Wife's Benefits

Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Wife's Benefits ~

DALE'S POV:

"We need to talk!", mariin kong pagkakasabi kay Hanna at hinatak ko siya sa may braso niya palayo kay Xenia. Kailangan ko na itong ayusin, kailangan nang tapusin.

Dahil sa mga pangbabalewala ko sa mga nangyayari, si Xenia ang mas nasasaktan. Nangako pa naman ako noon sa kanya na hindi ko siya sasaktan, pero ano itong nagagawa ko? Lagi ko na lang siyang umiiyak sa akin. Kaya para hindi ko na siya masaktan, tatapusin ko na ito.

"Dale, nasasaktan ako!", pagsigaw ni Hanna.

Tumigil ako sa paglalakad at binitiwan na ang braso niya. Huminga ako ng malalim bago humarap sa kanya.

"Bakit ka pa ba bumalik, ha?", sarkastikong tanong ko.

Napatigil siya at nanlaki ng bahagya ang mga mata niya.

"Dale, bumalik ako para sa'yo", mahinang sagot niya.

Napangiti ako ng mapait. "Bakit parang ganoon lang kadali sa'yo ang lahat? Ano tingin mo sa akin? Isang gamit na kapag naiwan mo, babalikan mo anytime?"

Natawa ako, parang gusto kong sumigaw 'bullshit!' . Bigla tuloy bumabalik sa akin ang nakaraan, ang sakit na naramdaman ko noong iniwan niya ako. Ang sakit dahil sa pinili niya ang career niya kaysa sa akin. Ang sakit na second priority lang ako sa buhay niya. Ang sakit na iniwan niya ako para lang sa buhay na naghihintay sa kanya sa ibang bansa. Ang sakit na mas mahal niya ang career niya kaysa sa akin. Ang sakit ng nakaraan na parang kahapon lang nangyari, na hanggang ngayon ay sariwa pa rin sa aking alaala. 

Naalala ko ang unang beses na nakilala ko si Hanna....

~*~

I was seven years old and my brother Dylan was six years old that time when we first met her. It was one hot afternoon that could almost burn our skin, but we didn't care because we were happy  playing at  the playground. We were building a sand castle when she arrived from nowhere. She asked us what we were doing and Dylan frankly answered her, "We were playing, can't you see it?"

"Yes I know, but what were you playing?", she said and asked.

"We were building our sand castle", I answered.

"If you're building a castle, then there must be a king", she said.

Dylan and I both nodded and thought about that. We argued about who will be the king. He said, "It must be me", but I said, "No, it should be me, I'm older than you".

She was grinning while watching us. "If there's a king, there must be a queen. Can I join your game and make myself as the queen?"

She looked at me and grinned. That grinned made my heart pound. It was so fast like it wanted to come out inside my chest. I felt my cheeks were burning angrily and I didn't know why. But every time she looked at me and smiled like that, my heart was beating so fast and loud like 'dug, dug, dug'. My forehead was sweat and hot, and my face turned to red like I was sick.

I asked my mom about that feeling and she said that I had an illness called crush and if it gets worse, it could be love. But she said it was normal, because everyone felt that kind of illness, I just got mine on the very young age. She said that I don't have to get worry about that, it was only a sign that I am starting to grow. I was confused and I didn't understand what she was saying, but she said when I got older and bigger, I could understand everything she've said.