champagne problems
#122
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Light Me Up by Ingrid Michaelson
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"Isinulat ko na rin sa reseta 'yung mga vitamins na recommended for you to take."
"Thank you, Doktora Jhing." Tokyo thanked the doctor after finishing her prenatal checkup. Ngumiti naman ito sa kanya.
"You're welcome, Atty. Takahashi." She replied, still smiling. After all those years, ngayon niya lang ito nakita sa personal.
"Mommy!"
They were suddenly interrupted when a male kid barged in the clinic. Kasunod naman nito ay isang pamilyar na lalake. The man was wearing a white lab coat and around his neck was a stethoscope. Tokyo just stared at the man and the man did the same to her.
"Aziel," the kid went to Dra. Jhing and immediately hugged her. "Are you hungry?"
The kid nodded. "No but I saw a food stall outside the hospital and it looked delicious, My!"
Dra. Jhing laughed. "Sige, sige, lalabas tayo." She then looked at the man who was with the kid earlie, "Thorn, hon, lalabas muna kami ni Aziel, iiwan muna kita."
Tokyo noticed Jhing nodded at her and smiled. A few seconds later, she was left alone with Thorn, her only ex. At matagal na panahon na rin ang huling pagkikita nilang dalawa.
Somehow, she was confused at why his wife left them alone together.
"You're finally pregnant?" Thorn who seemed to look more matured now started.
"Yes." She answered shortly. For sure, they weren't even friends.
Naupo naman ito katabi niya sa receiving couch para sa mga pasyente. "Jhing told me sa clinic ka raw niya nagpaschedule ng checkup."
She didn't look at him. "I didn't expect your wife would be my doctor too."
"Are you married?"
It was this second she finally turned her head to look at him. Thorn was already looking at her too. She sighed.
"Not yet—but we're engaged," she showed him the ring that Reagan gave to her in Japan. "Last year pa."
"The ring looks good on you."
"Thanks."
There was silence.
"Sorry."
He suddenly uttered. She didn't reply and remained quiet.
"Sorry for being an asshole before... especially those hurtful words that I said to you. It was unforgivable."
"It's been years already. Matagal na panahon na 'yun." She simply answered.
"I know but I didn't ask you for forgiveness or even accept the blame that it was my fault why we ended up badly. I didn't hold accountability for our failed relationship."
She became silent again.
"It was a drunken mistake," Thorn looked up and stared at the ceiling. "Remember when I told you that we were going to celebrate one of my classmates in medschool? Jhing was there. I was intoxicated and something happened between us. I know it's a fucked up reason. Drunk or not, what I did was still cheating."
"It happened before you proposed to me?" She eyed him, squinting her eyes.
"Yes... and I thought that was only it. After I proposed to you, two months after that, Jhing appeared in my apartment, she told me she was pregnant with my child. Her longtime boyfriend found about it too and he broke up with her. I didn't know what to do then... You know that I grew up in a broken family, naisip ko kung hindi ko pananagutan ang anak namin ni Jhing, our son would grow up in a broken family too like me."
"You reasoned out to me that I wouldn't have sex with you that's why you cheated on me and told me without your help, I wouldn't survive law school," she replied, looking down on the floor.
Thorn chuckled, "I know and I was an asshole back then... but it didn't matter to me, kilala mo ko, Tokyo. I never asked you to have sex with me in the course of relationship because I respect your choices. I said that out of spite when Attorney Omari, your prof in law school, suddenly grew concerned about you. You see, I wanted you to hate me so it wouldn't be hard for me to break up with you. Pero iba ang nangyari, what I did was too selfish that it affected your health. Atty. Omari, I was glad that he was there for you. I got angry actually... if only I didn't commit that drunken mistake, nothing would change between us."
Natahimik ulit silang dalawa. Tokyo thought of it too, his reasons why it happened.
But then, she wouldn't get to know Riggy that deeply. Kung hindi 'yun nangyari, she would have still thought that Atty. Reagan Callahan Omari is nothing other than one of the most terror professors in law school. She wouldn't know the real Reagan Omari is actually the most patient man she'd ever met.
The only man who waited for her and accepted all of her flaws, unconditionally.
"Iyong anak mo, magkamukha kayo." She commented, easing the tention.
Thorn smiled, "Oo. Ang kulit nga. At least, his sister, she's calmer than him."
"Dalawa na anak niyo?"
"Yes. I actually learned how to love Jhing, she's actually a kind woman."
"She is," she agreed. "Hinayaan nga tayong dalawa na iwan dito sa clinic niya." They both laughed at her comment.
"Tokyo, I'm happy for you," he suddenly said, giving her a genuine smile. "Proud even. You're a successful lawyer now... and you all made it happen because you worked hard for it, not because of me," he joked. "You deserve it."
"Ilang balde ng luha rin ang iniyak ko para lang din makapasa sa bar exam." She joked too.
"Maybe it all happened because Atty. Omari was really the guy for you. He's better than me and I know he will always take good care of you."
"Because of what you did, it scarred me that he might also leave me someday, Thorn—and I hate that I was unfair to him because of those fears."
"Tokyo..." Thorn's voice suddenly became soft. "You know when I did realize that he was going to take care of you better than me? When he was so concerned for you that he did the extreme even without expecting that you might not reciprocate his feelings towards you. When he was so mad to me na hindi ko man lang nirespeto 'yung relasyon natin at nagpakasal ako kaagad kay Jhing. From that moment on, I realized he really loves you..."
"He loves you unconditionally... he already proved that the moment he beat me up into pieces that I even had to be hospitalized," he laughed. Napailing na lang si Tokyo at natawa na lang din.
"He risked his license as a lawyer because of you and I think that's enough to prove the world how noble Atty. Reagan Callahan Omari is. He's the perfect man for you. He already conquered your fears, long way before." Thorn then tapped the top of her hand and squeezed it.
"You both deserve to be happy, Tokyo. It's time."
And she knew, during that time as well, she already forgave him.
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[1/2]
There will be still another narrative and it will be the last one already huhu. After that, FINAL na tayo, as usual, an Instagram post just like my other epistolaries.
I will miss Attorney Daddy and Tokyo 🥺
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