24 Hours Challenge: EX EDITION

XII. Snippets

We were doing so great, I almost believed we were back in time. How did things change so fast? Yung sa isang iglap, bigla na lang kaming nag-away. Sa isang iglap, nailabas namin lahat ng hinanakit na matagal na pala naming itinatago mula sa isa't-isa.

I turned my head to the bedside table. Ang cam-corder agad ang nakita ko. Naalala ko tuloy si Tresh. My eyes turned into slits.

That manipulative asshole.

Bigla-biglang bumuhos ang matinding galit na naramdaman ko para sa kanya kagabi. That cam-corder only serves as a reminder of what he did! Ang kapal talaga ng mukha niya! Akala niya kaya niyang kontrolin lahat nang tao sa paligid niya! I can't believe he made me one of his stupid puppets!

Hindi na ako nag-isip. Basta'y inis akong bumangon at kinuha ang susi ng Ducati bike ni Papa pati na rin ang cam-corder. Nagmamadali akong lumabas ng bahay, hindi man lang inaalintana ang pajamas na suot. Ni hindi pa 'ko naliligo pero bahala na! I am still so pissed off, I can't control it.

I put the keys in and started the engine. Dad gave me the permission to use this so this should be fine.

As the engine roared, I then drove and made my way to the center of the city, where Tresh's bistro is located. Mag-aalas singko na pero determinado talaga akong ibalik sa kanya 'tong lecheng cam-corder na 'to. I don't want to have anything to do with this. Isa pa, kung mananatili lang 'to sa bahay, baka magdilim lang ang paningin ko't ihagis ko 'to sa labas o gibain gamit ang martilyo. Mahirap na.

I eventually reached Uptown just in time. Buti na lang at maaga pa kaya talagang kakaunti lang ang customers. This place usually gets jampacked from 6 o'clock onwards.

"Where's your boss?" tanong ko sa isang crew ro'n. Mukhang nagulat pa siya sa bigla kong pag-approach sa kanya. At talagang pinasadahan niya pa ang suot kong pantulog!

He stopped mopping and nervously pointed at a door at the far end of the room. I can tell it's Tresh's office. My anger worsened. Galit akong nagmartsa patungo sa opisina niya. Hindi na nga ako kumatok. I just barged in like I owned the place. Gumawa 'yon ng malakas na tunog kaya agad napako ang tingin ni Tresh sa akin. To my surprise though, Care is also here. Nakatayo siya habang si Tresh naman ay nakaupo sa swivel chair at nakayakap sa baywang niya. Mukhang nagmo-moment sila pero wala talaga akong pakealam!

"Gal!" Care exclaimed, stepping away from her boyfriend. Maputi siya kaya kitang-kita ko kung paano siya pinamulahan dahil sa hiya.

If I weren't too angry, I wouldn't have ignored her. Pero talagang masyado akong galit. Nakatutok lang ako sa mukha ni Tresh na halatang gulat din. Nakakasurok ng dugo ang pagmumukha niya! Ugh!

I tightened my hold on the cam-corder and determinedly marched towards the bastard. Tumayo siya nang makita ang pagpupuyos ko.

"Gal-" He tried to stop me. He even gestured his hand as if trying to calm me down but too bad, he's already too late. When I finally reached him, I harshly shoved the cam-corder to his chest. Gulat pero mabilis niya 'yong hinawakan.

We met eye to eye and I made sure he can see just how mad I am. Meanwhile, Care remained shocked and speechless.

"Fuck you and your selfish games, Tresh!"

My voice came out louder than I expected it to be. But so much for laying low! Kasi wala talaga akong pake kung marinig man ako ng lahat. O, kahit pa marinig ako ni Care.

I turned my back on him after that, while they didn't dare to speak, probably still too taken aback by my sudden entrance. Wala na sana akong balak lumingon kaso meron pa pala akong gustong sabihin kaya naman bumaling ulit ako.