Maine froze in her position and looked at her Mom. She gulped and a drop of cold sweat streamed down the side of her face. She slowly turned her eyes on RJ, only to see him sporting a scared expression on his face.
But just when she was ready to accept defeat and tell the entire story, an idea crossed her mind. The possibility of her mother just bluffing became stone-hard solid.
"What are you talking about, Mommy? Di kami nagpunta sa clinic." She replied and quickly looked away.
"Too late para magsinungaling, anak. Just tell me, buntis ka no? Dra. Velez told me everything." Mrs. Mendoza replied sternly.
"She told you everything?" Maine asked, shocked. "What happened to that sort of deal thingy? The confidentiality thing between the Doctor and the patient?"
Mrs. Mendoza's lips curled. She looked down for a moment and once again met her daughter's gaze. Maine frowned and her eyes narrowed at her mom.
"I was at the parking lot nung pumasok kayo. Kaka-galing ko lang sa kanya. Had a checkup and was about to leave when I spotted you two. Nung nakauwi ako, I called her and forced her to tell me kung ano ang nangyari or else –"
"Or else what?" Maine snapped.
"Or else ... I will withdraw my investments from her husband's company. She had no choice .... really. If there's one thing Minerva knows about me ... it has got to be the fact that I take my threats seriously."
"Mommy naman!" she replied irritably. RJ groaned and Mane looked at him.
"Are you alright, Tisoy? Ang putla mo."
He just nodded.
"Now tell me ... Maine, please. Bago pa himatayin tong si Tisoy." She heard her mom say and pointed at him.
Maine took a deep breath and asked her if she's not mad.
"Of course not. Inis, oo ... pero poot? Nope." she assured her.
"No, I'm not pregnant. I bet Dra. Velez already said that." She muttered. Mrs. Mendoza smiled and released her arms from being in a folded state and placed them to her sides.
"Yes, she did. Pero gusto kong marinig mula sa'yo."
"Why?"
"Kasi I want to see you own up to your mistakes. I wanna see you act responsibly. Sa tingin mo ba hindi ko inexpect na may mangyayaring ganito? The moment I found out na may nangyari sa inyo ni Tisoy eh hinanda ko na yung sarili ko."
Maine just looked at her Mom for a moment before she dared to speak again. She opened her mouth and held RJ'S hand.
"So ... okay pa rin sa inyo na ..."
There was no need for her to finish what she was gonna say, for Mrs. Mendoza already replied by nodding her head fervently.
"Talaga?"
"Yes, pero manliligaw muna siya dapat. At hindi lang sa'yo ... dapat pati sa akin. Tsaka dapat –" her face lightened up, causing her to look like a 30 yr. old woman again instead of a middle-aged one.
"Dapat na ano ... po?" RJ asked.
"Nakalabas ang Mulawin."
"Mommy!"
--
RJ breathed a huge sigh of relief after he got home. A massive part of him got a bit disappointed when he found out she's not pregnant. But at the same time, he felt relieved because that meant he will still have a chance to pursue his dreams and give a better life to his family. After the fate closed with a loud clank, he made his way towards the front door. The young guy stopped halfway when he saw his Dad beaming at him.
