Bewitched

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN: Men's Stages of Love

Yanny

I am just staring blankly at my desktop. Byron is acting so weird lately. He doesn't talk to me like before at parang iniiwasan pa nga nya yata ako. Love Potion ba talaga yung binigay sa akin ni Lola Conching o Hate Potion?

I lean my forehead on my desk. I kept on repeating to myself that I should move on pero nobody told me that it could be so difficult lalo na kung araw araw mong nakikita yung taong gusto mong kalimutan.

I turn my head sideways and look at the calendar. I encircled the date when Byron and I plan to separate. I even wrote down the word freedom on it.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I heard Eugene said. I look up and saw him smiling at me. I straightened up. Ilang araw na din ang nakalipas since we last saw each other.

Since he confessed.

"Oh hi!" I said to him. Naiilang ako sa kanya. I don't know how to act in front of him. 

"Can I invite you for some lunch?" He asks.

"Please." Eugene pleaded ng hindi agad ako nakasagot. I ended up saying yes dahil I also wanted to talk to him.

We ended up eating at one of the nearby restaurants.

"I'm sorry hindi ako nakapunta sa party mo. I was out of town." He said while we were waiting for our food.

"It's okay."

Nangalumbaba si Eugene and he stared at me. I feel even more uneasy now. I am not used to being stared at.

"May nagsabi na ba sayo how beautiful you are?" He suddenly asks. I was surprised. Is he hitting on me right now? "Naaalala ko pa the first time I saw you walking through our classroom door you already got me then and there. I tried to approach you but all my attempts failed. Medyo torpe pa kasi talaga ako noon." Eugene said.

I never imagined that someone could actually notice me after all that Byron had put me through during my elementary years. Napakababa ng self esteem ko noong highschool. I only learned to accept who I really am when I started living alone in the US.

Eugene is a good man. He is an ideal boyfriend. Mabait, maasikaso, sweet, maalahanin and hindi ko din maitatangging nabibiyayaan sya sa physical appearance department. Napakalayo ng ugali nila ni Byron sa isa't isa. If I am single right now I would definitely consider Eugene. I believe my dad will also approve of him but....

I look down on my wedding ring.

"I want to ask you a favor Eugene." I said to him.

"Ask anything." He replied with a genuine smile.

"Please don't send me gifts at home anymore."

Eugene's face suddenly turned serious. "Pinagbabawalan ka ba ni Byron?" He asks. I immediately shook my head.

"Then why are you asking me this favor?"

I took a deep breath. "I know that my marriage to Byron was just based on a deal but legally speaking mag-asawa pa rin kami. Oo pinayagan ko syang mambabae but that doesn't mean I would do the same to him. Nirerespeto ko pa rin kung anong meron kami no matter how absurd our relationship is. So if you have plans of..." I stopped bigla kasing hinawakan ni Eugene yung kamay ko.

"I understand Yanny. I respect you." He said in a gentle tone. "I won't court you for now but after a year when you are already free I will definitely try to win your heart." He said and I was speechless.

Byron

I hate what's happening to me. Nagsimula lahat dun sa camera ni Yanny then after that I found myself staring at her as she cooks our breakfast a few days ago. I am uneasy when she's near me but I can't help but to look for her when she's not in my sight. I went to my doctor a few days ago and asked if my dehydration caused some malfunction in my brain but he just laughed at me.

"Boss?" I heard someone called. I look straight and saw the confused faces of my Directors. My mind was wandering somewhere else while I was on a meeting and even that never happened before. Something is definitely wrong with me.

I cleared my throat and straightened up. I have no idea what Ronnie was presenting to us. The last time I was paying full attention on his Powerpoint presentation was when it was still in Slide number five and now it is already in number twenty.

"Let's have an hour break." Palusot ko then we all cleared the meeting room.

I walk back towards my office and found Tirso in there.

"Ang aga yata matapos ng meeting nyo?" Tirso asks. I slump on my chair and look outside the window. It's a fine day today. Ano kayang ginagawa ni Yanny ngayon? Did she had her lunch already?

F*CK! Here I go again thinking about her!

"Ang lalim yata ng iniisip mo dude?" Tirso commented.

"I am not thinking about Yanny." I replied as I face him again.

"I didn't say you were." Tirso said. "Were you?" He added with a grin.

"I'm not. Alam ko kasing yung ang iniisip mo kaya pinangunahan na kita." I said hoping na makalusot ako sa katangahang sinabi ko kanina.

"I was actually going to say that you are thinking about work." Tirso said while rubbing his chin. Iba talaga itong si Tirso. Masyadong matinik! Walang napapalampas. "Alam mo ba na there is such a thing as Men's Stages of Love?"

He must have read it in the internet again. Kahit naman sabihin kong hindi ako interasadong malaman kung ano yung Men's Stages of  Love sasabihin at sasabihin pa rin nya so I just let him speak.

"Stage one is Attention." Tirso started. "We, men, are visual beings. Aminin man natin o hindi what catches our attention first is a woman's face or her body."

I don't know why but suddenly Yanny's face flashes inside my mind.

"You will know when someone caught your attention when you found yourself staring at her."

I shook my head. Yanny can't possibly catch my attention!

"Second stage is Infatuation. This is the stage wherein you find yourself thinking about her. Alam mo na? Yung tipong kausap mo ang bestfriend mo pero sya parin ang nasa utak mo." Tirso said while giving me a knowing look. I made a scoffing sound.

"Third stage goes to Attraction. You want physical connection. Human touch sabi nga ng iba dyan. You give an emotional investment kaya dito sa stage na ito pumapasok sa ating mga lalaki ang pagseselos dude. We men are after all a Territorial specie. When we see another man eyeing our mate we lose our temper. We fight." Tirso explained further.

"So what's the next stage?" I ask Tirso.

He stands up, walk towards my window and look outside. "The last stage is Attachment." He said then he looks at me. "This is the stage wherein you realize that you can no longer make it without her. So tell me Byron. Nasaang stage ka na ba?"

I burst out into laughter. "Are you telling me that I am falling for my wife?" I ask while laughing.

"Bakit dude? Hindi ba?"