The Set-Up Wedding [PUBLISHED BY PINK AND PURPLE]

SUW II - 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Sinugod agad ni Jude ng sapak si Bodie nang ma-locate niya ang condominium unit nito. Tumayo lang ito, pinunasan ang konting dugo sa sulok ng labi. Bodie expected it, but not now that he was hanging by the poolside in the middle of the night having a booze.

Buti na nga lang din ay hindi siya nahulog sa pool nang masapak siya ni Jude.

“Nasaan si Ellen?” angil nito.

“Doon siya nagpahatid kina Stella.”

Jude was frozen for a while. Then, naningkit ang mga mata nito. “Am I to believe that crap?”

“Halughugin mo pa ang lahat ng units dito,” pulot ni Bodie sa nakabagsak na baso na kanina lang ay may laman pang alak.

He heard Jude pant, unti-unti itong napaupo na lang sa tabi ng swimming pool. It was a familiar sound that Bodie heard from his cousin long ago. Nanghihina na ito emotionally. At the verge of crying but he wouldn’t.

“Pagod na ako,” piyok nito.

“Beer?” tanong niya dito. Jude did not respond pero pinasya na lang niya na lumapit sa lamesita kung saan niya iniwan ang bote ng alak. Kinuha niya ang bote at iniwanan ang baso sa lamesita. Umupo siya sa tabi ni Jude at inabot dito ang bote ng alak.

Jude grabbed the bottle without a word. Lumagok siya ng inom.

“I don’t really know na nandoon ka,” ani Bodie, nakatingin sa malayo habang nakataas ang isang tuhod na nakaupo sa tabi ng pinsan. “Nagkikita pa pala kayo ni Michaela.”

“That will be the last time,” he muttered. “The very last one, Bodie, doon pa ako nahuli.” Uminom ulit ito.

“So for the long time, and since your marriage, nabibisita mo pa sila?”

“I am being fucking responsible,” baba nito ng bote. “It’s Mikey, not Michaela.”

“I’ve always known that.”

“And you know what’s funny?” lingon nito kay Bodie. He looked half-crazy then. Stressed out, parang maiiyak na tumatawa nama. “Hindi ko pala talaga anak si Mikey!” He looked away, shook his head. “Oh what the fuck. God is good. What the fuck.I’m fucking blessed.” Uminom pa ulit ito.

“I guess you shouldn’t drink too much.”

Inirapan siya ni Jude. “Ibibigay mo sa akin ang buong bote, ipapatikim mo sa akin, ipapainom then you’re going to tell me that I can’t have all this beer?”

“That won’t be good for you,” malumanay lang na sagot niya sa pinsan.

“Hindi kita pina-research sa IT experts and researchers ng kumpanya ko that I fucking woke and cussed in the late evening just to play god with me, Bods.”

He rolled his eyes. Did Jude really have to go all that way para lang ma-locate siya nito? Pwede naman itong magtanong sa mga kamag-anak nila.

“Playing god?” ngisi ni Bodie, although he’s feeling tensed. Natatakot siya na mabuhay na naman yung demon ni Jude… that demon that once turned Jude into Judas. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Umiinom na ito while he talked kaya pagkasalita ni Bodie, nababa na nito ang bote ng alak. Medyo umusog sa pagkakaupo si Jude para makaharap pa sa pinsan, lifting up the bottle of beer.

“You are fucking playing god,” ngisi nito. Kanina pa yata ito nakainom kaya malakas na ang tama nito when he drank Bodie’s beer. “See this? This bottle.”

“Maganda pa ang vision ko, of course I see it.”

Tinaas pa nito ang bote. “This bottle… hindi lang sexy ang shape okay, but it doesn’t matter…” his slurry voice explained. “You, Bodie, playing god, you gave me the Ellen beer…”