After being confronted by Mister Clasiso, I noticed a drastic decrease in the number of reporters outside the campus gate. It wasn’t until I went out that afternoon that I realized all the reporters were gone.
Huh? Was Mister Clasiso pulling back his strings? I gently scratched my chin. It was unusual for him to do that.
Anyway, I did myself a favor by walking across the street and hopping inside the car that was parked across the school gate. I knew it was my Dad’s car and that Japen was waiting for me inside.
But when I got inside, I saw Japen sleeping with his arms crossed over his chest. He was leaning back in the driver’s seat, his eyes closed. His breathing was even, and I didn’t hear any noise coming from him.
I leaned back in the passenger seat and looked at Japen’s face. The car wasn’t locked, and it was dangerous for him to sleep inside the car. I wondered how long he had been sleeping.
I decided to poke him slightly. “Japen,” I called.
He slowly opened his eyes and turned towards me. Our eyes met, and I quickly looked away, staring straight ahead.
“You’ve slept inside the car. It’s not good, and the car wasn’t even locked.”
“Sorry,” he whispered.
He sat up straight, started the engine, and drove away from the University.
I glanced at him briefly. “Problem?” I asked.
He glanced at me using the rearview mirror before looking back at the road. “Nothing. Mmm… just tired.”
“Tired?” I whispered under my breath. I adjusted my seating and looked out the window. “You should rest in San Fernando then.”
“It’s my job to take you home, Azora.”
With that, I heaved a sigh. “Are you still tired?”
“Not anymore.”
I turned to Japen just to make sure. He didn’t glance at me, just focused on the road ahead. I also noticed dark circles under his eyes, which piqued my interest.
“Are you still sleeping lately?”
Japen glanced at me. “Mmm…” was all he answered.
I couldn’t verify it, so I just shut my mouth. I brought my attention back outside the window.
The sun was setting on the horizon. Maybe it was around five o’clock in the afternoon. I watched as the clouds rolled by above. The weather was fine, so it shouldn’t rain later.
“Do you plan to fetch me and drop me directly to Naga?” I asked while looking outside the window.
The car turned at an intersection. “Where should I take you?”
“Pull over at a fast food place and let’s grab some snacks?”
“I like that.”
His remark drew a smile to my lips. I glanced at Japen and saw the corners of his mouth lift. I guess he had been working all day and was exhausted.
“Why not let’s dine in?”
A grin appeared on Japen’s lips. He still kept his eyes on the road, but I knew he was thinking about something. “Do you really want to eat with me, Azora?”
My smile died out after hearing his question. I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He glanced at me again, then laughed. “Don’t you remember what you said the last time we ate together?”
And at that moment, I remembered what happened back in San Fernando. It was when I was staying at his place. I got annoyed with him because he kept serving sardines at every meal. So I told him to back off and never to eat with me again.
I didn’t think he would take my words to heart.
I looked away and cleared my throat. “I see that you’re tired from all day’s work. Why not I treat you to a meal before heading to Naga?”
Besides, the food at Japen’s house wasn’t great. Although it was decent, I had grown restless at the mere sight of sardines. It was like he ate sardines all day, and he didn’t even complain. At least he could escape from sardines tonight.
He just nodded.
We entered a popular fast food place. I heard soothing music as soon as we stepped inside. There were few people around, mostly students. Probably because there was a University nearby, and it wasn’t shocking since we were around busy Cebu City. The area was the most urbanized in all of Cebu.
I seated Japen at an empty table on the first floor. It was beside the glass wall, overlooking the urbanized area of the city.
I volunteered to order since I sensed Japen’s tiredness. He wanted to line up, but I insisted. He fell silent, so I went straight to the counter not far away.
I had asked for his order earlier, so it didn’t take long for us to devour the food in front of us. We ate quietly. I watched Japen as he ate as if there were no people around us. He seemed to be in a hurry, so I couldn’t help but stare at him while he sipped the juice I ordered.
He must have felt my gaze because he looked up at me. “Is there a problem?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Continue,” I said.
He nodded and continued eating. Soon he finished. Well, I was done eating even before Japen put his disposable spoon and fork down.
He suddenly smiled at me. “Thanks, Azora.”
I was taken aback by his thankful gesture. Surely, I didn’t expect him to thank me. After all, he was doing his job without earning a single cent every day, so I thought that free food would compensate for his efforts.
He didn’t accept the money Dad gave him when they met in front of me. Japen insisted that he had a job and that escorting me to and from the University was just an act of kindness. He said that the salary was for Mang Selyo, not for him.
I smiled sheepishly. “No need to mention it.”
Japen just stared at me.