MIRRORED FATES

CHAPTER 25

“Itong ampon na ’to na hindi ka naman tinatratong parang ama na muntik kang patayin kanina kung hindi ako dumating ay nako. Ayaw mong patayin ngayon? Dad, are you insane? She will kill you if you let her go, she’s blaming you for the death of her parents.” mahabang katwiran naman ni Beau na ikinatingin ko sa kaniya.

My whole mind is silently praying that I won’t be kîilled here, like definitely! But also, in Sancho's part, he must listen to his son because once I’m free, I’ll return to kill him, and that time around won’t be fucked up as this time.

“Beau, she’s your sister...by blood,” natigilan ako sa paghinga nang marinig ang sinabi ni Sancho. Anong “by blood” e ampon lang si Gly? Lumingon siya sa akin, “Glaiziel, I want to tell you the truth that I’ve been hiding for such a long time; ever since I adopted you and treated you like a real daughter, I already knew that you were my daughter, I just couldn’t tell you—and, I was looking for your twin too but even you, when you were younger, you didn’t know where she was until you grew older and you two met. . .”

“What’s this? Made up stories? Pero kahit pa, hindi pa rin magbabago ang tingin ko sa ’yo, pinatay mo ang mga magulang ko sa sunog na iyon! At isa pa, kung totoo mang tatay nga kita, nakasusuka dahil mamamatay tao ka.” singhal ko naman na ikinatutop ng bibig niya.

“You can tell me whatever you want, but it’s not true that I killed your mom, I will never set her house on fire because I loved her.” natigilan na naman ako sa sinaad niya na parang ang hirap namang paniwalaan. “Makinig ka, huwag ka munang pangunahan ng galit mo, marami akong ipapaliwanag sa iyo, totoong kriminal ako oo, pero mali kang ako o mga tauhan ko ang nagsunog ng bahay ninyo, Gly. It was your dad, your step dad to word it right, that did that—”

“Are you insane? Why would my dad do that? He’s a good person!”

“Manahimik ka nga at makinig, mababaril ko bunganga mo e, mainit pa ulo ko sa ’yo.” pagsabat naman ni Beau na ikinatalim ng tingin ko.

“Not so good, I guess? He has an anger issues, Gly, your mom was part of my life before...we were partners in everything except crimes and eventually became lovers but then her family didn’t support our relationship saying that I’m too poor for her, so they separated us even though your mom was already pregnant that time, they said that they will make her marry a well-off guy inilayo siya sa akin at ipinakasal sa ibang lalaking may gusto na talaga sa kaniya noon pa at minadali nila para umabot sa pagbubuntis niya ang magiging honeymoon nila, and years later? I heard that she had delivered our twins safely, I begged her that I want to see you and your sister even without introducing me as your father, she first agreed to meet me and talk about our conditions before meeting my twins...but then, her husband was there all the time, he was raging feeling betrayed that the children aren’t his, I received a lot of bruises from him and I didn’t fight back, and then your mom and him went back to their house,” bumuntong-hininga siya sa haba ng eksplenasyon niya. “Little did I know that, that was the last time that I will see her again: the evening that I saw you on the road was the time that I was planning to go and help your mom explain things to your dad, I knew that it hurt him badly, I just didn’t think that he’d like to kill your entire family. Hindi ko na natuloy ang pagpunta sa bahay niyo noong gabing iyon pero kinabukasan ay pumunta ako at ang report ng mga bumbero ay sinadya ang pagkakasunog sa bahay dahil nilagyan ng gas ang paligid. Sinubukan ko ring hanapin ang kakambal mo dahil nabanggit mo sa aking buhay rin siya at nagkahiwalay kayo kaso hindi ko alam, hindi ko alam na may mga kumupkop na rin pala sa kaniya.”

Oh, is that why he was eager to help me to build my own company masking it as a help for me?

My head felt dizzy processing his revelation that could be fake but why does it feel real? But can my dad really do that? Kill my mom and all of us?