THE UNFINISHED STORY No. 1

Title: YELLOW STENO NOTEBOOK


Chapter 1 - Birthday Gift


“Happy birthday again bro!” betoy excitedly shook my hand.


“Happy birthday sis!” tabajoy grabbed my shoulder, pulled me away from betoy and kissed my cheek.


“Thanks” with a wide smile I waved goodbye to betoy and tabajoy, the last departing guests.


They were my partners since we all landed in consultancy for DOF-implemented projects


Both pointed their direction to my pile of yellow steno notebooks where they placed their gifts.


House warming for the new condo unit I acquired.


Mga bading helped me clean the house.


Fortunately my birthday falls on Friday.


I used to celebrate my birthday in a week’s time and the closing party fell at my birth date. This 33rd year of mine is no different. I blew a party in my office last Monday. Another party was held in SuperBowl restaurant in Glorietta 2 on Tuesday. My college batchmates attended. Wednesday was one tiresome birthday blow out, it usually is tiring since my high school batchmates were my guests. I personally cooked for them because it would be expensive to treat them in a restaurant for they would never leave the party until morning. And it won’t end until everyone’s drunk. That made it more tiring. I can taste the hangover up to now. Fortunately, my Thursday guests were immediate families. I don’t need to attend to all their needs and I am not a real host in the mere sense of the word. Tonight was the last party in the row and I have a full house with close friends. Close as in we knew each and everyone of us. The party is the conclusion


No other than my closest friends who used to stay behind after my birthday bash.


Exhausted I settled myself in the sofa. “Babe”, I called my partner, “can you please rub my feet?” I raised my feet on the side arm of the sofa and laid down. Eric did not answer. I let it pass and closed my eyes. The ring of my cellular phone woke me up. I checked on the wall clock and it said 5:55 in the morning. I stood up to reach my phone. “Hello?”


“Cris, Stella here. I have consultancy work for you.” Madam Stella, my mentor since I joined consultancy services, declared. “The Australian AID’s hiring for accountants to conduct credibility audit in some government agencies. The fee is great!”


“Really?” the only word I uttered. I wished I have asked her why this early?


“I will email you the information in a while. You need to submit your resume as soon as possible.”


I reached for my laptop computer then and despite the anghang na mata, I opened my email. It haven’t arrived yet, the email Ma’am Stella mentioned. And I noticed other mails from some of my former colleagues. One from Ms. Annie, another consultant I have worked with in USAID project. It said no subject. I opened it and to my surprise, it was there the information Ma’am Stella has told me a while ago. It was a very long email which includes the terms of reference for the hired consultant. But I did not read the details, I only focus on the message from miss annie, “send your resume asap”. And I did.