Chapter 6 : Unlike the movies

JAJA

Hindi ko alam kung bakit kami nandito. I don’t think I fit here with them. Cooler was in his dashing office clothes, this woman Pi looks ravishing in her dress samantalang lumang kupasin na maong at T-shirt naman ang suot ko. At a glance, mukha silang mag-asawa at katulong ako.

But Pi wasn't being indifferent to me. Wala siyang pakialam sa suot ko at panay lamang ang kanyang daldal. Ni hindi ko alam kung paano ako napapayag na sumama rito. Maybe because Cooler asked me to, at kung bakit napapayag si Cooler na pumunta rito? Mukhang tiklop siya kay Pi.

“Can you blame me if I decided to shoot him on his left nut?” tanong ni Pi kay Cooler. Batting her lashes, she waited for him to validate her claim at mukhang masunurin naman ito.

“Of course, Pi. I get where you stand pero kailangan mo ba talagang gawin ‘yon?” sagot ni Cooler.

I sat silently, munching on my food. Tutal naisipan naman nilang ilibre ako ng pagkain, I’ll just keep waiting here. Kanina pa sila nagkukwentuhan at hindi ako sigurado kung totoo ba ang pinag-uusapan nila. Maybe shooting someone on his nut is a reference for something kasi mukha namang malabong kaya ni Pi na bumaril ng kung sinu-sino.

Or was it really impossible?

I stared at her for a while. She doesn’t look sweet at all. Pero hindi naman pwedeng husgahan ang tao sa panlabas nilang anyo. Agad akong nag-iwas ng tingin nang napalingon sa akin si Pi. Marahil ay naramdaman niya ang titig ko sa kanya.

“Oh I’m sorry Ja, I know na-a-out of place ka sa pinag-uusapan namin,” sabi niya at sumubo. “Now let’s talk about you two. So did you two already did it?”

Biglang nabilaukan si Cooler. Agad naman siyang tinulungan ni Pi sa pamamagitan ng pag-abot ng tubig. She picked up the table napkin at pinunasan ang mesa kung saan natapon ang kinakain ni Cooler.

“Ano bang pinagsasabi mo, Pi?” he asked and turned to me. “Don’t mind her.”

I blinked at hindi naintindihan kung ano ang ibig sabihin nila. “Why? Ano nga ‘yong tanong mo, Miss Pi?”

Pi rolled her eyes. “Stop calling me Miss, okay? I hate that. You can call me Pi. At nagtatanong lang ako kung nag-sex na kayo.”

My turn to choke on my food.

How can she ask lie that’s normal? I mean, I’m not being prude or righteous. Hindi lang talaga ‘yon tamang itanong sa taong kakikilala mo lamang!

Sighing, she got my glass at ako naman ang inabutan ng tubig.

“What the heck is wrong with the two of you?” bumaling siya kay Cooler at itinaas ang isang killay. “Were you that slow? Or baka gusto mong gaya ko ay babae rin ang gumawa ng first move? You know, Rocket like that but sometimes he is the dominant one.”

Inabot ni Cooler sa akin ang isang napkin. “Pi, Miss Rustia and I doesn’t have that kind of relationship.”

She frowned. “No?” She turned to me to confirm that.

“Hindi ko maintindihan ang tanong mo, Pi...” It’s weird to call her by her name pero ayaw kong mainis siya sa akin kung hindi ko siya tawagin sa pangalan niya. Again I don’t want to get on her bad side. “Pero kung tama ang pagkakaintindi ko, yes tama si Sir Cooler. Hindi ganoon ang relasyon namin. Also, I have a boyfriend.”

“Oh, I see.” Itinaas niya ang isang kamay. “Question.”

Nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ko sa kanila ni Cooler. The latter looked like he’s so done with her pero maliban sa buntis si Pi at ayaw niyang pasamain ang loob nito, there might be other reasons why he couldn’t use the serious tone with her.

“Yes?” acknowledge ko kay Pi.

Ibinaba niya ang kamay. “Just curious, who’s hotter, Cooler or your boyfriend?”

My mouth gaped open. This woman is so peculiar. Sinusubukan ba niya akong ireto kay Cooler? I don’t think that’s working. Malabo yatang magkagusto sa akin si Cooler at malabo ring ipagpalit ko si Jules kay Cooler—if that’s even possible.

“My boyfriend,” confident kong sagot.

Biglang natawa si Pi. “Can’t believe you answered without hesitation. Alam mo bang patay na patay ako dati kay Cooler? I mean, he’s one of the hottest men on earth yet you chose your boyfriend without hesitation. Ganoon ka ba ka-loyal?” pabirong tanong niya.

I smiled. “I love my boyfriend kaya sa paningin ko, siya ang pinakagwapong tao sa mundo. And all I can offer is loyalty.”

Pi sat in silence at nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin niya sa amin ni Cooler. “Alright, I am an advocate of loyalty. Dati ay loyal ako kay Cooler at Harry Styles but now my loyalty in only to my husband. And by the way, he’s also hot.”

Napangiti lamang ako kay Pi. She looked so cool and pure at the same time. I can’t say her life is easy ngunit kung pinansiyal ang pag-uusapan, it’s safe to think that she doesn’t experienced that difficulty. Napatingin ako sa kanyang katawan. There were visible scars but it blended well with her skin.

Sinundan niya ng tingin ang mga mata ko. Hinawakan niya ang tila peklat sa kanyang braso. “I got this fighting for my life. And someone told me they were  my proof of survival,” nakangiting saad niya. Her smile suddenly faded at tila nairita siya. “Damn it, I miss him already, kailan ba kasi babalik si Rocket, Cooler?”

“No idea,” sagot ni Cooler.

My phone suddenly rang, dahilan upang maging sina Pi at Cooler ay napatingin sa akin. Kinuha ko ang cellphone at saglit na nagpaalam sa kanila. I walked to the side at sinagot ang tawag.

“Hello, Brad?”

“Ja, nasaan ka?” tanong ng kapatid ko. Wala man lamang hello rin? O kahit hi man lang? Bagay talaga sa kanya maging pulis. He’s hard to convinced without any proof of it and he’s always straight to the point.

My brother is always the achiever. Kung ikukumpara kaming dalawa, I can be considered as the black sheep of the family. If I have to try out thirteenth times for a role, si Brad naman ay hindi na kailangang mag-audition. Usually, the school plays would ask him to do the lead. Matalino rin siya at sikat. He can always get by with his looks and brains.

Although I do not cause much trouble like most black sheep does, I was plain. Kung hindi lamang kami magkaapelyedo ay baka wala ng naniniwala sa akin na magkapatid kami. I do not excel at school but I did not fail. I am not popular at hindi rin naman ako tarantado.

I am just mediocore. And sometimes, I feel sad about it. Sometimes.

“Nasa trabaho,” sagot ko sa kanya.

Saglit siyang natahimik. He’s probably thinking when did I get a job. “Nakalaya na si Jules.”

Nakahinga ako nang maluwag. Buti naman! Mahirap kayang mag-ipon ng pangpyansa.

“Thank goodness, sinagot mo ba siya? I mean, you know, did you pull some strings—“

Pinutol ni Brad ang sinabi ko. “May babaeng nagpiyansa sa kanya. They left together.”

Muntik na akong mabuwal sa kinatatayuan. “Ano?!” Napataas yata ang boses ko dahil napatingin ang ilang naroon. I gave them an apologetic look bago hininaan ang boses. “Ano? Sino? Kilala mo ba ang babae?”

“Si Alliah,” Brad said nonchalantly.

Kinagat ko ang pang-ibabang labi upang pigilan ang nagbabadyang hikbi. Si Alliah, si Alliah na naman.

Ex ni Jules si Alliah, in fact mula pa noong high school ay sila na. Ambisyosa si Alliah, you know the type who wants everything to be perfect pero dahil hindi mayaman si Jules, she chose to drop him. Pero madalas ay nahuhuli ko silang magkasama pero naniniwala akong magkaibigan lamang sila.

I know Jules will not cheat on me.

Pinilit ko ang sarili na ngumiti. “I see, tinulungan na naman siya ni Alliah. Thanks, Brad. Susundin ko na lang si Jules sa pad niya baka naroon siya at nagpapahinga.”

“Ja, when are you going to keep this up—“

“Bye, Brad!” Mabilis na pinatay ko ang tawag bago pa man matapos ni Brad ang sasabihin. Malamang mahabang litanya na naman iyon ng kung anu-anong masasamang bagay tungkol kay Jules. He will surely try to brainwash me that there’s something going on again between Jules and Alliah. Like, hello, hindi ba pwedeng magkaibigan na lamang sila. Alliah bailed him out for old times sake. And they can be in the same room talking about a lot of things.

I always believe that a man and a woman can be at the same room but with no sexual interaction. I am a proof to that. I have been always firm on my belief that sex is for married couples only, and Jules who loves me so much respected that. Kaya naniniwala akong walang milagrong gagawin si Jules at Alliah.

Huminga ako nang malalim at ibinalik sa bulsa ang cellphone. Nagpractice ako ng ngiti bago bumalik sa mesa kung nasaan sina Cooler at Pi. Tatapusin ko lamang ang kinakain ko at magpapaalam na ako sa kanila so that I won't appear to be rude.

I sat back at kahit abala sila sa pag-uusap ay bumaling sila sa akin.

“Problems?” tanong ni Pi.

Ngumiti ako at umiling. “No, wala naman---“

“Liar,” she said. “If it’s about money, siguro naman ay makakatulong si Cooler, right?” Bumaling siya kay Cooler at hinintay ang kumpirmasyon nito but Cooler just looked distressed. Gayunpaman, tumingin siya sa akin at bahagyang tumango—maybe for compliance, you know just to not get on Pi’s bad side.

“I think we can arrange that,” sabi ni Cooler at nag-iwas ng tingin. “I’ll ask the payroll department to—“

“No, wala akong problema sa pera, thank you,” mabilis a sagot ko. Yes, tinanggap ko ang trabahong ito para may pangpiyansa ako kay Jules pero ngayong nakalabas na siya, I don’t think that the money I will earn will be used for that purpose.

Mukhang hindi convinced si Pi sa sagot ko. “If it’s about a guy, I have a gun.”

Sabay kaming napatingin sa kanya ni Cooler na nanlalaki ang mga mata. I slowly looked around to see if others heard it too, and thankfully mukhang ang waitress lang naman na nasa gilid but she doesn’t seem to mind.

I mean, how could she just say it casually?! And what is she suggesting, murder?

“Pi...” bahagyang babala sa kanya ni Cooler but Pi is a rebel.

“What, it’s not like what I said is a taboo,” pangangatwiran niya. She leaned closer to me. “But seriously, I have a gun, I can let you borrow one.”

Pilit na ngumiti ako. “Salamat, I don’t think I need it.” Seriously?

“Why not? A gun can almost solve anything,” kibit-balikat na sabi ni Pi. “Got problems with money? Shoot someone. Got problems with life? Shoot someone. An annoying old fart? Shoot him. Kung hindi lamang binago ng matandang ‘yon ang desisyon niya kanina, I would have suggested that you shoot him, Cooler.”

She must be referring to that old  businessman kanina. Pi maybe exaggerating pero malaki rin ang posibilidad na totoo ang sinasabi niya. But it’s not like it’s okay to shoot people.

Someone’s phone rang and it was Pi’s. Agad na sinagot niya yon at napansin ko ang kanyang pagkairita.

“Alright, I’ll be there,” sagot niya at walang paalam na pinatay ang tawag bago bumaling sa amin ni Cooler. “I’m sorry but I have to go. I wish I can stay and hang out with Jaja pero may importante akong gagawin.”

Ngumiti ako sa kanya. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

She turned to Cooler. “I’ll leave her to you, take her somewhere, pamper her but don’t do anything stupid Cooler.” Tumayo siya at ginawaran ng halik si Cooler sa pisngi. She did the same to me bago lumabas ng restaurant.

Naiwang kaming dalawa ni Cooler na tahimik at akward sa isa’t-isa.

I cleared my throat bago nagsalita. “Susunod na rin ako—“

“Unless you know Pi, we’ll both get in trouble with her kapag hindi natin sinunod ang sabi niya.” He gestured to the waiter at hiningi ang bill. I looked away so I couldn’t see how much it costs to be in a fancy restaurant gaya rito. Nang makaalis ang waiter ay muli siyang napatingin sa akin. “I’ll take you to the spa.”

“Thank you pero hindi ako mahilig sa ganoon,” sagot ko sa kanya.

Nag-isip siya saglit. “How about shopping?”

Sounds great but it will be a burden. Mas gusto kong bumili ng damit sa ukay-ukay o di kaya ay sa tiangge. “Won’t do.”

“Movies?”

Umiling ako.

“Fine,” pagsuko niya. “Let’s just resume what we started this morning.”

Tatanggi na sana ako sa kanya at sasabihing may importante akong lakad ngunit bigla akong natigilan nang makita ang pares na pumasok sa pinto ng restaurant.

It was Jules with Alliah.

Nakalawit pa ang braso ni Alliah kay Jules at kung hindi ko lamang napigilan ang sarili ko ay baka tumayo na ako at pinaghiwalay sila.

“Miss Rustia?” pukaw sa akin ni Cooler. When I didn’t pay attention, sinundan niya ng tingin ang direksyong tinitingnan ko. “You know them?”

Hindi pa rin ako sumagot at sinundan lamang sila ng tingin hanggang sa makaupo sila. They looked so happy at panay pa ang hawak ni Alliah sa mukha ng boyfriend ko. Unless may muta sa mata si Jules at kumalat iyon sa kanyang mukha, Alliah has no reason to hold his face countless times!

Tumayo ako at akmang lalapit sa kanila ngunit bahagya akong natigilan. Ayaw kong gumawa ng eksena rito. The fact that I looked so plain in my clothes is enough for me to catch attention kaya kung may gawin man ako ay mas lalo lamang akong mapapansin.

I sat back again and bowed my head to prevent my tears from falling. Ano na naman ba ang iniisip ko, of course, two friends can hang out in a fancy restaurant! Malamang ang pera ni Alliah ay galing sa kanyang sugar daddy and there’s nothing wrong with sharing some of those to Jules, her friend, right?

Sino na naman ba ang niloloko ko?

Now that I noticed, I was crying so hard.

I’m so tired of making a fool out of myself.

Suddenly, I heard Cooler’s chair moved. Nagulat na lamang ako nang umusog siya palapit sa akin at hinawakan ang kamay ko. I immediately looked at him with surprise.

Cooler looked like a fun guy but his serious aura is scary. Through my tears, I looked at him and he doesn’t look particularly pleased.

“S-sir...” Ni hindi ko alam kung ano ang sasabihin. I know I looked like a complete mess right now. I have an active tear ducts na kahit mumunting bagay ay naluluha na ako, what more if it caused me pain?

Minsan ay naiisip ko kung bakit hindi ako makakuha ng role kahit na tila gripo ang mga mata ko, now I know why. I do cry a lot but I looked ugly. Kaya pala sa dami ng heavy drama school plays na nag-audition ako, the only main role I got was Sisa.

Bumaba ang tingin ko sa kamay kong hawak niya. He was gripping hard on my hand like he’s truly sorry for whatever. I tried to get my hands out of his grip ngunit mahigpit ang hawak niya roon. That or I really didn’t want to let go because I want a comforting hand.

“Do you know them?” seryosong tanong niya.

I slowly nodded, biting my lower lip. “T-the girl is Alliah. I knew her s-since high school.” I don’t have to tell him that all the chain messages I received, I forwarded them all to Alliah. “A-and the guy is... Jules.”

Tiningnan niya ako nang mariin at walang sinabi, like he wanted me to say what I wanted to say.

Kinagat ko ang pang-ibabang labi upang pigilan ang paghikbi. “H-he’s my boyfriend.”

I don’t expect him to flip, smash the table or overly react pero his silence is even more scary than seeing him flip. He sighed heavily. I know it’s weird to say this but my eyes watched his adam’s apple moved up and down as he sighed and honestly I never find that so attractive until now.

Kulang na lamang ay hampasin ko ang sarili. What am I doing? I just caught my boyfriend with another girl, and here I am, admiring my boss’s adam’s apple?! I am a terrible woman!

Tumayo si Cooler at hindi man lamang binitiwan ang kamay ko. Nagulat ako sa ginawa niya ngunit nanatili akong nakaupo, watching him with a confused face.

“W-where are you going?” tanong ko.

“To your boyfriend...”

Mabilis na umiling ako. “No, please. I can handle this.” Again, ayaw kong gumawa ng eksena. Jules wouldn’t like that and I’m not the type who do scandalous acts in the public.

Saglit na tiningnan ako ni Cooler, and now I felt the discomfort. Naging conscious tuloy ako sa suot ko. If only I knew I’m going to meet Pi and we’ll dine here, I should have worn a decent clothes at hindi kupasing tattered jeans at t-shirt na may mumunting butas dahil sa kalumaan. Okay naman ang suot ko kung ibang tao ang kasama ko sa mga sandaling ‘to. Honestly, I don’t really look that trashy ngunit kaninang kasama ko sina Pi at Cooler, it felt like a cinematography of a movie where there was a flashback to the past.

Cooler doesn’t look particularly pleased. “You know how I thought I can handle that old man on my own and you decided to throw a fit?”

Uh-uh, see? He’s mad dahil sa nangyari kanina!

“We just need to knock sense to yur boyfriend’s mind,” sabi niya.

Damn, why is Cooler Vander so scary? I mean, I can insist that I should handle this on my own, pero bakit ang aura niya ay tila ayaw akong payagan na hindi sumang-ayon sa nais niya?

“Pero...”

Tumayo siya at hindi man lamang lumuwang ang hawak niya sa kamay ko. He pulled me firmly kaya kahit natatakot at nanginginig ang mga tuhod, I surprisingly walked towards their table.Tumigil kami sa harap nila at nang mag-angat si Jules ng tingin, he doesn’t look bothered at all.

Kung may dala akong camera, it’s so good to capture Alliah’s reaction. Her mouth gaped open, ngunit hindi dahil nahuli ko sila ni Jules. She looked smitten and surprised to see Cooler Vander. Agad siyang napatayo at napatakip ang palad sa bibig.

“Sir Cooler Vander!” bulalas niya. Bumaba ang tingin niya sa kamay ni Cooler na hawak ang kamay ko. Her eyes traced where those hand was hanggang sa napatingin siya sa akin. That’s when she finally noticed me, and there goes that disgusted look in her face. Saglit lamang iyon dahil bumaling siya kay Cooler. “It’s good to see you sir!”

“Do I know you?” tanong ni Cooler, and damn, that voice is scary. Parang gusto ko na lamang kainin ng lupa. Or maybe melting into a liquid or magically flee from this place is a good idea.

Alliah flirtatiously tucked her hair behind her ear. “I work at Vander Trading—“

“What's your name?” tanong ni Cooler.

"Alliah Montalaba—"

Cooler suddenly pulled his phone and dialed a number. Nang may sumagoy sa kabilang linya ay agad siyang nagsalita. "We have an employee named Alliah Montalaba, fire her effective today."

Parehas na nanlaki ang mga mata namin ni Alliah but I have no time to say something dahil  bumaling siya kay Jules. “And you, from now on, you don’t have a girlfriend.”

What?

Kahit si Jules ay hindi maintindihan kung bakit ganoon ang sinabi ni Cooler.

“Ah, maybe you still have but definitely not this woman,” he said and pointed at me.

Ibinuka ko ang bibig ngunit walang salitang lumabas doon. What hurts me most is that Jules didn’t even try to react, get angry or to somehow look upset. Hindi ba ako importante sa kanya? He just watched as Cooler pulled me away from the scene that happened so fast.

I wasn’t expecting much drama ngunit habang papalabas kami roon ay umaasa akong susunod si Jules, magpapaliwanag o di kaya ay magmamakaawa na bumalik ako at patawarin siya, because if he did, I would really reconsider and think it through, but no. Nothing like that happened hanggang sa makasakay ako ulit sa sasakyan ni Cooler.

Bakit hindi katulad sa mga movie o librong nababasa ko ang mga nangyayari sa buhay ko? If it’s a movie, Jules would have probably looked upset that I caught him redhanded. Or he would probably run towards me, ask forgiveness and I'll give him another chance. He would have probably been jealous by how Cooler Vander was gripping on my hand and throw a fist at him.

Pero wala. None of those happened, Jules couldn’t care less.

And that hurt so bad. Wala man lamang lungkot sa mukha niya dahil sa sinabi ni Cooler.

When the door beside me closed, I immediately sobbed. Hanggang sa makapasok na rin si Cooler sa sasakyan, patuloy lang ako sa pag-iyak.

Cooler sat there and watched me cried my heart out. Hindi ko alam kung gaano ako katagal na umiyak, all I know is that he turned on the engine but we didn’t leave yet. Hindi rin siya sumubok na aluin ako. Cooler just sat there, his hands gently tapping on the steering wheel.

Nang mapansin niyang bahagya akong kumalma, kinuha niya ang box the tissue at inabot iyon sa akin. I whispered a thank you before pulling one at pinunasan ang mukha ko.

“You done crying?” tanong niya.

“Sorry..”

“It’s okay. You’re hurt, so, your crying is valid,” sabi niya. There was no intention to comfort me behind those words ngunit hindi ko alam kung bakit nagbigay iyon ng ginhawa sa akin. “Your boyfriend is a jerk.”

Mapait na ngumit ako. “I know.”

“He does not deserve you.”

Alam kong namamaga ang mga mata ko so it’s best not to let him see me this miserable. “I’ve always been told so.”

“But that just spice up our life,” nakangiting sabi niya habang malayo ang tingin. “We don’t always get what we want kahit nasa’yo na ang lahat.”

“More so if you don’t have anything to offer other than love and loyalty,” komento ko. Kahit papaano ay kumalma na ako. There’s still pain, yes, but I can bear it for now.

“But it’s not the everything that you want in someone, it’s what they can offer that’s whole-heartedly yours,” sabi niya. “And we have expectations that if not met, we feel terrible about it, when in fact, there’s more to it than what we expected.” Ngumiti siya at bumaling sa akin. “Alam mo ba, when I was a kid, my father has everything to give me but less time. Lahat ng laruan, meron ako. I even have toys and computer games that’s not out in the market yet but despite everything I have, I always seek my dad’s time to bond with me. I cried about it all the time, at pakiamdam ko hindi ako mahal ng tatay ko. That he preferred my younger brother who’s smart and from the woman he loved the most... pero...”

I don’t know why I’m hearing such from him. Siguro ay gusto niya akong icomfort. Hearing all these from him is actually new to me. It’s like he let me get one step closer to his personal life.

“I realized my old man isn’t really the showy type of father. I knew he loves me because he worked hard so I have something to reap from his hardwork. Letting me enjoy the fruit of his labor is actually his love language. At hindi totoong mas gusto niya ang kapatid ko kaysa sa akin. He loves me, my brother and even my cousins equally. I thought he didn’t care about me dahil hindi niya ako pinapagalitan. I do not get repremanded by him for all the stupid actions I did before. Palagi kong naririnig dati na mahal ng mga magulang ang anak nila kaya sila pinapagalitan, so I thought, my old man doesn’t love me dahil ni minsan ay hindi niya ako pinapagalitan. Until I realize, he loves me and because he loves me, he trust me that I can correct things on my own.”

Binuksan niya ang glove compartment at naglabas ng baraha mula roon. “I loved magic because of him. When he’s got a little time to spend with me, he always did some tricks.” He shuffled the cards and let me pick one.

Naguguluhan man ay pumili ako ng baraha. As instructed, I shoved the card back to the deck at pinanuod siyang ireshuffle iyon.

“Every single time, mayroon siyang bagong trick na dala kapag nakakasama ko siya kaya sabi ko sa sarili ko. why don’t I surprise him by learning magic tricks too?” tumigil siya sa ginagawa at tiningnan ako. “What time is it?”

Confused, I immediately looked at my phone. “12:06.”

“Twelve plus six is eighteen.” He counted eighteen cards bago itinabi ang iyon. “Twelve minus six is six.” Muli siyang nagbilang ng anim na cards at nakataob na ibinukod din ‘yon. He picked up the twenty four card and let me picked one. “Get your card.”

“Sandali, let me clarify. I chose a card kanina, and now you want me to blindly pick the card that I chose? Isn’t this supposed to be your trick?” naguguluhang tanong ko.

He giggled. “Yup. This is my trick so you will surely get your card.”

Nagtatakang tiningnan ko siya at sa huli ay nakabuntong-hininga na pumili na lamang. I randomly picked a card dahil after niyang ireshuffle iyon ay hindi ko na alam saan doon ang card na napili but I still expected that this is a card trick that he mastered.

My card revealed the queen of diamonds.

“Is that your card?” tanong niya sa akin.

“No,” I replied. Kanina ay ace of hearts ang napili ko, not the queen of diamonds. I looked at him with a frown. Now what, is this his failed attempt at card tricks?

“That is how I realized my father loves me. It’s just that he doesn’t meet my expectations of his fatherly love. You expected to pick your card that you overlooked how I slipped it on your lap.”

Agad na napatingin ako sa roon, and he was right. The ace of hearts was really on my lap.

“Like you, I focused on what I wanted to see. I disregarded the bigger picture of how hard my father worked his ass off for me. I think it’s time you do the same, Rustia.”

Siguro ay tama siya. I’ve been focused on what I expected Jules and I would become to the point that everyone who gave me a sincere advice, it felt like they’re antigonizing. I know it’s not easy to look on the bigger picture that fast but at least, I’ve already taken a single step.

I smiled sincerely. “I’ll try to do so. Thank you.”

He winked at me. “Glad to help.”

#

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