"Mom, if it's okay to you I'll just go out with Catherine and Margaret," I lied and crossed my fingers behind my back wishing she'll let me go out at this hour.
"It's getting late na, sweetie, saan ba kayo pupunta?" My mom asked and glanced at the huge wall clock 8:30 p.m.
"Uh.." I started trying to make a reason in my mind, "sleep over, yes. Sleepover." I tightly smiled while waiting her respond. It wasn't actually a sleepover either a hang out with my friends but a date with her, with Ms. Marcos. After our two months together, this is the first real date with her and I couldn't hide my excitement to be with her to such a cozy restaurant.
"Alright then," my eyes lit up, "pero wag kang magpapa- gabi," I frowned causing my mom to laugh, "not funny, mom," I shook my head. I bid her goodbye before heading out to our double door.
"Take care!" I heard her shout before I could make it to our gate.
I walked for more minutes from our house to meet her on her black sedan car,"hi," I greeted as soon as I step in in her car and kissed her cheek, "I'm sorry for keeping you wait," she smiled and held my hand, "It's okay, shall we?" I nodded in response.
"What kind of restaurant you want?" She asked and maneuver the steering wheel with her manly yet feminine hands. I was a bit distracted with the view missing her question to be answered.
"U-uhm..Italian would be good," I stuttered causing her to chuckle. Damn why is she so good in everything? I am the luckiest girl, indeed.
"You have a good choice," she said and glanced at me back to the road. I smiled, "Uh-huh, kaya nga I chose you," I flirted trying to sound it normal. I saw her blushed despite the dim light inside the car. How cute.
Her next move made me froze for a seconds, she put her hand in my bare left leg as I was just wearing a fitted white dress while her other hand is on the steering wheel. Thankful that my mother didn't ask me for wearing this after reasoning out that I'll be with my friends to sleepover. Nice, Ariella your reason did not align with your looks.
I could feel her fingertips tapping my skin while she sang something in a low tone. The night was also peaceful and windy, the traffic isn't that awful and the city lights made it more beautifully relaxing. I held her hand in my lap and intertwined our fingers that perfectly fit together. I wished it won't end, and hoping that time willl stop to cherish this moment with her.
Universe knows how much I love this woman, that I will sacrifice everything just for her. She's the best thing that ever happened to me and I want her to feel that every second of her life. She's worth loving, the dream I never thought would come true. I used to stare at her from afar, admire her from the distance until the time her hand was now mine. God, I won.
"Why are you staring at?" She chuckled, "Nothing, I just think you're beautiful," I honestly admit, she smiled. Her looks is just a bonus. The way she cared for me, the way she made me feel that I am worth for her love. She carry herself in a full of aristocracy and comeliness. How people give high respect to this woman. I swear to the stars that if we're not meant together, I don't want to fall in love again.
"I know," she agreed and a comfortable silence crept in.
After almost half an hour of driving, she pulled over at the restaurant parking lot and we headed inside gracefully. Her hand was on my lower back as she guide me to our table. The ambiance of the place was quite mesmerizing and a soft jazz music was being played at the background. Distinct voices of other customers and the chinks of cutleries satisfied my sense of hearing. Sounds weird but yes, it satisfies me.
We ordered for food and patiently waiting for it to arrived, "I'll just go to the comfort room, okay?" I said and she just nodded.
I look at my reflection in the mirror as soon as I reached inside and texted my friends to cover me up in case my mother ask them where I am.
--got you!" Catherine immediately replied.
--just don't do this often, we don't want to lie to tita Alona." Margaret says.
"Thanks, guys!" I replied and decided to head out.
As I'm walking towards our table, I saw a man that seems arguing with her. The same figure I saw back there in our school. My heart couldn't stop being fast while walking closer to them.
"Just please, leave," she sternly says, still unaware about my presence at the back of this man.
"Don't you want-" before the man could finish his words, I speak, "what's going on here?" I narrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
The man turned around, and I can't deny he was a good looking man. He looks like in his mid 40's. His lips is perfectly shaped, his nose fits so well between his pair of hypnotizing eyes and his mestizo skin with a few strands of white hair at the side of his forehead. His cheeks were quite reddish as I thought he was kind of tipsy based on how he talk and move.
"Oh..so this is the lucky one?" says the man and gestured his hand toward me.
"Don't make a scene here, just leave please," she says causing my forehead to wrinkled.
"Who is he?" I asked, as the same feeling I felt when I saw her with this man at school dwelled in my chest. She met my eyes only to see the things I couldn't recognize.
"Aren't you gonna introduce me with this young lady, Irene?" says the man. Confusion was all over my system the way this man act like she knew this woman.
"Just go!" she silently hissed and was about to drag him outside when he spoke that froze me to death, " or you're just afraid that this young lady will know you have a husband?" her hand froze in the air.
"We're over, Greggy. Stop this nonsense and go with your life!" Tears fell in my eyes and the defeaning voices echoed in my ears.
"Oh c'mon, Irene, stop being a saint in front of this innocent girl. So..she wasn't aware with your little secret?" I couldn't breathe hearing the words coming from this man called Greggy. Things haven't sink in my head as I was still standing in my position.
"If you don't want to leave, kami ang aalis!" She hissed again and she pulled my wrist.
"That is what you are good for, running away!" shouted the man before we could reach the exit.
I was still in shock when we step in inside her car, the silence was unbearable and I could hear beating in my ears.
"Who is he?" I asked after I regain my composure.
"He was nothing," she coldly says while her eyes were glued on the road.
"For fuck's sake stop lying! He won't just be there and made a complicated story just because he's tipsy man!" I brawled causing her to roughly pulled over at the side of the dark road. I step out from her car and took a deep breath. The cold breeze brushing some of my hair strand toward in my face, she went where I was standing and catch my empty eyes.
"You want the truth?" she asked, my lips trembled at the question. Am I ready to hear it? Will it hurt me or will I let it pass for the sake of our relationship? What's the truth she was talking about? Does that man isn't lying?
"I wanna hear it," I bravely uttered, hands couldn't stop shaking.
"He was my husband.." My heart broke into pieces hearing the words I don't wanna hear from her.
"Why did not you tell me? Bakit kailangan ko pang malaman sa lalaking 'yun ang totoo?" I rougly wiped my tears and step back for I couldn't make it to look in her eyes.
"I'm afraid you'll walk away from me and change the way how you treat me," she sustained, "It's my plan to tell you everything, but this happened and-"
"You caught off guard?" My tone betraying my annoyance.
"No," she says, " but you still lied to me." I refuted.
She was trying to reach my hands but I took them away.
"I thought you were different..I love you and you know that. There's a plenty of time to tell me the truth but you still chose to lie!" Tears consecutively fell down in my cheeks, breathing heavily. Maybe she did not lie, maybe it was really her plan to tell me the truth but shits happen and everything's fucked up.
I tried to answer every questions in my mind and doing my best to find something that she's right and she did nothing wrong, but I failed. My anger shroud my eyes from how I pictured her before.
"Listen to me first, please," she pleaded, it breaks my heart seeing the tears in her eyes but the wrath in my chest made me ignore the fact that she's also affected with the situation.
"Now I understand," I sniff, "No, you don't," she said, trying to went closer but it is just made me more furious.
I slowly step back, shooking my head and glance at her once again before running across the road. Before I could make it to the other side, a loud horn deafened my ears.
I heard her shout my name, and a bright light of a truck made me cover my face until my vision went everything pitch black.
Third Person
"Ariella!" shout the woman and froze in her feet when she saw the badly wounded body and unconscious girl laying down in the middle of the road.
She ran across the road carefully carry the girl's head in her lap, a subtle sob escape from her mouth when a lot of blood run down the girl's forehead, worstly to her mouth.
"Help!" the woman shouts, her hands shivers in fear seeing her lifeless body. Some concern people stopped by and called for ambulance while the driver of a ten wheeler truck drove away after hitting the girl.
"Please, please, oh God," whispered the woman as she caressed her cheeks full of blood, crying for her life. The girl's white dress was now soaked in blood. She was disconcerted and didn't know what to do but to cry in so much trepidation that the young girl might die.
"Where's the fucking ambulance?!" frantically shout the older woman, her eyes were like a river as tears couldn't stop falling. She slightly tapped the girl's cheek hoping that it'll wake her up.
"Come on, baby, please," she pleaded and quickly look up the dark sky. Everything seems turned to slow motion. The wind, people and even her sight went blurry.
A sound of ambulance echoed to her ears while the demeanor of people running closer to where they are to rescue the unconscious girl were nebulous from her sight. Her chest tightened and gulped hard as her sight slowly become blear.
"Ariella.." she weakly whispered before she lost her own consciousness.
_____
To be continued...