"Yes, Sir." he answered... "I made sure na alam nyang nasa bansa na si Miss Alcantara.., just like you wanted me to tell him." inihagis nya ang isang envelope sa harap nito. Ang tao nga naman, kapag pera na... I thought.
"How about Roxette?" I asked. At medyo nag-init ang ulo ko ng hindi sya sumagot agad. "Nakausap ko na siya hindi ba? Nag-abot na ako ng paunang bayad sa kanya, Sacramento." Siya din kasi ang pinaghanap ko ng babaeng maaaring ipanligaw kay Lorenzo.
"I did, Sir." He paused at sinilip ang laman ng envelope na ibinigay ko sa kanya. "Pero tulad ko, hindi nya ito gagawin kung hindi kailangan ang pera para sa anak nya." Tumango tango ako, naiintindihan ko.
"Tell her na huwag kalilimutan ang bawat detalye ng audio na ipinarinig ko sa kanya. I didn't risk my own blood for her to mess up. She needs to get her act together. The sooner, the better. I will help her child, hindi ako ganun kasamang tao, just make sure na she's doing her job."
"How about the other files I have, Sir?"
"Send me a copy, Sacramento. Siguro naman ay sobra-sobra na ang halagang ibinibigay ko sayo para mapanatili mo ang tiwala ko sayo." I warned him.
"Yes, Sir. And I'll continue to clean up the mess... Miss Belle's hired people are still digging into this. We can't afford to be caught... malaking gulo." He said.
Oh, so Belle is still not withdrawing her pointing fingers on him... she's still moving on her own discreet ways...
"I see. Just let them, iwasan mo na lang. Hayaan mo sila... wala silang makukuha. And always keep your line open for me. I might call you over every once in a while."
And he left... I just remained sitting on my chair holding a glass of whisky on my hand habang nakatitig sa mga papeles na iniwan ni Sacramento, Lorenzo's so-called trusted person... pero hindi ko sya masisisi, kailangan nya para sa pamilya nya.
I can also be that cruel if it's for my child's sake... napangiti ako ng mapait.
"Makakaganti din ako, Isabelle Sophia..." sumimsim ako ng alak mula sa baso at tinitigan iyon, bago daw sa collection ng kompanya, sariling timpla ni Lorenzo... masarap... "...just wait sweetheart, we will get there."
"AJ, baby.... get up. You need to take your meds..." masuyo kong hinahaplos ang buhok ng anak ko para gisingin sya, tatlong araw na kami dito sa hospital at medyo bumubuti na ang kalagayan nya. Sabi ng doctor nya, pwede na syang iuwi if within 48 hours ay hindi na ulit tataas ang lagnat nya.
He opened his eyes and stared at me... isang matamis na ngiti naman ang ibinigay ko sa kanya. "Hi... how's your sleep, darling?"
He smiled and raised his arms towards me... he's making lambing, so I stood up and carried him at naupo ako sa kama nya. "Mommy, I had a dweam..." He said as he moved his tiny body away from me just so he could look into my eyes.
"Really? Is it a happy dream?" I'm trying not to shed a tear... I just realized how I missed my son. Sa limang taon naming magkasama sa US noon, mula ng nasa sinapupunan ko pa sya at hanggang sa ipinanganak sya, kahit na lagi lang nanjan si Mamay... I've always been hands-on sa pag-aalaga sa kanya, never akong umalis sa tabi nya... and now, ngayon ko lang yata ulit naramdaman ang mahigpit na yakap ng maliliit nyang braso sa akin.
"Hmmm... Mommy, I don't nyow if it't happy dweam kate you wewe cwying eh..." why so conyo my baby boy? He sounds so cute with his american accent and his pilipit na dila.
"Ay bakiiiit?" tanong ko habang gigil na gigil akong pinagkikiskis ang mga ilong namin... his laughters are music to my ears na parang may mainit na kamay ang humahaplos sa puso ko.
"Mommy... Mommy... I mitted youuuu..." he said between giggles dahil buong mukha naman nya ang inaatake ko ng halik...
"Awww... Mommy missed you more baby..." I said and hugged him tight. "Come on, you should eat na kasi you need to take your meds pa..." I said as I stood up and sat him on his bed. I get his foods that I ordered. Mamay is out, nagpaalam sya na kikitain lang nya ang isang pamangkin and she will buy our foods na din pagbalik. "Look what I have for you, baby!!" I joyfully said waving him a paper box of food from his favorite fastfood.
"Yey! Jollibee!!" He squealed. He really do like Jollibee... sa US kasi, malayo kami sa lugar kung saan may branch ng fastfood na 'to... so he rarely get them... but here in the Philippines, Mamay would text me almost every other day so I would have order online and have it delivered to them... but I know naman na fastfood is not that healthy... swerte ko ng makalusot sa paglalambing kay AJ thru video call para makalimutan nya na ang Jollibee, swerte na ung once a week na lang pero super lucky kapag twice a month lang.
"You still like it?" I asked... kasi naman, lagi namang spaghetti ang gusto ni AJ. Hindi ba sya nagsasawa?
"Yet Mommy... it't matarap. Thank you, Mommy..." he said habang pinupunasan ko naman ng tissue ang bibig nya dahil kalat-kalat na ang sauce. " Nakangiti lang ako habang pinapanood syang kumain... thank God, masigla na ulit ang anak ko.
Pagkatapos nyang kumain ay matagal-tagal pa kaming nag-ulukan para lang inumin nya ang gamot nya... I also had a nurse over para sana he would feel shy na magpasaway pero napatampal na lang ako sa noo ng malaman ko na he's already friends with Shirley, the nurse.
Jusko, kanino ba nagmana ang batang 'to, mukhang playboy... and then biglang sumagi sa isip ko ang ama niya...
"Hmmm... Mommy..." napalingon ako sa kanya.
"Yes baby? May masakit ba?" tanong ko agad, hindi ko alam kung gaano na ako katagal nakatulala kaya nataranta ako bigla...
"No, Mommy... but at I wat taying kanina... I had a dweam..." he said looking at me.
"Oh... sorry. Nakalimutan na ni Mommy. Bakit nga umiiyak si Mommy sa dream mo, baby?" I asked.
"Eh kati po... I keep atking you about my Daddy..." I saw a tear fell from his eye... it felt like my heart was pierced with thousands of needles. "I'm torry po Mommy... I won't atk for a Daddy na... but pleate tayo na po kami uuwi ni Mamay..." my son is four years old... and for him to talk like this, to be so sensitive enough like this... hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili ko na mangako sa kanya...
"But you have a Daddy, AJ..." bahala na... "You know, he loves you so much..." siguro naman totoo ang bagay na yon, mahal naman siguro sya ng tatay nya. "He said, if good boy ka... he will buy you lots of toys and chocolates pag-uwi nya." This is insane, Belle... pinapaasa mo yung bata.
"Weally, Mommy?" Nakita ko ang kislap sa mga mata nya... yung kaninang kumakastigo sa utak ko, ngayon ay nakangiti na din dahil masaya ang anak ko.
"Yes, baby... weally... weally..." I teased him as I cupped his smalled face at pinagkiskis ko ulit ang tungki ng mga ilong namin. He chuckled... he really likes it when I'm doing that.
"What it hit name, Mommy?" Oh God, help me... I was caught off guard... and sinabi ko na lang ang unang pangalang nasa isip ko.
Bahala na... kailangan ko na talaga sigurong ipaalam sa kanya ang tungkol kay AJ.
Pero paano kung hindi nya matanggap? Edi, bahala na din...
Basta ngayon, gusto kong kahit paano ay sumaya ang puso ng anak ko.
Kung kinakailangan kong magmakaawa sa kanya, gagawin ko, tulungan lang nya akong iparamdam kay AJ na kumpleto ang magulang niya.
"Basti... Your father's name is Basti, baby."
BINABASA MO ANG
Perilous Kismet
FanfictionBehind those perfect smiles were unending battles inside her brain. Battles which started after her encounter with an unknown man; an event she tried so hard to keep since that fateful day.... Until she fell in love unexpectedly. She asked herself...
