Taking Chances

2. Don't know much about this world

Agad niyang kinuha ang cellphone niya upang tawagan si Rami. 

"Hello?" He said in the other line.

"Ganoon sila kayaman!" She exclaimed. 

"OO! That family owns 100 hectares of the land in san Miguel. Maliban pa doon, kilala rin sila sa sugar industry. They own La Verde." 

"Iyon iyong asukal natin sa bahay!" Natatawang sabi niya. 

"Kamusta ka naman diyan?" Rami asked. 

"Heto, okay naman. Bukas ko pa daw makilala iyong alaga ko." She sighed. "Rami can I ask you a favor?" 

"What's that?" He asked her. 
"Can you please look after Ericka hanggang nandito ako. I'll be there every weekend starting next month pa. Edna will help you. Please..." 

"Fine... I'll call you tomorrow pagkagaling ko ng ospital." Iyon lang at tinapos na niya ang tawag. She sat in the middle of the bed. Pagod na siya. She sighed. Tomorrow will be a start of a new day, sana lang maging okay ang lahat... 

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Pablo couldn't sleep that night so he decided to take a swim down stairs. Kailangan niyang mag-isip. His father is getting worse as the days go by. Ni hindi niya makuhang tingnan ito. Palagi niyang hinahanap ang lalaking lagi niyang kasagutan noon but clearly kahit anong gawin niya ay hindi na babalik ang taon iyon. Fatima was right, his father was too weak. Ni hindi na ito makapagsalita. Oras na lang ang bibilangin at hindi na nila maiiwasan ang pagkawala nito. The doctors did everything pero hindi na nagawan ng paraan ang cancer nito sa baga. 

He stood by the pool, he was taking deep breathes nang biglang may yumakap ka s kanya mula sa likod. 

"Fuck!" He said. Alam niya kung sino iyon. Agad siyang kumalas at hinarap ang yumakap sa kanya. 

"What the fuck are you doing, Isabelle?" Nanggagalaiting tanong niya dito. Muli siyang niyakap nito.

"I missed you, Pablo." 

Lumayo siya dito. Isabelle was wearing a very seductive nigh gown, naaninag niya ang buong katawan nito. He shook his hea, nakadama siya ng pandidiri. Was she that desperate?

"Hindi mo na ba ako mahal Pablo?" Tanong nito sa kanya. He shook his head. How thick can she get?

"You ruined my family and you expect me to still love you?" He hissed.

"Face it, Pablo, before I came along, sira na ang pamilya mo." Sabi niya. 

"No! You ruined my family!" Sigaw niya dito. 

"I didn't. Hindi ko kasalanan kung minahal ako ng Papa mo."

"You took advantage of that, you slut." He gritted his teeth. Tiningnan niya ito mula ulo hanggang paa. 

"Pablo, hindi mo ba naisip na ito na ang panahon kung kailan pwede na tayong magsama?" 

Lalo siyang nanggalaiti dito. Ang kapal ng mukha nito. She married his father and now that he's dying, nakikipag-flirt na ito sa kanya? Anong klaseng babae ito?

"I was never happy." She said. "Infact, whenever your father makes love to me, ikaw ang naiisip ko." 

He disgusts her. 

"Pablo, I only married your dad ---"

"For his money." Sabi niya. Hindi ito sumagot. "At kaya ka nagkakaganyan ngayon dahil alam mo na sa oras na mawala siya, you will get nothing. " He said sarcastically. 

"I still love you..." She said. 

"I don't care." Sabi niya. 

"Pablo... Please..."