Pinagsoltada

96

"NAUUNAWAAN ko naman siya," ani Ernesto pagkatapos ibalita kay Joan ang naging usapan nila ni Thea.

He placed his hand on top of hers as they seated inside his black car, concealed by the shadows of two shady trees that stood side by side across the side fence of the Arguelle villa. From where they sat, they could see the mansion's second floor windows, particularly the one for Vidal's bedroom.

Nakapatay din ang ilaw sa loob ng kotse at ang tanging liwanag sa loob ay mula sa malamlam na ilaw sa screen ng digital dashboard ng kotse.

Joan, who was at the passenger seat, looked up to him with soft, loving eyes. "Me too. Kung ako ang nasa kalagayan niya, uunahin ko rin ang anak ko."

Ernesto glanced at her, and stared deeply into her eyes with a teasing smile on his lips.

"A, uunahin mo rin ang anak natin? So . . . gagawa na ba tayo?"

Kabadong natampal niya ang braso nito. "Ano'ng gagawa?"

"Sabi mo, uunahin iyon, e."

"Huwag mo ngang iniiba ang sinabi ko! At hoy, hindi ka pa annulled!"

"Of course, what I am trying to say is, let's do it as soon as I get annulled. Because I think that's what you want to do as soon as I get annulled." He chuckled lowly but Joan just glared at him. "Nah. Just kidding. Inalam ko lang ang magiging reaction mo."

Nagpipigil ng ngiti na nakurot niya ito sa tagiliran. "A, gano'n?"

As their stifled snickers died down, they began getting lost into each other's eyes. An understanding dawned upon them before it was slowly replaced by being terrified by the reality they had to face.

"Handa ka na bang kausapin si Vidal?" Ernesto asked, worried.

Joan took in a deep breath. "I guess so. Dahil kung hindi ngayon, kailan ko pa siya kakausapin tungkol sa alam natin?"

"He can deny it though. How will you manage that?"

"Of course, I'll manage because you'll be there with me." She lovingly admired his face for a while before continuing. "For the longest time, I always thought that running and hiding would lead me to safety, but now . . ." she caressed his cheek, making him close his eyes lightly. ". . . now, I know that being with you is the safest place to be."

Napangiti si Ernesto nang pagkatamis-tamis habang nakapikit pa rin ang mga mata. Tila naman may humaplos sa kaniyang puso nang makita kung gaano katotoo ang kasiyahan ng lalaki na kaniyang pinakamamahal. Nang dahan-dahang alisin ni Joan ang palad sa pisngi ng lalaki ay unti-unti itong dumilat.

Ibinalik niya ang kamay sa ibabaw ng kandong na bag at ang mga mata sa harap. "Baka magsinungaling ako nang kaunti. Sasabihin ko na nakausap ko si Thea at kunwari, sinabi sa akin ni Thea na nakahahalata si Troy na palagi kang present sa mga sabungan na pinupuntahan nito."

"Once he admits to it?"

"Kukumbinsihin ko siya na tigilan na si Thea, para tumigil na rin siya sa panggagamit sa atin."

Ernesto lowered his eyes and gently shook his head. "Masama talaga ang pakiramdam ko tungkol dito. Sa palagay ko, hindi talaga titigil si Vidal hanggang hindi niya nakakausap . . . o nakukuha si Thea."

"Hindi naman niya p'wedeng pilitin si Thea kung ayaw nito mismo na makausap o makasama si Vidal. So . . . what else can we do?"

He nodded at Joan, finally permitting her to get moving. Kinandong ni Joan ang kaniyang itim na shoulder bag at ini-on ang video recorder ng kaniyang itim na cell phone. She shoved it in a pocket with its camera slightly poking out. Katulad ng kanilang napagplanuhan, ire-record nila ang pag-amin ni Vidal tungkol sa balak nito kay Thea. Natanggap na kasi nila sa wakas na may mga labanan na hindi pa talaga tapos. If Vidal decided to bring up what happened in 2010 and use that to threaten them to get Ernesto jailed for trespassing if he stopped work for him, then maybe, recording his confession and threatening to leak it publicly could get him off their backs.