Lie With Me

Eleventh Lie

A/N: Kenneth Mikael Ferrer at MM.

HIS POV

"Daddy, are you alright?"

Napalingon ako kay Louie when he poke me in the arm. Mukhang nawala na naman ako sa realidad kakaisip.

"Daddy's fine, buddy," I smile at him. "So, where do you want to go now?"

He beam at me, "I want to go to the arcade!"

"Then arcade it is."

I hold his hand as we made our way out of the restaurant. As we walk, my mind wonders back to what happened when I met Elle's father and cousins. Three weeks since it happened, yet, I still can't get over it. What they said, and from what I heard from them, lalo lang gumulo ang lahat. Hindi ko makalimutan lahat ng sinabi nila sa akin. Who would have thought? Ganoon pala ang nangyari sa kanila. Somehow, I feel like I had a glimpse of the past. Hindi ko masisisi sila kung galit at kamuhian man nila ang kapatid ko. Because if I were in their shoes, I would have done the same thing or more. But the question that keep on bugging my mind-----why? That's the question I have since I somehow manage to connect the dots of what might have occured between them.

Still,

Why would Kenneth do that? Why would he hurt someone like her? Why would he hurt the woman he see himself with until he die?

Hindi ako tanga at lalong hindi ako bulag. My brother loves her. He even talked about marrying her whenever we got the chance to. He wants to spend his entire life with Elle. He admitted that, even planned it all out. Na halos kulang na lang ay masuka ako sa sobrang corny niya kung minsan. He always talk about her na halos parang kilala ko na siya kahit na hindi ko pa man siya nakikita talaga. That's how much my brother loves her. Of all the women he had, Elle's the only exception. Alam ko iyon. Because the moment they met, my playboy brother changed. Elle is his game and life changer. Siya lang ang kilala kong sineryoso niya ng totoo. That's why everything I heard was a revelation for me. It was like hearing the same stories again that I heard before he met Elle. Nakakatanga. Nakakalito.

I look down at Louie as I felt him tugging my arm. "What is it?"

"Are you alright, Daddy?" he ask. "You keep on spacing out."

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired and full." I smile to reassure him. "Alam mo na, kakakain lang natin, but I'm fine."

"We can go home, Daddy so you can take a rest."

I shrug. "Nope. This is your day and we're going to spend it the way you want it."

Hindi naman nagtagal at nakumbinsi ko na siya. Since mukha naman hindi niya alam kung alin ang gusto niyang laruin ng dumating kami sa Quantum, bumili ako ng card para sa kanya. I let him play para naman mawala sa isip niya yung nangyari kanina. Pinapanood ko lang siya, minsan naman naglalaro kami. He's really a jolly kid. Ang dali lang niyang pasayahin at nakakahawa ang energy niya.

Kung iisipin, this day won't have happened kung hindi lang nakiusap si Louie kay Elle. And knowing how much Elle loves the twins, kahit ang mga pinsan niya, walang nagawa. Because right after that day na nakausap ko sila, they banned me from seeing them. Hindi ko naman sila masisisi, pero I didn't give up. I could only be thankful that despite everything, Elle seems to be merciful enough para kampihan ako. Halata rin na isinalang-alang niya ang kambal sa desisyon niya.

Hindi ko rin maiwasang mapangiti kapag naaalala ko yung nangyari after ng paguusap na iyon. Natapos man sila sa paginterrogate sa akin, pero hindi si Elle.