A BROKEN HEART

PAULA

FLASHBACK

“Hey, babe. I am sorry to call you this late, but my phone ran out of battery. How was your gig?” I asked.

“Fine, what do you want, Paula?” He rudely asked. He sounds drunk too.

“Uhm, did I call you at your bad time?”

“No, Paulita, this is a perfect time, but unfortunately I am busy,”

“It’s 2 AM, what are you busy with, Bruce? I just want to talk to you?”

“Celebrating, Señorita!” He laughs and starts singing one of his songs. “You could have been here too to join the party, but you chose to ignore me the whole fuckin’ night!” He yells, making the person that he is with giggle. The laugh is off a woman that I don’t recognise. Is he only with a woman, I mean, I know that there is a woman in their band, but she sounds more like a man. Who could this one be?

“Who is with you, Bruce, are you with a woman alone?” I ask in a firm tone.

“What if I am, baby? As I said, I am quite busy. If there is anything else, call my manager.”

He hangs up on me. He was utterly disrespectful and for him to hang up on me like that really threw me off.

Why the fuck would he dismiss me like that? Just yesterday, we were fine and a few hours later after his gig, we are mouse and cat?

When I was about to call him again, a W******p message came through my phone. Seeing Bruce’s name appear on my notification, I expected an apology because what he just did was uncalled for.

I open the chat and I noticed that he sent a video. It automatically downloaded through my Wi-Fi, and the cover of the video is him, shirtless, showing off the art on his thin body. I decide not to watch it and go to sleep because, for all I know, he might be singing or insulting me right now.

I still managed to wake up on time even though my sleep was really fucked up. I kept waking up now and then out of anxiety, thinking about the possibilities that could be happening between my boyfriend and the woman.

Speaking of my boyfriend, I remembered the video he sent to me earlier. I toss out of bed, making my way to my walk-in closet; I think that is where I left my phone last night.

I grabbed my phone from the dressing counter and checked through it. I went directly to my W******p and opened my chat with Bruce before I played the video.

“You want to see who is with me? I will show you, honey,” He said in the video before he switched to the back camera where the whole ass was on display in front of the camera, shaking shamelessly, and for a moment I felt a little apprehensive with my ass because it couldn’t do that.

He started smacking the ass, causing the woman to whimper in excitement.

“You like that, baby?” He asked.

“Yes, daddy… harder,” The girl begged.

“Beg,” He ordered.

“Please, daddy,” She obeyed, waiting to be smacked once again. My stomach could not take in more than it already has. I stopped the video and called Bruce immediately. His phone rang unanswered and sent me to voicemail.

I am so raged and whatever is going to come out of my mouth right now is not going to be kind.

“I fucking hate you, Bruce! How could you do this to me; what have I done to deserve this? I HATE YOU! Fuck you and fuck her, you deserve each other, and I hope you live miserable life you fucking bastard. I am done with you!” I ended the call.

Looking at the time, it is very early. I decide to brush my teeth and then make my way to my parents’ bedroom and knocked. It took a while before my mother answered for me to come in.

“Paulita, what is it so early?” She asks, tying her robe. My father is asleep and not even moving an inch.

“Ma, can I talk to you about something?”

“Couldn’t it wait until I was up?”

“Mom, it’s Bruce,” And only now do I let go of my rage and start getting emotional.

“Oh, you woke me up for that? Didn’t your father and I warn you about that good for nothing man of yours? I don’t even want to hear what he did to you because I care less. You should have left that man long ago, Paulita. No, scratch that… what I meant to say is that you should have NEVER even dated him. Whatever he has done to you, I hope it hurts you until you get to your senses and realise that your parents were right,”

Her response left me in dried-out tears and my mouth agape. From a mother, whom I sought comfort in really kicked me while I was on my knees. Why did she have to rub salt in my wounded flesh like that; I just wanted to hear the bolstering words that I have been longing to hear on my first break-up with my ex-boyfriend. I needed her to hug me, whisper in my ear, and tell me that he never deserved me and I will be okay. Why does she have to be cruel to me?

My tears streamed out of my eyes, not because of Bruce, but because of my mother’s words. Who says such to their heartbroken daughters?

I sadly left the room and went downstairs to the kitchen to bake my sorrows away. Croissants were the first thing that came to my mind.

Mixing the dry ingredients, my tears fell into the bowl, but I didn’t care. I continued to get everything together before I flipped the pan into the oven and let it bake while I prepare other food for breakfast.

As soon as breakfast was done, I looked at the time and I realised that I was running late and my parents came down dressed up, ready for work.

“Buenos Dias, Paulita my Lita,” My bubbly father side-hugs me and pecks my cheek. “Paula, you look sad. What is the matter; have you been crying?” He worriedly asks.

“Don’t worry yourself about her, honey. She is just going through a heartbreak that we both expected to happen,”

My father frowned, looking at my mother, and then back at me.

“Oh, Paulita,” He said, pulling me in his arms. “I never liked that bastard, but I am not happy that he made you sad. How are you feeling now? Did the baking make you feel any better?”

I stared at my mother who seemed unapologetic, and I wished to shout to her; “This is what parents do to their sad children”, but I closed my eyes, cherishing my father’s empathy towards me.

“Now that you are here, I feel better, papá. Would you like some tea and croissants?”

“I can never say no. Belinda, let’s sit for breakfast,“

“No,” My mother bluntly refuses. “We need to be at work in thirty minutes, Petro. We have crises, in case you have forgotten,”

“How can I forget, but right now our daughter needs us as her parents. She went through so much trouble to get this breakfast prepared,”

“You are spoiling this brat, Petro. She is not the first one to have a broken heart. If this breakfast is so important to you, Petro, why don’t you have it on my behalf and you will catch up with me at work? I’m taking the RS5.” My mother dismissed my dad, grabbing the car keys from the key holder before she left.

Dad was about to say something pitiful to me, but I smiled, shaking my head.

“It’s okay, papá. I was going upstairs to get ready for work anyway,”

“Mmh, alright. I guess I will have breakfast alone. I will be one when you get down. I will call Sergio will be here for sure; please be kind,”

What does he mean by “be kind”?

“I am always kind, papá!”

He laughed and nodded.

“I know, sweetie.”

.

PRESENT-TIME

“Paula, we are here,” Sergio says. I look outside through the double lens of my tears and sunglasses, and we are right outside the building of my workplace.

I take my glasses off and take out a wipe, wiping my face. I think I made the whole way awkward for Sergio because he kept cussing under his breath the whole way, not knowing what to say to me. It was actually better that way because me and him can never have a proper conversation.

“I have a parking spot right there in the second row,” I tell him.

He gets the car in the right parking. I make a final face check on the mirror and put some cream on my face for moisture.

“Let’s go,” I said, getting out of the car, and leading him inside the building.

I thought if I took a day off, I would go crazy at home, but I think coming to work was the worst idea. I don’t feel too well.

“Did you find the creep that smashed my tires?” I ask as we enter the elevator.

“My guys are on to it,” He answered. I rolled my eyes in my glasses.

“What is taking them so long? If it were my brothers, they would have found him by now,”

“Then call your brothers, Señorita.” He bluntly said, dismissing me.

***

Later in the day, I called my best friend, Carolina to meet up with me at my workplace for lunch. She came, not looking so well herself either. Sergio stared at her as she entered the canteen, where I was. Carolina was really smitten to see him.

“Girlfriend, don’t tell me this is your new bodyguard!” She excitedly said, fancying him.

“Well, hello to you too, Lina,” We hug before sitting down. I call her Lina; she calls me Lita. “What happened to you?”

“Rough night. What happened to you?” She flinches as she sits down.

“Your rough night sounds interesting. Tell me about it because my story might ruin the chances of you telling me about it,”

She laughs.

“How about you telling me about that handsome thing standing over there? Is he single?” See, this is what I meant when I said it is another story when my friends meet my bodyguards; they harass them.

“I don’t get quite along with him, but just so you know, this one takes no bullshit,”

“Oh, sounds like my type. What’s his name?”

“Focus, Carolina!” I exclaim, laughing.

“Sorry, friend. Uhm, you sounded very sad over the phone, what is the matter? Is it him?”

“No, not really but he really can piss me off. It’s Bruce,”

“Bruce, what did he do?” She frowned.

I started telling her everything from the beginning and showed her the video. The video continued from where I left it and my heart dropped to my gut, beating through my stomach when he buried his face in the woman’s butt, rimming her.

My phone was quite loud enough for Sergio to hear the girl’s moans from where he is sitting. My tears involuntarily streamed down my cheeks. Carolina was so quiet, rubbing her hand on my shoulder.

“I don’t know what to say… I-I am sorry, Lita,”

“That is not even the worst part. My mother was so happy to celebrate my sadness and did not even care how that made me feel. Bruce broke my heart, but my mother stepped on the broken pieces, tarnishing every piece of it. She said and I quote: “Whatever he has done to you, I hope it hurts you until you get to your senses”, can you believe it?” I sob.

“Oh, Lita, you don’t deserve this. I am so sorry that you went through all that, and as for Bruce, dump his ass because he does not deserve you. You deserve better, to be loved, protected, and cherished. Bruce will realise that he lost real value while digging for stones. It’s going to be okay, I promise,”

“I loved him,” I cried.

“I know, and I know it hurts. It is going to take time, but you will be fine,” She wrapped her arms around me. “Stop crying… he does not deserve your tears,”

“I will try.” She kept shifting so much on her seat like someone nervous. “Are you not comfortable?” I ask.

“Your bodyguard is just too hot, I can’t help it but I want to jump on him. I love his sky-blue eyes,”

I shook my head.

“Try your luck,”

“Maybe later. For now, I have something important to ask you,” She starts.

“Uhm, okay. What is it?”

“Can I borrow your car this weekend? My new boyfriend wants to take me out on a vacation, and I can only meet him there,”

“Say no more, girl. The car is yours,” Without hesitation, I said.

“And, I am going to need to borrow some of your clothes,”

“Mmhh, okay, but promise to tell me about this man of yours?”

“Of course!”

I looked to my far right and Sergio was staring like someone who is so disappointed and slightly shook his head. It left me so confused.

***