Chapter 6 - Back in the Room
By Monday, I had learned something important.
Apparently going out once did not destroy a business.
Going out twice?
Also survivable.
Revolutionary.
I was beginning to suspect twenty-three-year-old Lia had dramatically overestimated how essential she was to the global economy.
Which was unfortunate because—
I was twenty-three-year-old Lia.
Again.
The two-hundred-piece notebook order was moving well.
Not perfectly.
One batch had slightly uneven cuts.
One material delivery arrived a day late.
My part-time assistant accidentally packed five notebooks into the wrong color sleeves.
Normal problems.
Fixable problems.
Most importantly—
none required me to stay awake until two in the morning.
My assistant was getting faster.
Still not fast.
But faster.
I watched them finish another batch.
"Check names again."
"Opo."
"Before packaging."
"Opo."
"And after."
They looked at me.
"Twice po?"
"Yes."
"Bakit po?"
"Because customized products are dangerous."
They laughed.
"I mean it."
"Opo."
"Wrong name is worse than wrong color."
"Okay po."
I went back to my spreadsheet.
Then heard—
"Ma'am Lia?"
"Hm?"
"May question po."
"Go."
"Pwede po ako mag-layout minsan?"
I looked up.
Interesting.
"Marunong ka?"
"Canva lang po. Basic."
Old Lia would have thought—
Ako na. Mas mabilis.
Current Lia remembered exactly where that sentence eventually led.
"Okay."
Their face brightened.
"Talaga po?"
"Practice muna. Hindi customer file."
"Opo."
"I'll give you old samples."
"Thank you po."
"And don't use seven fonts."
They laughed.
"Hindi naman po."
I stared.
"Everyone says that."
Around lunch, my phone buzzed.
Jane.
Busy?
I looked at the work table.
Then at the clock.
Then back at the message.
Medyo. Why?
May ipapagawa sana ako ??
I smiled.
Ano na naman
Certificates.
How many?
40. School activity.
Deadline?
There was a pause.
Then—
Wednesday ??
I stared.
Monday.
Forty certificates.
Easy.
Depending on data.
Send details today.
Kaya?
Yes.
Then immediately—
Magkano?
I laughed.
At least she knew.
Details muna.
Hindi libre. Alam ko na ??
Good. Trainable.
Bwisit
Old rhythm.
Very old.
She sent the file that afternoon.
Names.
Event title.
School logo.
Signatories.
One sample layout.
Simple.
I made a draft.
Sent it.
Jane replied ten minutes later.
Wait pakita ko kay Ate Patricia.
Of course.
A few minutes later—
Sabi ni Ate palakihan daw konti title.
I adjusted it.
Sent again.
Okay na daw.
Good.
Then—
Sabi niya ang bilis mo pa rin.
I smiled.
Tell Ate Patricia wala pa siyang bayad sa compliment.
Jane:
HAHAHAHAHA
Then:
Sabi niya libre nalang daw certificates
Tell her nice try.
A few seconds.
Sabi niya kuripot ka daw.
I laughed out loud.
My assistant looked over.
I shook my head.
"Nothing."
By Tuesday afternoon, the certificates were done.
Forty.
Printed.
Checked.
Rechecked.
No missing punctuation.
No misspelled names.
No accidental duplicate.
Beautiful.
I messaged Jane.
Done.
She replied immediately.
WHAT
Forty lang yan.
Pwede ba kunin tomorrow?
Sure.
Then:
Dito ka nalang sa bahay. Sabi ni Ate kain ka daw.
I stopped.
Jane's house.
It had been—
longer.
Much longer.
I had seen Jane last year.
But their house?
Maybe even before that.
College had turned visits into rare events.
After graduation, work finished the job.
Still—
I knew that house.
Too well.
The gate.
The living room.
Where Tita usually sat.
Where Tito kept things.
Ate Patricia moving in and out.
Jane's room.
Single bed.
Study table.
Chair.
Three people somehow fitting inside because apparently physics gave up around Grade Eleven.
I typed:
Okay.
Jane:
Yay
Then:
Sabihin ko kay Chloe. Punta din daw siya.
I laughed.
Of course.
Good.
Wednesday afternoon, I brought the certificates.
Not in a dramatic client envelope.
Just properly packed.
I had barely reached the gate when Jane opened it.
"Uy."
"Hi."
She looked at the envelope.
"Yan na?"
"No. Empty."
She rolled her eyes.
"Arte."
I stepped inside.
And before anything else—
mano.
Tita was in the living room.
"Bless po."
She smiled immediately.
"Ay, Lia!"
There.
No introduction.
No:
Lia, right?
Just—
Lia.
Like I'd been gone too long but never actually disappeared from the family map.
"Ang ganda naman ng batang 'to."
I laughed.
"Tita naman."
"Totoo naman."
Jane from behind me—
"Ma."
"Ano?"
"Wala."
Tita looked at me again.
"Anong work mo na ngayon?"
"Business pa rin po."
"Yung printing?"
"Opo."
"Sa bahay pa rin?"
"For now po."
"Dami order?"
"Okay naman."
"San ka nagwo-work?"
"Sa bahay lang po muna."
"Grabe, buti nadalaw mo naman si Jane."
I laughed.
"Opo."
"Ilabas mo naman 'yan lagi sa bahay."
Jane immediately—
"Ma, lumalabas naman ako."
Tita looked at her.
"Saan?"
Silence.
I bit the inside of my cheek.
Jane stared at me.
"Don't."
I started laughing.
Tita smiled.
"O diba."
"Ma!"
"Eh totoo."
Then Tita looked toward the kitchen.
"Kumain ka na?"
"Not yet po."
"Ayan. Kain muna."
I looked at Jane.
She shrugged.
I knew better than to argue.
Filipino mothers had no concept of optional food.
Tito was home early that day.
Or maybe he'd taken a shorter shift.
He came out from the back.
I immediately did mano.
"Bless po."
"O, Lia."
He smiled.
"Tagal mo ah."
"Busy po."
Tita from the kitchen—
"Yan na naman busy."
I laughed.
Apparently the intervention committee had expanded.
Tito nodded toward the envelope.
"Business?"
"Certificates po."
"Kay Jane?"
"School po."
"Okay yan."
Then—
"Kamusta business?"
"Okay naman po."
"Dahan-dahan lang."
I blinked.
"What?"
"Wag puro trabaho."
I looked toward the ceiling.
Amazing.
Another one.
Apparently everyone had been warning me in Original Life.
I had simply ignored the entire province.
"Opo."
Chloe arrived ten minutes later.
She came in like she had been there yesterday.
"Bless po, Tita."
"God bless."
Then mano kay Tito.
"Bless po."
"O, Chloe."
Tita smiled.
"Kayong dalawa, bihira na pumunta."
Chloe pointed at me.
"Kasalanan niya."
I stared.
"Why me?"
"Busy ka lagi."
Jane joined—
"True."
I looked between them.
"This is an ambush."
Tita laughed.
"Eh di wag ka masyado mag-work."
I closed my eyes.
Five against one.
Excellent.
Ate Patricia came out.
"Lia!"
"Hi, Ate."
She looked at the certificates.
"Yan na?"
"Yes."
"Ang bilis."
"I know."
Jane laughed.
"Yabang."
"Accurate."
Patricia opened the envelope.
Checked a few.
"Ang ganda."
"Thanks."
"Magkano?"
I told her.
She nodded.
"Okay. GCash?"
"Yes."
Jane immediately—
"Hindi friend discount?"
I looked at her.
"You already have friend rate."
Patricia laughed.
"May friend rate pala."
"Meron."
Jane:
"Akala ko kuripot ka lang."
"Both can be true."
We ate first.
Because of course.
Rice.
Fried chicken.
Vegetables.
Some leftover pancit.
Chloe had barely sat down when Tita gave her more food.
"Tita, okay na po."
"Kulang yan."
"I have rice."
"Dagdagan mo."
Chloe accepted.
Smart.
I had made the mistake of saying no before.
Didn't work.
Jane sat across from me.
Tita asked—
"Lia, wala ka bang balak magturo?"
There it was.
The degree.
My eternal enemy.
I smiled.
"Wala po muna."
"Sayang Science."
"Ma," Jane said, laughing.
"Ano? Nagtatanong lang."
"Okay lang po," I said. "Mas gusto ko business."
Tita nodded.
"Eh di okay."
That easy.
No lecture.
No:
Sayang pinag-aralan mo.
Just—
eh di okay.
I smiled.
"Thanks, Tita."
"For what?"
"Wala po."
After eating, Jane stood.
"Tara sa room."
Chloe was already halfway up before Jane finished the sentence.
I followed.
Some things really didn't change.
Jane opened the door.
And there it was.
Small.
Familiar.
Single bed.
Study table.
Chair beside it.
Not exactly the same as decades later.
But close enough.
Chloe immediately sat on the chair.
Jane stared at her.
"Seriously?"
"What?"
"Diyan ako."
"Not today."
"Chloe."
"May bed ka naman."
"Bahay ko 'to."
Chloe nodded.
"Congrats."
I laughed.
There.
Perfect.
Same nonsense.
Jane looked at me.
"Move."
"Where?"
"Bed."
I sat on one side.
Jane sat beside me.
Not touching.
Barely enough space.
Chloe leaned back on the chair like she owned shares in the property.
"Okay. Ano chika?"
"Why do you assume may chika?" Jane asked.
"Because we're in your room."
"That's not how rooms work."
"It is for me."
I laughed.
For the next hour, we talked about almost nothing.
School applications.
Business.
Someone we knew who had gotten engaged.
Chloe complaining about a coworker.
Jane complaining about paperwork.
Me complaining about a customer who wanted:
same-day rush, discounted, free delivery.
Chloe stared.
"Tinanggap mo?"
"No."
She nodded.
"Growth."
I pointed.
"Don't start."
Jane laughed.
"Good."
"There!"
"What?"
"That word."
"What word?"
"Good."
Jane looked at Chloe.
"Sensitive."
Chloe nodded.
"Very."
I sighed.
At some point, Jane leaned back against the wall.
I looked at her.
Not intentionally.
Just—
looked.
Maybe because the light from the window hit differently.
Maybe because she looked relaxed.
Maybe because I had known that face since Grade Seven and apparently my eyes still had habits.
Jane caught me.
Of course.
"Ano?"
I blinked.
"Nothing."
"Ba't ka nakatingin?"
"Your eyeliner."
She immediately frowned.
"What about it?"
I leaned a little closer.
"Uneven."
Jane's eyes widened.
"Which side?"
I pointed.
"Here."
She reached for her phone.
"Halata?"
"Not really."
"Then why did you notice?"
I shrugged.
"Because I was looking."
Chloe slowly turned the chair toward us.
I saw it.
"No."
She raised both hands.
"I didn't say anything."
"Your chair moved."
"I wanted a better angle."
Jane started laughing.
"Angle saan?"
Chloe smiled.
"Nothing."
I looked at Jane again.
"Fix mo later."
"Help me."
"What?"
"Since napansin mo."
I sighed.
"Fine."
Normal.
Friendship.
Maintenance.
Jane handed me the eyeliner.
I moved closer.
"Don't move."
"You sound scary."
"Then stop moving."
"I am not moving."
"You are blinking."
"Obviously!"
"Jane."
She laughed.
"Fine."
I fixed the tiny difference.
Done.
I leaned back.
"There."
She checked the mirror.
"Okay?"
"Yeah."
"Sure?"
"Better."
Chloe stared.
I looked at her.
"Makeup."
"I know."
"Good."
She smiled.
Dangerous.
But said nothing.
For once.
Later, Ate Patricia knocked.
"Lia."
"Hm?"
"May friend ako may kailangan invitations. Pwede ko send page mo?"
"Sure."
"Wedding."
"Yeah."
"Okay."
That was it.
No strategy.
No referral program.
No campaign.
Just—
someone knew someone.
Current life.
Current customer.
Nothing borrowed from memory.
I liked that.
Before I left, Tita packed food.
Of course.
"Tita, wag na po."
"Dalhin mo."
"May food pa po sa bahay."
"Eh di dagdag."
There was no winning.
I accepted.
"Thank you po."
"Dalaw ka ulit."
"Opo."
"Wag next year."
I laughed.
"Hindi po."
"Isama mo si Chloe."
Chloe raised her hand.
"Present po."
Tita laughed.
Then looked at Jane.
"Kayo lumabas-labas din."
Jane sighed.
"Ma."
"What?"
"Nothing."
I smiled.
Old house.
Old family.
Still warm.
Still easy.
I had forgotten how much I missed being somewhere that expected nothing impressive from me.
No performance.
No success.
No revenue.
Just—
eat.
Sit.
Stay.
When I got home, Mama saw the food container.
"Saan galing?"
"Kala Jane."
"Pinauwi?"
"Yeah."
Mama nodded.
"Ganyan talaga Mama niya."
Exactly.
She remembered.
Sofia looked up from the sofa.
"You went to Ate Jane's?"
"Yes."
"Si Ate Chloe?"
"Yeah."
She nodded.
Then her eyes did the thing.
??
I stared.
She looked back at her phone.
Nothing.
Smart girl.
I walked past her.
"Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"You didn't have to."
She smiled.
Barely.
Annoying.
That night, Ate Patricia's friend messaged my business page.
Wedding invitations.
Not huge.
But decent.
Then another inquiry came in.
School certificates.
Referred by Jane.
I stared at the screen.
Current-life business.
Current-life relationships.
Not something I remembered.
Not something I predicted.
Just good work leading somewhere new.
I opened my notebook.
Almost wrote another rule.
Stopped.
Maybe not everything needed a rule.
I had enough.
Instead, I wrote one sentence in the margin:
This life gets to make its own opportunities.
I looked at it.
Then closed the notebook.
My phone buzzed.
Jane.
Home?
Yes.
Good.
Then:
Thanks sa eyeliner ??
I laughed.
You're welcome.
Next time skincare naman
I stared.
Then smiled.
Dangerous request.
Why
I have opinions.
Of course you do
I typed:
Start with sunscreen.
Jane:
Here we go ??
I laughed.
Current Jane.
Current life.
Same old friendship.
Different version of me.
Maybe that was enough for now.