"Pretty Little Promise's"

Chapter 67 Burned Dinner

Ali;

She left me alone on the balcony, the slam of the door echoing the finality of her rejection.  She didn't want to hear my explanations, my justifications.  The reasons tumbled around in my head, useless, unspoken.

I followed her downstairs.  She sat rigidly on the sofa, her phone a glowing shield between us.  I sat beside her, the plush fabric offering no comfort.

"Am I immature for this marriage?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, my gaze locked on hers.  The question hung heavy, laden with unspoken fears.

Her eyes, cold and distant, flickered to mine for a fraction of a second before returning to the screen.  "So immature," she said, the words clipped, devoid of warmth.

"Pwedeng ibaba mo muna yang cellphone mo? " I pleaded, my voice cracking slightly.  She lowered it, but her gaze remained fixed elsewhere, her body tense and withdrawn.

"If you're going to explain what you did," she said, her arms crossed tightly across her chest, "Siguraduhin mong maayos , I'm not stupid to hear your fucking reason."  The words were sharp, a blade slicing through my already fragile hope.

"Ano bang pwede kong gawin para mapatawad mo ako?" I asked, my breath catching in my throat.  The words were a desperate prayer, a plea for mercy.  Tears threatened to spill, a testament to the pain gnawing at my insides.

She let out a long, weary sigh.  "Nothing," she said, the word a finality that echoed the emptiness growing between us.

"Hindi mo na ba ako mahal?" I choked out, the tears finally spilling over.

She looked at me, her expression unreadable

"Would I still be here if I didn't?" she responded, her voice flat, devoid of emotion.  The unspoken truth hung heavy in the air.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed, the words a broken apology "Kailangan ko rin naman kase ang atensyon mo at oras"  The confession felt inadequate, pathetic, a feeble attempt to justify the unjustifiable.

"That's your excuse for finding someone else?" she spat, her voice laced with contempt.  "Don't even try it."

"Sampalin mo ako kung gusto mo huwag mo lang akong iwan," I cried, desperation clawing at my throat.  " and Just… ease your anger."

She shook her head, her expression unchanged.

"No need," she said, her voice cold and distant.

"What do you want? Gusto mo bang umalis na ako dito? Just tell me, and I'll go."

I knelt, begging, pleading, my words lost in a torrent of tears.  But her heart remained closed, unmoved by my remorse.

She stood, her movement abrupt, final.  "No," she said, her voice barely a whisper.  "Stay here."  And then she left me, alone in the wreckage of our relationship.  The silence that followed was deafening.

Naninikip ang dibdib ko, ramdam ko ang pagpiga ng puso ko, nanlalambot ang aking mga tuhod, nanginginig ang mga kamay ko, tila gumuho ang kaunting natira sa akin.

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Its been a week nagsasama parin kami sa iisang bahay kahit ituring niya akong parang hangin sa bahay

Dadaanan , S-snob'in , Maiinis , ganyan siya lagi saakin

Its friday literal na off work siya bukas at mmasosolo ko ang asawa ko , Mas nauna akong umuwi sa bahay kesa siya dahil may conference meeting pa siya hanggang 8;00

At 7:00 PM, I started cooking.  Adobo and menudo – her favorites.  I cleaned the house while I cooked, exhausted but driven by a desperate need to win her back.  Every chore, every dish, was a silent plea for forgiveness.

“Achoo!” I sneezed, mid-sweep in our bedroom.

Wala kase ang maid ni Isa kaya mag isa ako rito

Alas-otso y medya na, tapos na akong maglinis.  Nahiga ako sa sofa, pagod na pagod.

"Hay, kapagod" bulong ko.  Pero ang pagod ko, parang wala lang sa sakit ng puso ko.

I suddenly smell something na nasusunog

Yun na ba yung niluto ko?

parang hindi naman kase hindi masarap ang amoy

shiiittt sunog.
Tumayo ako agad at nagmadaling tumakbo kahit masakit ang mga paa ko

"Tangina..." bulong ko, habang tumatakbo papunta sa kusina.  ang layo ng kusina, parang walang katapusan ang pagtakbo ko.  Ang amoy ng sunog, lalong lumalakas, Sana hindi sunog

Nakarating ako sa kusina.  Nakita ko ang mga kaldero, ang mga kawali, puro itim na.  Parang nasunog ang lahat ,Nawala lahat ng ginawa ko sa pag hiwa palang ng mga sahog nito pagod na ako eh

“Oh my god… what have I done?” I cried, my mind racing.  the charred remains of dinner a stark reminder of my failure.

Then, her voice, sharp and filled with alarm, cut through the smoke-filled air.  "Alice!!!"

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Risa :
I arrived at our house at 8:40 PM.  The smell of burning hit me the moment I pulled into the garage. I parked quickly and rushed inside.

"Alice!!!" My voice, raw with alarm, echoed through the empty hallway.

  "Where are you?  Bakit may amoy sunog?!"  The words tumbled out in a rush, fueled by a growing sense of panic.  The house, usually a haven of comfort, felt suddenly alien, threatening.

Wala siya sa sala, wala rin siya sa kwarto.  Tumakbo ako papunta sa kusina,  at doon ko siya nakita,  nakatayo malapit sa ref,  mukhang natatakot,  parang wala sa sarili.

"What happened ?" Tanong ko,  kunot ang noo ko,  halo-halo ang pag-aalala at inis.

Nakita ko ang dalawang kaldero sa kalan.  Itim na itim,  sunog na sunog ang laman.  Parang nakakita ako ng multo.

"What the hell?!" The words exploded from me, a raw, uncontrolled outburst of frustration.  The air crackled with unspoken accusations, with weeks of pent-up resentment.  This wasn't just burnt food; it was a symbol of neglect, of carelessness, of a disregard for the very foundation of our life together.

"Uh… um… ah eh  sorry," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. 

"Naglinis ako kanina,  tapos nakatulog ako saglit.  Nakalimutan ko yung niluluto ko." paliwanag niya sa akin at hawak ang food tong na kinakalikot ng mga kamay niya

  Hindi lang sunog na pagkain ang nakikita ko,  kundi ang kapabayaan niya literal na pabaya

"Stupid," I said, the word a cold, hard judgment that hung in the suffocating silence.  It wasn't just a criticism of her actions; it was a reflection of the mounting frustration I felt.

"Kumain ka na ba?  Ipagluluto kita ulit,"  sabi niya,  mahina ang boses

Kinakalikot niya parin ang hawak niyang food tong

"Baliw ka ba?  Sunog na nga ang niluto mo,  tapos magluluto ka pa?  Hindi na,  kumain na ako sa labas,"  My words were final, a statement of my disillusionment.

I turned my back on her, leaving her standing amidst the wreckage of her culinary failure, the silence a deafening testament to the chasm that had opened up between us.  The cleanup, I knew, would be a long and arduous process, mirroring the long and arduous task of rebuilding what she had so carelessly destroyed.

wala akong pakeaalam kahit masaktan ko siya...