She's here.
Here in front of him.
Looking at the same crib he bought earlier.
"Yeah, it's perfect. She will be perfect. You are perfect," he shyly responded.
He saw how her smile immediately faded upon hearing his voice and how her hands clenched to fists. She slowly lifted her gaze and met his own.
There. Finally, he was able to look at her eyes directly.
At first, nang marinig niya ang boses nito, gusto niyang umurong at magtago at huwag magpakita sa babae. But he got curious of her happy voice, of her laughing voice. She sounded happy. She sounded jolly. Yun pala, kasama nito si Jake. Masaya ang mga ito habang komportableng nakaangkla ang braso ng lalake sa balikat ni Samantha. Gustung-gusto niya agad sugurin ang lalake at putulin ang braso nito.
But he held himself back.
He has no right on her anymore. Siya mismo ang nag-alis ng karapatang iyon.
Whe she looked back at him, he expected to see remorse, hatred, anger, anything that would show how much she loathed him. How much she despised him.
But there was none.
No emotion.
She was giving him a blank look, a look that identifes nothing. Devoid of anything, even a glint of surprise.
"H...hi, honey."
She didn't reply. She just stared at him, just looking at him and beyond.
"Tata, eto o, babagay.....bakit nandito ang tarantadong yan?!"
Lumapit sa kanya si Jake saka hinablot ang t-shirt nya.
"Gago ka! Ang lakas ng loob mong magpakita pagkatapos ng lahat ng ginawa at hindi ginawa sa kanya! Tarantado ka, ang lakas ng loob mo! Bakit ka nagpakita pa ha?! Gago ka, bakit?!" sigaw nito sa kanya, hindi alintanang pinagtitinginan na sila ng mga tao sa loob ng tindahan. "Magsalita ka! Anong karapatan mong magpakita sa kanya?!"
Hinayaan niya si Jake sa ginagawa sa kanya. He didn't react. He accepted whatever curses and whatever insults na itawag nito sa kanya. No, he won't react. He has no right to react. He just kept staring back at her instead, trying to remember everything about her, hoping to get any reaction from her.
Pero wala. Nakatingin lang din ito sa kanya. He didn't see any recognition from her.
"Sir, anong kaguluhan ito? Puwede po bang huwag kayo ditong mag-away?" pakiusap ng store manager sa kanila. "Please, huwag po kayo dito gumawa ng gulo. May mga bata po dito sa loob, baka puwede pong sa labas nyo na lang ayusin ang alitan nyo. Please lang, sir."
He saw Samantha took one last look at the crib saka walang lingon-tingin sa kanyang naglakad papalayo. Sinundan niya ito ng tingin, hoping against hope she would look back at him.
Please, look back. Please look back at me, piping dasal nya.
And she did. Walang emosyon ang mga matang binalikan siya ng tingin nito.
"Stay away from her, you bastard! You. Stay. Away. From. Her," Jake warned him in his deep, angry voice.
Binitawan siya nito at halos itulak palayo bago nito sinundan si Samantha.
Fist formed nang makita niyang umakbay ito sa babae na halos yakap-yakap na nito habang naglalakad papalayo sa kanya.
You don't have the right. No right at all, saway niya sa sarili. Wala kang karapatang magselos. Wala kang karapatang makaramdam nang kahit ano tungkol sa kanya.
