His Virgin Stripper

22

VV

"Leave the baby!" akmang kukunin na ni Elijah ang anak namin ngunit bigla akong hinila ni Dad at ginawang hostage.

Hindi ako agad nakagalaw.

"D-Dad...?" nanginginig ang boses ko, pero kahit ako, alam kong mali iyon.

"Don't call me that," malamig niyang sabi. "Hindi mo ako ama."

Humigpit ang hawak niya sa'kin pero sa oras na 'yon, may nagbago.

Dad was not who I expected him to be, between mom and him he was more calm.

"Elijah." Hindi na pakiusap ang boses niya.

Dahan-dahang umangat ang tingin ko.

"Elijah," ulit ng lalaki, "ibigay mo sa'kin ang bata."

Hindi siya gumalaw agad.

Sa halip, inayos niya ang hawak sa baby, marahang pinapakalma muna ang iyak bago ang lahat. Saka siya tumingin ng diretso sa taong nakahawak sa 'kin.

"You're not thinking straight," sabi niya, mababa ang boses pero malinaw bawat salita. "This wont end the way you think it will."

"Ah," napangisi ang lalaki. "At ikaw ang magsasabi sa'kin kung paano ito matatapos?"

"Yes."

Tumahimik ang kwarto.

Pati ako, napatingin sa kanya.

"Because unlike you," dugtong niya, dahan-dahan ang bawat hakbang pasulong, "I actually have something to lose."

Napahigpit ang hawak ng lalaki sa'kin. "Cut the crap"

"Or what?" putol ni Elijah. "You shoot her? In here? After everything you built?"

Isang hakbang pa.

"Media, investors, the board—" tuloy niya, na para bang nagpe-present lang sa meeting, "you think you can control that fallout?"

Natigilan ang lalaki.

"Let's be clear," sabi niya, ngayon mas malamig. "The second you pull that trigger, you lose everything."

Hindi na siya lumalapit at hinarang ang incubator kung saan nakahiiga ang anak namin. In order to protect him.

Sa gilid nakatayo lamang si Mom na naiiyak. Napapatingin na rin kay Elijah.

Never did I see her crying. It's obvious she loved her daughter so much. But I'm her daughter too.

"Put the gun down," sabi ni Elijah.

"Hon, put the gun down. T-They're not worth killing come on now listen to me mi amore"  pakikiusap ni Mrs. Cuerva na nagpipigil ng luha.

Tumingin naman sakaniya si Mr. Cuerva. 

"Don't you fucking tell me what to do!"

Nakita ko kung paano nagulat ang babae, imbes na masuyo ang asawa ay lalo lang nagalit ito.

I can see Elijah getting close to our child and carrying him while my supposed mom and adoptive father argued.

I believed in Elijah, he would save him from this horrible sight.

"Richard, don't yell at me. We have to check on our Celestine, let them be." she sobbed trying to get close to us.

"Its your, not our Celestine. You were married to me first before you had these children. You cheated on me, Catherine." rinig ko ang pag tibok ng puso ng lalaki sa likod ko.

So my mom cheated on her husband, had us and abandoned me at the orphanage. Why me? She's not the best mother after all. 

"Richard, I was sorry, okay? I still am. But they are my children, and I thought you accepted them. You couldn't have a child, so we decided that we would raise one of them." Nakita ko ang luha sa mga mata niya.

I didn't even notice that I was also tearing up.

"I loved you, Catherine. But is this how you're going to pay me back?" sigaw nito.

Para akong nawalan ng kakayahang makarinig dahil doon.

"I had enough of your shits, Richard! He was with me even before I married you, but you killed him the day you threatened my family to marry you. I was pregnant, and I didn't know yet. So, I never cheated in the first place." NAgbago bigla ang ekspresyon sa mukha niya. 

Galit ang tingin nito sa kanyang asawa, at bigla na lang itong muling lumambot.

"I do not have to explain anything to you." He nonchalantly argued back.

I do not have any interest in what haappened in their lives. I just want to get my baby out of here. 

Nakita ko na siya sa pintuan at inutusan ang isang nurse na kunin ang anak bago bumalik sa akin.

"Mr. Cuerva, leave your daughter and let's talk this mess out" Elijah calmly asked the man behind me. He was not scared but more confident, tall and...... handsome with his jaw clenched as he looked at him.

Akala ko hindi pa rin niya ako tatantanan, pero bigla niya akong pinakawalan at dali-daling lumabas ng kwarto. Ang nanay ko naman, tumingin lang sa'kin. Naaawa siya, pero parang gusto niyang umalis at sumunod sa asawa niya.

Deretso siyang tumingin sa mga mata ko. 

She looked worried, but not too much.

"Just go and check on your daughter," I said, instead of hugging her or getting mad at her.

She sobbed, but hurriedly left without even saying a word or explaining anything to me. Does she expect me to just take in all the truth I learned today?

"Hey, stop crying. It'll be okay, hmm?" Elijah came closer and hugged me, stroking the back of my head.

I hadn't even realized I was crying. I was so absorbed in the fact that I almost died today and that I found out who my real parent is.

"Aero..." I whispered.

"He's perfectly fine. You can tell me everything once we've both calmed down, okay? I won't ask anything about your past until you're ready to tell me." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.