Chapter 12
"What's going on?" nagpalipat-lipat ang aking tingin kay mommy at kay Governor Armendanez. He looked suddenly embarrassed, taking a step away from my mother and clearing his throat.
"Look—" he started.
"It's okay, Raul." My mother cut her off. "I'm going to talk to Belle."
Matagal na tinitigan ni Governor Armendanez ang aking ina bago siya tumango. He threw me a glance and walked past me. Tulala pa rin akong nakatayo sa may pintuan.
"Mommy?"
"Honey, listen . . . What you saw today—"
My lips started trembling. Pagak akong tumawa. "You're not going to tell me that he's my father right? And that Leon is my brother? Because that is so fucked up."
Umiling si mommy. "No, no, no. It's not what you think it is."
"Then why the hell are you kissing him?" I asked angrily. Rinig ko ang mahinang yapak ni Governor Armendanez sa aming hagdanan. "What the hell is going on, Mom?"
"I . . ."
"You're a mistress now?" hindi ako makapaniwalang tumingin sa kaniya. "For God's sake, mom! He has a family. At kilala siya ng buong tao sa Gov. Generoso. How could you . . ."
"Belle, baby, listen to mommy first—"
"You're a mistress!" tuluyan nang pumatak ang aking mga luha. Kasabay noon ang malakas na sampal na inabot ko mula kay mommy. She stared at her hands in disbelief, slapping me for the first time.
"Belle—"
She tried to grab my arms but I quickly swatted it away. Umiiyak akong tumakbo sa aking kwarto at ibinalibag ang pintuan. I threw my bag on the floor and collapsed on the bed, crying hard with my face buried against the pillows.
---
Namumugto ang aking mga mata nang pumasok ako sa klase kinabukasan. I didn't talk to my mother. She was waiting for me by the breakfast table earlier when I walked past her. Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin maalis ang sama ng loob sa aking dibdib.
"Belle?" Isla threw me a worried glance. I ignored her and went straight to my desk. Pansin kong wala pa ang bag ni Leon. Jayden entered the room after a few minutes. Bumagsak ang kaniyang tingin sa akin nang ilang segundo bago siya nagpunta sa kaniyang upuan sa pinaka-likod ng classroom.
I chewed on my bottom lips and tried to blink back my tears. Hindi matanggal sa aking isipan ang nakita ko kahapon sa aming bahay. Finding out that your mother is a mistress isn't fun at all. Especially when you still don't have any idea who your real father is . . .
"Okay, settle down, everyone!" the grumpy Mr. Rey entered the room. He slammed his attendance sheet on the teacher's table, making me jump on my seat. I cleared my throat and sit up straight.
"Where's Armendanez?" tanong niya sa akin.
Umiling ako nang marahan. "Baka late lang po—"
"He's absent." He said, clicking his pen and marking on his attendance sheet. "Anyone else who dared to slack off in my class?" iginala niya ang kaniyang paningin para sa iba pang mga absent. Nang wala na siyang makita ay itiniklop na niya ang kaniyang attendance sheet. "Okay, let's begin."
---
"Ayos ka lang ba, Belle?" Isla asked while we we're eating lunch under the shade of mango tree. I looked down at my lunchbox. It was our helper who prepared it for me because my mother got off earlier this morning. Pangatlong araw na naming hindi nag-uusap. At pangatlong araw na ding absent si Leon.
"Fine," tipid kong sagot.
"You don't look so—"
"Hey!"
I perked up on my seat when I heard Leon's voice. Kaagad ko siyang nilingon. I saw him casually strolling towards our direction with a sling bag hanging lazily on his shoulders and a stupid grin on his face.
"Leon . . ." kaagad akong tumayo at nilapitan ko siya. "Where have you been—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy there, Belle. No in front of kids." He winked at Isla who flushed in embarrassment and quickly averted her gaze away.
"Bakit ka absent ng tatlong araw?" tanong ko sa kaniya nang nakapameywang.
Nawala ang sigla sa kaniyang mga mata. "Family stuff." He mumbled. After a few seconds, he quickly put the smile on his face again. "But at any rate, I'm here again. "What assignments have I missed, my dear Belle?"
Kinain ako ng guilt habang nakatingin kay Leon. He's pretending to smile and be okay while my mother destroys his family. One of the reasons why he skipped classes must be the chaos that his father's mistress brought to their household.
"Leon—"
"We'll talk later about it, Belle." He forced a smile again, dragging me gently back to my spot. "For now, you have to share your lunch with me because I forgot to bring mine."
---
I stared at the doorbell for a good few minutes before I took a step back.
Heck, what the hell am I doing here?
Tumingala ako sa mansiyon ng mga Ferrer. All the windows and doors are shut. The place is suddenly gloomy, as if it wanted to celebrate sadness with me. Lumunok ako at ibinagsak ang aking tingin sa aking suot na sapatos.
I don't want to go home. But I don't want to see Leon either. Kaya siguro ako nagpunta sa kanilang bahay.
I sighed.
"Belle?"
I jumped on my skin when I suddenly heard Tita August's voice. Nakadungaw na siya sa bintana at nakatingin sa akin. A smile formed on her lips.
"My, why didn't you press the doorbell?" she asked gently, disappeared from the window. After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing her in a smart black business suit. "Kanina ka pa ba?"
"Actually, kararating ko lang po, Tita . . ." wika ko. Binuksan niya ang gate at pinapasok ako.
"I'm glad you came to drop by. I was about to leave. I hope to talk to Governor Armendanez today for property matters. Mag-isa lamang si Alas ngayon kasama ang kaniyang nanny,"
My fists unconsciously clenched upon the mention of Leon's father. Pinilit ko na lamang na ngumiti kay Tita August.
"Nagustuhan po ba ni Alas ang banana cake na ibinigay ko?"
"Oh, of course! He said the taste reminded him of someone, but I couldn't press him more. Ikaw ba ang gumawa nun, hija?"
I shook my head in embarrassment and chuckled awkwardly. "I-I don't know how to cook, Tita . . ."
Tumawa si Tita August at iminuwestra ang grand staircase. "Well, you can see Alas now. I'm sorry I can't accompany you, I'm going to be late for my meeting."
Tumango ako at hinalikan ang kaniyang pisngi. Hinintay ko muna na makalabas siya ng pintuan bago ko tinahak ang hagdanan papunta sa kwarto ni Alas.
My phone buzzed inside of my pocket. I pulled it out and stared at the screen. It was a text message from Leon.
Leon
Busy? Kailangan ko lang ng kausap ngayon.
My heart clenched painfully, staring at his text message. It must've been because of his family. How am I going to face Leon when the main cause of his misery is my mother? Tumigil ako sa pag-akyat at nanatiling nakatitig sa aking cellphone.
Tears welled in my eyes. Hindi ko kayang makinig sa kaniya kung ang sasabihin lang naman niya ay tungkol sa pambababae ng kaniyang ama. I couldn't bear to be with him and pretend to care when in fact, I'm going insane right now.
With a heavy heart, I shut my phone and wiped my tears gently from my eyes. Humigit ako ng isang malalim na hininga at nagpatuloy sa pag-akyat. Mahina akong kumatok sa pintuan ng kwarto ni Alas bago ako pumasok.
"Who's there?" supladong tanong sa akin ni Alas. He's sitting at the chair and facing his balcony. Ang pusa ay mahimbing na natutulog sa kaniyang hita.
"A-Alas . . ." my voice broke.
The stoic expression on his face suddenly shifted. "Belle?" he called out in a gentle voice. "What's wrong?"
My lips trembled. Ibinagsak ko ang aking bag sa may pintuan at tumakbo patungo sa kaniya. Before he could say anything, I threw my arms around him and cried at his chest.
"Hey . . ."
I clutched at his shirt and sobbed harder. If I haven't discovered about my mother's dirty little secret, I would've accompanied Alas right now. I would've been cursing the bitch who's destroying their family. But that bitch happens to be my mother.
"Belle?" Alas started stroking my hair. "What happened?"
Umiyak lamang ako nang umiyak. Alas keeps on stroking my hair until I calmed down. When I realized what I was doing, hugging him with all my might, I quickly withdrew my hands around him and stepped back. I cleared my throat, my cheeks burning scarlet.
"Feeling better now?"
Kinagat ko ang aking pang-ibabang labi nang makita ang basang parte ng kaniyang polo shirt na suot. Habang pinupunasan ko ang aking luha ay napansin ko ang pagbabago sa mukha ni Alas. He looks more masculine and fresh right now.
"You shaved." I pointed out.
"Heh. My mother did." He shrugged.
Napatitig ako sa kaniya. Malinis din ang pagkakagupit ng kaniyang buhok.
"So?" nag-angat ng kilay si Alas. "Care to explain why you suddenly started wailing like a baby?"
Ibinagsak ko ang aking tingin sa sahig.
"Alas . . ."
"Mmm-hmm?"
"My mother is a mistress."
Rumehistro ang pagkagulat sa mukha ni Alas. "What?"
"My mother . . ." my lips trembled again. "She's a mistress."