng leather at citrus mula sa air freshener na nakasabit sa rearview mirror. Everything was clean without feeling overly polished. The dashboard looked newer than the one she remembered and the screen in the center console was much larger.
As Gianna started the engine and eased out of the parking space, Kairi buckled her seatbelt before glancing around once more.
"This isn't the same car."
Ngumiti si Gianna nang hindi inaalis ang tingin sa daan.
"No."
"I was trying to remember yesterday." Kairi rested her arm against the window. "The one you used to drive was smaller."
"It was."
"What happened to it?"
"I sold it a little over a year ago."
Dahan-dahang tumango si Kairi habang pinapanood ang mga building at ilaw sa labas.
"I guess that makes sense. Almost three years na rin kasi. I can't exactly expect you to still be driving the same car."
"I suppose not."
A grin tugged at Kairi's lips as another thought occurred to her. Muli niyang tiningnan ang loob ng kotse bago bumaling kay Gianna.
"You know, Miss, you must be earning pretty well."
Gianna laughed under her breath. "That's a big conclusion to reach."
"Seryoso ako," Kairi said, gesturing around the car. "Bagong car. Two weeks ka nang nakikitira kay Ella pero parang hindi ka naman worried sa work mo, tapos..."
She narrowed her eyes dramatically. "You wear clothes that look expensive."
"I do not. They're just clothes."
"They're very nice clothes."
"I think you're giving my wardrobe too much credit."
"I don't think I am."
Gianna shook her head, still smiling. "So your evidence na secretly mayaman ako is my shirt?"
"And the car," mabilis na sagot ni Kairi. "Tapos hindi ka rin naman naghe-hesitate when you pay for things."
"I've reached the age where convenience sometimes wins."
Kairi pointed at her immediately. "See? That's exactly what someone with money would say."
Muling natawa si Gianna habang bumabagal ang traffic sa harapan nila. She rested one hand on the steering wheel while the light remained red. "I promise I'm not secretly rich."
"Hm."
Pinagmasdan siya ni Kairi na parang sinusubukang alamin kung nagsisinungaling ba ito before folding her arms. "I don't know if maniniwala ba ako."
"I make a comfortable living."
"So, yes."
"So, comfortable."
"Still sounds like something a rich person would say."
Gianna looked over for a second, amused. "I walked right into that one."
"You really did, Miss."
Nagbago ang traffic light at muling umandar ang kotse. They fell quiet for a moment, watching the evening traffic move around them before Kairi turned back toward her.
"Miss, what exactly do you do?"
"You know I work at an art gallery."
"I know that much," Kairi said. "Pero iyon lang ang alam ko. I've been trying to imagine kung ano ba talagang ginagawa mo, Miss, pero wala pa rin akong idea."
Gianna smiled. "I don't spend all day standing beside paintings, if that's what you're imagining."
"Maybe a little."
"I knew it."
Kairi laughed. "Fine. So what do you actually do?"
Sandaling pinag-isipan ni Gianna ang sagot bago nagsalita. "It depends on the day. The gallery runs a lot of public programs."
"Programs?"
"For schools, universities, community groups," paliwanag ni Gianna habang nananatiling nakatutok sa daan. "We organize artist talks, workshops, guided tours, lectures, outreach projects..."
"You do all that?"
"My department does."
"And you're part of it?"
There was the briefest pause before Gianna answered. "I'm the Education Director."
Kairi turned so quickly she almost forgot to blink. "Wait..."
Gianna glanced at her, already smiling.
"Director? As in..."
"The head of the department."
For a second, Kairi simply stared at her before letting out a laugh. "Miss Herrera, you're a director!"
"Yes, Kairi. I am."
"Akala ko..." Napaisip siya kung anong tamang sasabihin. "Ewan ko. Coordinator? Maybe senior something? Assistant? Pero director?"
"You sound disappointed."
"I'm not disappointed." Kairi laughed again, shaking her head. "I'm intimidated."
"You?"
"Yes, me!" She pointed accusingly across the center console. "Miss, you've been underselling yourself this whole time."
"I wasn't trying to."
"You absolutely were," Kairi said, leaning back into her seat. Then she looked at Gianna with renewed suspicion. "No wonder you have a nice car."
"There it is again. You hear 'director' and immediately start calculating my salary."
"I am calculating your salary."
Gianna laughed, the sound filling the car. "I don't think you'd guess correctly."
"So malaki talaga?"
"I didn't say that."
"Pero, Miss, hindi mo rin naman dine-deny."
She sighed in mock defeat. "I do well."
"I knew it!"
Streetlights drifted across the windshield in slow intervals while the city continued around them, neither of them feeling the need to speak hanggang sa biglang napangiti si Gianna.
"Or..." she said, glancing at Kairi for the briefest moment. "Maybe we really do have a hacienda."
Natigilan si Kairi bago tuluyang sumabog sa tawa. "You still remember that?"
"Of course."
"Naalala mo talaga?"
"Tinanong mo ako once if my family owned a hacienda."
Groaning, Kairi covered part of her face with one hand. "I was joking."
"I know."
"I can't believe you remembered that."
Gianna's smile lingered as she returned her attention to the road. "You say memorable things."
"I say embarrassing things."
"Sometimes those are the memorable ones."
Muli na namang natawa si Kairi at umiling. "I completely forgot about that."
"I didn't."
There was nothing heavy in the way Gianna said it. Walang guilt, walang longing na nakatago sa pagitan ng mga salita. Just simple honesty.
Kairi looked out the window, surprised to find na hindi siya bothered na marinig iyon.
From there, the conversation drifted effortlessly into stories from the gallery.