Scripted Relationship

Chapter 39

ERIK

“Hindi kita kayang saktan. Pero ikaw, nakakaya mo.”

With those words, Rose walked out of my unit slowly while crying. I wanted to catch her before she entered the elevator. I wanted to hug her tight to tell her how sorry I was for breaking her heart. I need to do this for your own good, Rose, I thought. Instead, I closed my door while a tear rolled on my cheek.

I went to the kitchen cabinet and got hold of a bottle of Jack Daniels. I got a small glass, went to the fridge to get two cubes of ice and pour the glass with Jack Daniels. I drank it. It somehow felt good for a while.

I walked to my lazy boy chair and sat there with Jack Daniels on my side. I poured another of Jack Daniels in my glass and looked up the ceiling as if I was looking a thousand miles away. If only Rose knew the truth behind my decision to break up with her. Suddenly, all the events that transpired during my stay in New York came back in a flash.

After taking a picture in the Empire State Building (uploaded it in Instagram and tagged Rose), I went to the house of Lola Lucing. Actually, I was a bit nervous to meet her because I didn’t know what to tell her about my life. We were accustomed to share stories everytime we meet. So, I started thinking what to tell her which included the story of Rose and I.

I reached Lola’s house a little over 45 minutes. I knocked on her door and I was greeted by her secretary.

“Hi, Erik,” said Lily, Lola’s American secretary. “Maganda umaga.” She said with an American accent. Nonetheless, her effort made me smile.

“Hi, Lily Potter,” I said in reply. Don’t be surprised though. Potter is her real surname. “Where’s grandmom?” I asked after.

“Oh, she’ll be here in fifteen minutes,” Lily explained to me. “You actually came in early.”

“Better early than late,” I said to her. “Grandmom has been always clear about that.”

“Totally,” she smilingly said to me while rolling her eyes. “You can wait in her study.”

I came in and walked directly to the study. Lily closed the door and followed behind me.

“You want something to drink?” Lily asked.

“Water will do,” I answered and she left to get one.

I walked inside Lola’s study room. I’ve been here a lot of times but our family photos would still amuse me. There was my graduation photo posted on the wall, while a lot of family pictures were inside a glass cabinet. Happy faces of Lola, Dad, Mom and I gleamed in all of it. There was also a photo of Lolo Enrico with Lola underneath the classic tree in our resthouse in Pangasinan. Just days ago, Rose and I were also there. It was where I professed my love for her. The thought of it just made me smile. Then, I heard a familiar voice.

“Those pictures never fail to amuse you, Enrico.”

I turned my back and I saw Lola already standing by the door. I went to her to give her a hug.

“I missed you, Lola,” I said to her as I let go of the hug.

“I miss you too, apo,” Lola said to me. “Glad you came here safe. Anyway, you better go to the dining room. We’ll need to talk a lot of things. And we will be having a visitor.”

Visitor? I asked myself. Am I not the visitor she was expecting? Though I was really curious about this visitor, I just thought that maybe it was a colleague of her who will teach me more about my position. After all, this was the purpose of my visit.