Tales of Love and Lust

SCARLETT - BAD DATES

SCARLETT

BAD DATES

"No Tomorrow" was the name of the dance event. Scarlett thought how apt. Wala nang bukas para sa kanya. Sa tagal ng pagpapangaral sa kanya ng mga magulang ay napikon na ang mga ito sa hindi niya pagsunod. Pinutol ng dalawa ang sustento sa kanya sa Italy kaya napilitan siyang umuwi ng Pilipinas. She can't afford to live in Italy without money from them. Kahit pa nga sinubukan niyang tumira sa bahay ng kanyang boyfriend sa Florence.

Naisip niya noon na kaya niyang mabuhay sa sarili niya. Hindi siya imbalido. She started looking for an online job that would enable her to work from the comfort of Pino's veranda. Pino was her boyfriend. Noong umpisa ay halos mapaiyak siya nang malaman kung magkano lang ang bayad sa online jobs. Hindi siya makapaniwala. A lot of those offers needed to be considered as abuse! Pero nagmatigas ang kanyang mga magulang at napilitan siyang patulan ang mga trabahong nakita. The pay was never enough. Hindi rin naman mayaman si Pino para suportahan ang lahat ng luho niya. In fact, the only reason why she liked Pino was because he was an amazing cook and a great lover. She was in love with what Pino represented to her—Italian food, Italian culture, and Italian romance.

Pero ang romance na namamagitan sa kanila ni Pino ay unti-unting nawala nang magsimula siyang maging mapaghanap sa lalaki. Sa huli, nanumbat na rin ito sa kanya. Libre na nga raw ang board and lodging niya at pagkain, pati ba naman luho ay ito pa rin ang bibili ganoong alam niyang hindi ito mayaman. He owned a small farm that produced organic vegetables. Hindi malaki ang kita nito. He was Euro poor. Siyempre, malaki ang kaibahan ng mahirap sa Italia sa mahirap sa Pilipinas.

Hindi kinakaya ng kanyang pride na masumbatan ng lalaki kaya nilayasan niya ito at umuwi ng Pilipinas. Now that her parents had showed her the kind of power they had over her, she couldn't do anything but do as they say. How she missed Florence. Ang layo-layo na ngayon noon sa Maynila.

Hindi niya kailangan ng isang malaking bahay, o mansion sa kaso nila, kung nasa gitna naman sila ng mausok na siyudad. She wanted a simpler, prettier environment. She wanted to walk down small lovely roads, smell the aroma of fresh baked bread or coffee, breathe fresh air, try to speak Italian the way locals did. She loved that kind of life. Pero nawala na iyon sa kanya at parang hindi na kailanman maibabalik pa.

I need to find a wealthy husband, someone old, someone who is also impotent. Kung sana ay ganoon kadaling humanap ng asawang naghahanap lang talaga ng pagpapasahan ng kayamanan. But no, her mother kept matching her up with undesirable men. Old, yes. Impotent? Not!

Bata pa lang ay alam na niyang maganda siya. Everyone said so. As she was growing up, she realized she possessed a different kind of beauty, though it was not something she understood perfectly until Pino described her. He said she was innocent but very seductive, a contrast that was unlike any other. Kaya ba ang mga lalaking nakaka-date niya ay palaging mga nagnanasa na deep inside ay naghahanap ng babaeng virgin? How she disliked those men.

She used to like to party until she realized she did not have real friends. Kahit noon pa, bihira ang kanyang nakakasundong babae at ang mga lalaking kaibigan niya naman ay madalas na nagpaparinig kalaunan. She left the country a few years ago. Kumuha siya ng student visa sa Italian Embassy at nag-aral pansamantala, hanggang sa kumuha na siya ng temporary resident permit. She was planning on buying a property in Florence until her parents decided to stop supporting her.

She hated living in the Philippines. It seemed everyone needed something from her. Ang sabi ng kanyang mga magulang, siya raw ang palaging may kailangan, sa isang banda ay totoo dahil hindi niya kayang mabuhay na walang sustento. She couldn't find any success in business, not that she didn't try.