Play The Game (COMPLETED)

Chapter 33

#PTG33 Chapter 33

Fifteen days.

That's all we got before the pre-trial period began. Ang bilis ng takbo ng panahon. Ni hindi ko akalain na magiging sobrang bilis... Tama nga si Cha. Minamadali nilang lahat. Halos walang oras para maka-gawa ng maayos na depensa para sa akin. Para kaming iniipit... hanggang sa halos maramdaman na namin ang pader sa likuran. Hanggang wala ng maatrasan...

I could still remember how that ended badly. Jax presented a lot of evidence... but Iñigo seemed too determined to crucify me.

Sa bawat paglipas ng segundo, para bang palala lang nang palala ang kaba sa dibdib ko. Alam ko na gagawin ni Jax at Cha ang lahat ng makakaya nila para makalaya ako... pero kahit na ano ang gawin ko, hindi ko maialis sa isip ko iyong sinabi sa akin ng nanay ni Kier nung huli kaming magkita.

And at that moment, I knew that the possibility of me losing this case just got a lot stronger.

She was a mother who lost her son. I knew the feeling. I knew the anger. I knew the pain. And I knew that she meant to fulfill every bit of that promise.

"Ano'ng kaso mo?" tanong sa akin ng katabi ko. I tried my best not to talk with anyone. I... was scared. I knew that I had no right to judge them because we're all in the same situation. Pero kahit na ganoon, hindi ko mapigilan ang takot sa sarili ko.

"Parricide."

"Ano 'yun?"

"I'm—"

"Pwede bang Tagalog? Medyo mahina ako sa English," sabi niya habang naka-ngiti. I began to feel at ease. She looked nice... nicer than the other women in the cell with me.

Maybe I could be friends with her. Hindi ko alam kung hanggang kailan pa ako dito.

"Ah... pinagbibintangan akong pinatay ko 'yung asawa ko," tahimik na sagot ko.

"Asus! Iyon lang pala! Akala ko kung ano!" sabi niya. She looked too enthusiastic for someone in jail. I could never feel like her. Ever since Kier began to hurt me, everyday felt like hell. I couldn't even remember the last time that I felt genuinely happy. Everyday felt like just me trying to get to its end.

"Kaso ko naman e violation daw nung RA 91—ay 'di ko maalala iyong numero. Basta iyong tungkol sa drugs," she said.

"RA 9165," I replied.

She smiled. "Ayun! Tsk. Lagi kong naririnig 'dun sa abogado na binigay ng korte. Pero labo. Mukhang wala ng laban. 'Di rin naman inaayos nung abogado ko."

Then, she started to tell me the tale of how she was wrongly accused of dealing drugs. She said that she was just resting at home when the police barged in their home. They took her husband. Tapos nilagyan siya ng pakete ng shabu sa kamay niya. Hindi ko alam kung paano niya nagagawang ngumiti sa kabila ng kwento niya.

"Ayun... Sorry, ha? Gusto ko lang ng makakausap. Mababaliw na ako kakaisip dito."

My lips were parted. I couldn't believe that this was really happening. Paanong iyong mga tao na dapat ay poprotekta pa sa atin ang unang gumagawa ng masama? It's when things like this happen that we must stand together.

"Ikaw, kwento ka naman? Mukhang makaka-labas ka agad. Mukhang matatalino 'yung mga abogado mo."

I still didn't know how to react. "Paano ka?"

She shrugged. "Ewan. Baka sa kulungan na lang din. Ewan, baka mas maayos na rin 'yun kasi... 'di rin ako sanay na wala 'yung asawa ko. Hirap magsimula mula sa wala."

Ilang araw akong hindi pinatulog ng naging pag-uusap namin. I wanted to ask her about her case, but I didn't want to give her false hopes. Hindi ko pa alam kung makaka-labas ako rito... but if I ever get out of this, I wanted to practice law. Hindi ako pinayagan ni Kier dati... pero wala na siya. Pwede na akong magkaroon ng sariling buhay. Pwede ko ng gamitin lahat ng pinag-aralan ko.