The Mafia's Slave Part 1 & 2

-71-

"Any bad news?" I asked Doctor Marquez about my latest check up. Marami pa akong tests na kailangang pagdaanan para masabi nilang talagang magaling na ko. 

"Wala naman, as usual puro improvements. You have to keep it up---" Natigilan ito sa pagsasalita ng mapansin niya sigurong hindi ako nakikinig sa kanya. My eyes were nailed on the woman who's walking on the hospital hallway palabas ng hospital. 

"D-Do you know that woman?" I asked Dr. Marquez. 

"Leanna? Why? You recognized her?" He asked me. Nanlalaki ang mga mata kong bumaling sa kanya. 

"Bakit siya andito sa hospital? May sakit ba siya?" 

"No. She's totally fine. Just been a little bit disturbed these past few weeks." 

"Then, anong ginagawa niya dito? You seem to know her personally?" I asked. Ibinaba niya ang folder na hawak niya at kunot noong bumaling sakin. 

"I thought you recognized her, naaalala mo nung una tayong magkita? You were 7 or 8? You knocked on our door, bumabagyo pa noon. May kasama kang batang babae and you asked us if we can adopt her. Hindi kami magkaanak ng asawa ko so we gladly accepted her, you were the one who gave her the name Leanna so she can live a new and better life."

My world froze. H-How could I forget? She was our beloved younger sister before Paeng came. Naalala ko pa noon kung gaano siya kinagigiliwan ni Marshan dahil sa maganda nitong buhok na lagi niyang inaayusan. She was small for her age kaya alagang-alaga siya ni Marshan noon. 

But she was fragile, she was sickly. Hindi siya mapagkakitaan sa pamamalimos noon o pagbebenta ng droga. They tried to sell her to a pedophile na mariin naming tinanggihan ni Marshan. Itinakas ko siya noon at iniwan sa isang pamilya. 

I was almost killed because of what I did dahil bayad na pala siya noon, ibinalik nila ang bayad dahil wala silang pwedeng ipalit, at kailangan kong pagbayaran ang lugi nila. And that's when they introduced me to Underground Fighting para mabayaran ko yung lugi nila. I was just 8 when I first entered the Octagon. 

"When she was young, lagi siyang nakatanaw sa may pintuan at bintana and she kept on asking kung kailan siya susunduin nina Uno at Kwatro." I was Uno and Kwatro was Marshan's Venom code. "Nung muli tayong magkita, isa ka ng McNeil, and we have sent Leanna to study abroad kaya hindi ko na rin siya naipakilala sayo." 

"W-What?" My voice was weak. Bumagsak ang mga luha ko. May kung ano akong sakit na nararamdaman ako sa kaloob-looban ko as I remember that little soft voice. 

Promise mo? Babalikan mo ko?

"Oh God! Marie..." I gasped. She was just 5 when she was given to us. Anak siya ng isang prostitute na hindi siya kayang buhayin. "Ang liit talaga ng mundo, alam mo bang she became Waldrin's girlfriend while I was away?" I asked Dr. Marquez. 

Malungkot siyang tumango. 

"She introduced him to us. At nakilala naman ako ni Waldrin, I was against their relationship dahil alam kong buhay ka. But I can't tell them that, and I acted like everything was okay..."