Chapter Twenty-Two

"Were you able to write the key points Mrs. Almanzo said?"

She asked after we went out of the flower shop. My nerves were able to relax a bit. We spent thirty minutes talking to Mrs. Almanzo.

Mrs. Almanzo was very cheerful throughout the interview. But even if I was a Psychology major, I can tell that she doesn't have enough knowledge of Human Resource Management. I was only able to take a few notes. I wondered if her answers would be useful for the research.

"Yes. I also wrote my observations on the next page." I answered.

While I was dealing with my nerves during the interview, she, on the other hand, was very calm and proficient. She was so confident and looked like she had done this a couple of times before. Maybe they study this in their classes. I wouldn't know. I'm not a business student after all.

"Let me see," she said as she lends her hand.

I placed the notebook in her outstretched hand. She began reading my notes as I took a good look at her. She's wearing a plain white shirt and regular blue jeans. I noticed that every time we meet, she always wears unisex clothes. She looked ordinary despite being an heiress of a large corporation.

She could have worn some designer clothes and carried a bag that could cost as much as six iPhones. But, she didn't. To be fair, she looked good in these ordinary clothes. Come to think of it, she's a lesbian. Maybe she dresses according to her personality. She seems boyish too.

Without another minute, she closed the notebook and gave it back to me.

"Let's go," she said as she began walking.

That's it? No "Thanks" or "Good Job" or any comment?

Hay... why am I even asking this? I should already be used to how she acts by now. I shook my head as I began following her to our next destination. We didn't talk. She was looking straight ahead while I was a step behind her. Before long, we reached our next destination, a bike shop.

"You will do the interview this time," she said while looking at the shop in front of us.

WHAT????

"Why me? You knew what to do better than me."

There is no way I'm doing this interview. I just said that I get nervous in interviews even if I am just a side person. What more if I am the one asking the questions? It's like burying my feet in a bucket of ice.

"Stop being a coward. Here." She said handing me her phone with the questions on the screen."Review those for a bit and give me that." She said as she took the notebook and pen from my hand. She replaced them with her phone.

Damn! She looked dead set on this. By the looks of it, arguing with her is pointless.

She didn't even give me a minute to review the questions. She held my hand and dragged me inside the bike shop. She even pushed me forward. She's sending me to war unprepared! Haist.

I couldn't even voice an objection. The moment we got in, a middle-aged man saw us and with urgency, walked towards us. By the way, he's dressed, I can already tell that he is the owner of this bike shop.

"Are you Justin?" He asked.

I fell silent. Is he referring to me or her? We're both named Justin after all. But before I could even think any further, the evil snake spoke.

"Yes! He is Justin Cyrus. He's the one who will interview you." she replied while placing her hands on my shoulder.

What??? Did she plan this?

"Oh! Finally! You're here. Welcome! Let's go to my office." the bike shop owner said.

Then, he linked his arm with mine and dragged me towards his office. I lost the courage to object. On the other hand, the evil snake silently followed us.

While we were walking, the man continued to talk to me. I learned that his name is Norbert Lumansang. He has a wife named Daira. They had five children namely Nelia, Neneth, Darren, David, and Noran.

Nelia and Neneth are twins who both worked as nurses at the Makati Medical Hospital. Darren, on one hand, is an engineering student studying at the University of the East. At the same time, David is studying to be a pilot. However, his youngest, Noran got pregnant after graduating from high school. Thus, she's at home caring for the baby.

Take note. Mr. Lumansang was able to tell all of those and we still have not reached his office. It turned out his office was on the third floor. There were no elevators so we had to climb the stairs. When we reached the third floor, he was already telling me about his siblings.

I wasn't the rude type. I listened to everything that Mr. Lumansang told me. I answered him whenever he asked something. When we finally reached his office, I took a glance at the silent snake behind us. As expected, she looked bored out of her wits.

Maybe this is the reason why she wants me to do the interview for this one. Knowing her, she would lose her patience if she were in my position. She seems to be a very straightforward person. She also wouldn't like to waste time talking about the unnecessary stuff.

Because of Mr. Lumansang's talkativeness, my nervousness evaporated from my body. I easily became comfortable around him. He was also very considerate when I apologized for reading the interview questions in front of him. He said that it was no problem and that I was only a student after all.

Finally! Someone who understands! If only my professors are like him...

Throughout the interview, I could tell that Sir Norbert was very knowledgeable. His enthusiasm was brightly shown when he talked about his business. You can see and hear the passion he has for what he does. I felt inspired by him. I suddenly felt like I wanted to do business now.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Norbert, for your time," I said as I ended the interview.

"Oh no, Justin! The pleasure is mine since I was able to have a fun chat with you. If you have time, you can visit me here so we can talk more." he said with excitement.

We stood up and shook hands. Then suddenly...

"Oh! And don't forget to bring Claire with you again. You seem to be a bit under the weather today, Claire." he said turning to the silent presence behind me.

"I'm fine. My role for today is to listen and take notes," she replied.

"Okay. That's good to hear. I thought you might have fought with your boyfriend before coming here." He said as he gestured at me.

I felt like I heard something breaking in the background.

Seriously? Even you, Sir Norbert!

"He's not my boyfriend," she replied with a tight smile and wide eyes.

"Oh? Is that so? How unfortunate! You two looked good together. Justin, why have you never thought of asking Claire out?"

Dear God, if You can hear me, please allow a miracle now. Make me disappear just this once. Please!

"We're just partners for this project. We're not even close enough to be friends. Besides, I'm already seeing someone." she replied.

Oh? That was surprising.

"Really? I suddenly feel embarrassed. Anyway, let's go back to the shop." Sir Norbert said changing the topic and leading us out of his office.

While we were walking our way back to the bike shop, Sir Norbert and the evil snake continued talking to each other. They were talking about some business-related topics that I can't relate to. So, I just kept quiet.

We bid our goodbyes to Sir Norbert and walked out of his bike shop. As we walked our way to the next destination, my mind kept drifting back to what the evil snake had revealed. She's already seeing someone. So, she's dating someone.

She moved on real quickly. Well.. if you're someone who only plays with people's hearts, then, replacing former lovers is easy. She already got herself a new girlfriend... or rather plaything while I'm still trying to move on.

Hmmph! Why do I care? Why would I care if she moved on quickly and switched relationships? I shouldn't care about her.

But, I couldn't stop that bothersome feeling inside me.