" IS THIS HER CONDO?" tanong niya kay Cj nang makarating sila sa harap ng isang condominium unit.
" Yes, it is. So, what are your plans now?" sagot ni Cj.
" We'll revenge ofcourse." sagot ni Zey.
" You gurls are not gonna be violent, right? You just gonna talk with her?" tanong ni Cj sa kanila.
Nagkatinginan sila ni Zey. Nag-usap na ng palihim ang mga mata nila.
" I don't want us to get in trouble. So, please just talk to her. No violence."
" Okies." magkasabay na sagot nila ni Zey.
" Alright. I'll wait here in the car. Her unit is 23B."
Lumabas na sila ng sasakyan ni Zey. Dumiretso sila sa loob ng building. At tumungo sa elevator. Nasa fourth floor ang unit ng babae.
" Are you ready to rumble?" pilyang tanong ni Zey sa kanya.
" Oh gurl, you have no idea how long I've waited for this!"
" Let's do it for Mikkha."
Nang bumukas ang elevator ay hinanap nila ang unit ng babae. First door on the right wing. Nag-doorbell siya. Alas sais na ng gabi kaya sigurado sila na nandito na si Meryll. Hindi naman nagtagal ay bumukas ang pintuan. Nabigla ito nang makita sila. They met her once and that was two years ago. Noong birthday ni Migiel.
" Hey, what are you guys doing here?" ngiting plastik na tanong nito sa kanila.
" Mommy, who's that? Is it Dada Ninong?" narinig nilang tanong ng anak nito.
" No, baby. Dada Ninong is not here. Just stay right there, okay?" sagot nito sa anak at saka ito lumabas at isinara ang pintuan.
" What can I do for you, girls?" muling baling nito sa kanila.
" Are you trying to steal my cousin from my bestfriend?" diretsahang tanong ni Zey dito. She immediately blushed.
" E-Excuse me?" nauutal na sabi nito.
" You heard me right so answer me!"
" I don't have time for this, girls. You better leave." at akmang tatalikod na ito pero kaagad niya itong hinawakan sa isang braso.
" We are not yet done talking. Huwag ka'ng bastos!" sabi niya saka ito hinila. Ipiniksi
nito ang braso na hawak niya.
" Don't touch me, you bitch!" galit na sigaw nito sa kanya.
" Oh you just called me bitch? Let me show you what a bitch can do." Nakangiting sabi niya saka ito biglang sinampal. Nagulat ito at napahawak sa kanang pisngi na dinapuan ng palad niya.
" What the hell! Why you slapped me for? You, freak!" galit na sigaw nito.
" You don't know why? That slap was for Mikkha. Because you ruined her marriage and tried to steal her husband. And this one is for Zey and Cj..." at isang sampal pa ang ibinigay niya sa kanang pisngi naman nito.
" Because you made an issue about Cj and Mikkha having an affair!" Gigil na sigaw niya sa mukha nito.
" This is too much! You don't have the right to slap me!" sigaw ni Meryll at akmang hihilahin nito ang buhok niya but Zey was alert and she was able to grab her hands. Hinawakan nito ang mga kamay ng babae saka inilagay sa likutan nito.
" I will tell this to Miggy. And you bitches will pay for this!"
Tumawa sila ni Zey. Pulang-pula na ang mukha nito. Hindi niya ang alam kung sa sampal ba o sa galit.
" Wait, there's more." at isa pa uling sampal ang ibinigay niya rito.
" That one is for me to cover all my expenses from flying all the way from Manila to US just to slap you. Girl, I hope this would be the last time that I'm gonna see your face. Stay away from kuya Miggy and please ikalma mo yang kipay mo. Hindi nakakaganda ang pagiging mistress. Humanap ka na lang ng ibang lalandiin mo. You got it?"
Nang hindi ito sumagot ay nag-aya na si Zey na umalis.
" I hope we made ourselves clear. We don't wanna see your face ever again. Forget about my cousin. He is already married to our bestfriend. And if you think that he is still inlove with you. Girl, quit on dreaming. You cheated on him before and you will never win his heart again." sabi ni Zey saka sila naglakad papunta sa elevator.
" And you really think by doing this, Miggy would go back to your bestfriend? Your pathetic bestfriend cannot even give him a kid! And we all knew that she already filed for divorce. Because she knows that there is no way she could make him happy again. Their marriage was already shattered before I even make a move. You girls don't really need to do this to fix their marriage. Because first and foremost, there is nothing left for their relationship to get fixed. And who to blame? Nobody but your bestfriend! You girls are just like her. All of you are pathetic!" sigaw nito sa kanila. Napahinto sila at saka nagkatinginan. Akmang babalik siya upang sugurin ulit ang babae pero pinigilan siya ni Zey.
" I got this. You are done with her. So, it's my turn."
Nagkibit-balikat na lamang siya at saka naghintay kung ano ang gagawin ni Zey dito. Nang makalapit ang kaibigan niya sa babae ay nabigla siya ng mabilis nitong nahablot ang buhok ng babae. At pagkatapos ay kinaladkad nito iyon papunta sa kinatatayuan niya.
" We're all pathetic, ha! And what about you? Don't you feel ashamed of what you did? You're a homewrecker! If it wasn't for you things wouldn't turned out this way! You are a desperate whore!" gigil na sigaw ni Zey dito.
" Let go of my hair!"
Pero sa halip na bitiwan ay lalo pa iyong hinila ni Zey. Natigil lamang ito nang biglang bumukas ang elevator. Lumabas doon si Cj at Migiel na gulat na gulat sa nakita. Kaagad na lumapit ang dalawa para awatin si Zey palayo kay Meryll.
" Stop it! What the hell are wrong with you guys?!" galit na sigaw ni Migiel. Kaagad na tumago si Meryll sa likuran nito.
" I didn't do anything wrong. They came here and attacked me. Please call the cops!" sabi nito kay Migiel.
Akmang susugurin ulit ito ni Zey pero kaagad na inawat ni Cj ang asawa nito.
" You are full of sh*t! You better spill about the lies that you spread or else kakalbuhin kitang desperada ka!"
" Zey, please stop it. This is her place and I don't want you guys to be in trouble. You guys told me that no violence will be involved. Then what's all about this?!" saway ni Cj dito.
" Cj, I did not fly all the way here just to shrugged my shoulders from what that bitch did. Kulang pa ang mga sampal na binigay ko sa kanya. Lahat ng ginawa namin ay hindi matutumbasan ang sakit na binigay niya sa bestfriend namin. And for you Kuya Miggy, before you even comfort that bitch. Sana alam mo ang lahat ng kasinungalingang ginawa ng babae na yan. She is so desperate to win you back and she almost ruin Zey and Cj's marriage also. Lahat ng sinabi ng babaeng 'to about Mikkha and Cj are all lies! And I'm not gonna go through about everything that she did. I don't have time to explain everything to you. Anyway, you chose to believe her than trusting your own wife. I just have a few things to say to you." sandali siyang huminto at saka nagpatuloy.
" I just wanna let you know that I am so angry at you because of all the pain that you caused to Mikkha. We all know that she already applied for divorce. And she is waiting for you to sign the papers. Now I am giving you two weeks to think about it. If you really wanna let her go, sign the papers already. If not, you have two weeks and you need to go to Manila and ask for her forgiveness. If two weeks had passed and you did not show your face. I will convince Mikkha to go on a date. Hanggang sa makalimutan ka niya."
Hindi ito kumibo. Muli siyang bumaling kay Meryll.
" And for you babaeng maharot, I hope you learned your lesson. Pumili ka ng lalakeng aakitin mo. Try to give yourself some respect. Stop playing cheap. Hindi mo ikinaganda ang mang-agaw ng asawa." at saka niya inaya sina Cj at Zey upang umalis na.
Nang makarating sila sa kotse ay muling nagsalita si Cj.
" Do you girls really need to do that?" tanong nito.
" Cj, she deserved all the slaps that I gave to her. That's why you need to keep in mind that if you do the same thing ganito rin ang gagawin namin sa magiging babae mo."
Umiling-iling na lang ang lalake at saka nag-drive na pauwi.
SAMANTALA habang busy siya sa pagpa-file ay biglang may nagsalita sa may likuran niya.
" Why you're still here?"
Muntik na siyang mapatalon sa gulat nang marinig ang boses na iyon ng boss niya. Nahulog sa sahig ang folder na hawak niya.
" Sorry I didn't mean to scare you." paumanhin ng boss niya pero seryoso pa rin ang aura. She's been working here for like two weeks now at hindi niya pa ito nakitang ngumiti. He always have this serious look on his face.
" That's okay, sir. Uhm, may tinatapos lang po ako." sagot niya saka dinampot ang folder sa sahig.
" Do you need anything, sir?"
Umiling ito.
" Do you know what time is it?"
Tiningnan niya ang wristwatch niya. Past eight o'clock. Nagulat siya sa oras. Baka iniisip nito na nagti-take advantage siya sa overtime. Tumingin siya sa mga cubicle sa labas. Wala nang tao doon bukod sa kanilang dalawa. Hindi niya namalayan ang takbo ng oras dahil inayos niya ang mga filing cabinets. She shred a lot of old documents na inutos nito sa kanya kanina.
" Past eight o'clock na po. Sorry sir, I didn't notice the time. I just want to finish all these. But I'll be going now." sabi niya saka isinara ang filing cabinet at tumalikod dito upang kunin ang bag niya sa table. Nang muli siyang bumaling ay nagulat siya nang bumangga siya sa matigas nitong dibdib. Muntikan na siyang ma-out balance but he was too fast to catch her.
Napakurap-kurap siya nang matitigan ng malapitan ang gwapong mukha nito. Tulad niya ay mababakas rin ang lungkot sa mga mata nito. She was aware that his fiancee broke up the engagement few months ago. That explains the reason kung bakit hanggang ngayon ay may lungkot sa mga mata nito.
" Are you okay?" basag nito sa katahimikan. Marahan siyang kumawala sa mga bisig nito. Umayos siya ng tayo saka tumikhim muna bago sumagot. Bigla siyang na-awkward.
" Okay lang po ako, Sir. Sorry may pagka-clumsy ako."
" It's alright. Let's go sabay na tayong bumaba." saka siya nito pinauna sa may pintuan. Nang nasa loob na sila ng elevator ay kapwa sila tahimik. Nakakabingi ang katahimikan. At nakakailang. Hindi naman sila masyadong nag-uusap nito. He will only talk to her kapag may kailangan itong ipagawa sa kanya.
Nang bumukas ang elevator ay pinauna ulit siya nitong lumabas. Then he opened the exit door for her.
" Thank you po, sir."
Ngumiti ito. That was the first time na nakita niya itong ngumiti. Mas lalo pala itong gwapo kapag nakangiti. Bigla niyang naisip ano kaya ang dahilan bakit nakipaghiwalay ang dating fiancee nito?
" Drop the po and opo. I am not that old, Am I?"
Ngumiti na rin siya. Medyo nabawasan ang pagkailang niya nang makita itong nakangiti.
" Okay po."
" I just said drop the po."
Napatawa na siya.
" Okay, I'm sorry. I'll go ahead and have a goodnight,sir."
Nang tumango ito ay naglakad na siya papunta sa kotse niya. She start the engine and drove to their house. Bago siya bumaba ng sasakyan ay nakita niyang nag-message si Megs sa kanya. May ipinasa ito na photo. She opened the messenger at nanlaki ang mga mata niya ng makitang larawan iyon ni Zey habang kinakaladkad si Meryll.
' Zey wanted to say sorry. Bawi na ba siya?' mensahe ni Megs. Tinawagan niya ito. Hindi niya alam kung bakit kinakaladkad ng kaibigan niya si Meryll sa picture na ipinadala nito sa kanya.
" Hey, girl. Did you like the photo?" bungad ni Megs sa videocall.
" What happened? And where are you?" tanong niya rito nang mapansin na tila nasa hotel room ito.
" I'm here in US."
Nagsalubong ang mga kilay niya. Binanggit nito noon na gusto nga nitong pumunta ng US para sugurin si Meryll. Did she really make it happen?
" Are you serious?"
Sunud-sunod itong tumango.
" We went to Meryll's condo earlier. Ginanti ka na namin, girl. You know we love you. Guess what ilang sampal binigay ko sa kanya?"
" Megs, please don't joke about it. Tell me you are just kidding?"
" I am serious! I really flew all the way here para iganti ka. At para na rin ayusin sina Zey at Cj. Do you think uupo na lang ako at hahayaang magtagumpay yung haliparot na Ex ng asawa mo? Habang ikaw nagdudusa sa sakit at hirap mag-move on? I am not gonna let that bitch steal your husband away from you."
Gusto niyang ma-touched sa pagiging totoong kaibigan nito. Pero ang pagbuhatan nito ng kamay si Meryll ay hindi niya ikinatuwa. Paano na lang kung tumawag ng cops si Meryll at na-trouble ang mga ito sa pagsugod sa condo ng babae?
" You shouldn't do that..."
" Mikkha, pwede ba. Tatlong sampal lang naman binigay ko sa kanya. Kulang pa yun sa lahat ng kagagahan na ginawa niya. And the reason why Zey dragged her is because she called us pathetic. Ang kapal ng mukha di ba? Buti nga nakapagpigil pa ako eh. I was planning to break her neck."
" So, gumastos ka for plane ticket para lang sampalin siya?"
" Exactly. And don't worry because it's worth it. Pauwi na rin naman ako sa isang araw. What important is, we taught that bitch a lesson."
" You're unbelievable! What if she sue you, guys?"
" She won't do that. Because we gonna ruin her life. Ikaw lang naman 'tong masyadong mabait."
Napabuntong-hininga na lamang siya. Hindi siya bayolenteng tao. And she will never stoop that low. Palaban lang talaga masyado ang mga bestfriends niya.
" I saw Kuya Miggy too."
" Inside her condo?"
" No. I think bibisitahin niya si girl at yung bata. Nakita niya kami sa hallway na kinakaladkad ni Zey si Meryll. He asked us about what happened. I did not really explain everything to him. But I warned him that Meryll planned everything. And I told him to decide whether he will sign the divorce papers or follow you there in Manila to apologize to you."
" Wait, what?! Megs, naman!"
" Hep, I am not done yet. I also told him that I am giving him two weeks only to decide. Kung wala siyang planong ayusin ang relasyon ninyo I will find you a date."
Nanlaki ang mga mata niya sa huling sinabi nito.
" No, you did not say that to him."
" Mikkha, you know me. I am very straight forward. At alam ko na mahal mo pa si Kuya Miggy. You guys just need to talk about it. Masyadong mabilis yung desisyon mo na mag-file ng divorce. I mean, there is no perfect marriage. Pareho kayong may mali. And I honestly believe that you guys deserve a second chance. Don't just throw everything away dahil lang sa ginawa ni Meryll. Hindi mo naman sila nahuli sa bed di ba? And the kissing scene, he was drunk. Meryll initiated the kiss. Ramdam ko yun. Kaya girl, feeling ko ikaw pa rin ang pipiliin ni Kuya Miggy. I can feel that he still love you. Nagkulang lang talaga kayo sa communication."
Hindi siya sumagot. All she knows ay masakit pa rin ang mga pangyayari. At hindi niya alam kung handa na ba siyang makita ang lalake ulit. Ni hindi nga siya kinontak man lang nito. If she was okay. Mula nang umalis siya sa bahay nila sa US ay wala na siyang narinig mula sa lalake. He just let her go. And it hurts.
" How's Zey and Cj?" pag-iiba niya na lamang sa usapan.
" They are in good terms now. She finally back to her senses. And she feels sorry from what she did to you. Kaya para makabawi sayo sumama siya sa akin na iganti ka kay Meryll."
Masaya siya sa balitang that Zey is finally back. Sana magtuloy-tuloy na ang pag-move on nito sa pagkawala ng anak nila ni Cj. Masyado na siyang naawa para sa lalake. He doesn't deserve the way she treated him before. Cj is such a good husband and even a good friend para sa kanya.
" I am happy for them. And please tell her that I am not angry at her. I can't wait to see her."
" They are planning to visit you. So, you might see them soon. We'll have a reunion. At aayusin natin yang buhay mo. Tutulungan namin kayong magkaayos ni Kuya Miggy. Or kung ayaw na talaga ng asawa mo. We'll help you to move on. Hahanap ka nin ng date!"
Napailing-iling siya sa huling sinabi nito.
" Siraulo ka talaga, Megs. I have no plans on dating anybody. For now, I just want to be alone and have some time for myself. I am actually starting to get busy from work. And it did help me not to think of him."
" Girl, you gotta slow down! Do not abuse your body. How's work pala? Did you meet Zig yet?"
" Okay naman ang work ko. And yes I met him already. Medyo naa-awkward lang ako minsan kapag kasama ko siya sa office. He is quiet and serious most of the time."
" Serious face pero pogi di ba?" parang kinikilig na tanong nito sa kanya. Mga ganong lalake ang type nito. Tulad ni Jeihard dati na prating seryoso.
" Ba't parang kinikilig ka? Sumbong kita kay Kuya Jei eh." biro niya. Napahalakhak ito.
" Gaga! Eh talaga namang pogi di ba? Kung single ka lang irereto kiya diyan."
" Ewan ko sa'yo, Megan Ellysa! Sige na, papasok na ako sa bahay. See you soon. Ingat ka, bruha!"
" Alrighty, see you soonest!"
Pinatay na niya ang videocall saka pumasok na sa loob ng bahay nila. Hindi maalis sa isip niya ang sinabi ni Megs na binigyan nito ng choices si Migiel. Paano kung sumunod nga dito sa Pilipinas ang asawa niya? Will she forgive him and give their marriage a second chance?
'Girl, kung sa US nga hindi ka sinundan nung naglayas ka. Paano pa kaya ngayong nasa Pinas ka na? He might actually sign the papers soon. So, stop thinking about him already!' kontra ng isang panig ng utak niya.
Napanuntong-hininga na lamang siya at saka siya nagpalit na ng damit at naghanda na sa pagtulog.
————————————————————————
Sorry for the late update! Back to work na kaya super busy na ako. Pakihabaan nyo na lang ang pasensya nyo!😂😂😂
-Mikkha