The Art of Loving a Beast (La Fortuna Series #4)

Kabanata 3

Kabanata 3

Yosi

"I saw the news," I announced at the dining table.

Bumitin sa ere ang tunog ng paglapag ni Mommy ng kaniyang kubyertos sa pinggan. Uminom siya ng tubig at saka makahulugang sinipat si Daddy, tila ba inuudyok itong ipaliwanag ang lahat sa akin.

"Hija, let's not talk about this during breakfast," Dad said in a calm tone.

I bit my lip to stop myself from talking back. Nakasimangot na tinignan ni Dad ang pinggan kong puno pa rin ng pagkain. Nang magtama ulit ang mga mata namin ay bahagya niya akong nginitian.

"Make sure to finish your food, Cel, especially your veggies. Kamusta nga pala 'yong vitamins na nireseta ni Doc Javier? Ubos na ba? Tell Yaya if you're done with the bottle so she can buy more at the pharmacy. And how's your face? Masakit pa rin ba—"

"Dad, please..." Bumuntong-hininga ako at saka tinusok ng tinidor ang kamatis sa aking pinggan.

Daddy's shoulders dropped. "I'm just worried, hija. Lalo na ngayong nagiging busy na kayo sa eskwelahan. Your fainting spells may start occurring again."

"I'll be fine... I'm taking care of myself. And please, don't change the subject... Gusto ko pong malaman kung ano ang totoo. Kaya ba laging busy si Kuya Liam nitong nakaraang mga araw? Ito ba 'yon? Because if it is, we have to do something about it."

"The news will die down sooner or later. 'Wag ka na lang manuod ng balita para hindi ka masyadong nag-aalala," wika ni Mommy. She lifted a reassuring smile that told me she got everything under control. "Leave this to us, okay? Sige na. Eat your breakfast."

Kahit alam kong gusto nilang pakawalan ko na ang isyung ito, hindi ata makakaya ng konsensya kong manahimik na lang. I hadn't even slept last night thinking about how horrible things had become. Why were they so chill about this? I couldn't understand.

"I just think it's unfair, Mom. The employees have been on strike for days now. They demand proper compensation from the company. Hindi ba kayo naaawa?"

Mommy massaged her temple and let out a sigh of surrender. "Syempre, naaawa. Pero hindi sila ang pinoprotektahan namin ng Dad mo. We are the company's lawyers. We serve the highest good of CM Express, not the good of those ungrateful workers who always have something to complain about."

Umawang ang aking labi. Nahihibang na ba sila? "Mom, those workers are complaining because they are not compensated well! Overworked tapos underpaid. Wala silang health benefits at na-dismiss pa iyong representative nila!"

"Goodness, Celia. Stop consuming those biased news. The company is doing its best to keep things under control. Just focus on school and let your Tito Regis and Kuya Liam handle this."

Nagtagal ang mariing tingin sa akin ni Mommy. Alam kong umiirap na siya sa kaniyang kaloob-looban. Yumuko na lang ako upang itago ang namumuong luha sa gilid ng aking mga mata.

Tensyonadong nagpalipat-lipat ng tingin sa amin si Dad. He shifted on his seat before speaking. "Hindi naman intensyon ng kompanyang pabayaan ang mga manggagawa. They are also integral to the company's success. Without them, who will deliver the packages, handle the paperwork, and sort the cargos? We think about them, too."

I gritted my teeth. Gusto ko siyang paniwalaan pero mahirap iyon, lalo na sa sitwasyon ngayon. The company did not care. Not enough, at least. Kasi kung totoong may pakialam sila, hindi na dapat humantong dito ang mga pangyayari.

"It's just that things haven't been going well with your Tito Regis' recent investment. We needed to cut our budget. Unfortunately, those workers were the first to get affected."