Our Last Dance

Confrontation

"And I still talk to you
(When I'm screaming at the sky)
And when you can't sleep at night
(You hear my stolen lullabies)"

💋
"Do you regret it?" Her husband asked her out of the blue.

They were eating dinner in his restaurant. Eating the usual food he prepared for her at their house. Pasta or pizza.

"Regret what?"

"Marrying me?" His eyes were accusing.

"You know the answer to your question, Mateo." She put down her utensils and drank water.

His face turned bitter with hostility. "I really admire your loyalty, Sarah."

"I'm here with you, Mateo. I chose you. I stayed with you. Isn't that enough?" I even married you. She wanted to add but she chose to keep it to herself.

"Don't make me laugh, Sarah. Stop acting so filial with me. You only stayed for one reason." He said.

"Do we need to talk about this?" She was so tired of this conversation over and over again.

"Ironic, right? His divorce was finalized on the day you surrendered your freedom to me. In another circumstance, I would have felt sorry for the two of you but in this lifetime. You need to pay the price of your actions, Sarah." He stood up. "I'll be waiting for you in the car." And went out of the restaurant.

...
It's been a month since her most talked about the wedding. A month away from her parents. She missed them so much but she need to endure all of this for the sake of the people she loved the most. She must play the part so well.

"I still don't get it why you agreed to all his terms in this spectacle, Sarah?" Boss Vic asked her.

"I don't have a choice, Boss Vic and you know that."

"If only you and Bamboo talked before you married that so-called husband of yours, things would have ended differently."

"Regretting the past won't change the present, Boss Vic. We both made our choice."

"I do salute you for being good in letting the world see how happy and contented you are as a wife. As his wife. I would give you the Oscars for playing the role with flying colors." Boss Vic teased.

"Believe me, Boss Vic. I am even amazed at myself. Hahaha. Those acting sessions did pay off." They both laughed at what she said.

"By the way, Phoenix LPG wanted you to be their muse for the upcoming opening of session 74 of the PBA. Are you up for it?

"Why me? There are more beautiful and sexy women out there."

"You are the endorser of the company, Sarah and besides it's a different honor for them to have you as their muse."

"Hmm... What do I do there? Look pretty and sexy? Fine, I'll do it."

"Are you sure? You will not gonna ask your husband's opinion about this? He won't be happy, Sarah.

"On the inside, he won't be happy but his ego would boost when people will praise him for letting me do these things. The freedom I was never able to have before my marriage." She bitterly said.

"Sarah." That was all Boss Vic can say.

"They thought I found freedom but in reality, I only put myself in another set of chains. The worst of them all."

Like what she and Boss Vic had agreed. She posed as the muse of the PBA team. For Sarah, it was a good and fun experience. As they predicted, her husband was not happy with the idea but pleased with the compliments given by her supporters.

...
He was scrolling his Twitter account for one particular reason. Pancho informed him earlier that Sarah is the muse of a certain PBA team. He just finished his gig.  He smiled when she saw her pictures. She was wearing a simple teal dress paired with high heels. He felt so proud for her, for trying to do new things in life. There were clips of how basketball players asked for selfies and how she gladly granted them. The players were starstruck with Sarah, they acted shy and gentle with her. He couldn't blame them though, Sarah has the power to make a man nervous around her. The power the woman holds.

The power she holds over him even after all these years. God knows how he tried to dismiss the feelings he have for her. How he shook it off. The number of times he told himself he does not love her. But it was the way he said her that tell him otherwise. He kept it all inside, never told a single soul about the emotions he have for his fellow coach. Yet his eyes betrayed him most of the time. The duets they did together live in his heart and mind every waking moment. He closed his eyes to dismiss his thoughts."

"Enough walking down your nostalgic past, Francisco." He reprimanded himself. He turned off his phone and went inside the bathroom to cool off the lingering memories in his head. Crossing his fingers that the cold shower can help him for a while.

...
"You will be doing a charity concert with me, Sarah." Her husband informed her.

"For what?"

"Your stunt as a muse for Phoenix has a price. Landers' wants us to do a charity concert to help market the company. You signed a contract with them last week, in case you forgot."

"Are you sure all the benefits will go to charity?"

"Who cares? Oh! Of course, the kind-hearted Sarah G would care! I forgot. My wife is compassionate and so ready to lend a helping hand." His voice mocking her. "You can't say no to it, Sarah. It will happen in a week. I already talked with the people who will work with us on this project. Sir Louie Ocampo is our musical director and to be directed by Paul Basinillio. You can hire your old team in the preparation except for Bang Pineda."

"Very clever!" Sarah muttered to herself. All the people he included don't have any idea about the real status of this circus. Well, some of them had an inkling about her closeness with Bamboo before and believed that it ended years ago. Except for Bang Pineda.

The happy wife, happy life motto is rolling for the camera once again.

☺️
1992