Magical
Dindin's
MAYBE he doesn't find me attractive enough – that is the only reason I can give myself after weeks of trying to seduce my arrogant half – brother. Hindi naman ako nagyayabang, pero maganda talaga ako, kaya hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit hindi maakit sa akin si Jacobo. I tried everything. I did the laundry almost wearing nothing. I leave nothing to his imagination, but I got nothing. He doesn't see me that way, and maybe he will never see me that way and the fact that I can see him flirting with someone else from the same class as I am, irritates the hell out of me. Mas maganda naman ako sa babaeng iyon, pero bakit hindi niya ako makita?
"He's engaged, you know." My head suddenly turned to my left where I find another of those crazy rich bitches in this university.
"Huh?"
"Jacob. He's engaged to Lauren Asistio." I've heard of Lauren Asistio. Popular, rich, perfect, daddy's girl – lahat rin ng dapat para sa akin ay nasa kanya. If only I got to live the life Jacob is living now, maybe Lauren and I will be equals. Hindi ako aaasang magiging magkaibigan kaming dalawa. Hindi ko kilala ang ugali niya. Baka hindi kami magkasundong dalawa, but I shouldn't really care about that.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked her out of curiosity. She just shrugged. Should I ask for her name? Should I even care? But she talked to me first.
"I just want you to know. I'm friends with Jacob and Lauren and I heard that you are living with him in his penthouse. In case you get any ideas of seducing my childhood friend, I am hoping that there's a part of you that's still thinking straight and will consider the fact that he is engaged to be married since he was twelve."
Tumaas ang kilay ko. Ang tapang ng dating ng babaeng ito. Hindi ko alam kung nababasa niya ba ang utak ko – malamang hindi, but the thing is, I didn't know that Jacobo is engaged. Hindi iyon lumabas sa mga articles na nabasa ko tungkol sa kanya at sa pamilya niya. Muling lumipad ang tingin ko sa harapan ng lecture room. He is still there and he is laughing with that woman. Hindi si Lauren ang babae. If he is engaged, why is he acting like he is not?
"If he is, why is he sleeping around?"
"Oh, he is having fun. Lauren knows that. Everyone in school knows that."
"Then he is a fucking jerk." Inis na wika ko. Kahit gaano man kasama ang ugali ko, para sa akin, cheating is cheating. I will never be someone who will forgive a cheater. Minsan, iniisip kong ganoon ang ginawa ng tatay ko sa amin ng Nanay ko. He married someone else because my mother will never fit the world, he is in. It's cheating, because he forgot about the things he promised my mom. He forgot about her and moved on with his life. Samantalang ako, kami ni Mama, nanatiling naghihintay sa kanya, umaaasang babalikan niya kami pero walang nangyari.
"That, he is." Wika noong babae sabay abot sa akin ng kamay niya. "Nicole Saavedra." Oh. Tumaas ang kilay ko. The Saavedras are the sugar magnate of the South. Nakipagkamay naman ako sa kanya pagkatapos ay sinabi rin ang aking pangalan.
"Divina Gracia –"
"I know. He kept telling me about you, so I know." She has that kind smile, but I couldn't get pass the fact that she just told me that he kept telling her about me. Why would he do that? Hindi nga niya pinapansin ang kahit na anong pang – aakit ko. Could it be that... am I making progress? Napangisi ako. After all, lalaki lang siya at marupok sa tukso.
I want to make him fall for me. I want him to fall harder and then when he trusts me enough, saka ko sasabihin kung sino at kung ano ako sa buhay ng tatay naming dalawa. It will be immoral for us to engage in that kind of relationship considering our blood relation, but I don't care. He'd be broken enough that he wouldn't care about that. If I'll get lucky, aalis pa siya at hindi ko na siya makikita kahit kailan. I sounded so confident. Natatawa na lang din ako sa sarili ko dahil wala naman kasiguraduhan na pipiliin ako ng tatay ko, but I want to believe that he still has something in his heart for my mother and that will be enough for him to choose me...
