Make It Without You

Chapter Three: No More

Iritang irita na si Gabo. Parang di matapos tapos ang meeting. Ilang oras na silang pabalik balik sa topic na to. He looks down at his watch which tells him he's already more than 20 minutes late for his appointment with Billy.

Puro approvals, reports, presentations. Lahat ba talaga ng tao sa meeting na to, kailangan ang opinion niya? Dumagdag pa ang isang board member na puro pamumuna na lang ang ginagawa buong meeting. On a normal day, Gabo would be answering him word for word. Today, however, isn't an ordinary day. May naghihintay sa kanya na gustong gusto na rin niyang makita at makausap.

Wala na sa trabaho ang utak niya — nasa Croatia na, kay Belinda Dimagiba. Why is she back in the Philippines? May nangyari kayang masama? How did she find me? Galit kaya siya? Noong sinabi sa kanya ng secretary niya na humihingi ng meeting ang law firm, muntik na niyang hindi pansinsin. Buti na lang pinakinggan niya si Attorney Perez.

Gabo looks at the nervous girl presenting in front of them. Manager ito ng isa sa mga branches ng Tinapay Corner, isa sa mga food business ng VillariCorp na mina-manage niya. "Miss Martinez, right?" He interrupts the presentation.

"Y-yes sir."

"Revise your entire marketing plan and send it to my secretary by tomorrow morning. Bukas na natin 'to pag-usapan. I have another appointment," he says curtly.

"Pero sir—" his assistant seated beside him pipes up.

He holds his hand up to stop him. "Meeting adjourned."

Gabo leaves his chair and ignores everyone who attempts to shake his hand on his way out of the board room. Nagmamadali siyang bumalik sa office niya. Sa likod niya, hinahabol siya ng assistant niya, saying something about his schedule for tomorrow. Hindi na niya pinakikinggan ang sinasabi nito.

"Where's Miss Dimagiba?" agad niyang tanong sa secretary.

The woman gives him a raw smile. "Sir... umalis na po. Kaaalis lang. May emergency daw po..."

"What?!"

"S-Sorry sir. Sabi ko po pabalik na kayo pero nagmamadali po siya..." takot na sagot ng sekretarya.

Gabo's gaze falls on an open magazine on the sofa. Malayo pa lang, alam na niya kung ano yun. "Shit!" he shouts in frustration. His staff flinches. Buong araw na yatang bad trip ang boss nila.

"I told you to get rid of these magazines!" a fuming Gabo says to his assistant. "And follow up with their editor kung kailan ilalabas ang errata!" He looks at his secretary. "Pakisabihan ang guards to not let Ms. Dimagiba leave. Kailangan ko siyang makausap."

The secretary immediately picks up the phone. "Yung guest daw po ni Mr. Villarica wag daw pong paalisin..." she tells the person on the other line. "Basta daw wag." She looks at her boss while listening to the other party. "Sir... sabi daw ni Miss Dimagiba, bibigyan ka niya ng one minute para puntahan siya—"

Everyone in the room is surprised when Gabriel Villarica runs out of his office at those words.

*****

Alam niyang hindi siya aabot, pero tinawagan pa rin niya ang building administrator para siguraduhing walang hihintuang floor ang elevator na sinasakyan niya. He's going crazy watching the numbers on the elevator's screen change. Parang ang bagal.

He can't stay still. He knows why Billy left. Inis na inis siya sa sarili sa mga pinaggagagawa niya. He's hurt her yet again.

Bakit ba kasi hindi pa inalis ng staff niya yung magazine? It's been weeks since he called off his engagement with Rio and told the magazine to not publish the article. Kaso di sila nakinig. In the first place, it was his dad who was behind everything. Wala naman talagang proposal na nangyari. His dad talked with Rio's parents and that was it. They had Gabo make up an elaborate story for the magazine. Rio, for her part, just went along for the ride.

Well, ganun din naman kasi nagsimula ang relasyon nila. Their families have been friends and partners in business for a long time. Convenience made them decide to enter a relationship. Before he went abroad, though, he ended his ties with her and even his dad, vowing to leave his entire life in the Philippines behind.

But of course, nothing went as planned. Akala niya hindi na siya babalik. Noong napadpad siya sa Croatia, isang lugar na konting konti ang Pinoy, akala niya mas mahirap na siyang hanapin. He was ready to start a new life there as Gabo, not the Villarica heir Gabriel. Pero nagkamali siya. He underestimated his father's power and influence. Bago pa may magawang masama ang tatay niya sa mga nakilala at nakasama niya sa Croatia, especially Billy, umuwi na lang siya.

When the elevator stops at the ground floor, kulang na lang sirain na ni Gabo ang pinto para makalabas. He runs out and looks around, but Billy is nowhere to be found. "Where's Miss Dimagiba?" he snarls at the innocent receptionist. "Di ba I said huwag siyang paaalisin? Where the hell is she?!"

The scared receptionist struggles to speak. "Sir... ano po... kasi sabi daw po niya one minute lang. Umalis na po. Hindi rin po nagpapigil sa guards. Sorry po sir..."

Her apologies fall on deaf ears as Gabo runs off again, this time all the way outside his company's building. His eyes roam the driveway wildly before he spots Billy at a distance hurriedly boarding an old yellow Beetle.

Bago pa niya maisigaw ang pangalang na-miss niya nang sobra, the Beetle speeds away and out of Gabo's sight.

*****

"Billy, ano ba kasing nangyari?" an extremely worried Sputnik asks his best friend who's now in his passenger seat, crying. "Bigla ka na lang lumabas. Tapos ngayon umiiyak ka. Billy, what's happening?"

Billy can't speak. Iyak lang talaga siya nang iyak. Tinigil muna ni Sputnik ang kotse. He's now looking at Billy intently.

"Belinda. Ipaliwanag mo naman sa'kin please. Ayaw naman kitang iuwi sa inyo nang ganito," Sputnik coaxes her gently. "Yung kanina, nakita ko si Mr. Villarica na parang hinahanap ka. Sinundan ka ba niya palabas? Akala ko ba gusto mo siyang makausap? Did something happen sa usapan niyo?"

Billy takes a deep breath to calm herself down, but the tears just keep falling. "Wala. Hindi ko na siya kailangang makausap. I already have everything I need," she manages to choke out.

Sputnik pauses, and then nods and begins driving again, but slowly now. He keeps glancing at Billy, wondering what's happening to his childhood best friend.

Hindi mo siya kailangan. Alam naman ni Billy sa sarili niya na hindi niya kailangan si Gabo. Ano ba kasing inaasahan niya? The guy lied to her about his whole life. Of course it was nothing for him to pretend to have feelings for her despite having a long-term girlfriend back home. Sa bagay, wala rin naman kasi siyang tinanong. Para siyang tanga na nagpadala na lang kahit na wala siyang kaalam-alam tungkol sa lalaking yun.

She wanted to talk to Gabo to give him a fair chance to come clean and explain his side. Pero siguro nga, may mga tao talagang hindi na dapat binibigyan ng ganung karapatan kasi parang binigyan mo lang sila ng chance na saktan ka nang paulit ulit. Sa sobrang sakit, pati dibdib niya parang naninikip na. Parang di na siya makahinga.

"Ah!" Billy clutches her stomach as she feels a piercing pain shoot through her body.

"Billy!" Sa gulat, hindi na alam ni Sputnik ang gagawin niya. Dahil nasa gitna sila ng kalsada, tinuloy niya ang pagda-drive.

"Ahhhh. Ouch. No... please no..." Billy sobs and curls up into a ball in her seat. "No..." Her vision is starting to turn fuzzy and dark. She holds on to her tummy.

At a stoplight, Sputnik checks Billy's forehead. Ang lamig ng mukha at kamay ng kaibigan niya. Namumutla na siya at parang hindi na rin masyadong makagalaw. "Billy. Ano? What do you need? Gamot? Anong masakit sa'yo?"

"Sputnik— ospital. Please," Billy says weakly.

*****