The Ruthless (Quantum Meruit Series #1)

32. Magliligpit

32.
Magliligpit

━━━━━━━

Dahan-dahan kong ipinatong ang bungkos ng bulalak sa kuwadradong marmol. Matapos ay pinakatitigan ko ang pangalang nakaukit doon bago tumungo at umusal ng dasal.

It had been three years since Tita Agnes had passed away. Ang bilis nga ng panahon. Hindi naghihintay kung kailan ka uusad. Walang pakialam kung nagdurugo ka pa.

She died of breast cancer which was diagnosed when it was already late. It broke our hearts, especially my mother's. She was close to us so we took it hard. But of course, Sigfred had the most grief.

The wind blew a lullaby and I caught my hair to anchor it on the left side of my neck.

It was almost five p.m. Galing na rito ang mga magulang ko. Hindi raw nila nakasabay si Sigfred. Baka raw pumunta na rito kanina. I just arrived as I just came from an interview.

It was still vivid to me how Sigfred bled for his mother's death. There were no tears. But I knew the pain was looming inside of him. He kept his cool until the end. And it was more heartbreaking that he acted like that way.

He always aimed for composure. Even if he was breaking, a crack wouldn't make a faint a noise.

"Willow?"

I flinched and turned around. Pinigilan ko ang mapasinghap nang nakilala ang tumawag.

He walked past me and put a bouquet of flowers on the marble like I did. "Kanina ka pa rito?"

I cleared my throat and looked away. "Hindi. Kararating ko lang."

I felt him stand up. Napahigpit ang pagkakahawak ko sa strap ng shoulder bag habang iginuguhit ng mga mata ko ang imahe ng puntod.

Akala ko ay galing na siya rito kanina.

Silence prevailed between us. Makalipas ang ilang segundong katahimikan ay sinulyapan ko si Sigfred. His eyes were on the marble. I couldn't figure out what he had in mind. Just like before.

"It's been three years, huh."

Dahan-dahan ko siyang nilingon. My heart felt heavy when I saw how familiar his countenance was. It was the same grief guised in a cold smile that I saw years ago.

It was his mother after all. She was the only family he had. And now, he was all alone.

"Yeah . . ." I replied to fill the void. "She must be happy wherever she is."

"She better be."

Ngumiti ako nang bahagya sa tinuran niya. Indeed, she had to be. She lived joyfully and had always been grateful for the things she got. She had the right to be rewarded in the afterlife, if that was real.

Nanatili kami roon nang ilang minuto, tahimik at kuntento. Pagkatapos ay inaya niya na akong umalis dahil malapit nang dumilim na mabilis ko namang sinang-ayunan.

"Your last movie was great."

Bumagal ang paghakbang ko. "Pinanood mo pala."

"Oo." Ipinasok niya ang mga kamay sa bulsa at nilingon ako. "Your acting improved a lot. No wonder you were nominated for Best Actress in that movie festival."

Ngumiti ako. "Salamat."

Out of my exes, Sigfred was my most favorite. He was simply flawed yet overall a great man.

After the breakup, of course, we maintained distance. It even costed the relationship of our families at some point. But eventually, we became cool. Siya ang unang lumapit sa akin at magmula noon ay naging kaswal na kami sa isa't isa.