Buy Me

CHAPTER 54

Napahinto sa pagkuha ng slice ng tinapay si Ella. Pagkatapos, dahan-dahan namang umangat ang kanyang pangingin sa matandang kasabay niyang nag-aagahan.

She then turned her gaze to the empty chair where Constantine usually sits. Wala pa man siyang dalawang linggo sa lugar na iyon ay nasanay na siyang nakikita ang binata tuwing umaga.

"Aling Pacing?"

"Hija?"

"Hindi ba siya nagsabi kung saan siya pupunta?"

"Nami-miss mo ninyo na ba siya agad mag-ina, Ella?"

Tumuwid siya ng upo. Ang totoo ay talagang naninibago siyang kumain nang hindi ito kasabay. She couldn't tell why, pero hindi talaga siya mapalagay.

Six days had passed since she woke up in the middle of the night and caught him watching her sleep. She could remember him saying something really odd that night, but then she was too groggy to give a heck about it.

The last thing she could recall before Constantine changed was him raining her sleepy face with butterfly kisses while tenderly caressing her tummy. Over and over that night until she just completely dozed off.

Noong sumunod na mga araw ay masyado na itong naging abala. He was locking himself inside his office almost twenty-four hours a day. And at one point, he went out of the house and came home really late too.

Halos hindi rin ito tumatabi sa kanya nitong mga nakaraang araw. He would lay beside her for some minutes, seemingly sneaking some rest, but then that was it. He would wake up after and go back to his office as if he were fixing something as important as life and death.

Isa pa sa pinagtataka niya nang todo ay ang pagdoble ng mga guwardya sa kabuuan ng gusaling kinaroroonan nila. It made escaping the place harder for her—even almost impossible with all the new CCTVs that were installed on every corner of the place.

'What the hell are you up to, Constantine--'

"Ang alam ko, may kakatagpuing kaibigan niya ngayong umaga si Tino, eh. Hindi ba nabanggit sa'yo?"

Boses ni Aling Pacing ang nagpabalik sa atensyon ni Ella sa kasalukuyan. Trying to act casually, she pretended to busy herself with her sandwich, adding another layer of meat to it before replying, "Hindi nga po eh."

"Nakakapagtaka naman." The old woman pursed her lips, seemingly wondering why the man hadn't informed Ella about his whereabouts. Pagkatapos ay uminom muna ito ng kape bago tumango. "Sa pagkakaalala ko, pupuntahan yata niya 'yong Banjo."

"Wait. Sinong Banjo?"

"Iyong Banjo..." Pinanlakihan siya ng mga mata ni Aling Pacing na tila ba hindi ito makapaniwalang hindi niya kilala ang binabanggit nito. "Iyong laging kausap niya sa telepono kapag hinahatiran ko siya ng pagkain sa private office niya—Ay! Ella, ubusin mo muna 'tong agahan niyong mag-ina, baka mapagsabihan pa ako ni Tino pagdating. Ay! Dyaskeng buntis ito! Minu-mormonal imabalance na naman yata."

Hindi na pinatapos ni Ella ang sinabi nang matanda nang bigla siyang tumayo. Her feet already knew where to start her investigation about what the supermodel was up to.

.

.

Wala. Iyon ang nangyari nang tangkain ni Ella na buksan ang pintuan ng opisina ni Constantine. It was almost a silent confirmation that the brute was indeed hiding something in that place that he wouldn't want her to see. Dinala kasi nito lahat ng susi ng kuwarto pati na mga master-keys.

Naubos ang kanyang maghapon sa pagsalisi kay Aling Pacing at pagtatangkang distrongkahin ang kwarto. Once or twice, she even resorted to using the imaginary baby to buy herself time. Ilang beses nga ba niyang inutusan ang matanda na magluto ng kung ano-anong kaimposiblehan at irason ang paglilihi niya?