Game Over

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"You're smoking again."

I just looked at Lui. I was still at work. Kanina pa tapos iyong work hours, pero nandito pa rin ako. Marami akong kaibigan na gusto ng trabaho sa gobyerno kasi pagtapak ng relos sa alas cinco, pwede ka ng umuwi. May work-life balance ba...

For me? I felt guilty... so guilty that I have this need to render unpaid overtime para ma-compensate iyong pagkukulang ko. That if I can't save her, then I must save more people... like that would right the wrong that's been done.

It didn't really make sense, but in my head, it had to.

Lui stood beside me. I offered him a stick dahil hindi naman ako bastos. He just shook his head.

"Dinner?" he asked.

Umiling ako. "May tatapusin pa ako."

"We can just have food delivered," he said. "Or I'll cook. Do you want anything?"

Umiling ulit ako. "Not really in the mood to eat," I sincerely told him. Wala talaga akong ganang kumain.

"You still should eat," sabi niya.

"I know."

"Then let's have dinner."

"Seriously, Lui, I can't. Marami akong ginagawa."

Why was he even here? Narinig niya ba iyong semi-meltdown ko sa labas nung office nung head? Siguro. Kasi mukha akong tanga doon na naka-tayo habang nangingilid iyong luha dahil hindi ako makapaniwala na ganito pala iyong kalakaran. I had idea... but I really didn't think that it'd happen right at my face.

Like I'm being taunted...

That no matter how much I wanted to do the right thing, at the end of the day, both my hands are tied.

And it's as if I could hear them laughing and pointing their fingers at me and calling me delusional for thinking that I even had the choice.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

We're still together. We still say good morning and good night every day na para bang welfare check iyon na kami pa rin.

"I got a new case," sabi niya sa 'kin.

"Did you not hit someone again?" I asked, half-joking. Lui's lips were pressed in a thin line. He obviously didn't appreciate my joke. Umayos ako sa pagkaka-tayo. "Sorry. Go on. Ano'ng kaso?" I asked.

"People v. Revilla," he said.

Napa-kunot iyong noo ko. "What?" I asked, remembering kung anong kaso 'yo. It was murder case—one that I was certain that I'd win dahil malakas iyong kaso.

"Thought I should let you know," he said instead. Humithit ulit ako ng sigarilyo. I briefly closed my eyes. "I don't want us to argue about this," he continued like he was already on the defense. "I was assigned the case—I didn't purposely ask for it."

"I know," I replied. "Wala naman akong sinasabi."

"Okay."

"It's just work."

"It is," he said.

"Retainer fee must be high siguro? I mean, I'm pretty confident that I'll get conviction," I said to lighten the mood. I looked at Lui's face. It did appear that I didn't exactly lighten the mood. I tapped his cheek. "Lighten up, Atty. Valladares. Nagjojoke lang ako," dugtong ko tapos ay pinatay ko na iyong sigarilyo at itinapon iyon.

I said goodbye to him tapos ay naglakad na ako papunta sa sasakyan ko. He called my name kaya naman napa-hinto ako at napa-tingin sa kanya.

"You're making me worry," he said.