Love and All that Jazz

Ego and Guilt

"There's my stupid ex-wife with her stupid lover" Jes said loudly out of nowhere.

"What?!" We all said in unison. Jes hasn't spoken ever since I got here at around 11. Even Maj said he wasn't speaking much since this morning which is strange. Knowing Jes, he and Maj would've engaged in some childish banter as usual. Today he wasn't his normal self.

"There's the b*tch" He said. Expressionless as he was looking down on the chopping board, plunging his knife against the poor little chicken, cutting him into "adobo slices".

"Oh. My. God." Said Rom. The gay guy from Magmilan. "Her lover is delicious. Much younger than you"

Jes turned to look at him, rather furiously.

"Ehem.. Sorry" He said as he picked up the tray of shicken and nervously walked away. Nobody said anything after that. The woman was indeed pretty. Tall, fair, and young.

All I know about Jes is that he was married and he had three kids. I didn't know he was having marriage problems. He got pissed off at Rom's remarks that he dropped his knife on the chopping board and went inside the stock room. Probably to let off steam.

"What was that about?" I whispered towards Maj. I'm sure I could get some good gossip. Sorry. Girl's thing.

"His wife found a lover and now she's living with him. He left her kids for Jes to take care of."

What??? What a b*tch

"Ouch"

"Why, He never told you about it?"

"No. Never. He always seemed so happy and care-free that it never crossed my mind he was struggling with something."

"Yeah. If my wife ever did that to me, I'd chop her with this meat cleaver"

"*Laugh* As if."

"No really Ice. A man's ego is all he has. It's the equivalent of a girl's heart. Sure, we learn how to love but when you hurt a man's ego, It hurts a thousand times more than just breaking his heart."

That made me ponder for a while. Is that it? Was that what Rio thought too? Perhaps along the way, I may have hurt his pride. I would never know the answer to those questions. As stout as my knowledge is about the opposite sex, I'm also unknwoledgable about exes.

Exes aren't suppose to talk right? I have no way of knowing. Rio could be happy right now while I'm here thinking about him.

"Where's Jes?" Ma'am O paid a visit. "Where's your partner Ice?"

"Oh, he had a stomachache Ma'am. He's in the bathroom" I said in defense of Jes. I'll ask for free coffee later as payment. Nyahahaha.

"Then why isn't anyone chopping for your station? Move it girl. Don't you know how to chop?" She said with her eyebrows raised.

"Yes Ma'am." I scurried all the way to the chopping board. Trying my best to chop the chicken in Jes's place. Gosh, It's uneven. The chicken thigh looked awful! There there chicken thigh. Daddy Jes will be here soon. I'm so bad at this. Why does the meat cleaver have to be so heavy.

Ma'am O is such a fickle lady. One minute she's smiling and the next she has her eyebrows raised at you.

"You're the only one who's still single here, aren't you Ice?"

"Huh? Uhh pardon Ma'am?"

"Jes and Maj are married. Rom is gay and he has a boyfriend. Kent has a girlfriend too right?"