DEVIOUS 2

Untitled Part 5

HE locked the door, sat down at his desk and opened the shoe box. He'd been looking for its contents and the damn things were in a fucking shoe box in the maids' room. Damn retard.

Mga cassette tapes ang laman ng kahon. Music albums ng mga rock bands na kinalolokohan ng kapatid niya noon.

And he had to listen to them all, Paco thought with a heavy sigh. Kumuha siya ng isang tape at inikot ang swivel chair paharap sa floor-to-ceiling cabinet. May component siya doon--a cassette player, CD player and a fucking turntable in one. It was an impressive monstrosity. Isinalang niya ang tape. The first song started.

Yeah, he remembered it. His brother would play it so loud every Monday morning.

Tell me why, I don't like Mondays...I wanna shoo-oooot the whole day down...down...

It didn't matter that the song really wasn't about people hating Mondays, but about a school shooting which happened on a Monday, it was his brother's way of letting everyone know he didn't want to go to school. Paco didn't like rock and new wave trash, he preferred jazz and R & B kaya pakiramdam niya ay sasakit ang ulo niya sa pinakikinggan.

Hindi naman niya kailangang pakinggan bawat isang kanta sa mga tapes kaya iniject na niya ang Boomtown Rats, isinalang ang Guitar Man ng Bread. It contained the fucking song Lori loved.

Aubrey.

"Okay, next."

And next...and next...

At some point, Lori knocked. Paco pressed PAUSE before opening the door. Nakabihis na si Lori. A pale floral dress with thin straps. May hawak itong old rose na cardigan, "I'm going to the store, be back before dinner."

"Okay. Take care." Hinagkan niya ito sa pisngi.

Ikinandado uli niya ang pinto at itinuloy ang pakikinig. May anim pang natitira sa kahon. He took another one, opened the case.

Only it wasn't a tape inside.

A wallet...no, too small. A key and card holder. And it was old. Nalagas na ang black synthetic leather revealing the grayish-brownish and stained fabric beneath. Nakatupi iyon sa tatlo. Binuklat niya. May isang kalawanging susi na nakasabit sa kalawangin na ring sabitan. May suksukan ng cards sa magkabilang flaps. The right one contained cash--small bills. A hundred, a fifty, couple of tens.

Was it his brother's?

Paco didn't think so. The thing was cheap--fake leather. Hinugot niya ang nasa kabilang flap.

Dalawang IDs. Lisensya ang isa: TAVIEN C. MALIGAYA

Ang isa ay malambot nang karton dahil hindi laminated at wala sa plastic case. May punit pa iyon pero kilala niya ang ID. Ganoon rin ang ID niya noong high school.

Kupas at nabasa na siguro ang 1x1 na black and white ID picture na nakadikit sa gitna, hindi na makita ang mukha. But the name beneath was Aubrey Marie M. Maligaya.

May naiwan pang mga kapirasong papel sa flap.

Tseke na pinunit sa apat. Malambot na rin at nagkadikit-dikit na. But the parts he was able to piece together were enough to know that the check was issued to Tavien Maligaya. At kilalang-kilala ni Paco ang pirma ng kanyang mama.

The amount was two-thousand pesos something. The date...natiklap paghila niya kanina ang ibang bahagi, it now read, ...er, 2O, 1988.

He placed them back to the holder and grabbed his key.

What have you done, Mother?