"Mom, did you do something to my bank account?" tanong ko kay mommy pag-uwi ko. Bukod kasi sa akin, may access din siya sa cards ko at alam kong walang ibang makakagalaw no'n kung hindi siya lang.
"Yeah, uh, I needed the 10K that you had left." she shrugged like it was nothing. 'Di ko tuloy napigilang mairita sa sagot niya.
"Mom! Did you know na muntik akong mapahiya sa mall kanina kasi declined 'yung card ko? That would've been an issue!" I told her. Dahil doon ay napalingon siya sa'kin.
"Then what did you do? At bakit ka ba naman kasi nasa mall? You know we don't have money anymore, nakuha mo pa talagang mag shopping?" she fired back.
"I wasn't planning on buying anything but I bumped into my friends! I had to pretend that I was there to shop!" I explained.
"So where did you get money to pay for that, then?" tanong niya at nginuso ang paper bag na hawak ko.
"Fortunately, someone helped me." I rolled my eyes. "Next time you do something with my cards, inform me. Please, mother. Public humiliation is the least that I need right now." I said and left her to go to my room.
Pinapakalma ko ang sariling umupo sa kama pero nangunot ang noo ko nang mapansing wala na ang TV ko sa pader. What the heck?!
"Mom!" sigaw ko at halos tumakbo na para bumalik sa baba. "Where's my TV?"
"I had to sell it. I needed to pay for some debts. Sorry, honey." she sighed heavily. Napapikit ako nang mariin at napahilot sa sentido.
"Mommy naman! Sana sinabihan mo 'man lang ako. Nagpaalam ka naman sana muna!" Inis kong sabi. I bought that TV with my own money kaya wala siyang karapatang galawin 'yun without my permission! Bakit hindi 'yung TV niya ang binenta niya?!
"I'm sorry, hon. I just really needed to pay for that as soon as possible. I'll buy you a new one kapag nakaluwag-luwag na si mommy, okay?"
Napabuntong hininga nalang ako at bahagyang tumango bago bumalik sa kwarto ko para mag bihis. Nang makahiga ako sa kama ay ilinabas ko ang cellphone ko para tignan kung may pwede ba akong i-post. Nangunot ang noo ko nang makita ang trending sa Twitter. It was me! And Kai!
Nagtaka ako dahil kadalasan naman ay hindi nagiging malaking issue kapag lumalabas ako. Lalo na 'nung tumigil ako sa pag-aartista. Then I realized that maybe because I was with a guy. Hindi kita ang mukha ni Kai kaya ngayon ay ang dami kong nakikitang nanghuhula kung sino 'yun. Some were saying na boyfriend ko daw siguro.
"Avery!" I heard mom from outside of my room. Tumayo ako mula sa pagkakahiga at pinagbuksan siya ng pinto.
"You're trending! Who's this guy? Is he your boyfriend?" she looks so curious while looking at something on her phone. "May mga nagsasabing CEO daw siya? Is this true, Avery?" she asked furthermore.
Doon na ako nagtaka. Si Kai? CEO? Bigla kong naalala ang suot niya kanina. He was wearing a suit and tie, partnered with black slacks. Something a CEO would wear on a daily basis. But that's not enough for me to assume that he is a CEO, right? And why does it matter to me anyways?
"I don't know, mom. Kanina ko lang din po siya nakilala." I answered.
She looked even more curious. "What's his name?"
"Kai Xavier."
"Surname?"
Napaisip ako. Wala yata siyang nabanggit kanina? "I don't know, mom."
Nang masagot ko ang mga tanong ni mommy ay umalis na din siya at bumalik sa opisina niya sa baba. Hindi para mag trabaho, sigurado akong iinum lang ulit 'yun. Gano'n naman palagi. Ako naman ay bumalik nalang sa pagkakahiga.
I bit my lower lip and looked for my remote but then I remembered that my mom sold my TV. I wanted to be mad at her but I'm trying to understand our situation. Simula nang malugi ang kumpanya namin ay nagkanda-letche na ang buhay namin.
My family had a reputation to keep. Even I, myself, had an image to protect. Kaya kahit naghihirap na kami ay hindi namin pinapakita 'yun. We're masking it all off with lies and pretensions.
The public knows nothing about our company's bankruptcy. They just thought that we decided to close it because we're already rich enough. That was what my mother said when she was asked once.
Ang tanging pinagkukuhanan namin ngayon ay ang kuya ko. He has his own restaurant together with his wife. Matagal na siyang kasal pero kahit may sarili na siyang pamilya ay hindi niya kami pinabayaan ni mommy. He still gives as allowance if he can. Ako naman ay suma-sideline din nang palihim.
I was once an actress but that Bethany fucking Sanders outshined me. Lahat ng fans ko ay napunta sa kanya. Pati ang mga projects na dapat sa'kin ay sa kanya binigay. I hated to admit it pero dumating na siguro ako sa puntong laos na ako. Kaya ngayon, ito, wala na din akong trabaho.
While my mom? I have no idea. Ang alam ko ay wala din siyang trabaho. Ayaw niyang maghanap ng trabaho dahil sa totoo lang, masyado siyang ma-pride. She always wants to be the boss at hindi niya matanggap na siya ngayon ang magiging empleyado kung sakali. She refuses to be one, she would rather starve. And now, she's being alcoholic. Kung hindi naman alak ay pagca-casino naman ang pinagkakaabalahan. Nakakahiya nga kay Kuya kasi 'yung perang pinaghihirapan niya ay napupunta lang sa mga bisyo ni mommy. Hindi ko naman siya mapigilan dahil baka saktan niya na naman ako nang pisikal. She used to hit me a lot when I was young.
I took my phone out and opened Instagram to post a photo I took earlier, picture lang 'yun 'nung ice cream namin kanina. I edited it to match my feed before posting with a caption: date day :p
As I said, I had an image to keep. People thought that my life was still perfect and I want it to stay that way. May mga natira pa naman akong fans and followers pero hindi na katulad noon. Nakakainis!
Aside from being a former actress, I was also famous because of our family status. I was the Vergara heiress. Although I don't think I'll inherit anything anymore. Ano pa ang mamanahin ko eh wala na nga sa amin ang kumpanya? But I don't want anyone to know about that. Ayaw kong mapagtawanan dahil naghihirap na kami. So as much as I can, I pretend.
Along with the issue of me and Kai, my IG post made noise all around social media. Dahil doon, naging matunog ulit ang pangalan ko. And I am definitely enjoying the spotlight.
This is what I want! This was how my life used to be! People envied me for having everything and I will do anything for it to stay that way, even now that I have nothing.
BINABASA MO ANG
Love and Pretensions (Published Under PIP)
Genç Kız EdebiyatıSingle Ladies Series #4 | a collaboration After failing as an actress, Autumn Avery continued to deceive everyone by acting as if she still had the perfect life, even after she lost everything. She wanted her life back. The fame, the fans, the wealt...
