Chapter 4: It was a destined ad.

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Wendy Mañalac… Wendy Mañalac… Why does she seem so familiar to me? Have I met her somewhere?


The two of us were walking hand in hand on our way to meet her mom. All the while, I kept on thinking as to where I might have met her or if someone had introduced her to me before. Concurrently, we happen to pass by a billboard ad on top of a waiting shed, which read: Make your job easier by advertising. Call 981-XXXX. And that is when it suddenly hit me.




Max was chomping on her huge burger meal as if she had not eaten anything in a year. I just fetched her from her baseball practice. She said she was craving for burger and ice cream from Tio Paolo’s Café. So, being the good brother that I am, I obliged on her request.


"Vhy am I vhe only one eafing?" she uttered with her mouth full. I’ve gotten used to her acts of boyishness. Just look at the sports she’s engaged in: baseball, soccer, and karate. My parents were just so glad when she enrolled in gymnastics, that one hobby that makes her act as a girl.


"Nah, I’m not hungry anyway."


She suddenly stop eating and stared at me. "She dumped you, didn't she? You’re not the type who’ll pass on meals." I simply fiddled with my keys just to avoid any eye contact with her. "I’m correct, ano? Admit it. I’m right, ‘di ba?" she went on.


"Drop it, Ver. I’m not in the mood," I sternly told her. I usually call her Ver, short for Veronica, her second name, when she is beginning to rake in with my personal life.


"Tss. You are so mahina. Some big brother you are," she muttered and rolled her eyes. She had finished her burger and was now eating her ice cream.


I snorted. "Me? Mahina? You’ve got to be joking."


"Ha! You are one space cadet! You are nothing but torpe kasi, that’s why after two years you still don’t have girlfriend," she retorted.


"Hoy, I am not torpe and I’m definitely not mahina," I countered.


"Do you want to make a bet on it?" she told me with the tip of her spoon aimed at my face.


"Fine, let’s make a bet."


She chuckled darkly. "I’m going to bet that after a year, you still won’t have any girlfriend." She was erratically waving her spoon in front of me while articulating her argument.


"Ha-ha. Not funny enough," I said sarcastically. I took the spoon from her grip and shoved it in her ice bream bowl. I then grabbed a spoonful and gobbled it. A billboard ad outside the windowpane caught my eyes. "See that girl in the ad?" I said, pointing at the advertisement. "If she becomes my girlfriend, you’re going to eat everything that you’ve said."


"Si Pam nga hindi ka sinagot, tapos you're aiming on a more impossible dream? Haha," she cackled and snatched her spoon from my grasp. "Bring it on, Kuya! I’ll be more welcome to munch it."




That’s right! She’s the girl from the ad that Maxine and I saw some months ago and made a bet on. I know I really did see her somewhere. Max wouldn’t believe it once I tell her.


"You’re curriculum is also trimester-based in Sedbergh’s, right," she asked. We were getting a hold of having light conversation while on the way.


"Yup, same as Abberley’s," I replied with a smile.


"Just in case you needed to do an OJT, I just happen to know some advertising agencies in the Metro,"she offered.


"Because you’re an endorser, am I correct?" She shyly nodded. "I happen to remember it just now," I added.


"I was actually wishing you wouldn’t notice."


"You have ads almost everywhere. Of course I would notice." She smiled at me politely. "If I may ask, why are you taking up Architecture?"


She shrugged, "No particular reason, but I’ve always wanted to design my own house and I love looking at books about modern structural designs of houses and establishments."


"You should meet my mom. She’s currently interested in Urban Designing."


"Really? That’s my favorite area in modern architecture! You should introduce me to her," she said in delight.


"But she’s not always around," I muttered.


"What?"


"Nothing." I merely smiled to mask off the topic.




To: Max
Message: Max, rmmber r bet b4? Abt d girl from d billboard ad nd dat ul b munching ur own words?


From: Max
Message: so, wat abt it? :|


To: Max
Message: Im wd her ryt now.Ü


From: Max
Message: weh. asa, kuya. bite my head off. T_T


To: Max
Message: W8 der, il m8k a video call. Harhar.




"Video call my face," I told my phone, though as if my brother was going to hear my response.


All of a sudden, my phone rang. And it's really a video call from my brother!


"No," I shook my head. "I won’t fall for it. He’s just playing with me," I said to myself.


"You called, big brother?" I taunted when I answered his call.


"Hey, Max," Kuya greeted.


"Oh, now what?" I snapped at him.


"Wait, there." I see him talking to someone, but I could not catch a glimpse of the person’s face. "Would mind saying hi to my sister? Her name’s Maxine," he said to the person beside him.


"Oh, sure." It was a girl’s voice from the other line.


"Max, are you still there? I’d like you to meet a new friend of mine, Wendy Mañalac," Kuya spoke as he aimed for the girl’s face with his camera.


Finally, I caught sight of the girl my Kuya was with as she waved her hand in front of the camera, "Hi, Maxine. How are you doing?"


Along with her greeting, I suddenly froze. I could not get hold of my breathe. Holy cow! Kuya wasn’t lying! She really is that girl from that advertisement!


I felt the need to shriek at that very moment, thank goodness it was Kuya’s face again that was back on the camera. "Speechless, eh?" He was grinning from ear to ear.


"I hate you," was all I managed to reply.


"I love you, too, little sis. See you later," he said before he ended the call.


"I HATE THIS," I yelled while stomping my feet in frustration. Then I remembered the other half of our deal,"WAIT! He said that if he makes that girl his girlfriend, but he introduced her to me as his friend.ARGH! He almost got me with that one!"




"What was that all about," I asked Gerard after he ended the call. "Your sister, you mentioned?"


"Yep. To tell you the truth, you're very much involved in the situation," he admitted, chuckling.


"Huh? Me? Why?"


"Six months ago, my sister and I had this silly bet. She bet on that I still won't have a girlfriend a year from that day. Right then, I noticed your ad and told her that if you become my girlfriend, she'll eat everything that she had said."


"Seriously? Such a coincidence that I happened to be in the ad and now you happened to be my escort," I chortled.


"I'm telling you, that's my favorite billboard," he winked.


"Because it made you on the lead against your sister?" I joked.


"No," he laughed. "Because it made me believe in destiny again. Don’t you agree?"


"I guess so," I shrugged and smiled at the mere thought of a destined billboard ad.


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