I find her annoying but interesting. It's the first time that I've been approached by anyone. They don't like my aura, and I don't like theirs either. Ayoko sa maraming tao, ayoko sa atensyon, ayoko sa tao, o makakilala ng tao na hindi ko naman makilala. Is that making sense? It's just that I do not have the time to get to know people I'm not interested in.
She's interesting, but loud and annoying. She kept mentioning my name because of the activities she has. I can see that she's desperate for those 100 points from her professor.
She also looked at me and said that I'm the most handsome person that she has ever seen in her whole life. It's the first time that I've been admired by a person whom I just met. It's also the first time that I've met a person with the same birth date as mine. Is this a coincidence? Or a destiny? Hindi ko alam.
She always has this aura that is calming and relaxing. Whenever I look at her, I feel calm and relaxed. And her presence was enough to make me do all I should do to meet all the requirements that I needed to graduate, even though I was so lazy. She gave me that motivation that I never asked for.
She's happy with the information that I got her, but it wasn't enough for her.
I saw her patiently waiting for me. Alam ko na dumiretso agad siya dito pagkatapos ng klase niya. She looks exhausted and sleepy, but she wants to know more about me, and she's still cheerful.
I pretended that I don't like Adobo, she concluded that I wasn't Viktor when she already had a hunch that I am Viktor. Masyado siyang metikuloso, pero mabilis din siyang maniwala basta sinabi mo. Her trust is too easy to gain, which is not good.
If she knows me and has plans to poison me with the lunch box that she gave me, the smell of adobo already hits my nose. I can never resist my favorite food. I feel like she already knows my weaknesses.
It tastes good. It eases my hunger, and all of my tiredness is gone in just a snap.
Another day has passed, and she's here again. Ang dami niyang oras para dumaan pa dito, but she's wise this time. Ginagawa niya rin ang assignment niya sa harap ko, pero nahihirapan siya. I already expected that she would seek help for me, and I didn't fail.
It's a simple question, so I answered everything to the best of my knowledge. Mukha siyang maraming natuto dahil sa sinagot ko sa task niya. She wants to learn, and she's ready to learn. It gave me so much ease to see that she's studying hard and is not just a college student who is in survival mode. Everyone is in survival mode in college, but it's also important to make sure that we are learning while surviving.
Another day passed, and she gave me food again with my favorite dish.
What is she up to? Does she know that I'm Viktor? Nilalapitan niya ba ako dahil alam niyang isa akong malaking tao? Ano ang pakay niya?
I left my place and went to Celestial, and it's already late. I wondered if she would still go into Celestial and wait for me, but I was right. She's there, sleeping.
I sighed. "Did she really wait for me?" I asked myself. Kahit hindi ko tanungin ang sarili ko, alam ko na ang sagot.
I did what I had to do, but I didn't wake her up.
"Masakit."
That was the first thing she said. It's her neck that's hurting. I felt guilty that I didn't do anything. I didn't want to touch her without her permission.
I invited her to eat, and she seemed hesitant, but she accepted the invitation. She's not used to the food, and the prices bother her a lot.
I grew up not looking at the prices of the things I bought. Ngayon na nakikita ko siya na nababahala sa presyo ng mga pagkain na lagi 'kong kinakainan ay hindi ko maiwasang manibago. I feel that I'm being ungrateful for the things that I naturally have, and there are people who don't have a chance to experience what I am experiencing.
She's enjoying the food and appreciating every bit of it, while I still complain about the taste.
"Masarap," she said, and she thanked me multiple times.
Hindi ko na mabilang sa kamay ko kung ilang beses siyang nagpasalamat at kung gaano siya kasaya na nakakain siya sa ganitong restaurant.
It just doesn't make sense to me.
I've always been self-centered, and I never think of anyone but me and my family and the responsibility that I have. I've been in a pressure cooker, and all I think about is myself and that responsibility. I know that there are two worlds: my world and the world of the less privileged, but I never care about that.
But Liah opened me to that world, and she made me see that world and the unfairness in this world. She was right: Ang mundo ay tatsulok. Ang tuktok ay ang mundo ng mga taong mayaman at patuloy na yumayaman, and ang ibaba ay ang mundo ng mahihirap na mas lalong humihirap.
She didn't make me feel that I was to blame, and she just wanted to tell me that there's an unfair world. Namulat ako sa totoong mundo na kinabibilangan ko. I was educated; she educated me.
Those words from her led me to be a better person and to be more understanding as a person who has power.
We broke up because of such circumstances that have happened to me. The words that I said to her were too much, and they broke her. I regretted everything I said, but it was already too late. The damage has been done. I was damaged, I was hurt, and I was broken, but I hurt her too for the words that I said to her.
"Cheaters are not fit in this world."
I never thought that I would hurt someone with my words. I was crying the whole night after I left her in that room. I wanted to take back what I said, but I'm hurt. Tao ako at nasaktan ako. I witnessed everything, and I concluded what I wanted to conclude because that's what I saw, but I knew in that part of me that I was wrong.
I saw her as a liar, a cheater, and someone who intentionally hurt me when she wasn't. I judged her too quickly.
I will always accept the invitations that Tito William makes. My eyes will always look for her, but I never saw her, not even once. No one is mentioning her either, like she wasn't part of the family, but I know that it's her choice, pero bakit nasasaktan ako?
Walang palya, sa dalawang taon na pumupunta ako sa bahay ni Tito William, siya ang una 'kong laging hinahanap. But she never showed. I waited for the day that Tito William would mention her, and he did.
"My youngest is studying hard. She doesn't like this kind of gathering because she's shy," he laughed. "But she's currently busy, and she's been refusing all the dinners that I'm hosting, but we understand; she's a third-year college student, busy na talaga."
That's the news that I first heard from her after so many months, but it's not making any sense. She's not refusing just because she's busy; she's refusing because there is a deep reason behind that. Those words were enough for me to be able to read her, and I will always go back to the words that I have said to her.
"Cheaters will not fit to this world."
I want to ask them about her, but I also don't want them to know that I knew her. She never told them about me, and that will stay that way.
"Naglabas po ako ng sama ng loob, sir."
She's here. She's working for this company. She seems shocked that I'm here and that I am the boss. Did she not do research on the company? Or she doesn't know about me anymore?
I rejected all of their works, including hers. It's not that I'm not satisfied, but I want more. I want her to push her limits and think outside the box. It's her first time here, and her work is for the college and not for a corporation.
I'm very strict with my time, and she's been late for five minutes. She looks very exhausted, and even I want to scold her for being late; she was sweating, and she needs to cool down for a bit. It's like she sprinted up to go here. She presented his report, which I rejected, and she accepted it.
Her final work is the one that I accepted because it improved, and that's what I am looking for. She did a very good job.
Another dinner is hosted by Tito William, and I have to go even though I refused this time. I'm with dad and Vikar, and dad told me to go to.
I arrived at the Austrian's house, and I saw her mom. I just gave her a smile, and she welcomed me with a full smile. I looked at the lady sitting beside her, looking at me with shock on her face.
"I'm Peliah, sir. Nice to meet you, po." She introduced herself to her dad, and it was the first time that they met.
"It's the first time I've seen you, but you look familiar, honey," Dad said.
Of course, she's familiar. She saw me talking to her on a video call one time, and I showed him her. I don't know if he still remembers her.
"Magkamukha lang po talaga kami ni Waldo, kaya akala niyo po familiar," she said.
She seems nervous and shocked.
I could be wrong, but why do I see in her that she's being shy, scared, and embarrassed at this dinner and that she already wants to leave?
Embarassed? Scared? Why would she be embarrassed by this dinner that is just normal?
I watched her as I ate, and she was just focusing on her food. I caught her stealing glances at me, but it was just for a few seconds.
Dinner is done, and her mom asked her to drive her home because she didn't bring her car. I agreed. We're in the same city; it will not bother me if I give her a ride. She seemed hesitant, but she gave in. Her mom is saying a lot of things, and she got a bit mad.
"Hindi nga ako interesado, Ma, naman e!"
She was asked why she didn't still have a boyfriend. In the two years that have passed, it's impossible that she never had one. Bakit wala? Wala bang nanligaw sa kanya? Wala ba siyang nagustuhan at bakit hindi siya interesado? It doesn't make sense. Two years is a long time, and there are many things that can happen in that span of time, but it seems like she never made any progress.
We broke up, she graduated, got a job, and that's it.
I looked into her eyes, and there was fear. A fear of having a boyfriend, a fear of having new people that may come into her life. It's the first time that I've seen that fear.
I drove her to Market-Market Ministop because that's what she asked. I know that she's not living in her condo because I saw her in their old neighborhood, and I almost hit her. I was confused, but it gave me a hunch that she was still living there.
Everyone in her family is living a good life, pero hindi ko siya nakikitaan na nabubuhay sa karangyaan. It was still Liah that I first met and that I knew, but this is a Liah that is scared of me and that is not used to my presence because of the guilt that she has for what she did.
I can read her and see that she excluded her life to be in the world that we have, and even if she had a choice, mas pinili niya na mamuhay sa mundong kinalakihan niya at hindi na pinilit na pumunta sa mundong ginagalawan ko at ng pamilya niya. And I will go back to what I said to her.
"Cheaters will not fit in this world."
She understood that she didn't belong to this world because that's what I told her. Tinatak niya sa utak niya na hindi siya nababagay sa mundong ito dahil yun ang sinabi ko sa kanya at yun ang ginawa niya.
Her mom didn't know that she wasn't using the car that she had. She's walking to the Jeep terminal so she can get home. She's suffering in a long line so she can ride the jeepney in the middle of rush hour; she always eats in the pantry and eats bread every fucking single day like she has no money; and she's not using her father's name.
"Aren't you going to answer my questions, Peliah?"
She didn't answer all my questions, like she was already tired and had no energy to deal with me. She easily went to sleep, and that ended our conversation.
I brought her to my place, and that's all I can do. She woke up, and I drove her home, and I can feel that she's not okay with my presence. Not because she doesn't want to, but because of shame.
"Why do you keep bothering me, Viktor? Did you forget that I cheated on you?" I smiled with sarcasm. She triggered me.
"Why would I forget that, Liah?" I asked with sarcasm in my voice.
How would I forget that when every day it haunts me? It's not just haunting me; what I have said to her is haunting me too. I fucking regretted it! And I should have listened to her and made her explain.
"I pity you." "Look at yourself; you look miserable."
A pain flashed in her eyes, and I knew that I was on the line again. I cursed my life and wished I could turn it back, but it was too late.
"You're right. If I'm miserable, then why are you still bothering me? I don't need your pity, Viktor. If you're doing this to get revenge on me, it's okay. But you have nothing to gain from me. Wala kang mapapala sa akin."
"I am nothing."
She's looking down on herself, and that is something that I don't want to hear from her. I met her without privilege in life, but she never looked down on herself. She has always had a dream to help her family and herself get out of their situation. And now, I don't see Liah anymore as someone who has a dream. I just see a Liah who's surviving in life.
I was wrong. I should not have said that.
She turned her back on me and walked away, and before she disappeared in my eyes, I saw her wiping her tears, and I knew that I had made her cry.
My guilt is eating me alive, and all I want to do is cry. Lumagpas na naman ako sa linya.
"Kung gusto mong kumain, kumain ka diyan mag-isa mo. Wag mo na akong idamay. Nagtitipid ako okay?! Gusto mo atang hindi na ako makapasok sa susunod na araw at masisisante pa ako. Uuwi na ako!"
I want to know more about her; I want to be near her again, but there's a gap; there's a wall. Hindi na kami tulad ng dati; hindi na siya tulad ng dati. I'm the reason why she changed, why she's suffering, and why she's in pain. Sana hindi ko na lang sinabi 'yon. My feelings were valid, but I still feel regret in the end.
I'm not happy; I'm not fucking okay.
Two years and all I do is work, and I'm not happy doing it. Just like her, I'm surviving too.
Two years have passed, and I never went into a relationship because I knew that I had never moved on and would not move on. Lahat ng ginagawa ko, siya ang dahilan. She wanted to see me in this position, so I worked hard and did everything I could to make our business generate more money and produce jobs for the less fortunate.
I hired people who didn't go to school and who were in need of a job. I produced jobs as much as I could to help them. They were so happy that I hired them and thanked me personally, but all I can think about that time is her because I know that she will be happy, but she never got to see that.
Sana kasama ko siya, sana nakita niya yung mga ginawa ko, sana masaya siya, sana proud siya.
If I can tell her all of that, I know she will be proud of me.
Both of us did everything we could to adjust to each other's presence, but I think it was just easy. Hindi ko alam kung paano nangyari na naging maayos na ulit kami, na okay na kami. I think my boss privilege just works. She can't resist me.
I forgave her, she forgave me, and she finally forgave herself. It has been two years since she blamed herself for what happened in our relationship, and now she finally forgave herself. We went through a lot. Two years went to waste, and we're trying to rebuild ourselves for the better.
I'm not perfect, she isn't perfect, and no one is perfect in this world. We suffered enough, and this time, we chose to end that suffering to be together again.
She will always be my first love, my great love, and my last love.
I smiled at her as she walked near me with a red flower in her hand. She has this beautiful smile while she's holding the flower, the flower that will serve as my gift because that's what I requested.
"Happy birthday, BBQ." malaki ang mga ngiti niya pero hindi ko maiwasang mapangiwi dahil hindi ko na mabilang sa mga kamay ko ilang endearment na ang tinawag niya sa akin.
I also handed her the blue flower that she requested, and she smiled as wide as she could because of the happiness. She always appreciates small things, and this blue flower is enough for her to make her smile.
"Happy birthday, hon." I greeted her with a big smile.
Both of us accepted the gift from each other. The guests might be wondering what's happening, and they don't know about Liah or why they are handing flowers to each other. I looked at the guests and smiled at them.
"Peliah Morin, or Peliah Austria, is my girlfriend. She is the youngest of Mr. William Austria's children." I introduced her to them.
I felt her kick me, and I just looked at her, and her forehead lines showed. "Hoy, wala sa usapan 'yan!"
"Why? I'm just introducing you; they look confused." I explained.
"Hayaan mo na, wala namang nagtatanong!"
"Can't I introduce you, hon?" I asked softly.
"Hala, bakit naging malambot yang boses mo? Nagpapaawa ka na naman! Tara na, bumaba na tayo. Pinagbigyan na nga kita dito sa rose giving!"
"I don't want people to misunderstand me and Kayna anymore." "It's staining my name."
"Ang kapal naman ng mukha mo! Mas lalong ayoko, duh! Muka ba akong papatol sa robot?!"
I just realized that we are getting heard by the audience because of the microphone near us. I looked at Kayna, and she was glaring at me. Bumalik ang tingin ko kay Liah, pero nasa likod ko na siya at nagtatago.
"Tara na, pota ka."
It was heard again by this sensitive mic, which can pick up voices from meters away.
The audience is confused, but they seem to understand what is happening. I faced the mic again so I could talk to them.
"Kayna and I have never been in a relationship. We've always been friends, and I know there are people who are fond of our relationship, but it's really not the way you think it is. Kayna is a good friend of mine, and I will always be grateful to her."
I let out a deep sigh and showed Liah to the crowd. She's holding my arms, and she's still shy about it.
"She's my girlfriend, and she's Liah. My honeypie, sugarplum, baby, sugarpie—all the endearments that you can think of—that's her."
"Bbq pa, kulang."
The audience laughed because of what she said, and I couldn't help but laugh too. She will always have her own way of making the situation light and making people laugh.
And I know that we broke the internet because of the sudden introduction. I feel bad that I didn't tell her that I would do that, but she felt at ease after that introduction, and she felt that she was living her life now, her real life. But she always has a rant about the trolls that have been attacking us.
"Di raw ako maganda, bakit daw ako yung girlfriend mo." "Di nga ako maganda, at least ako naman ang kini-kiss sa lips, duh!"
"At least, ako ang katabi matulog!"
"At least, ako ang pinili!"
That became her everyday routine, and she seemed to enjoy it. She will not comment on those comments, but she will make comments that I can hear.
"At least, ako ang nilalaplap!"
I burst into laughter when she said that. She looked at me with a confused face and threw her phone somewhere. Lumapit siya sa akin at nagpabuhat. She buried his face in my neck, and I know that she's not okay. I've already said something about it, and I know that tomorrow she will not make any comments about it.
"I told you not to read comments anymore. Those are trolls." I said it for the nth time to her.
She didn't say anything, and she just kept quiet. I massaged her back so she could relax.
"They are a bunch of uglies." "Ang ganda-ganda ko, tch."
"Uh-huh, that's my girl."
That's the confidence that she built after she was announced. Trolls are always there, and they never leave. People welcomed her in public, and there are some people who always have a say.
"Don't let those uglies come to you; you're beautiful, hon." "Don't worry, I'll send them to jail."
The reaction that I wasn't expecting from her showed.
"Gago! Bakit mo ipapakulong? Ang harsh mo naman!" sigaw niya sa akin.
"I'm just teaching them a lesson."
"Baliw!"
Of course, she will not like that. I was just kidding, but I've already done something about those trolls.
She just hugged me, so I went to our room and laid him down in our bed. I just looked at her, and she looked at me too. She pouted her lips, so I gave her a kiss.
"I love you," she said softly after the kiss.
I smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "I love you too, hon." I said it softly.
She hugged me tight even more, and I could feel her ease and contentment.
I feel content and happy, and I cannot ask for more. This is the life that I want, and that life is hers. I want her in my life forever, and that's my ideal life.
"Should we make a game? Let's ask one question, and both of us will answer it at the same time. Deal?" I asked her.
She looks confused, but she agreed to the game that I made. I pulled her up so both of us could sit properly. We didn't break our gazes at each other, and it seems like she already has the question in her mind.
I put my hand in my pocket and grabbed the ring that I bought yesterday. I know that it's too fast, but I want her to ask that question again.
I sighed, and I feel nervous, but I am confident in the outcome.
"Count to three, hon; one, two, three." I counted.
Both of us sighed before saying the question that we had in mind.
"Sex tayo?"
"Will you marry me?"
Napapikit na lang ako dahil sa tanong na narinig ko sa kanya at hindi 'yon ang inaasahan ko sa kanya. I opened my eyes and looked at her, and she already had a shock on her face, but she frowned.
"Parang gago, ang lakas magbiro, gabing gabi na." mahinang sabi niya at parang naiiyak na.
I laughed softly and showed him the ring that I had bought. "I'm serious, hon."
She was looking at the ring, and now her eyes are watering because of shock. She didn't say anything, but she put his ring finger inside the ring, and I know that she said 'yes'. I smiled, made a deep sigh of ease, and pulled her into a hug.
"Para kang gago, gusto ko lang naman sex, bakit singsing ang binigay mo?" humikbi siya at muli akong natawa.
"You want sex? I'm not refusing that, baby." I said so gently to her.
"Ulol, joke lang. "Saka mo na ako buntisin pag kasal na tayo."
But that didn't happen. Before we could even get married, I had already impregnated her.
"Ayan, pokpok ka kasi!" "Sabi ko pag kasal na tayo saka mo na ako buntisin!" she shouted at me.
"That's okay, hon." "That sex was wonderful."
"Edi ikaw magbuntis!"
Being pregnant is hard, but being the husband of a pregnant wife is hard too.
"Umalis ka na, ang baho ng pabango mo!" "Bumalik ka dito sa bahay ng eksaktong 6:24pm at dapat may dala kang balot!" sigaw niya sa akin bago pumunta sa kwarto.
6:24pm? Is she serious?
I went to work and told Emma to get me a bag, which she did. Because of my meetings, I arrived at our house at 6:25 p.m., and she was already ready to fight me.
"Hon, one minute. Let it slide this time." I begged.
She just looked at me and glared. He showed me his palm, and I immediately gave her the balut wrapped in newspaper. I bought her five. Her mood changed as soon as she saw the balut, and her attention went to that, completely ignoring me.
I just followed her and watched her be happy with the food that I brought her.
We got married a month after we knew that she was pregnant, and she wanted to be pretty in her wedding gown, which is why we rushed it, and it was the happiest day of my life.
But I never thought that it would change until the day when I heard the cries of our child being born in this world. My eyes are like water falls because I am now holding our baby boy, and he's completely healthy with no complications.
This is also the day that we will embark on a new journey, not just with ourselves but with our little one. I am a husband and now a father. And she is my wife, and now she is the mother of my child.
This is not the end of our story, but just the beginning of the new journey that we will have. I, Peliah, and Venice are now ready to embark on this new journey.
End.