The Fortunate

31

THIRD PERSON

"I thought busy ka?" Tanong ni Jino habang umuupo sa tabi ng kaniyang kaibigan.

"I am," he muttered.

He still have lots of papers to work on pero naisipan pa nitong makipagkita sa kaniya. Sinasanay na siya ng kaniyang dad sa workloads na kadalasan ay bitbit ni Mr. Bermuda. He rarely depends on his employees, Joaquin must inherit that character too.

"Nag-out lang ako nang maaga today, sa office nalang ako magse-stay the whole day bukas," Joaquin said.

Jino chuckled, "Bakit hindi ngayon?"

"Man, I need to clear my mind," he massaged his temples. "You fucked me up, you ruined everything," he blamed Jino.

"Bakit ako? I just told you na naglunch together ang wife mo pati ang secretary ng dad mo. It's up to you kung paano mo ii-interpret 'yon," he shrugged.

Joaquin sighed, "I literally got pale after realizing what I did,"

"Anong ginawa mo?" Jino asked out of curiosity.

"I called her a whore," he muttered.

Jino scoffed, "Palagi mo namang sinasabi 'yan, may difference ba?"

Joaquin looked at him, "She got hurt,"

It is true that he used to call every woman he slept with as sluts. "I feel bad for insulting her like that. Like, fuck. I should have been nicer, she's trying her very best to give me a child,"

Buong gabi siyang nag-isip kung bakit nasaktan nang ganoon si Sula. She even mentioned being married to Wendell instead. He is mad, pero nangingibabaw ang pagkalito niya sa sarili. "Kasalanan mo 'to eh, hindi mo nalang sana binanggit 'yang Wendell na 'yan sa'kin,"

"You asked me to update something! Eh ayon ang nakita ko eh!" Jino defended himself.

Wendell had been helping Sula a lot these days. He thinks that one of them is already catching feelings. And he can't process it in his mind because he is not familiar with third parties, hindi niya alam ang pakiramdam na magkaroon ng partner na cheater dahil siya ang nangungunang mangaliwa noon. Siya ang nagsisimula ng heartbreak at siya rin ang sumisira sa tiwala. What if it's another way around?

"Do you think she's playing games with me?" He asked.

Maybe this is how karma works. His dad chose a player to play with his heart too.

"You're doing that in daily basis, bakit ka maga-alala if ever nga pinaglalaruan ka rin ni Sula?" Jino chuckled.

Napatingin sa kaniya si Joaquin. "But don't get her wrong. She is just friendly, ang dali nga lang din naming nagkasundo,"

He nodded, totoo nga't hindi lang siya kay Wendell naging close. To be able to have this great connection, she was also exposed with lots of influencial people like Jino.

"Isn't it weird that all of her friends are guys?" He asked again.

"It is not," tipid na tugon ni Jino sa kaniya.

"If she didn't doubt you, you must do it to her too. Joaquin, sinabihan na kitang kung hindi mo naman kaya itigil mo nalang. You're trapping an innocent lady in your dirty room, she doesn't deserve that," he shrugged.

"She humbled everybody including you," Joaquin muttered.

Napatawa nalang si Jino. "Quin, just quit if you can't handle a true lady,"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You've never met a lady with pure intentions before, am I right? It is all new to you, 'yong treatment, environment, lahat. Bago ka lang sa totoong relationship and you still have the courage to step up, kasal kaagad. Napaligiran ka ng mga taong pera lang ang habol sa'yo kaya pinagdududahan mo si Sula, na pinakasalan mo, na asawa mo,"