*sorry for the long wait guys!! and i do apologize for the short chapter...but there will be more to come!! thank you for patiently waiting!
*Oli’s Pov*
‘omma?! Tita Susan?! I mean…diba we’ve talked about things already? Jeric and I don’t want to get married. Its too early for that.’
I was now pleading to both of our mothers after finding out they have talked to Jeric and asked him to make things official between us…in short to tell everyone that we are engaged and that we are about to get married. Just what are our parents planning? I took that risk of seeing them in Singapore even if I should be sitting inside my classroom preparing for the upcoming exams but here I was in cold and rainy Singapore hoping to make sense of what happened between me and Jeric a few weeks ago. The sudden talk of marriage with him suddenly had my mind spinning out of control…so this is why he was cold, this is why he wanted space no wait he needed space but didn’t ask me for it, he simply went back to the old Jeric Allen Uy Teng that I know, the same man I have known for years the only differenc was that he can give me his body and oh yes has he given me his body but not once did he ever give me his heart…something I am so scared of losing but then again do I even have it in the first place?
As I look at our both our mothers in their business suits and I looked at myself seemingly out of place in the corporate world wearing my lacy dress and white cardigan I silently wonder…is the kind of life I would want myself to be in? Wearing starched office clothes from 8am til 5pm or working overtime if I need to? While Jeric has made his choice of joining the professional league there I was suddenly unsure of what path to take…be a lawyer or be someone else, someone else that my parents didn’t plan for me. It suddenly dawned on me the reasons why Jeric didn’t want to associate himself with me in the first place…because he wasn’t given an option and just like the career path I want to take or I plan to take like him I wasn’t given an option to do anything else. All my life I have been told to be my life just like all my life our parents have told me that I belong to Jeric and he belongs to me but like the career path I’m about to take I cant seem to see if he really belongs to me…not before and hell surely not even now.
‘you’re supposed to be in school young lady…bakit nasa Singapore ka?’
I bit back a remark at the question my mother was asking me…I didn’t want to be rude so I kept quite and bowed my head.
‘omma…bakit? I mean we’ve talked about it already, Jeric and I have plans and being married isn’t one of them. We’re just starting…’ I reasoned out ‘please omma, Tita Susan help me understand…he told me to tell you that he’ll think about marrying me. What’s up with that?’
Tita Susan smiled at me sadly and patted my hand ‘because Jeric needs you…he needs you more than you need him, that is why we want you both to get married.’
‘it would do both of you good…it will also be good for our families. It will make our bonds stronger. I thought you love him Via, why are you so against it now?’ Omma asked as she touched my hair ‘you should just go back to the Philippines and go back to school.’
Sighing I closed my eyes and stood up as I walked towards the big window that surrounded their office. I was now standing and looking at the marvelous view Singapore has to offer, there was a time when I used to be so fascinated with the view it offered but right now when all that our mothers can give me are cryptic answers as to why I should just push thru with marrying Jeric I realized was this really the life I wanted? Yes I love him but I also love him too much to want to tie him down to a relationship he doesn’t want moreso to be saddled with a bride he really didn’t need not when his career is going well for him.
‘help me understand…he doesn’t need me. We’ve already established that, he has a career going for him and the last thing that he needs is a wife.’ I answered ‘if you can give me reasons as to why we should continue with the wedding Tita Susan, Omma I might just convince him but considering that he hasn’t really talked to me these past few weeks I doubt he’ll be convinced.’
‘she deserves to know Marge after all its their lives…she also needs to know Jeric’s condition.’
Tita Susan said as I looked at her and my mother in confusion…ano raw? Jeric has a condition? Is he sick? Why the hell didn’t he tell me about it? My mother nodded and sighed as she beckoned me to once again take the seat in front of them.
‘you might need to sit down love, its going to be quite a shock for you I’m guessing. Let your Tita Susan explain why we are wanting both of you to get married this early.’
I did as I was told and waited anxiously for tita’s explanation hoping against all hope that this would answer all of my questions as to why they were so pushy with the subject of Jeric and I getting married when they both know he didn’t want that.
‘Jeric has a blood condition…its something rare and has no cure.’ Tita started.
I gasped at what I heard and found myself crying…I simply cant imagine Jeric being sick when he’s so young…when he has so much plans for himself. He simply cant be sick…not Jeric, not my Jeric.
‘Tita…have you tried other doctors? Maybe we have more options…’
She smiled and nodded ‘we have tried other options, the best that the medicine world can give only to find out that it was just right under our noses all along…it was you.’
Wait…what?? Ano raw? Bakit ako?!
‘I know its confusing…but your blood matches with him, his body doesn’t reject it. You do remember how sickly he was a child and how we would often bring you to him so you could visit. Do you remember anything? Anything at all about your visits to him?’
I merely nodded as I have blurry recollections of my childhood…it came as a surprise for me that I could hardly remember what I did when I was a toddler up to my early grade school years, it was hazy and I simply didn’t want to think about it.
Omma smiled at me and held my hand ‘because the doctors found out that your blood matches with his, we would often have blood transfusions for Jeric…thus we used your blood. He eventually got better but that’s not really permanent and he would eventually require for more.’
‘then take as much as you want…take as many as you can for him to get better.’ I answered ‘but I don’t think marrying him will be an answer for his condition tita, omma. He wouldn’t want to be indebted to me for his the rest of his life.’
‘we cant think of any other reason but that Via, please…please convince him. Its for his own good.’ Tita said as she looked at me with sad eyes and I had to look away for if its one thing I cant stand is having our mothers beg.
‘our business is losing money love…and the Tengs are helping us get back on track. We didn’t want you to find out this way but its not Jeric who’s indebted to you…its our family that’s indebted to them.’
I literally wanted the earth beneath me to open up and swallow me right away or maybe take me some place else as I heard what my mother told me. Pambayad utang? Ako? Pambayad utang? How could they do this to me?
‘does Jeric know about this omma?’ I decided to ask and when they both nodded I felt my world spin and the last thing I remembered was the worried face of both our mothers as I let the darkness consume me.
