Married to be Fooled

Limangpu't Pito

Namataan ni chaze ang papa ni lime sa ground floor ng kompanya nito, busy ito sa cellphone at nakangiti kaya marahan s'yang lumapit at kumabog ng malakas ang dibdib n'ya ng mapansing si Lime ang kausap nito sa telepono, medyo nagkalaman ito at humaba na muli ang buhok na naging kulay brown na. mas lalo itong gumanda

napangiti ng mapait si chaze, bold of him to believe he can still have lime back.

"I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying your stay there anak, please take more photos of you so we can put it in our house" narinig n'yang sabi ni liel at nakangiting tumango si lime bago nagpaalam, bahagya s'yang napaatras ng humarap sakanya si liel

"c-can i talk to you, sir?" he asked stuttering, he seriously doesn't know why he wants to talk with him. alam n'yang wala na s'yang pagasang mabawi pa si lime

"sure, mind if we go to my house? pauwi na kasi ako" kalmadong tanong ng papa ni lime, hindi n'ya mabasa ang ekspresyon nito kaya mas lalo s'yang kinabahan. ngayon pa lang s'ya makapupunta sa bahay na kinalakihan ni lime.

he wonders how does it look like, if it have limes pictures.

tumango s'ya at sumunod dito, nagconvoy sila dahil parehong may dalang sasakyan. buong byahe ay iniisip ni chaze kung ano ang sasabihin o kung may masasabi nga ba s'ya. sa totoo lang ay hindi n'ya din alam kung bakit s'ya nagtungo sa kinaroroonan ng papa ni lime, basta ay nakita n'ya na lang ang sariling nakatayo sa ground floor ng building nito na napakalaki.

huminto ang sasakyan nito sa isang malaki at magarang bahay, hindi kasing engrande ng bahay ng mga magulang n'ya pero napaka ganda. tatlong palapag at may malawak na garden na may iba't ibang klase ng bulaklak.

binuksan ng isang maid ang gate at magkasunod sila pumasok, nang makapagparada ay bumaba s'ya at sumunod sa lalaking naglalakad papasok na sinalubong ng mga maid na naka unipormeng kulay brown

"good afternoon, young master" bati ng mga ito sakanya kaya tumango s'ya at ngumiti ng alanganin, narating nila ang sala at iginiya s'ya nitong maupo kaya sumunod s'ya. nang makaupo ay inilibot n'ya ang paningin at hindi ganun karami ang pictures ni lime o ng magulang, may ilang malalaking litrato na sa tingin ni chaze ay mga magulang ni lime.

naagaw ng isang litrato ang atensyon n'ya, litrato ito ni lime nung bata pa. kaparehong kapareho ito ng litratong una n'yang nakita, talagang kakaiba ang ganda ni lime at aakalaing isa s'yang manika  ngunit walang buhay kung ngumiti. simpleng bistidang puti ang soot nito at headband na puti, mukhang kuha ito mula sa eskwalahan nila.

"what would you like to talk about, chaze ijo?" nabalik ang atensyon n'ya sa papa ni lime, matagal bago s'ya nakapagsalita

"i...i would like to apologize sir...for everything i've done to kasper...honestly i'm not sure why i wanted to talk to you, i know you'd hate me for hurting kasper and i'd understand if you'll want to get our marriage annulled but sir i'm sure with one thing, i want to win her back. i'll start by courting her, i will wait until she can forgive me. sir, i would like to ask for your permission to court kasper, i want to start with her and i want to prove that i will do anything and everything i can to show how much i love her, i don't want to lose her sir, i can't lose her" chaze felt really good after saying everything he wants to say. he wants and he will prove himself, just to be able to get lime back.

"chaze, ijo, you know when i agreed on your marriage with my daughter i thought i've made the best decision i could for her. even me, i know in myself that wasn't a very good father to her, i was self centered inisip ko lang ang sarili ko at ang sakit na nararamdaman ko sa pagkawala ng mama n'ya at mas pinili kong magpaka busy sa trabaho kaya naisantabi ko s'ya and hindi naging ama sakanya. pumayag akong magpakasal kayo dahil alam kong gusto ka n'ya and the least thing i could do for her was to give her the man she likes, i'm also trying to be a good father to her so i won't decide anything for her anymore. kung totoong mahal mo s'ya at ayaw mong mawala s'ya sa'yo ay s'ya ang hintayin mo at ipursue mo, i still support you and consider you as my son in law, isa lang ang pakiusap ko sa'yo chaze. be a man, wag mo na sanang saktan pa ulit ang anak ko kundi ako na mismo ang gagawa ng paraan para magkalayo kayo" gumaan ang pakiramdam ni chaze knowing lime's father still considers him as lime's husband and wouldn't meddle with them. tumango s'ya at walang humpay nagpasalamat, tinapik lang naman ng papa ni lime ang balikat n'ya.

"shamie" pareho pa kaming nagulat ng magtama ang paningin namin. she was the least person i was expecting to meet here.

"can we talk?" tanong n'ya saka ako nginitian, gumanti ako ng ngiti saka tumango. wala naman talaga s'yang kasalanan, mas nauna s'ya sakin. ako ang dumating at nanggulo sa relasyon nila ni chaze.

pumasok kami sa isang coffee shop at naupo, kapwa kami may hawak na tasa ng kape. hindi ko alam kung ano ang dapat kong sabihin kay shamie, sa totoo lang ay nahihiya ako sakanya dahil kung hindi dahil sakin ay sana masaya sila ni chaze at malaya.

"do you love chaze?" tanong n'ya kaya tiningnan ko s'ya, nakatingin s'ya sakin at hindi ko mabasa ang emosyon sa mga mata n'ya. tumango ako at nagbuga ng hangin, paulit ulit akong sasagot ng oo kahit alam kong wala akong pagasa.

"did you know that my parents tricked me into flying to japan just to cut my relationship with chaze? i agreed on moving to japan because they promised me that they'll let me be with chaze forever if i agree on finishing my studies in japan but what i didn't know is yung mga messages na sinesend ko sakanya ay di nakakaratin, akala ko normal lang na hindi makatanggap ng replies mula sakanya dahil mahirap magcommunicate pero mali pala ako, they've started to take us apart without me knowing. and the instance i knew about it? i flew back here, i left my parents in japan and flew back here believing i still have chazekio's heart but i was wrong. i immediately noticed his changes, he was not the chazekio that i loved and that loved me. he was spacing out the whole time we're together, it feels like he was with me physically but not mentally and emotionally and i ignored all of it, dahil akala ko naninibago lang, nagaadjust na nandito na ulit ako pero the moment na nakita kita sa bahay n'yo ay kakaibang kaba na ang naramdaman ko, you were different, iba ang tingin n'ya sa'yo it's like he was longing for you, like he wants to run to you every time we bumps to each other, like he wants to kill kazz for touching you, for looking at you  but then again, i ignored it. ipinagsawalang bahala ko ang lahat ng bagay na napansin ko dahil naniniwala ako na ako pa din ang mahal n'ya, na sa akin pa din namamahay ang puso n'ya and because of that i caused you so much pain and i don't know how to make up for it to you. sa totoo lang ay naiinggit ako sa'yo, kakaiba ka. iba ka sa lahat ng babaeng nakilala ko, and chazekio probably feels the same way. i know he loves you very much, more than how he loved me, more than how he loved anyone else. chazekio looks at you like you're his universe, like you're his only hope. paulit ulit akong pinipili ng utak n'ya pero paulit ulit ding bumabalik sa'yo ang puso n'ya and i totally understand why, it's because you're one in a million, your whole existence is so pure. so i'm really hoping you can forgive me, forgive chazekio and forgive yourself. wala kang kasalanan, lime. it was all my fault, i should've never returned sana naniwala na lang ako sa mga magulang ko na masaya na si chazekio para wala akong nasaktan. i'm so sorry, lime. i'm so sorry for messing everything and for hurting you, i really hope you could come to talk to chazekio and fix everything" pareho kaming umiiyak habang nagsasalita s'ya. tama ako, puro ang puso ni shamie.

napaka-buti n'yang tao, hindi n'ya deserve masaktan ng ganito.