When the Ex Returns

Chapter 3: Meet Mr. Past

LET ME CLEAR the score between Vic and I. Ganito yan... Boyfriend ko siya nong 18 pa ako, 19 naman siya that time. We had connections that people call as "family friends". Technically our families are close, pero hindi kami. Niligawan niya ako 2 months before ko siya sinagot. For all I know, matagal na niyang alam na crush ko siya since Grade 6 pa at dinedeny niya lang nung aminin ko na sa kanya. He even used to sing “Pasulyap-sulyap” ni Totsie Guevarra just to tease me back then.

Mom never liked him kahit pa kaibigan niya ang mother ni Vic. I have to admit, tama naman talaga si Mama. Babaero siya. Ilang kapitbahay na rin kaya namin ang naging girlfriend niya bago ako. Pero nagbago siya nong naging kami (or it’s what I want to believe in). Pero… hindi! Nafeel ko naman talaga eh. Ako lang talaga ang minahal niya during the almost two years na naging kami. Talagang wala akong duda! I swear! Yun nga lang nag-iba nung malapit na kaming mag-two years. May iba na akong nararamdaman. Ilang ulit ako nakatanggap ng text messages from him na tinatawag niya akong honey, eh sweetie ang tawagan namin (yeah, I know it’s cheesy. Let’s not focus on that. Iba ang point ko.)

Basta yun! Then I confronted him na iba na ang nararamdaman ko and that I think he is hiding something from me. Then he said, gusto niya muna i-sort out ang sarili niya kasi he is too preoccupied with all that is happening in his life especially because he was undergoing the training then. Hindi na niya daw ako mapagtuunan ng panahon. Gusto niya magfocus muna sa career niya (that time, rigid na ang training nila). Blah, blah, blah, blah...

I believed him. Can you believe it? Naniniwala ako sa palusot na yun ha.

The big revelation is that, when he broke up with me (yes, it was him who broke up with me. Not the other way around na siyang sinabi ko kay Mama, may her soul rest in peace, at sa kung sino pa na nakakakilala sa amin) on a Thursday, lumabas naman siya kasama ang kumare ko sa festival ng town namin on a Saturday. See how much of a two-timing bastard he is--was--has been?

Wala akong number ng kumare ko noon kasi, sa totoo niyan, hindi naman kami close. Pareho lang kaming naging ninang sa anak ng isa naming common friend. Kaya nagmadali ako nun humingi ng number niya doon sa common friend namin. Tinawagan ko siya, nagpakilala ako (of course, not as the ex-girlfriend. kilala naman niya ako by name), at hinanap ko si Vic sa kanya. Siyempre nabigla siya (or that is what I want to believe). Basta, hindi siya nakasagot noon (if my memory serves me right). Tapos, biglang pinatay ang phone. So, I even became more anxious, if not furious. Hindi ako tumigil sa kakatawag sa kanya hangga’t hindi ako kinakausap ni Vic. After a gazillion missed calls, kinausap niya ako and I broke up with him. So, kahit papaano, tama pa rin ako ng sinabi ko kay Mama na ako ang nakipagbreak no.

Honestly, I was anticipating that it ruined their date at hindi na magiging sila. Pero may pagkahaliparot rin ata yung kumare kung yun eh, sinagot pa rin niya si Vic. God! May scarcity na ba talaga sa mga lalaki ng time na yun. Sobrang nakakahiya. That was another thing that I regretted—stooping that low. Gosh! Erase! Erase!