Hindi na ako kinausap ni Altair after our last row. Siya na ang umiiwas sa akin. He has not confronted me yet about his presumptions of me getting pregnant.
"Are you both, okay?" Out of the blue na tanong ni Jj sa aming dalawa nang nasa dining area kami. It's our family dinner ngunit wala sina Mama at Papa.
"Is that a lover's quarrel?" Sunod niyang tanong nang hindi kami umimik ni Altair.
"Where did you learn that?" Tanong ko at inihinto ang akmang pagsubo.
"Tita-Ninang Ivana. She said, if two persons in a relationship suddenly didn't talk to each other, it's a lover's quarrel."
Lover's quarrel agad? Kung ano-ano talaga itinuturo ng babaeng iyon sa inaanak niya. Pwede namang, wala lang sa mood mag-usap. Besides, we're not in a relationship ni Altair kaya quarrel lang iyon. Walang lover's.
Nagkatinginan kami ni Altair ngunit nagtaas lang siya ng kilay at wala pa ring kibo. Mukhang napansin iyon ni Jj. "Oh. Come on! You two are both old. Just kiss and make up." Parang matanda niyang payo sa amin!
My gosh! Where did he learn all of that!? "I forbid you to spend time with Tita-Ninang Ivana. She's not good for your mental growth." Puna ko.
"No. I got that from Tita-Ninang Dee. She said life is too short. If there are problems, talk it out. Kiss and make up para matapos daw agad." He said it like he's so pro about this!
Napailing ako. What kind of tita-ninangs did I get for my son?! Anong mga itinuturo nila kay Jj? Real talk?
"Yeah. Go, baby, give more advice to your Mommy. She needs a lot of it." Nang-iinis na tukso ni Altair.
"Baby, can you tell your Dad to act like a man."
"Tell your Mommy, to act as a woman with dignity." Ganti naman ni Altair sa pasaring ko.
Ibinaba ko ang hawak na utensils at tinignan siya nang masama. Dama ko ang palipat-lipat na tingin ni Jj sa aming dalawa. Dinig ko ang pagkalansing ng kubyertos na binitawan niya sa plato nito.
He crosses his arms like a mature person bago niya kami tinignan. "I'm telling both my parents that they should act their age. I'm done and I'm going up the stairs. Good night to both of you." Tila matandang bilin niya sa amin bago siya umalis.
What just happened? Did Jj stand up and walk out on us?!
I tried to call him pero ang sabi lang niya ay matutulog siya nang maaaga. Kaya hinayaan ko na. Tumayo na din ako and called the househelp to fix the dining area.
Nagtimpla ako ng kape at nagpunta sa lanai. I still need to ponder and clear a lot of things out of my mind.
Napatingin ako sa tasang ibinaba ni Altair sa mesa bago ito naupo sa kabilang upuan. "Find your own place." Utos ko. Naaalibadbaran ako sa pagmumukha niya.
Akma kong iinumin ang kape ko nang unahan ako ni Altair. Kinuha niya iyon at hinigupan. What the hell!?
"Nang-iinis ka ba?"
"Nang-iinis ka din naman." Parang bata niyang balik sa akin.
Tinignan ko siya nang masama na halos gusto ko siyang ibitin patiwarik. "You're pregnant, right?" Tanong niya bago ko pa siya maangilan.
"It has nothing to do with you." Pointing out again that he's not the father.
" Caffeine is dangerous to the fetus." Iniusod niya ang tasang ibinaba niya kanina. Gatas pala ang laman at hindi kape. "Drink this instead."
"Hah! So, you did your assignment. Taking interest now to become a father?" Napaismid ako. Hindi nga niya ginawa noon. Ngayon pa kaya?
"As far as I am aware, you have no one else-"
BINABASA MO ANG
Reigning Battle Beyond Greed
Storie d'amoreON GOING I am Jem Mendez. A mother at eighteen. Married to Altair Jairus Narvaez, a billionaire and a business tycoon. Will my greed satisfy my desire to be more powerful or will it destroy my heart and the simple life I used to have? DATE STARTED:...
