Time After Time

Untitled Part 84

present....

TUMAYO SI RICKY, ATTORNEY RICHARD DANOY, LIYAD ANG DIBDIB NA HINALTAK pababa ang suit jacket. Pero kahit anong liyad, mas malaki pa rin ang tiyan nito kaysa dibdib. Doughy faced, he sported a full beard and a mustache, perhaps to give definition to the jawline. It failed. Mukha pa rin itong hilaw na pancake.

"With the permission of the Court, Your Honor." Sabi nito bilang tugon sa tanong ni Judge Atayde kung nais pa ng prosekusyon na i-cross examine ang testigo.

"Please proceed." Nasa late-fifties si Judge Amelio Atayde pero mukhang nagpipilit magmukhang trenta pero kagaya ni Ricky, epic fail. That hairpiece should be banned.

Ricky nodded and stepped closer to the witness box, "I noticed that you're not wearing a watch, Mr. Limon. How come?"

"Uh, I don't wear watches."

"Ever?"

"Uh, sometimes. But mostly, I don't bother."

"So, wala kang suot na relos noong araw na sinabi mong nakita mo si Mr. Paquito Ochoa. You said, on November 17th, 2017, you were walking along Jupiter Street in Makati when you saw the defendant inside his liquor store at six in the evening. Six o'clock. Paano mo nasabi?"

There were giggles from the people inside the courtroom. Lahat ay pamilyar sa meme na iyon.

"There's a watch repair shop ahead." Sagot ni Mr. Limon, twenty-something travel blogger.

"How far ahead?"

"Four, five meters. There's a clock in the window and it's huge."

"It's a watch repair shop as you said. Are you sure the clock you saw wasn't broken, brought there to be fixed or repaired?"

God help this idiot, Olivia struggled not to smile.

"Why dispay it if it's broken?" Sagot ni Mr. Limon sa tanong.

"No more questions from the prosecution your Honor." Sabi ni Ricky.

"Are there any more witnesses for the defense?" Tanong ng judge.

Olivia stood, "Those are all the witnesses for the defense, your Honor."

Both she and Ricky were ordered to submit their formal offer of evidence within fifteen days. And the court was adjourned. Nagmadaling lumabas si Olivia, wala siyang balak makipag-small talk kay Ricky. He wasn't a bad person. Nagkataon lang na nasa katergorya itong 'people I do not like'.

"You got me there!" Sabi nito, nasa likuran na ni Olivia. Hindi siya lumingon. Yes, she intentionally did not ask her witness to explain how he knew the time. Hinayaan niyang si Ricky ang magtanong. At mapahiya.

Just to establish the fact that the prosecution is represented by an idiot, your Honor and if you are a wise man....sana lang, naiisip iyon ni Judge Atayde. Wala rin masyadong tiwala si Olivia sa huwes na ni hindi kayang husgahan ang suot na wig. Itim na itim at matigas. Paano niyon hindi nakikita na..masagwa?

She stepped out to the back of the building. Parking lot iyon. She pressed her key fob.

"My client says hi." Sabi ni Ricky. Turned out, he was parked next to her two year old Montero. Binuksan nito ang pinto ng bagong CR-V, "Si Miss Alarcon. Marife Alarcon."

Olivia froze.

"She just wanted a proper health care but I got curious. I reviewed her case--"

Binuksan ni Olivia ang pinto ng sasakyan niya.

"We need t---" Ricky was saying. Olivia slammed her door close. And drove off.