Regret

Kapitulo treinta y siete

Irene's POV

Kadarating ko lang sa bahay mula sa gala with my amigas, and as usual, kahit super saya ng chikahan namin, hindi maiwasang bitin.

I mean, we were practically having the best time, tapos bigla nalang akong nagpaalam kasi, well, kailangan ko na talagang umuwi.

Adulting, you know?

Minsan talaga hindi mo maiiwasang masacrifice ang fun life para sa mga responsibilities. Besides, I was really expecting na nandito na si Ely, my daughter. We agreed na uuwi siya nang maaga dahil gusto ko na sana sabayan namin ang dinner para naman makapag-catch up. Plus, it's already getting late, and you know how moms are—paranoid.

Pagdating ko sa bahay, as soon as I opened the door, ang una kong napansin ay ang katahimikan. Like, legit walang tunog. Para bang nasa horror movie ako na wala kang maririnig kundi ang tunog ng sapatos mo sa sahig. Weird.

"Ely?" I called out. Pero syempre, no response. My heart started to race. It's almost 6:30 PM, for heaven's sake.

Saan pa kaya siya pumunta?

I took a deep breath, trying not to overthink things. Baka naman traffic lang. Pero still, I couldn't shake off the slight irritation creeping into my system.

Kasi kanina, nung nasa restaurant ako with my friends, out of nowhere, nakita ko siya with Ate Patricia. Oo, Ate Patricia—her tita, Greggy's older sister. They were sitting at the far end of the restaurant, laughing and having the time of their lives, as if walang ibang tao sa paligid nila. And guess what? Ely didn't even bother to tell me na lalabas pala siya! Like, ano ba 'to, Ely?

Mommy mo ako!

You should at least let me know where you're going or who you're with. Ako pa ba yung last to know? It's not like I'm gonna stop her from having fun, but, communication is key!

I mean, I'm her mommy! Kung sino-sino nang nakakaalam ng gala niya, tapos ako wala?! I know, I know, medyo OA yung dating but come on! I deserve to know these things. Kaya naman ngayon, habang hinihintay ko siya sa sala, I couldn't help but scroll through my phone para ma-distract ang sarili ko sa annoyance and, well, low-key anxiety na rin. Baka naman kasi traffic lang, di ba?

Tapos biglang may nag-pop up na notification from Dawn, one of my amigas. Her message was unexpected, and to be honest, a bit alarming.

"Irene, si Erine dinudumog ng mga tao kani-kanina lang. Some just posted a video of her while she was being asked kung bakit kasama niya kayo palagi."

Hala, ano na naman 'to? Napapailing ako habang binabasa ang message, pero syempre, curious din ako. Dawn even included a link, and like the chismosa that I am (don't judge me), I clicked it.

Pagbukas ng video, my jaw almost dropped. Ely was surrounded by a bunch of people—mga reporters yata 'yun—and she looked completely caught off guard. What in the world is happening?

"Ms. Katherine, ano po ang masasabi niyo sa mga balita tungkol sa inyo?" tanong ng isang reporter. Grabe, sino ba itong mga 'to at anong karapatan nila para i-ambush ang anak ko?

"Yung balitang lagi kayong kasama ng mga Marcos, ma'am. Totoo ba 'yon?" dagdag ng isa pang reporter. Mas lalong nanikip ang dibdib ko. Ano bang trip nito? Hindi ba sila marunong umintindi ng privacy?

"Ano po ang relasyon niyo sa kanila?" tanong pa ng isa, at nilapit pa ang mic kay Ely na para bang ini-interrogate siya. Ely looked visibly uncomfortable, pero syempre, hindi siya makaalis dahil ang dami-dami nilang nakapaligid.

"Bakit parang lagi kayong kasama nila? Nawawalang anak ba kayo ng mga Araneta?"

Oh my gosh, these people! Parang wala na talaga silang boundaries. Then, one of them even had the audacity to say "Kamukha niyo daw po si Irene Marcos-Araneta! Totoo bang anak nila kayo?"