Hate The Game (COMPLETED)

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Kung may award sa best in compartmentalization, pakiramdam ko ay dapat ako ang manalo roon.

Nag-reschedule iyong judge dahil hindi bumuti iyong pakiramdam ng nanay ni Samuel. I was a bit surprised because usually, sasabihin lang na 'wag na umattend since hindi naman required iyong presence niya and besides, hindi naman kasama sa list of witness iyong nanay ni Samuel. But what do I know? All judges are built differently. I didn't dare question the change of schedule dahil hindi pa naman ako nasisiraan ng ulo.

I had other cases and I accepted a new one. Pakiramdam ko kasi ay ayos na ako sa annulment nila Shanelle. Against my will, I felt like I knew that case like the back of my hand. It's torture trying to prepare for that, so instead, I chose to accept another case.

Dito naman ako magaling, e—sa distraction. I mean, I wouldn't have survived kung hindi. He was my first love, my first kiss, my first everything. To say that I was devastated when we ended would be the biggest lie in history. It hurt like hell. And it hurt even more because it didn't happen in a snap of my fingers. It happened slowly, gradually, painfully hanggang kusa na lang akong bumitiw.

Kasi para saan pa?

Ramdam mo na wala na.

"Ingat," sabi ko sa mga kasama ko dahil as usual, ako na naman iyong naiwan dito sa office. I mean, I didn't mind, really. At least at the moment, okay lang sa akin na ako iyong nagbubuhat ng karamihan sa kaso dito. I needed the distraction, anyway. But I already made plans with myself na once mapasa na for resolution iyong sa annulment, I'd be taking a vacation. I just needed to unwind and to recalibrate.

Around 8PM, I decided that it's time to go home. Tinatamad akong magluto kaya naman bibili na lang ako ng food para diretso kain na mamaya pagdating ko sa condo. As I was looking for my car key inside my bag, napatingin ako sa phone ko nang magvibrate iyon.

'Hi, Deanne. Are you free?'

Agad na kumunot ang noo ko.

I didn't save his number, but at the same time, for some reason, I didn't delete our previous messages kaya naman alam ko kung sino 'yon. Ewan. Feel ko naman kahit i-delete ko pa 'yan, malalaman at malalaman ko pa rin kung sino iyong nag-text.

'Depends,' I replied.

'On what?'

'What do you need?'

'Just want to talk about something.'

'Kailangan na ba ngayon?'

'Yes.'

'About what?'

Hindi agad siya nagreply pero nakita ko naman na nabasa niya iyong message ko.

'If it's about the case, you can talk to your actual lawyer.'

He read it again.

No reply.

Napabuntung-hininga ako.

'Fine. But let's talk here in my office,' sabi ko sa kanya dahil ayoko lang na may makakita sa amin kapag sa labas kami maguusap. Mas lalo namang ayoko siyang papuntahin sa condo ko.

Instead of going out to buy food, nag-order na lang ako. Sakto na pagbaba ko para kuhanin iyong pagkain ay iyong pagdating ni Samuel. He looked stressed. I mean, understandable. Sino ba ang hindi mase-stress sa mga pinaggagawa niya sa buhay niya? Stressed din naman ako pero at least sa work lang. Iba kaya iyong stress na dala kapag personal na issue.

"Don't worry, binili rin kita ng pagkain," sabi ko sa kanya.

"Thanks," he replied.

Hindi na ako nagsalita after nun kasi parang wala siyang gana makipag-usap.