Death Glare

CHAPTER 23: The News

"YEAH, yeah... We won't make it... Nagkaaberya kasi kahapon... Yeah... I'll just call you if we need them... Okay, bye."

Nagising si Homer nang marinig niya ang boss na may kausap sa cell phone. Sinipat niya ang nakasabit na orasan. It was 5:47 am in the morning. Hindi pa gano'n kaliwanag ang labas ng bintana. Homer scratched his eyes. Nakababa na ang screen ng laptop habang umiinom ng canned beer ang boss. Doon lamang rumehistro sa ilong niya ang usok ng sigarilyo. Devin was smoking. It didn't surprise him though.

"Sino 'yung tumawag, boss?" agad niyang tanong. He yawned while scratching his back. Inaantok pa rin siya dahil mukhang napasarap siya ng tulog mula sa malambot na unan at kama. It was the nicest sleep he had mula noong umalis siya at napunta rito.

"It was Tala. I told him what happened in the fast-food chain. Sinabi kong hindi muna tayo pupunta sa South to get evidences," Devin replied.

"Then what's the next plan? May naisip ka na bang gagawin, boss?" muling tanong ni Homer, curiosity got the better of him.

Inilapag ni Devin ang canned beer sa lamesa. He massaged his temples in a very manly way using his wide fingers pagkatapos ay umupo sa gilid ng katabi nitong higaan. His boss looks tired. He probably stayed up all night doing his research. Hindi tuloy naiwasang makaramdam ng kaunting konsensya si Homer dahil hindi man lang niya nasamahan ang boss buong gabi.

"I'm gathering more pieces of him. May pinaghahandaan akong malaking bagay kaya napilitan akong umurong papunta sa South. We'll be staying here for a couple more days. Hindi ko sinasabing magpakakampante tayo sa mga susunod na araw dahil hindi malabong matunton nila tayo. Always be prepared. I know exactly what that old pig wants. He's capable of doing any dirty thing. And I know exactly what to do."

Ilang segundo lamang ang nakalipas bago naglaho ang boses ni Devin sa katahimikan kasabay ng usok mula sa lumang ashtray. Napag-alaman ng kaibigan na tuluyang na itong nilamon ng pagtulog. Sa daming nangyari nitong mga nakalipas na araw ay ngayon lamang maayos na nakapagpahinga ang boss. The thought of it reminded him that their bodies were not made out of machines. There's always a limit. Napapagod din ang isang Devin Cross.

He tried to look for a good reason, but no such good reason is there to deter something that death can easily touch. Homer doesn't still understand why people like Devin needs to suffer and face the worst in life.

He obnoxiously thought, Or maybe all the best people are just ahead of their time.

Homer took a deep, exhausting sigh, before he gets up. He'll just wait for that day to come. He doesn't need to trust anyone. He just have to believe and trust his guts.

***

"Here's your Éclair and Brioche," nakangiting saad ni Ronan habang isa-isang inilalapag nito ang mga order ng customer. Impit na mahihinang kilig naman ang pinakawalan ng dalawang babaeng customer dahil sa malambing na boses ng binata — bagay sa kantang tumutugtog sa speaker ng shop. It was a romantic French jazz song. Pakiramdam tuloy ng mga naroon ay para silang pinagsisilbihan ng mga makikisig na prinsipeng nakasuot nang cute na aprons.

Patagong napailing na lang si Ronan nang tumalikod ito sa dalawa. Isa lamang ang mga customer na iyon sa araw-araw na mga nagpupunta upang bumili sa kanilang shop. Hindi naman siya nagrereklamo dahil nakasanayan na niya ring makatanggap ng mga gano'ng uri ng reaksyon lalo na sa mga customer nila. Siguro ay isa ring dahilan iyon kaya may mga patuloy na bumabalik sa kanila.

Mag-iilang araw na rin mula noong matapos ang engkwentrong naganap sa fast-food chain. Ngunit kahit wala na siyang naging balita sa dalawa lalo na kay Devin ay araw-araw pa rin siyang naghihintay ng balita sa telebisyon. But somehow, it's good that he's now back doing his usual routines in the shop. His work keeps him distracted from anyone and anything that associates with Devin. And it was effective.