Game 26 - Sky's the limit for a man in love
Hindi alam ni Caleb kung kanino siya titingin, kung kay Emma na girlfriend niya o kay Andy na kaibigan niya. Parehas hindi makasagot ang dalawa sa tanong niya dito. Mukha ngang hindi na ulit siya napansin ng tatlo dahil parang nasa sariling mundo na ang tatlo.
Kung tiga-labas ka nga, masasabi mo rin na isang pamilya ang tatlo. Masayang masaya yung batang babae habang karga karga ito ng ama nito at kausap ang ina nito. Napaka-perpektong tignan, para bang nakatingin si Caleb sa isang Hallmark card.
Kamuka ni Andy yung bata pwera lang sa kutis nito na masasabi na kasing kutis lang ni Emma ito. Katulad ni Emma ay maputi rin ang bata pati na rin ang kulay ng buhok nito na blonde rin. Pero sa lahat lahat, mukhang kay Andy na nagmana ang bata.
Talaga bang anak ito ni Emma kay Andy? Paano naman ito nangyari? Hindi niya alam na may nakaraan pala ang dalawa, ni minsan noong nasa kolehiyo pa sila nila Andy ay hindi nabanggit ni Andy na may anak na siya. Si Emma naman, paano ito nagkaroon ng anak? Hindi ba't inamin nito na si Angelo ang nakauna sa kanya sa graduation nila?
Kung hindi pa siguro dumating si Ron at tumikhim ay hindi pa siya mapapansin ng tatlo. Binaba ni Andy yung bata. "Shiloh, go to your room and get your mommy's presents." utos nito sa bata.
Tumango naman ang bata at tumakbo palabas ng sala. "Don't run!" sigaw ni Emma. "Wait Shiloh, I'll come with you." sabi nito at hinabol ang bata palabas ng sala.
Lumapit si Ron sa kanila at ngumiti. "Hindi mo sinabi na darating ang inaanak ko." sabi nito kay Andy. Sympre, walang duda na alam ni Ron na may anak si Andy at Emma. Matalik ba naman silang magkaibigan. Puro sikreto ang dalawang ito.
"She called and begged." Andy smiled as though he found it amusing.
"Is she your daughter?" hindi na napigilan ni Caleb na tanungin, this time sisiguraduhin niyang masasagot ang tanong niya.
Naging seryoso ang mukha ni Andy bago ito tumango. "Yeah." maiksing sagot nito.
"Paano?" hindi niya magawang hindi ito itanong. Paano? Paanong nangyaring nagka-anak si Andy? Sa calculations niya ay mukha nasa sampu o pataas na yung bata kaya paano nangyari iyon? Isang dahilan lang ang nasa isip ni Caleb at hindi ito sumasang-ayon kung anka nga ito ni Emma at Andy.
"Paano ba ginagawa ang bata Caleb? Edi sex." pabalang na sagot ni Andy sa kanya. "Shiloh was conceived when we were in high school." matinong sagot nito.
High school. Paano nangyari iyon kung si Emma ang ina? Nagsinungaling ba si Emma sa kanya at sinabing si Angelo ang nakauna sa kanya? But it didn't make sense at all, Emma went straight to college and was sleeping with Angelo for a year. And Emma was still tight whenever he entered her. If ever she was pregnant and gave birth then she wouldn't have been so fucking tight.
"Hindi si Emma ang tunay na nanay ni Shiloh." saad ni Andy. If Caleb wasn't too preoccupied with the joy that Andy and Emma didn't have a child then he would have noticed how Andy's voice was strained and that Andy's eyes were almost hopeful as if he really hoped for something more. But Caleb was too preoccupied to notice him, to actually give his attention to Andy's voice or the look in his eyes.
If he did notice it then maybe it could have prepared him for what was to come in the future but he was really not paying attention to Andy anymore.
"Bakit si Emma ang tinatawag na mommy nung bata? Alam ba nung bata?" tanong niya dito.
Umiwas ng tingin si Andy ganun din si Ron. Pero sinagot parin siya ni Andy. "Sympre alam ni Shiloh yung totoo, how could she not when everyone knows she's a bastard?"
That caught him off guard. He didn't actually care before about Shiloh. Ngayon lang dumapo sa isipan niya kung sino ang tunay na ina ng bata at kung nasaan na ito. "Asan na yung nanay ni Shiloh?"
"She died a week after giving birth to Shiloh." si Ron na yung sumagot sa tanong niya.
"Were you going to marry her if she didn't die?" Caleb asked.
Andy looked uncomfortable. "Excuse me, kanina pa wala sila Emma. Hanapin ko muna yung dalawa." sabi nito at agad na rin umalis.
Nang wala na ito sa sala ay tinignan siya ni Ron. "Pagpasensyahan mo na yun. Ayaw lang talagang pinag-uusapan yung tungkol kayla Shiloh."
Tumango nalang siya, kahit pa hindi niya alam kung anong meron at hindi nito sinagot yung tanong niya kung papakasalan nito ba dapat yung ina ni Shiloh. Ayun yung tamang gawin, siguro nga bata pa sila pero siguro naman pag nasa wastong edad na sila ay magpapakasal na rin sila. Para sa bata.
Ngayon lang din sumagi sa isip niya yung pag-uusap ni Andy at Ron sa parking lot ng Rocks noon. 12 years ago and Shiloh was 11 then that would meant that they were really talking about Shiloh's birth mother. Andy did love Shiloh's mother.
"It must had devasted him when Shiloh's birth mother died." komento niya.
"Huh?" tanging sagot ni Ron sa kanya.
"Andy loved Shiloh's mom, didn't he?"
Ron wasn't looking at him anymore, he was looking outside where Emma, Andy and Shiloh were. When Caleb looked also, he felt a pang of jealousy with the familiarity between Andy and Emma. Shiloh considered Emma as her mother even Andy considered Emma as the mother of Shiloh. He remembered Andy telling Shiloh to get her mommy's present which Caleb could guess was the hairpin that Emma was now wearing. "He still does." Ron murmured still looking at the three.
But again, if Caleb was paying attention to Ron then he would have noticed that Ron was only looking at Andy and that Andy looked really happy, content and in loved. If he saw that look in Andy's face then it would had prepapred him for the future.
But he was only looking at Emma, he was imagining her pregnant with his child. What would he give to have that wish granted for him.
"But he was a fool." Ron again murmured.
Caleb wasn't listening to him any longer. He was seeing something, realizing something that had actually bugged him for quite a while now. Now he was sure there was a name for what he was feeling for Emma.
He finally realized it while he was looking at Emma and actually seeing their future together, how the future just mold for the two of them. From time to time now, he had pushed this feeling away, denied it away because it didn't make sense. But now he truly cannot deny what was his feelings.
Caleb was truly, madly, deeply, desperately, passionately in love with Emma.
And it actually made sense. It felt like he was on the cloud nine. A pussy definition but he was definitely on the cloud nine.
What would he actually give to hear Emma tell him she loved him too.
But Caleb also knew that he couldn't tell Emma what he was feeling, it would ruin them. Emma would run. For some reason Caleb didn't know, Emma was scared of love. She could deny it but he knew she was scared and soon he would find out why.
Hindi niya mamadaliin, kailangan dito ay tiyaga dahil sa oras na madaliin niya, tatakbo palayo si Emma sa kanya.
He would need to get in deeper in Emma layer by layer. He would peel each layer until she was bare.
He was determined.
A man in love could do anything after all. Sky's the limit for a man in love.
A/N:
Yeah, tama kayong lahat hindi talaga anak ni Emma si Shiloh. Medyo matagal pa tong matatapos dahil hindi ko minamadali at marami pa talagang mangyayari dito. Gagawin ko ng everyday yung update nito para matapos ngayon September.
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till next time . . .