Tattooed Heart

CHAPTER TWO

JOSEPH

I wake up with the morning breath of the woman beside me. We are naked on the bed, only the sheet of blanket separates our bodies. The sun is gleaming outside the windowpane; the sky is blue and the clouds are moving fast.

I am looking at the brunette girl beside me, she is pretty but I cannot remember her name. All I can remember is that, I had a great night with her. I just met her in the club I was always visiting whenever I felt sad in my house. We are in a hotel right now.

I poke her nose, and smile as she opens her eyes slowly. "Wake up, silly girl."

She grunts and turns around to continue her deep slumber. We cannot stay here for a long moment, it is already the eight in the morning and my inang is surely looking for me already. Yea, inay is still overly-protective over me even though I am already a twenty-three-year old lad, and already have written five books as the source of my income.

Surely, a few minutes more and she will be calling me already. She knows that I often go to the club and sleep with girls. I do not know why she shall still worry about that, I am not even getting anyone pregnant, because I am a good one and all I just want is to get laid whenever I feel my libido rising.

"Di kita pinalaki para maging ganyan," she tells me often whenever I go home late and figures out that I slept with a girl. "Umayos ka."

"Inay, it's not you," I will always tell her. "Ako naman may gusto 'nun. Kailangan lang talaga ng katawan ko."

I will give her a smirk after. She will later on forgive me and will give me a warm hug. She cannot truly resist me. I am her only son anyway. "Ikaw talagang bata ka, basta palagi lang mag iingat. You know, America is a big country."

"Hey, sweet pie," I tell the sleeping girl. "I know that you're still sleepy, but I need to go now."

She shakes my hand off of her shoulder, "then go. Leave me."

"Okay, then." I kiss her cheeks and sits on the other side of the bed.

I wear my boxer short and jeans, and the shirt I have worn last night in fast pace because I do not want my mum to worry about me again. But surely, we will have the same conversation over again.

I leave the money on the bedside table, and check out. I pay for the bill of the hotel, and the possible extension of the girl in the room. I notify the clerk that there is still someone inside.

"She might leave in the afternoon, anyway," I tell her and leave the hotel.

***

"And where have you been, young man?" the voice that welcomes me as I open the door of our house. Her hair is curled up with her rollers, and her face is covered with mudpack. She is wearing her bathrobe – what makes me confused is that, she is outside the bathroom doing these girly things. How did she know that I was going home already? She seems that she is really waiting for me when I opened the goddamn door.

"Ugh, work" I tell her.

She looks suspiciously at me, "work? Are you serious with what that?"

I shrug, and look at her. Her hands are at her hips. "Yes?" I say unconvincingly.

"Your work is in that room over there!" she points at the room beside my bedroom. Crap! I forgot that I have no work outside this house. "You work inside this house, and I am the one working outside!"

"'Nay, we discussed this tons of time already," I tell her, looking tired. "Twenty-three na 'ko, I know what I am doing already."

"Natatakot lang ako para sa'yo, Joseph," she tells me with concern. "Linggo lingo na ka nalang ganyan, 'di ko alam kung bakit kailangan pang ganyan palagi."