THE WRONG MR. RIGHT By RJ NUEVAS

CHAPTER 23

THE WRONG MR RIGHT

by rj Nuevas

 

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

COMMERCIAL BREAK: SI EDGE

Pag-uwi niya, naghihintay si Ward. Galit. Nagtataka.

            “Why did you tell me na hinimatay si Mommy? Hindi naman.”

            “Hindi ba?” patay-malisya niyang sagot. “I thought she fainted.”

            “No. Pagdating ko, she was cooking. Nagtaka nga dahil very worried ako sa kanya. Hindi raw siya hinimatay. Nagtaka rin siya kung bakit mo sinabi iyon.” Sunud-sunod na sabi ni Ward.

            “I’m sorry,” nakangiti niyang sabi. “Remember, noong mga bata pa tayo, madalas kitang lokohin. Sasabihin ko, lumipad yung toy robot mo, paniwalang-paniwala ka, yun pala itinago ko lang. Tapos one time pa, I ate all your chocolates pero ang sinabi ko, kinain ni Yaya, until makita mong puro chocolates ang bibig ko.”

            “That was then. Okay lang yon. Mga bata pa tayo. But this is different. We’re older now. At si Mommy talaga? Sasabihin mong hinimatay? I was worried sick. And in case you don’t know, Mommy got hurt! Why would you do that to her?” sumbat ni Ward.

            “I said I’m sorry, okay? Can’t you take a joke?” nailing niyang sabi sabay talikod. Umayat na siya ng hagdan para pumunta sa guest room.

            “Nakakainis ka, Edge!” pahabol ni Ward. “Ihahatid ko sana si Welcome!”

            Hindi na nakita ni Ward nang mapangiti siya.

* * * * *

            Nakahiga na siya sa kama, nakikinig ng Maroon Five sa Ipod nang bumukas ang pinto ng guestroom. Si Ward. Hindi kumatok. Alam niyang something is wrong dahil usually, kumakatok si Ward sa pinto niya. Ward is too respectful of other people’s privacy.

            “Why did you do it? Really?” tanong ni Ward.

            Tiningnan lang niya ito.

            “Para huwag ko siyang maihatid, ano?” pangungulit ni Ward. “Tell me!”

            “Okay, okay! I will tell you,” sabi niya. Kakambal niya si Ward. Kahit hindi niya sabihin, malalaman din nito ang tumatakbo sa isip niya. Might as well tell him the truth. “Yes, ginawa ko iyon para huwag mong maihatid si Welcome.”

            “Why?” tanong ni Ward. Hindi makapaniwala.

            “Para ako ang maghatid sa kanya.”

            “What?” hindi makapaniwalang-tanong ni Ward.

            “Because I will court her,” simple niyang sagot.

            “I thought you don’t like her.”

            “I still don’t.”

            “Then why court her?’

            “To prove a point to you. That she’s an easy girl. Na madali siyang makuha.”

            “I already told you Welcome is not that type of girl!”

            “Then you have nothing to worry about. Kapag niligawan ko siya, at hindi niya ako sinagot, it means you are right. That she’s not the easy type.”

            “What if sagutin ka niya?”

            “Then she’s easy.”

            “What will you do after mo siyang mapasagot. If ever na mapasagot mo siya?”

            “I will leave her.”

            “She’ll get hurt!” halos pasigaw na sabi ni Ward.

            “Better her than you, bro,” sagot ni Edge. “I’m doing this to save you from pain. Yung pain na naramdaman ni Daddy nung lokohin siya ni Mommy. Nung ipinagpalit siya sa Dave na yon.”

            “I don’t want to hurt Welcome, Edge. I like her. I like her a lot.”

            “She doesn’t feel the same way about you, Ward.”

            “How can you say that? You don’t know her.”

            “Pumayag siyang ihatid ko siya. Sumakay siya sa bike ko. Nakakapit siya sa bewang ko. If she really, really likes you, hindi siya papayag na ihatid ko siya.”

            “Because I wasn’t there. Because you made me go home!”

            “Kahit pa. Kung talagang gusto ka ng Welcome na iyon, hindi siya papayag na ihatid siya ng kahit sino,” naiiling na sabi niya.

            “Gago ka, Edge!” galit na sabi ni Ward sabay talikod para lumabas ng guestroom. Again, hindi kaya ni Ward ang mga confrontations.

            “One week, Ward. Give me one week,” pahabol niya in a quiet voice.

            Napatigil si Ward. Napatingin sa kanya. “Ano’ng one week?”
            “Give me one week to court, Welcome. Mapapasagot ko yan. And it will mean that she’s easy.”

            “No!”

            “Whether you like it or not, I will court her. And I assure you, she’ll be my girl in one week.”

            “I will tell her the truth. Hindi ka niya sasagutin.”

            “Wanna bet?” nakangiting hamon niya.

            “You know I don’t gamble, Edge. And I won’t gamble what I feel for Welcome.”

            “Makikipagbati na ako kay Mommy. I will be nice to her na. I won’t do anything to hurt her. I will be the good boy that Mom has always wanted me to be. Just like you.”

            Hindi nakapagsalita si Ward.

            “You know that would make Mom really happy, right? The two of us. Her  precious twins, close to her again.”

            Hindi pa rin sumagot si Ward. Alam niyang yun ang pangarap ng Mommy nila. Kaya yon din ang gusto ni Ward para sa kanila.

            “Win-win ka, Ward. You will make Mom happy. And kapag napasagot ko si Welcome, you will be spared of the future heartaches. At kapag hindi ko naman siya napasagot, it means, she really likes you.”

            Hindi pa rin sumagot si Ward. Pero alam niyang umaandar ang utak nito. Nag-iisip. Naninimbang.

            “So, is it a deal?” nakangiti niyang tanong sabay offer ng palad niya.

            Hindi sumagot si Ward…pero kinamayan siya.

            It’s a deal then! Humanda sa kanya ang Welcome na ‘yan! Mapapasagot niya yan in one week. Or less.