Aphrodite (Complete)

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Venus

--

"Mommy, what about this dress?" Celeste pointed a hot pink dress with an A-line skirt and a key-hole back. Maganda na sana, pink naman. I didn't want to let Celeste see the slight disgust on my face so I only kept it to myself. She was feeling the fabric and raised it up to look on it and back on me. "It looks good on you... I think."

I realized then that it wasn't me who I was going to buy a dress, it is the little princess if mine, Celeste. It was her birthday after all and that I needed to buy her something... mainly because I didn't have any time for it. Masyado akong napaPinitik ko ang noo niya at agad siyang ngumuso. Hinimas niya ang parte na 'yon at sinamaan ako ng tingin. "What was that for?"

"You know who I'm buying a dress for." I answered.

Pinadabog niya ang paa niya, feigning irritation. Her shoulders slumped as she tugged the hem of my sleeve, finally revealing her pouty face at him. She always wished that it would sway me a little but not this time. "Ayaw ko ng dress, mom. Shirt at jeans nalaaaang."

"Bakit? Hindi naman masama maging prinsesa paminsan-minsan." sabi ko sakaniya. I went over to some rack of dresses to survey some more clothes for Celeste to wear. Padabog ang mga paa ni Celeste na sumunod sa'kin at nakanguso pa rin.

"But mommy," dinabog na naman niya ang mga paa niya, trying to get my attention. "It's too breezy. It's like I'm naked from the waist down. Plus, it's really embarrassing. I'm not a little girl anymore, okay? I don't want princess-y stuff." She pouted.

"Celeste—"

"Oh c'mon. Cut her off some slack. Here, try this on." Boses naman ni Kaspar sa likod ko ang narinig ko. He was hiding something from his back ang winked at me. I cocked an eybrow on him as I know that he had another crazy antic up on his sleeve. He didn't show it to me immediately and wiggled his eyebrows at me. Napa-iling naman ako sa ginagawa niya. "Alam kong babagay 'to sa'yo, V." he finally waved a revealing red dress in front of my face. Kahit hindi ko pa nasusuot, alam kong halos luluwa na 'yong dibdib ko kasi hapit na hapit iyon sa itaas (I'm quite privelaged with my chest size). I didn't grant any mercy too at nakatanggap din siya ng pitik sa ulo.

If I get any brutal, I might even raise Ares right now. I rolled my eyes at him. "Perv."

"Mom, I think it'd look good on you!" Celeste beamed, likong the dress more than she should. She even encouraged Kaspar to wave the dress at my face, probably trying to annpy me.

"Oh diba? Sabi pa nga ng anak ko e!" Kaspar then high-fived Celeste.

"Anak mo? The last time I checked, it was my daughter." I rolled my eyes at him. Even though we have been staying with him for years and practically fathered Celeste, I still didn't want to let Celeste to acknowledge him as her father. It's just that... there's some other time for that. "I'm not wearing that one. Sumusobra ka na talaga sa kalaswaan mo."

The two of them continued to whine—or rather Celeste whining over her dress problems. Kaspar is busy trying to convince to wear something different other than my usual get-up. And I wasn't buying any of his protests and reasoning about me getting a man to datez and that the dress would help me with it. But I gave him a firm no.

"Ang KJ mo naman, V." he gave up and put the dress back to the racks. "Sa ginagawa mo, tatanda kang dalaga."

Pinanlakihan ko siya ng mata. "I don't want you to rub it in my face that I am single—"