Kabanata 6
Playmate
The wedding ceremony was brief.
They just went ahead with their vows, and they kissed. In fairness, napakaganda ng bride. Her aura screams wealth and old money. Daxiel Gustav Jr. was right, there were only a few people invited, just relatives and some friends.
Hindi ako gaanong naka-relate, lagi lang akong nakasunod kay Daxiel saan man siya pumunta. Kulang na lang pati sa banyo, sumama ako sa kanya.
I behaved the way I promised him. I never tried to do anything stupid.
I was also invited in some parties before together with my husband, he also threw parties to celebrate the company's successes, I didn't really enjoy them much. People came off mean and annoying even if I tried to be friendly and all smiles.
They didn't seem to like being treated with such enthusiasm for some reason. Mas gusto nilang magmaldita at paratangan ako ng gold-digging scheme ko. I wasn't easily offended by that.
So, what?
After the wedding, they had a reception, then everyone travelled back to the city. Nanatili lang kami dahil pinakiusapan ko si Daxiel Gustav Jr. Sayang naman ang dagat, andito na lang din naman kami.
Mag-isa akong nagtampisaw sa dalampasigan, tumakbo ako at nakipaglaro sa mga alon. The sun was already setting. Daxiel was sleeping in our suite with Gustav the Third. Hindi ko na siya ginising, mukhang kailangan niya iyong tulog.
Handa na akong mag-swimming, pero agad na bumalik sa aking alaala na muntikan na akong malunod noong nakaraan. Ipinagpaliban ko muna iyon, kukulitin ko na lang si Daxiel mamaya para sa night swimming.
I gathered some firewood and stuck it with the burnt wood to create my own bonfire later.
Abala ako sa paghahakot ng shells nang may dumila sa aking binti. Agad kong binitiwan ang bitbit kong seashells upang buhatin ang baby namin ni Daxiel. I was laughing when it started licking my face.
"Good boy!"
I turned around to see Daxiel Gustav Jr. walking toward our direction. Nakapamulsa siyang naglakad patungo sa amin, nakasuot siya ng fitted shirt na talaga namang hinuhulma ang maskulado niyang katawan.
Naupo siya malapit sa mga kahoy na pinulot ko upang gawing bonfire mamaya. Tumakbo ako papalapit sa kanya karga si baby Gustav the Third. Tumabi ako sa kanya.
"How's your sleep?" I asked him.
Sumulyap ako sa kanya, mukha siyang aburido.
"Why aren't you in the room?" baritono niyang tanong.
Magkasalubong ang kanyang kilay. Humarap ako sa kanya, itinaas ko ang aking kamay upang paghiwalayin ang magkasalubong na kilay niya. Naunang gumana ang aking kamay kaysa sa isip ko.
Palagi na lang siyang nakasimangot. "Anong gagawin ko naman sa suite, inaakit ako ng dagat? Anong gusto mong gawin ko, panoorin kitang matulog? Sana nag-live stream ka,"
Mapang-akit din naman siya... pero saka na, mas priority ko iyong dagat.
Ngumiti ako. "Tama lang ang dating mo, ikaw ang magiging life guard ko. Picture-an mo na rin ako, Daxiel, please..."
"No. You don't need my service, you're still posting those heavily edited pictures instead of the ones I took," saad niya.
It was true. Napakamot naman ako sa ulo. He's always viewing my instagram stories. Siya lang ang authentic viewer ko kaya hindi ko siya nire-remove sa followers ko. Right now, I'm obsessed posting our furbaby with those cute filters.
Bumaba sa akin si Gustav the Third, tumungo naman siya sa daddy niya.
"Why don't you post pictures, then? Magaling ka naman pala," sarkastikong wika ko.
I removed my sarong and put it on his lap. I would still use that later. Pinagtaasan niya ako ng kilay pero hindi ko siya pinansin.
"Ayaw mo bang mag-swimming?" tanong ko.
"Only if you're drowning."
"Sama ng ugali mo."
Tumayo ako at sinalubong ang alon ng dagat hanggang makarating ako sa malalim na parte. Nang tumingin ako sa dalampasigan, nakamasid lang si Daxiel Gustav Jr. sa gawi ko. Kumaway ako sa kanya bago lumangoy pailalim.
I tried to open my eyes in the water to really see its beauty. But hell, it was hurting my eyes. I blindly swam nearby until I hit a hard rock. Agad akong lumangoy paibabaw.
Instead of seeing a rock, I saw Daxiel Gustav Jr. I wasn't expecting him to pop up, muli akong lumubog sa tubig. Inalalayan naman niya ako upang mag-maintain ang balance ko.
Umikot ako sa kanya, pinulupot ko ang aking kamay sa kanyang leeg. I rested on his shoulder. Palagi na lang akong naa-out of balance kapag bigla siyang sumusulpot.
Our baby was sitting pretty on the watermelon floaty.
"You're being clingy, Millaray."
I shook my head. "I am not. I am hanging onto life."
Mas lalo kong isiniksik ang sarili ko sa kanya. It seemed like I was hugging him from the back, but in reality, I was like the ghost trying to drown him. I giggled at the thought.
"Ganoon ba talaga ang wedding tradition ng mayayaman? Parang ang lungkot naman. Tayo lang yata ang natira." Hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili kong tanungin siya.
"Everyone's busy." He answered briefly.
"Pero kasal iyon, Daxiel... It should be celebrated. It was just a once in a lifetime opportunity. A two-day off wouldn't be that bad, hindi naman kayo maba-bankrupt sa dalawang araw na hindi pumapasok ng opisina." I said caressing his hair.
"Stop..." he groaned, annoyed.
Tumigil naman ako sa panggugulo sa kanyang buhok. I sighed, and just traced the water on his back.
"What kind of wedding would you like, then?" tanong niya sa akin.
"I'm already married..."
"To a corpse? Right."
Bahagya kong tinampal ang kanyang braso. He would always remind me that my husband is dead. His death wouldn't be honored if he kept the inheritance that was supposed to be mine.
"Fine, I'll rephrase it. Did you have that kind of wedding you dreamed when you married my father?" muli niyang tanong.
Umiling naman ako.
I didn't have my dream wedding, it was just a boring ceremony. Ayoko rin naman mabiyuda nang maaga kaya sinunod ko lahat para walang komplikasyon lalo na sa kalusugan ni Gustav.
Hindi man naganap ang dream wedding ko, dream money naman ang kapalit noon.
Mayroon nga lang sagabal upang makuha ko ang manang iyon. It was a little ironic how my arms were encircling that so-called hindrance.
"Big celebration wasn't good for his health..." saad ko.
"Live that dream on your next wedding."
"Next wedding?" Humiwalay ako sa kanya. "My husband just died, it was too soon to be even thinking about that."
His questions were traps.
He was testing me. He was testing my loyalty with my husband. He was testing how long I could stay truly with my dramatic acts.
We were both playing games. He could try, but not win against me.
I am the master of this scheme... not him.
"You're not sure about that,"
Humarap siya sa akin, he put my excess hair on the back of my ear. There was a subtle smirk on his expression. G'wapo siya. Sobra. But at the same time, it was annoying me.
My annoyance made me more competitive. Sinalubong ko ang kanyang tingin, ngumiti ako nang matamis.
"I don't know about that... it really depends on how the person would treat me, maybe. I wonder who would it be." I said looking at his eyes without falter. Can he even win a staring contest with me?
"Do you want to know?" he asked.
Dumako ang aking mata sa kanyang labi. I wet my lower lip and nodded.
Instead of hearing an answer from him, I was left in the deep part of the sea.
Natawa ako.
Bigla na lang niya akong iniwan. Asar talo!
Can't take the heat, huh? I'll make sure he'd burn as much. Napailing ako. Ilang minuto pa akong nanatili sa dagat bago ko naisipang umahon. I watched the sunset while floating on the sea.
He was already lighting the firewood I gathered earlier. Muli ko namang isinuot ang sarong ko kanina. Bahagya akong lumapit sa mainit na parte. I was still feeling the cold.
Nanlaki ang aking mata nang ibigay niya sa akin ang isang shirt. He took off his shirt to give it to me. Libre pa akong nakasilip sa pandesal niya sa dibdib. What a good sight.
Isinuot ko iyon. His shirt was still big as I wore it, but it definitely helped with the breezy atmosphere.
The staffs of the restaurant brought their whole menu at the beach. Nag-set up sila ng long table at doon inihain ang pagkain bilang request ni Daxiel Gustav Jr. My jaw was on the floor.
Siniko ko nang marahan at pasimple si Daxiel. Bumulong ako sa kanya. "Is that a treat from the newly-weds?"
He just simply shook his head.
"Did you invite them, at least?" Muli siyang umiling. "Who's going to eat all those food?"
Kumunot ang kanyang noo. He was still playing with Gustav the Third. "Us. Who else?"
I looked at the table full of seafood dishes, then I looked back at him. I can eat a lot, but there's no way we could finish everything. Ayokong nasasayang ang pagkain lalo na't lumaki rin akong halos naghihikahos sa buhay.
"The married couple went back to Manila. They have a flight tomorrow morning."
My mouth parted. I didn't know that. So, kaming dalawa na lang ang nagpaiwan sa beach resort?
They are probably going to celebrate out of the country. Oh, I was sad that there's no such festivity after the wedding. Sa ibang bansa lang pala ang celebration.
"Why are we still here?" tanong ko sa kanya.
He shrugged. "You wanted to stay, we stayed."
Natameme naman ako. Hindi ako makapaniwala sa narinig. Kinagat ko ang aking pang-ibabang labi.
"Why do you seem so quiet? Where's the Millaray who loves torturing my ears?" Humarap siya sa akin ng may ngisi sa labi. My playmate is back, I guess. We're definitely playmates. Pareho kaming pinaglalaruan ang isa't isa. "Did your deceased husband do that for you?"
"He didn't. He couldn't... by any chance, do you want to be the substitute? You're acting like it." I made the statement playful and smiled at him sweetly. "Tutal naman, may anak na rin tayo..." Kinindatan ko siya.
I played with Gustav the Third. Bahagya kong idinikit sa kanya ang aking katawan. He's playing with fire with the fear of getting burned in the process.
Tell me, hanggang saan ang kaya mo, Daxiel? He can't be truly the master of the game while I'm still here. Kaya kong tapatan lahat ng kanyang banat... hindi niya ako mapapaikot ng basta lang.
"Shall we eat now, Daxiel?" I asked him.
I peeled a shrimp and put it into his mouth.
"Sarap?" I teased him.
"Sakto lang, it's not what what I'm craving."
"My lips is not on the menu," wika kong inosente. "Maybe, you could taste it next time if you are..."
"If I'm what?" Tumaas ang kanyang kilay.
"What?" Namula ang aking pisngi. "I'm not saying anything."
"I thought you're brave to let your thoughts win..."
"I am, but I don't know what you're saying about," pagmamaang - maangan ko.
Duh, gaslight... gate... ano ngang kasunod noon?
Isinubo ko naman sa kanya ang iba't ibang seafood saka may kasamang kanin. He didn't question and just opened his mouth to receive the food I was feeding him. I was also using the same hand to feed myself.
I was worrying about all the food the first time, but we finished them all. It was tasty.
We even had beer afterwards.
Muli akong lumubog sa tubig pagkatapos ng dinner. Sinulit ko ang gabi dahil kinabukasan ay babalik na kami ng siyudad habang nasa dalampasigan si Daxiel kasama ang baby namin, he was my personal life guard.
My body was clumsy whenever I was with him, it was like I was needing his attention.
Hating-gabi nang matapos ako sa pagbabad sa tubig. Naligo muna ako sa designated place bago ako tumungo sa suite namin upang muling maligo.
Daxiel Gustav Jr. was already in bed. Hindi ako sigurado kung tulog na siya, pinauna ko na ito sa suite nang naligo ako sa baba. Ngayon ko naramdaman ang pagod ng buong maghapon.
I just rinsed my body with water and changed into something comfortable... but I only had a nightie. Nasuot ko na ang pajama kagabi.
I brushed my teeth and dried my hair, then I occupied the space beside him. He didn't move.
Maybe, he was already asleep.
Ipinikit ko naman ang aking mata upang matulog... pero kahit pagod na pagod ako, ramdam ko ang lakas ng kanyang presensya sa tabi ko. Needless to say, the night was uneventful.
He seemed to be cozy while asleep while I kept thinking about our encounters.
Kinuha ko ang aking phone at nag-scroll muna sa social media accounts ko, dumako ako sa instagram nang makita ko ang unang post ng lalaki. My eyes widened... it was pictures of me with a caption: this is how you do it.
Stolen shots while I was enjoying the sea.
I couldn't even comment on the pics, his comment section was turned off.
Medyo sumakit yata ang puson ko, at hindi ako nakatulog ng gabing iyon. Bumawi na lang ako ng tulog kinabukasan. When I woke up, we were in the middle of the road, stranded.
I was too sleepy to care. Naramdaman ko na lang na parang binubuhat ako sa ere.