F.L.A.W Series Book 3: RUBY

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"That woman is crazy!"

Rinig na rinig ni Vix ang sigaw ni Don Matheus mula sa telepono habang kausap ni Percy.

"Lahat na lang ba ng regalong matatanggap ng anak niya ay may issue sa kanya? Lovely has given Sephy a pair of earrings and she assaulted her because of that?"

"She didn't assault Lovely. She only confronted her because of a misunderstanding." Paliwanag ni Percy upang maipagtanggol ang asawa.

"Instead of thanking her for giving your daughter an expensive gift, what did she do in return?" Patuloy ng matandang lalaki. "At ngayon pati regalo ko ay minasama din niya?! Masama bang bigyan ng maaalagaang hayop ang apo ko? Sephy liked her toy bunny so much that when your crazy wife tore it apart, she cried. Kaya nga dinala mo rito ang mga bata noon dahil doon diba? Tapos ngayon na binigyan ko ng pet bunny ay naging issue rin para sa kanya?!" Nanggigil ang boses nito. "She even acted as if it came from a bad person because you requested a copy of your village's CCTV to know who dropped it outside your gate!"

Yup, it was all a misunderstanding. They thought it was Madame Pearl who gave that gift to Seph two days ago but it turns out it came from her Papito.

Dahil nga sa di pagkakaunawaan ng mag-ama ay hindi nila mapilit ang matanda na dumalo sa birthday party ng apo nito. Kaya't hindi nila naisip na kay Don Matheus pala manggagaling ang regalo. Dumaan lang ito sa labas ng bahay para iwan ang maliit na kuneho para ibigay sa bata. Hindi rin nito kayang tiisin ang prinsesa ng mga Montenegro kung kaya't dinamdam nito ang naging reaksyon nila sa natanggap.

"You didn't put a name on the card so we thought it came from someone we don't know. We're just taking precautions here because Seph is still a child, she's just a little girl who can be easily manipulated by those predators out there. I'm a law enforcer so I know the vile things they can do to a child."

"But how can you think that the gift came from a criminal? There's a name tag around the bunny's neck and only our family or close friends know that Sephy named her toy 'Mr. Bunny'."

"It wasn't Sephy who named that stuffed toy, it was the old woman whom she met when Thadd almost lost her at the amusement park, remember?" Paalala ni Percy sa ama.

Hindi naman nakasagot agad pabalik si Don Matheus.

"Kahit na, imposible namang nahanap siya ng babaeng iyon at bigyan ng regalo sa mismong araw ng kaarawan niya hindi ba? You're just being too paranoid- especially that wife of yours!" Singhal ng matanda.

Nakita ni Vix na hinihilot na ni Percy ang sentido, tanda na nahihirapan na itong makipagdebate sa ama kaya't nilapitan na niya ito para pakalmahin at senyasan na sumuko na lamang at huwag nang makipagtalo pa sa Don.

"Look, Pa, we're sorry for the misunderstanding and we are thankful for the gift. Sephy is so happy, she and Sedi loved the bunny." Percy said, finally backing down from the heated argument. "But please understand us as well and where we are coming from. We're just protecting our kids."

"Why, do you think I want to put the kids in danger?" His tone sounded as if his son has offended him even more. "That's what I want for my grandchildren too, I want them to be safe and as well as to be happy after all that has happened." Then scoffed. "I still have so many things to do, I'll hang now." At pagkatapos ay nagmadali nang pinatay ang tawag.

Isang malalim na buntong hininga na lang ang pinakawalan ni Perseus at hinilot ang batok.

"I'm sorry." Ani Ruby at saka minasahe na ang likod ng asawa. "It's my fault again this time. Nakagawa na naman ako ng dahilan para mag-away kayong mag-ama."