"Daddy!" Natatawa kong tili dahil binasa niya ako ng tubig ng itutok niya ang hose habang naghuhugas kami ng kotse.
"Enough playing! Have some snacks first," sulpot ni Mommy habang may dalang tray ng pagkain.
Sabay kaming nag-katinginan ni Daddy at tumango ng may mapangahas na mga ngiti sa labi. Inantay muna naming maipatong niya ng maayos ang pagkain sa tray at makalakad siya palapit samin bago namin sabay na itinutok ni Daddy ang mga hose na hawak sa kanya.
Tili ng tili si Mommy habang tawa naman kami ng tawa ni Daddy.
This have been my Sunday for the last six months. I spent most of my free times with my parents. Lately ko lang talaga naramdaman na normal ang pamilya ko. Daddy usually sleeps here now. We had breakfast together every morning and Daddy and I would always come home with mom's bland cooking.
It was good.
Totoo nga yata na everything happens for a reason. I broke my heart in the process of making my parents understand and see my efforts. And I was ecstatic!
Although there are nights that I still cry if I remember him, Dad told me it's normal. We lived together for two whole years. We see each other everyday. It was pretty much normal to look for something you got used to.
"Ayan! Sinabi ko naman kasi na wag magbabad na basa ang damit!" Natawa nalang kami ni Daddy sa sermon ni Mommy ng sabay kaming mapabahing.
"Daddy! Let me go, you fucking asshole!" Sabay sabay kaming napalingon sa komosyong nangyayari sa labas ng dinner area.
"Was that Fryje?" Nagtataka kong tanong na nagpakunot ng noo ni Daddy.
And I was right. It was indeed Fryje who appeared before us, with some of the guards pulling her back.
"Anong kailangan mo?" Tanong ni Daddy sa kanya matapos senyasan ang mga guards na lumabas na muna.
"Daddy, uwi ka na please? May sakit si Mommy." Nagmamakaawa nitong hiling kay Daddy.
"Nagpadala ako ng doktor doon Fryje. Your Mom is as strong as a carabao. Anong may sakit doon? Baka sa utak?" Pinigil ko ang matawa sa sinabi ni Mommy ng sawayin siya ni Daddy.
"Arlene is not sick, Fryje. Umuwi ka na," Dad dismissed her without looking at her.
"D-daddy..." Napa-angat kami ng tingin ng marinig ang nanginginig niyang boses. Bumuntong hininga si Daddy bago ibinaba ang mga kubyertos niya.
"Fryje, please go home." Pakiusap niya.
"Hindi ako uuwi ng 'di ka kasama, Dad."
"Fryje," Dad called out in a warning voice.
"Bakit ba dito ka umuuwi? Nag-aantay kami ni Mommy sayo sa bahay!" Her tears started to fell. And for a moment, I felt pity. And a little guilty.
Nakakaawa na namamalimos siya ng oras at atensyon sa sariling ama. And I was a bit guilty for stealing what was really supposed to be hers. Kasi truth to be told. They were the legitimate one. Sila ang pamilya sa mata ng tao at mata ng batas.
"Bakit ba lagi na lang sila ang inuuna mo Daddy? Ano bang meron ang Arci na yan na wala sakin? Dahil ba matalino siya? Magaling? Kaya ko rin yun, Daddy! I can do well, too! Just give me enough time! I'll---"
"Go home, Fryje." Dad told her coldly na maski ako ay nasaktan para sa kapatid.
"Dad..." tawag ko sa kanya na naka-agaw ng pansin niya. He looked at me questioning. This whole fiasco obviously spoiled his good mood earlier.
"Yan. Diyan ka magaling. Magpakitang gilas! Kunwari mabait ka. Kunwari may pakialam ka sakin!" nagulat ako ng sakin na maibaling ang galit niya.
"Anong ginagawa ko sayo?" kunot noo kong tanong sa kanya. I was actually trying to talk with Dad and ask him to listen to her, tapos... tapos ako parin ang masama?
"Wag ka ng mag-maangmaangan! Ano gumaganti ka sakin? Dahil iniwan ka ni Brent? Because of me?! Kaya si Daddy naman ang kukunin mo sakin?! Lumayas ka na diba?! Bakit bumalik ka pa?!" parang baliw siyang nagwawala sa may pintuan ng kusina namin.
"So it was you..." sabay kaming napabaling kay Daddy ng bigla siyang mag-salita at tumayo.
"Ikaw ang dahilan kung bakit nasaktan ang kapatid mo?" gulat ang rumehistro sa mukha ni Fryje ng marinig ang tanong ni Daddy.
Dumbass woman! Ngayon ikaw ang mapapahamak!
"Dad---" awat ko at akmang tatayo na para awatin si Daddy ng senyasan niya ako na tumigil.
For the past six months that I was mending my heart ay si Daddy at Mommy ang kasama ko. Sa kanila ako umiiyak. They know how much pain I've been through pero hindi ko sinabi ang dahilan ng pag-hihiwalay namin ni Brent.
I didn't told them dahil ayoko na ng gulo. Napapagod na ko sa gantihan namin ni Fryje. I mean, can't we just be like normal sisters?
Pero ayon, ang gaga, nilaglag ang sarili.
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at sabay kaming napatayo ni Mommy ng sampalin ni Daddy si Fryje.
"Kiko!" awat ni Mommy kay Daddy. Agad naman akong lumapit kay Fryje para sana tignan ang mukha niya pero itinulak niya lang ako palayo, tumama ang ulo ko sa may kanto ng lamesa kaya mabilis akong nakaramdam ng hilo.
"Fryje!" rinig na rinig ang dagundong ng sigaw ni Daddy.
"Umalis ka na dito bago pa mandilim ang paningin ko sayong bata ka!" rinig kong sigaw ni Daddy.
"You'll pay for this Arci. Sinasabi ko sayo. You're gonna pay for this and for everything you have taken from me." I heard her say bago namin narinig ang padabog niyang paglabas ng bahay.
We didn't take it seriously. But I wished we did.
Because she actually did. She tried to kill me but she end up killing Daddy.
Hindi ko malaman kong paano ko ilalabas ang galit ko habang pinapanood si Mommy na nakayakap sa wala ng buhay na katawan ni Daddy habang umiiyak.
Fryje paid someone to ambushed my car. But Daddy just happens to borrow my car today. And he ends up dying.
"Kiko! No! This is not happening! No!" paulit-ulit na palahaw ni Mommy habang pilit na ginigising si Daddy.
Forbes went inside the Morgue and stood beside me.
"How was it?" I asked him seriously.
"We caught the gunman. I'll send the case to EJ---"
"No." mariin kong putol sakanya. I saw him look at me questioningly.
"I got the perfect lawyer in mind. Leave it to me." I told him before I gave my mourning mother a last glance and left the room without a word.
BINABASA MO ANG
Evicted (TLS #2 - COMPLETED)
General Fiction2nd Installation of The Lawyer Series - (COMPLETED) Attorney Rebekah Claire Alarcon was born competitive, she excels in almost everything. All the cases she had handled had all been in favor of her and her clients. However, she met Attorney Brent He...