THE FORBIDDEN LIST (UNIPHANT)

Chapter 25

Jaydee's POV

Mag-isa akong kumakain nang biglang,

"Is this seat taken?." Sabi ng babaeng lumapit sakin. What's with the smile? Tsk.

"Nope, take it." Kaya umupo ito sa tapat ko.

"I'm Madie." Sabi pa nito habang nakatitig parin sakin.

"Jaydee." Sabi ko lang.

"I know."

"You know?."

"New student ako pero nagkita na tayo before sa isang interhigh  competition. Robotics department." Sabi niya. Di ko talaga siya maalala.

"Hmm you probably don't remember. Anyways, what happened?. Ba't di mo na kasama yung--"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh."

"What was your project again in that competition?." Change topic ko. 

..

Frances' POV

Hmm I guess she found a new friend tsk. Di na nya ko kailangan.

"..basta kung may kailangan ka just call me."

Kriiiiing

Recess is over.

Bumalik nako sa classroom. Literature.

"..can anyone in this class tell me what does The Jewels, A Problem and Eveline has in common?. Yes Miss Somera." Sabi ng Literature teacher naming si Sir Donito. Tumayo naman si Cole. We don't actually raise our hands in this class, Sir Donito only randomly selects us kaya dapat talaga prepared kami sa lahat ng panahon gaya ng klase ni Mrs. Diamond.

"These three are all short stories Sir." Sagot ni Cole.

"Very good. These three are short stories. Let's start first with The Jewels, what is it all about?. Miss Pinlac."

"It'a about M. Lantin who married a lover of jewelry and struggled to provide for her whatever she needs due to his low salary." Sagot ko.

"And what's so ironic about this story Jennifer?." Sabi pa ni Sir Donito. Tumayo naman si Jaydee. 

"The ultimate irony of "The False Gems"  or what's commonly referred as "The Jewels" is that we learn the fate of the narrator at the end of the story. Since the beginning, he is quite sure of his beloved wife's fidelity and virtue without realizing that he is completely miserable because of her violent temper. He was happier with a woman who was unfaithful and dishonest, although he didn't know it, just as he didn't know that her false gemstones were actually the real thing. Finding what he thought would make him happy, he actually had a worse life." Sagot ni Jaydee.

"Very good. So, the Jewelry symbolizes how beautiful and amazing a person may be from the outside but once you know the truth you realize that the person isn't who you thought he or she was. Gaya nga ng sabi ng character na si Margo in John Green's famous book Paper Towns that "Everything's uglier up close.", ironically,  M. Latin let the beauty of his wife fool him which basically led him to have a miserable life. The "false gems" is a french short story by Guy de Maupassant, in which he show the people's vanity and pretense in the late 19th century France by an active form of literary device — Irony." Paliwanag ni Sir Donito.

Just like how I thought I knew my own mother tsk. Pakiramdam ko lahat ng nakikita ko sa kanila ni Dad nun palabas lang. None of it is real. I guess the more the world becomes unreal the more you see reality.

5pm.

Kasama ko ngayon dito sa waiting shed si Mrs. Diamond. Si Jaydee naman kasama parin yung new found friend niya tsk.

"Hey, don't worry. Everything will be fine." Sabi ni Mrs. Diamond just to cheer me up.

"Sana nga po." 

"Anyways, andito na sundo ko. See you again in class tomorrow." Sabi nito at sumakay na sa kotse.

"Hi Hon." She kissed her husband at umalis na sabay nagwave sakin saying goodbye.

I somehow missed Dad tuloy. Well speaking of, sobrang saya ko nang pag-uwi ko ay nakita kong nakauwi narin siya earlier than we expected.

Sinalubong ko siya agad ng yakap.

"Naging good girl ka ba sa school?." Sabi ni Daddy.

Tumango ako.

"Look what I got you." A puppy. Sobrang saya ko because this is what I've always wanted. It's a baby golden retriever. 

"Thanks Dad!."

"So, what do you want to call him?." 

"Asher." 

"Asher?." Takang tanong ni Daddy.

"Yes Dad, Asher as in Asher which means happy and blessed. I remembered kasi you once mentioned that you used to have a dog named Asher too."

Asher is a Hebrew name meaning "happy" and "blessed." It's derived from the Hebrew word osher, meaning "happiness." Asher is also a biblical name from the Old Testament.

The Bible states that at his birth Leah exclaimed, "Happy am I! for the daughters will call me happy: so she called his name Asher", meaning "happy" (Genesis 30:13).

Asher in the Old Testament is a son of Jacob by Leah's handmaid Zilpah, and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. 

The tribe of Asher was the one most blessed with male children; and its women were so beautiful that priests and princes sought them in marriage. The abundance of oil in the land possessed by Asher so enriched the tribe that none of them needed to hire a habitation.

..

Franco's POV

Of course. Asher. How could I forget?. Asher wasn't just my pet, he's my best friend.

FLASHBACK

I got so heartbroken when Asher died due to accidental food poisoning. Nakawala siya dahil natanggal yung tali niya. Umabot ng tatlong araw bago ko siya nahanap kaso huli na ang lahat. He's gone. 

Pero ikanga nila, kapag may umaalis may dumarating. Nasa semenaryo nako nun at isa sa pinakapaborito kong guro si Pastor Amat at dun ko na nga nakilala ang napakaganda niyang anak. 

I was swept off my feet. From that day on, I told myself. She's the one. 

EOFB

And until now, she's still my number one.

"Uhm Dad, can I ask you something?." Biglang tanong ni Frances.

"Sure sweetheart, what is it?."

"H-have you ever doubted uhm m-mom?."

"Anong ibig mong sabihin?."

"Like what if you know--may iba."

"Iba?."

"L-like she's seeing someone else or--"

"No."

"N-no? As in never?."

"'Cause I've always known." 

Which is I think sobrang ikinagulat niya dahil parang di nya na alam kung anong sasabihin. Well, I guess now is the perfect time for me to tell her the truth. I know di pa nya masyadong maiintindihan but she'll get there. It's now or never.

"Dinner's ready." Tawag ni Gia. 

"Let's just talk about that later." Mahinahon kong sabi rito at kumain na nga kami.