The Man in Strings

IX. Chaos

"Sorry na -"

"Sorry?" She said sarcastically. "Iyong sorry ba sa'yo isang lisensya para paulit-ulit akong lokohin gano'n ba 'yon?"

Wait - what?

"Lokohin? Maine, I just didn't -"

"Angelica Panganiban, The Unmarried Wife, 2016!" She then started laughing hysterically, habang ako parang tuod na nakatingin lang sa kanya. "That's a movie line, Rj," she said when she recovered. "Manood ka rin ng TV minsan para makita mo 'yung trailer."

Seryoso ba akong in love ako sa babaeng 'to? Normal pa naman sya, 'di ba?

"But really, Rj, when I tell you to wake me up, wake me up. I have someone important coming."

"Someone important? Si Jake na naman ba 'yan?"

"Bakit lagi ka bang naka-Jake? Crush mo ba sya? Ilalakad kita, kung gusto mo."

"Fuck no!" Just the thought terrified me! "What the hell, Maine?!"

"Ito naman, parang diring-diri ka kay Jake -"

"Stop imagining us in that way, Maine!"

"Grabe parang 'yun lang, bakit sobra ka maka-react? Ang defensive mo naman para kang may tinatago tuloy -"

"Maine, I'm serious here!"

Tawa lang sya nang tawa habang nakikita akong sobrang frustrated sa mga pinagsasasabi nya. I can't even stand meters away from that asshat, and now this? She's fucking unbelievable. "Sobrang saya natin, Maine, ha?"

"Eh kasi ang cute mo! Now you know what I feel!"

I gave her that look... at dun na sya tumakbo palabas. Maine was really ticklish, and she hated being tickled by me dahil hindi ko talaga sya tinitigilan. Tumakbo na rin ako pababa at naabutan sya sa sala. Para kaming nagpapatintero tuloy.

"Siegfried! Celestine!" She shouted across the wooden table. "Help me! Inaaway ako ni -"

"Daddy," I finished for her. "I'm no longer your Tito. I'm your father, kids."

"Bakit ang bilis mong ma-promote?!" She accused me. "Kids, don't acknowledge him yet."

"Yet. You said yet. Papunta rin naman tayo du'n, bakit 'di pa ngayon? Kids, start calling me Daddy. Don't listen to your Mom; sometimes she's more childish than you."

"Grabe, tingnan nyo! Inaaway ako ng Tatay nyo!"

"So you acknowledged me."

"Mali! Soon-to-be-Tatay lang!"

"Walang bawian, Maine. You said it."

She covered the fishbowl. "Ano ka ba? Ipaparinig mo ba talaga sa mga bata na nag-aaway tayo?! Baka ma-stress sila!"

I stared at her for a while, then raised my hands. "I surrender, Maine. You won me again with your cuteness." I chuckled. "Mukha talaga tayong bagang kasal."

Sasagot pa sana sya when the door flew open, at nagulat ako sa paraan ng pagbubukas. Parang hari, eh. Parang sa kanya 'yung bahay, kung makapagbukas. Kung talagang si Jake 'yan, hindi ko alam kung anong masasabi ko -

"Well, well," the woman spoke in a seething voice. "Look at what we have here."

Maine looked surprised and apologetic at the same time. "Waaahhh!" She ran towards the woman but was stopped by her hand. "Sorry na talaga -"

"Tangina!" Valeen exclaimed. "Kaya pala walang sumundo sa akin sa airport dahil nagbabahay-bahayan kayong dalawa!"

Nagulat ako. Ang tagal ko na kasi syang hindi nakikita, at hindi ko naman in-expect na dadating sya. So she's the 'important' someone?