19
Pagkababa ng sasakyan napansin agad ni Ellen ang Christmas decorations sa buong mansyon. Napaisip tuloy siya kung binalik na ulit ni Jude si Yaya Lourdes sa mansyon. But to her disappointment, walang katao-tao sa loob ng mansyon. Nakita niya na nagsipag-alisan na rin ang mga sasakyan na lulan ng mga guards, maging yung sinakyan nila kanina na kotse.
“Sit,” utos nito sa kanya kaya naman umupo na lang siya sa sofa na parang masunuring bata. He stood and looked at her like a specimen.
Problema nito at hindi pa nagtatanggal ng shades? nguso ni Ellen.
Siya namang tanggal ni Jude ng shades.
Damn. He shouldn’t have.
The handsome eyes pierced her. No more sweetness within the eyes, predator look na.
“No one should know about our conflict,” panimula nito. “Kung nanlamig ka na sa akin dahil sa mga nangyari, well, I’ll take that.” Umupo ito sa isang solohang sofa sa bandang kanan ng mahabang sofa na inuupuan ni Ellen. “But then, as I said, there will never ever be any annulment.”
“B-Bakit? Gusto mo na nasa isang bubong lang tayo kahit na sinusustentuhan mo pa yung anak mo?”
Napatingala na naman ito. “Napakahirap mong paliwanagan talaga, hmm? He’s not my son. Can’t you just believe me?”
“You are just saying that to bring us back.”
“So if anak ko nga si Mikey, why is it such a big deal to you?” maagas na sandal nito sa sofa. “We are married! Legally married. So what’s the problem with you?”
“All that I’m saying is, panindigan mo sila.”
“Blahblah!” Tumayo na ito. “You just don’t love me!”
Napatitig siya dito. He wasn’t getting weak. Tila lalo pa siya nitong natatakot kaya siya ang nakakaramdam ng panghihina.
“You are…” napayuko si Ellen, “..wrong about that.”
He turned and grinned down to her. “Thanks for the correction. Then perhaps, you don’t feel the way as much as I do.”
Tiningala ito ni Ellen. Jude walked closer to her seat. And again, he did his signature part-his-legs-over-her-lap-push-her-to-the-back-rest moves.
“You don’t feel this as intense as I do.” Jude licked his lips sexily. “Kumbaga sa temperature, you’re on 37 degrees Celsius while I’m on 100 degrees. So I’ll help you intensify your feelings.”
Itutulak na sana ito ni Ellen palayo, kaya lang naunahan na siya ni Jude. He held her shoulders in a tight grip and lunged forward to kiss her lips.
Humiwalay din si Jude sa kanya agad. “You’re still on 37 degrees.” Humalik pa ulit ito sa kanya. Convincing, persuading until Ellen gave in to it again. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“80 degrees,” bulong nito sa kanya between the fiery encounter. Nakaupo na ulit sila, magkayakap lang but then technically, naked. Ellen just breathed deeply, almost panting as she rested her chin on his shoulder, halos nakatingala lang siya, her eyes are droopily sexy.
“Why 80?” hingal ni Ellen, medyo dumudulas ang kamay sa pagkakakapit sa likuran ni Jude.
“Sex doesn’t make love 100 percent, dear wife. It wasn’t all about sex… Now I know it wasn’t all about it,” halik nito sa pisngi niya, pulling her closer. “If you know what I feel, you’ll say I’m right…”
“I know it…”
“No,” tinaas nito si Ellen kaya nakakandong na ito sa kanya, kissing her lower to the neck. She just held on his shoulders, bending back. “You won’t know it if you don’t feel it…”
“I feel it…”
“No,” Jude pulled her close, kissing her lips again. “If you feel it, hindi mo ako makakayang iwanan.”
Tinaas ni Ellen ang isang kamay, clutching to his messed hair.
“I am always ready to leave, kung iyon ang makakabuti sa’yo,” she panted, trying to keep her eyes open para matitigan ang lalaki sa mga mata. “I’m always on what’s good for you. That’s… that’s how I love you…”
Jude kissed her again and Ellen, as always, returned his kisses.
“Then you don’t know what’s good for me,” hiwalay ni Jude. “And for that, I’ll be teaching you a lesson, you, bad girl.” He kissed her again.
And the passion burned the walls of that room.
“Hindi ganyan,” agaw ni Jude ng kutsilyo kay Ellen. “By dicing, it means pa-cube ang hiwa mo.” Hiniwa na nito ang carrots sa cutting board.
Umupo si Ellen sa stool sa kitchen counter and watched Jude dicing the vegetable. Napanguso lang siya at nakapalumbaba.
“You really don’t know how to follow instructions,” Jude muttered.
“Ibalik mo na kasi si Yaya Lourdes,” she whined.
“Napaka-dependent mo talaga. Hindi ka na bata.”
“Why do you people always think na isip-bata ako?”
He glanced at her, amazed at the childish confusion on her face at ang pagkakanguso pa nito habang gutom na gutom na. Jude just managed to hide his smile.
“You get into a problem, you run away and cry— like what kids do,” sagot nito sa asawa. “You get weird ideas. Pabago-bago ang isip mo. You cannot stick to your own decisions. You can’t even cook!”
“Dahil sa gan’un isip-bata na agad ako?”
“At nanonood ka pa ng cartoons.”
“Tigilan mo nga ako!”
“You don’t wanna be called childish, then stop acting like one, dear wife.”
“I am not childish!” naiinis na si Ellen.
“Baby…” pang-aasar lang ni Jude as he shoved the diced carrots to a plate. He took another carrot.
“Shut up,” banta ni Ellen dito.
“Baby…”
“May isip-bata ba na nakakapag-sex?” pikit-mata na depensa ni Ellen sa sarili. Jude gave her a look, and he enjoyed the bright blush on her face.
He chuckled. “Well, that’s your talent.”
“Tse!” tayo nito mula sa counter. Hindi na siya nakatiis ng gutom kaya sinugod na nito ang refrigerator. Nutella na lang ang papapakin niya. Seems like, siya pa rin ang huling nakagalaw sa palaman na iyon. Kung gaano ito karami the last time na iniwanan niya ito, ganun pa rin ito karami.
Nilingon siya ni Jude. He grinned, seeing her na kinukutsara ang Nutella.
“Tingnan mo at namamapak pa ng Nutella,” he went back to his slicing.
Inirapan ito ni Ellen. “Kahit sino naman of any age hindi pinagbabawalang mamapak ng Nutella, no? Dalian mo na lang sa pagluluto diyan!”
Shit, the plan,” tila naalala ni Jude. Agad niyang hinila si Ellen pabalik sa counter. “No way,” bulong niya sa tenga nito mula sa likuran. He held her arms to the knife. Ellen had no choice but to let go of the Nutella jar and spoon at hawakan ang kutsilyo. Para siyang marionette na kino-kontrol ni Jude mula sa likuran.
“You have to learn, dear wife,” he said breathlessly, absorbing the sweet scent of her hair. He pressed himself closer to her. “We will start with cooking, hmm?”
“Gutom na ako!” complain lang ni Ellen habang kinokontrol ni Jude ang mga kamay niya sa paghihiwa ng carrots.
“Magtiis ka lang,” he murmured. “Masarap ang mga bagay na pinaghirapan, pinagpuyatan at ikinagutom mo makuha mo lang.”
----
Napasimangot na lang si Ellen nang ihinto na ang sasakyan sa tapat ng isang mataas na building.
I can’t believe na kaka-reer-in talaga ito ni Jude, she sighed at that thought. Nilingon siya ng asawa na katabi ngayon sa back seat dahil may driver sila. She really noticed na mukhang hindi na ito ganado na magmaneho ng sasakyan tuwing ay lakad unlike before. Buong biyahe, Jude just sat relaxedly beside her. They talk a bit, then in silence, he would just squeeze her hand.
How could this man even think that I don’t love him 100 percent?
“Well,” straighten ni Jude ng upo, “we’re here already.”
“I think mas gusto ko na mag-self study na lang ng pagluluto sa bahay.”
He stared at her with narrow eyes. “Baka magkasunog sa kusina. You better take this cooking classes.”
“Pfft.” She rolled her eyes. “Can’t you just teach me?”
“I don’t have all the time, dear wife,” binuksan na ng driver ang pinto sa side ni Jude. “I have a company.”
“Sabi mo dati, you can absent all the time since it’s your company naman.”
Bumaba na si Jude ng sasakyan at iniabot ang kamay kay Ellen. Umusog siya para maabot ang kamay ng asawa and she stepped out of the car.
“Yes, but I feel dedicated to run my company personally now.”
Umusog siya para maisara ni Jude ang pinto ng sasakyan.
Why do I just feel like I can’t trust him now?
The wife. That woman and Mikey…
Tinitigan niya ang asawa. Ang hirap pala kapag hindi mo nakilala ang napangasawa mo. Ang hirap kasi hindi mo kabisado ang ugali niya. Wala kayong tiwala na na-build up dahil ngayon mo lang siya nakilala. Kapag pala hindi ka niligawan, hindi mo siya na-test kaya parang hindi mo alam kung hanggang saan siya or at least, a reference or basis kung ano ang pagkatao niya. Everything seems new to you. All the changes… Or returns of his old habits or old personalities… But then, why do I feel this happy, this calm, this contented when I see his face? Bakit gusto ko siyang kasama lagi?
“Hindi ka matututo agad magluto kung tititigan mo lang ako,” hawak nito sa baba ni Ellen, then he slid his hand to hold hers. Hinila na siya ni Jude papasok sa building.
Nasa third floor ang silid kung saan may mga babae doon na nagsisipag-ready na ng apron nila. Sinalubong sila ng isang babae, close to their age at maganda, maputi with her long black hair tied up in a bun.
Ngumiti ito sa kanila, but the friendly smile was totally for Jude, napatitig tuloy si Ellen sa asawa. He just smiled normally.
“Here’s my wife,” sabi niya dito, as if talagang matagal na silang magkakilala. Kailan kaya nakausap ni Jude ang babaeng ito para maipasok siya sa cooking class nito? “I am giving you two months to make her an excellent cook!”
Natawa ang babae. “Oh my gosh, Jude, ganyan na ba kalaki ang tiwala mo sa akin na mata-transform ko siya into a super cook within just two months?”
“Well, tiwala ka naman sa sarili mo, hindi ba?”
They definitely are friends. Sa paraan palang ng pagbibiruan nila, they seemed to be really close. Panay tawa lang naman ng babae.
“Let’s see what I can do!” Sa wakas, binalingan na nito si Ellen. She offered a hand shake. “Hi, I’m Trish. Ako ang nagtuturo sa cooking class na ito.”
“Hi,” nahihiya niyang tanggap sa hand shake nito. She looked kind naman, but then, Ellen doesn’t know if she should be treating this woman as casual as her husband does kasi hindi naman sila close nito.