Finally! An update!
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Gino’s POV
“What are you planning now?”, Mr. Lopez asked. We reached the hospital’s garden, there were a few people walking and doing their own businesses, not minding us.
Sa una ay naguluhan ako sa tanong nya ngunit kalaunan ay nakuha ko rin. It’s about Cresia. This would always be about Cresia. Bumalik ang isip ko sa pagkakabalita na nasangkot sa isang aksidente si Cresia. Some crazy young man open fired at the street and my girlfriend’s car was there near the area.
Iniisip ko pa lang ang posibleng nangyari sa kanyang masama ay hindi ko na mapigilan ang panginginig ko dahil sa galit. Siguradong natakot sya nang husto, kitang-kita ko iyon sa mukha nya. I was barely controlling myself when I got here at the hospital. Halos liparin ko ang daan makarating lang dito. Nasigawan ko pa ang ilang bodyguards at ilang doktor dahil sa pag-aalala.
“He’s in jail now. Hindi na sya makakalabas. Mabigat rin ang kasong kinahaharap nya dahil nabaril si Zeo”, sagot ko.
“I know. Hindi rin naman ako papayag na makalabas pa iyon kung sakali. My daughter must have gone through so much and there was nothing that can compensate for that”, matigas ang pagkakasabi ng matanda.
Tumango lang ako. Kung kaya kong triplehin ang takot na naranasan ni Cresia ay gagawin ko.
I would surely do it without any hesitation. Kulang iyon. Her eyes held the terror and it made me crazy. Makakapatay talaga ako.
“Have you proposed to her yet?”, nagulat ako doon. Hindi ko inaasahan na uusisain nya agad-agad ang bagay na iyon. Hindi pa ako nakakapagplano kung paano sasabihin kay Cresia ang mga tamang salita. I wanted to give her everything that she deserved.
I wanted everyhtring to be perfect for Cresia. Gusto ko’y matatandaan nya ang gagawin ko hangganga sa pagtanda naming dalawa.
“Not yet, Sir”, sagot ko. I did not want to disappoint him but I needed him to understand that I have to plan carefully. Balak rin ni Cresia na makausap sya at si Zeo. Gusto ko ring mangyari muna iyon bago ang lahat. I did not want her to carry the guilt.
“Good”, tahimik nitong tugon na nagpakunot ng noo ko. Taliwas ito sa aking inaasahan. Nakaramdam ako ng kaunting kaba.
“Is there something wrong, Sir? Did something happen?”
Mr. Lopez exhaled sharply and turned his back on me, his fingers were intertwined like my strict supervisor on the military. His stance looked worried.
“Alam kong napag-usapan na natin ang tungkol sa anak ko at sa plano mo para sa inyong dalawa, at alam mo rin na wala akong balak pigilan kayo lalo na kung wala naman kayong magiging problema. Alam kong magiging masaya si Cresia sayo Gino”, the more he tells me these things, the more anxious I get. “But I need you to cancel whatever plans you have now for Cresia”
Those were the exact words that completely threw me defenseless. Para akong tinakasan ng sariling lakas.
“Hindi ko po maintindihan. We already talked about it, and Cresia knows how much I love her. She knows I plan to marry her, I don’t want to disappoint her, Sir. Ayoko na po syang masaktan”, paliwanag ko. I even tried to find the rationality of his words. Pero kailangan nyang maintindihan na ayokong isipin ni Cresia na hindi pa rin ako sigurado dito. I wanted to give her the assurance at all cost.
“I know. And I’m glad. But you have to understand. There is a priority here. And that is her safety”
Mas lalo akong naguluhan.
“The gunman is not from anyone who has grudge against you and I already looked into his back ground, wala syang kahit ano’ng koneksyon sa mga kalaban nyo”, sinigurado ko sa kanya.
Unless…
Another sharp sigh left him.
“It’s Mr. Gonzales.”
Fuck. I knew it.
“He called me last night and clarified that his son has to marry Cresia or something else will happen. Alam ko na mabuting tao si Zeo pero hindi ang ama nya. Kung ako lang ang mapapahamak ay ayos lang But this time, I knew he was too determined to get what he wanted”
Naikuyom ko ang aking kamao sa narinig.
“I can keep her safe as always, Sir. Hindi ko hahayaan na mangyari ang mga pagbabanta nya”. Nilakasan ko ang pagkakasabi noon para marinig nya na seryoso ako. I own a fucking security company tapos hindi ko masisiguro ang kaligtasan ng babaen mahal ko? That would be a slap on my own face.
“I trust you but I need to keep my daughter safe. That’s my priority, I already told you. I will ask her to go broad for the mean time”
I stood there frozen. The thought of it terrified me. Kung pupunta sya sa ibang bansa, hindi ko sya maaaring sundan dahil madami kaming inaayos sa kompanya. My father would surely not allow me. I heaved a breath.
“I told you, Sir, I can keep her sa—“
“And what about your own problems? Can you prioritize my daughter over everything?”, hinarap nya ako at umiling. I gritted my teeth. Kaya ko iyon. Malapit ko nang maresolba ang problema namin, kaunti na lang. Mr. Lopez’s eyes were weighing me. There was a glint of doubt.
May ilan sa mga tauhan namin ang bumaliktad at gusto ngayong pabagsakin ang kompanya dahil hindi sila sang-ayon sa pagpalit ko sa aking ama sa pwesto. They all think I don’t deserve the position since I was not in good terms with my father for a long time. I think I was not doing my best for it.
That was the thing I was doing when Cresia called me and I did not answer any of it. We discussed that they might tapped my phone. There had been a shootout between our current men and those who deflected.
Ipinaayos ko ang cellphone ko kanina at medyo natagalan kaya hindi ko rin agad nakontak pabalik si Cresia. Huli na nang malaman ko ang nangyari. Napahamak na sya at saka pa lamang nakatawag ang mga pinagbantay ko sa kanya. I lashed out on them for not doing their jobs properly. But in truth, I was angrier of myself more than anyone.
“Can you, Gino? I understand your desire to keep her safe all the time but can you really do that? You have your own problems and I won’t ask you to prioritize my daughter when I know I can do it”
I can do it. I could resign and give those men what they wanted. I would be out and be with Cresia. I can do it.
Gusto ko iyong sabihin pero hindi ko alam kung bakit hindi noon magawang lumabas sa bibig ko.
“She will not leave. Hindi sya papaya umalis”, sa halip ay sabi ko.
“That’s why you’re going to help me convince her, Gino. Think about it. Alam kong sa’yo lang sya makikinig”
Umiling ako at nagyuko ng ulo. I would convince her to stay? That’s fucking stupid. Bakit ko sya gugustuhing umalis?
“Do this for her, Gino. I will give you time to think through this. Be rational. I like you because you are a rational man. You see logic on things and I hope you will not disappoint me”, lumapit sya at tinapik ang balikat ko nang nasa gilid ko na sya.
“Kailan?”, there was an evident anger on my voice. Ramdam ko ang sakit sa aking palad dulot ng aking sariling kuko sa pagkakakuyom ng aking kamay.
Hindi agad sumagot ang matanda. Marahil naguluhan sa tanong ko, ngunit kalaunan ay nakuha nya rin.
“The soon, the better”
Can I really do this? Can I really ask Cresia to leave?
