beauty series: Not Beauty's Type

39

39

RYOM ALFORQUE

I watch her while she's hugging her father. Kakarating lang ng mag-asawang Fuentes at kakatapos lang ng shoot, kaya naibigay ni Winifred ang atensyon para sa pamilya.

Winifred was smiling at her mother while she was still in her father's arms. Little did she know, her father was looking at me like a hawk. The look would send anyone shivering down their spine.

Good thing I'm not anyone. I'm not the hawk's prey. I'm a predator, too, that won't hesitate to kill anything that messes up with 'my world'.

Sinalubong ko ang matalim na tingin ni Mr. Fuentes. By now, alam na niya ang mga ginawa ko bago kami pumunta rito. By now, alam niya na tinupad ko ang pangako ko sa kanya at sa anak niya. At dapat ngayon, alam na niyang wala akong kasalanan at wala akong ginawang mali sa babaeng mahal ko.

I hope that would be enough for him to accept me as his daughter's boyfriend and, sooner, Winifred's husband. But I know what I did wasn't enough. I realized that there are things that won't be easy in life. And one of those things is this one.

I tried to put myself in Mr. Fuentes' shoes. I imagine myself having a daughter with Winifred. Even if it's just a thought, I want to kill my daughter's soon-to-be boyfriend.

No man is deserving of being with my daughter. Fucking none.

On our way to the resthouse, kasabay ko man ang mga Fuentes sa sasakyan nila, parang wala naman ako sa kaparehong pahina nila. Hawak ko ang kamay ni Winifred pero ang buo nitong atensyon ay nasa ina. They are talking about the shoot. At si Mr. Fuentes naman ay nakatitig lang sa asawa nito habang nagsasalita.

Palihim akong napangiti. Iyon din kasi ang ginagawa ko ngayon. Mukha akong tuta na mariing naghihintay ng atensyon sa amo nito.

Gumalaw ang mata ni Winifred, akala ko titingnan niya ako kaya napaayos ako ng upo.

"Akala ko nga, ma, na masisira ko ang bestidang ito. Mukhang mamahalin pa naman ang tela."

Hindi pala. Ang damit lang pala nito ang tiningnan.

Sa buong durasyon papunta sa resthouse, nakahawak lang ako sa kamay ni Winifred at nakatingin sa mukha nito. Hindi ba niya napansin ang paninitig ko sa kanya?

Sabagay, hindi naman ito aware sa mga nangyayari sa paligid. I bet she's not aware of how much I love her. Probably she doesn't know too that I can do anything to protect her, and I will do everything for her.

At hindi rin siguro niya alam na ang ginawa kong pagbili ng share ni Mitch sa kompanya ay para iyon sa kanya. I had to endure the disgust and force myself to hold my anger tightly against my chest, para lang hindi pumalpak ang mga plano ko. And when I wrapped everything I wanted around my fingers, I did what I had to do.
I don't fucking care if Mitch will have nothing after I buy her shares. She's too dumb to trust me. And I was lucky that I had to deal with a dumb woman. Napadali ang plano ko. Though it took months, it was needed.

I want her out of Winifred's life. It was also her payment for messing with me and Winifred, especially Winifred.
Hindi ata alam ni Winifred kung gaano ako kahulog sa kanya.  Hindi naman sa nagrereklamo ako. Kaya ko naman iyong sabihin sa kanya at ipakita na totoo ang damdamin ko sa kanya.