The Story of the Cheat (Ang Sabi sabi at Kuro kuro sa Santa Rosa)

Goodbye (Paalam)

In a small room, Lydia is packing her husband's thing. It had always been his dream to work abroad. Thing just got delayed because they had a plan. 

Lydia, is a primary school teacher. It was the summer and work was still rather small . She decided to take it upon her hands to ready his husbands baggage. Just like always, it was something she really liked to do. Tidying things up.  

"Hey there hun" he mumbled. He coming off a commute to the metro confirming last details of his work. He was a tired but would like to help.

Her husband, Jeff was a struggling engineer. He had worked as a lowly paid staff engineer in one of those dozen factories in Santa Rosa. They were abundant there  but the oversaturation of workers , the competitive local industry and his plan of a bigger family just cannot wait for his lowly yearly pay raise. It was decided that it was an imperative to find work with bigger pay. And that is only accorded abroad. 

He moved slowly across. Their room was a mess. His packed clothes lay afoot. Boxes and boxes of clothing scattered. Opened closets, now empty swinging every now and then. Lydia did not bother and continued packing. She was listening to the news. The weather would be just fine this coming Thursday.

"Ay! What is it hun?How was your trip?", she replied toneless.

"Yeah, just some paperwork double checking. Small briefs. Nothing really interesting.", he replied as he changed.

In her head, it was buzzing of mania. It will be the first time in their three years of marriage that they will be apart more than time a day or so. As somewhat of a newly wed, they were inseparable. She was making busy of her self with all the preparation itself. 

Tomorrow Jeff's family will come. They will be no way that they can be alone. To celebrate the moment. 

"I just wanna say I love you", he muttered teasingly.

He fidgets closer to her slowly caressing her back, laying his head to her shoulder.

They are currently living in a small apartment in Aplaya. It plainly a low ceiling single storey , single bedroom apartment with a  utility dining area. They crumped their things inside and live by with it. 

It was owned by an old classmate, Gina. A very religious one,as  Lydia remembers. When they were young, she was very devout christian.  It also helps that her parent were equally or even more so devout to their religion. She remembers them always out of the weekend for weekly sermons on the street. Always trying to push them to their path. Sadly, Lydia was never swayed.

They kept their friendship till their third year. Like any teenagers would, Gina fell in love. Sadly the boy was of another religion, the parents were not fan of it. The minute we graduated off third year, she was married off. To another young boy in their small religion. They are still together. Though, shehad never seen his husband. Just small pictures, every now and then when Gina goes in to have chit chats about things. Nowadays, she just here on her own. Her parents now living with the other elderly members of their church. 

"You know what I do love. Maybe helping me packing.", she rebuffed, half mocking half smiling. Putting his hand to a pack of unfolded clothes.

"Tomorrow, your parent will gonna be here. I do not want to busy myself with all this hullabaloo of packing this shit", pointing to his large baggage. "I know what you want but if I were you. Just help me. What up with dude?" she replied whilst hiding how afraid she was gonna be after  his flight. 

"Hey, I'll help. Okay. I understand the sympathies here. ", he joined in resignation. "But can we rethink about it" he tries once more.