Te Quiero

SESENTA Y SIETE

No.

No it should be a lie. No! Fuck!

I got out of the cab and stood in front of the house. Fuck!

——

THIRTY MINUTES AGO.

"Tes...you good? Don't do something stupid."

"I...tell me it's a lie Bran...please!" I attracted eyes to us.

"I'm sorry Tes."

"No! Fuck!!!" I ran out of the bar and he followed me behind.
——

I walked to the door then, my hands began to tremble. I couldn't believe what he said to me. I prayed it was a lie cause, I really loved this person.

——
He held my hand. "I'll call the cops."

"No! Don't fucking interfere."

"I'll follow you."

"Don't Bran. I'll do this on my own."

He heaved. "Promise that you'll behave."

I couldn't promise. "I'll just go confirm cause...cause this is a whole lot." I went into his arms and sobbed.

He pecked my hair and said. "I love you and I don't want you to do something that'll put you in jail for life."
——

Finally, my trembling hands opened the door and I walked into the house in silence. I had the gun which I took from dad's car at Mr Charlie's that night in my back pocket. I was ready to use it anytime as I stood right in-front of my dad's murderer. She didn't realize I was there because she was occupied with her cooking.

Then, she noticed. Her eyes were still fixed on the carrots she was dicing. "Tes...you're home early...you should've informed me that you're coming home. The spaghetti would soon be ready...and before you ask...yeah, I've used my anti-hypertensive drugs and my blood pressure is stable...Daniel will soon be home." She wasn't looking at my face all this while and all I could wonder was why she did such a thing. Why would that even cross her mind? "And yes it's ready...I'll get a plate. Why're you standing there like a pillar? Come over here..." She looked up to my face and frowned. "Tes, are you okay? Have you been crying?"

I shook my head as I wiped the tears that fell from my eyes. "Why...mom?" My voice broke.

——
"I'm sorry to say this but it's your mom." He whispered into my ears and I froze immediately on the spot.
——

"Why what?"
She was pretending. "Stop acting dumb mom! You know why you've been telling me to quit finding dad's murderer cause it was you all along! Like what the fuck!"

She took a deep breath. "Who lied to you? I could never do such."

Really? She was unbelievable. My mind went to the gun in my pocket. She was getting me triggered. I laughed. "That's the road you're driving at yeah? Damn. I asked Demorte myself so don't even think of doing this." My heart broke into pieces because she was trying to deceive me.

"You went to Demorte?" Her breathing quickened and she got restless.

"Yes." I answered.

She began to shout. "Look I did it for us! It's for our own good."

"Bullshit mom! Killing dad was never a good thing."

"You won't understand." She began to cry and I fired back. "Make me understand mom! Make me! Cause I can't believe this. I want this to be false. I want it to be all a lie."

"I never wanted you to know...at least not this way."

"Wait...hold up. Everything you told me about Mr Charlie was a lie?"

"It was true...but that wasn't the reason why he died. I just used that story to distract you and thought you'd give up when you realize how dangerous it'd be. But...you didn't. I even threatened Mr Charlie that I was going to kill him if he told you anything cause I knew you were going to meet him."

What the fuck? She's worse than I thought.

"So you did it?!" I screamed cause I was losing my mind already.

"I'm sorry but I did it..." She began to move closer but, I stepped back. "Don't fucking come any closer."

"I need you to calm down and believe me."

"There's nothing to believe! You're a murderer!" I spat and she shouted. "Yes! Yes I did it. He was getting better than me! I told his manager vile things about him so he could lose his job and ensured that he wouldn't get any of the jobs he applied for. It wasn't enough! He kept getting opportunities so, I had to do it..." She paused and became more serious. "I had to get rid of him so, I'd stop having such a threat alive."

I was agaped. "All of this was because of... jealousy?! You're a psychopath. I don't even know who you are anymore." I was becoming scared.

"I'm your mother and I knew that both of you...you and your brother preferred him cause he had such a 'happy soul' oh give me a break. I fed you guys with my own breasts. I took care of both of you even when it was inconvenient for me but you guys decided to love your father more."

I was shattered and broken. "No mom...it was never a competition..."

"Shut up Teresa! He was always better than me and I know you preferred him and it hurts. Damn! It hurts." She picked a knife from the table and began to walk towards me.

I was so scared that I took out the gun and pointed it at her. "Don't come any closer or I'll fucking blow your brains out!" I couldn't believe that she actually attacked me with a knife. She was a good pretender cause, no one expected that she would have this in mind all this while.

"Oh you want to kill me? Yeah, you always wanted this moment. To kill your father's murderer and here it is! But, I know you..." she laughed sinisterly. "You can't kill me."

"Oh don't try me. I'll shoot you the moment you move from that spot." That was a lie. I couldn't kill her.

She laughed and began walking faster. It was then I realized that she was going to kill me...the same way she killed dad.