“It is alright. I forgive you. Just trust me when I say that everything is under control. I am at the top of this game, and I will not allow anything to happen to you and Angel.” I explain.“And you too, Irma. You can only keep us safe if you remain safe yourself.” She says.Yeah, me too. I know that. “Me too. Nothing bad will happen to us.” I affirm.“I trust you.” She whispers. I can sense the sincerity in her tone. Her face is smeared with honesty too.“Thank you. And please, can we not fail again? This is unlike us. If ever you doubt my plans, ask me nicely, please." I plead.“I will. I will not even question you again. I trust you wholly. And I am behind you throughout this whole journey.” She reassures me.“Thank you," I state.She smiles, assuming a different facial gesture. “Aright. Back to where we were now. So, how do you find him now? Don’t worry. This will remain between us.” She asks, all smiling on.Sha! Sometimes she acts like a real chameleon.“Forget that. He is tryin
Ray clears his voice after a moment of silence. “I just came to check what has been keeping you for so long. Angel is getting late for school.” He says this while standing at the doorway. He always has bad timing to pop up. I hope he did not hear it all.“I will take the breakfast to Angel.” Julie says as she grabs the tray in haste. Shiet! The gossip got us so hooked us that we did not see time fly by. What were we thinking? To think that the poor guy came in even before time. Can I curse this friend of mine for arousing such mid-hooking gossip? “Hey! Where are you going?"Huh!I halt my course and glare at this one. What does she mean by where I am going? Am I not counted for breakfast or what? “To have breakfast, of course.” I state, glaring at her as she stands beside Ray, both of them closing all the space that I can escape through.“No. Don’t worry. I will serve Angel. Why don’t you stay here for a while and have a word with our guest? I am sure you have not even greeted him, ri
“Pregnant?” I snap, secretly feeling my belly with one hand. But my tummy is as flat as always. And even if that one-time mistake bore fruit, it could not have grown that big to be seen, much less to be noticed by some man who has zero knowledge about signs of early pregnancy. I doubt even the machines would capture it. Damn! I hope that does not happen, though.He urges me to smile after noticing my squeamishness. “Yes. With words. You have been staring for minutes.” He explains.Ooh. He should have just asked if I had something to say. That was such a long way. And wait, I was the only one staring? He wasn’t?“You were staring too. I think you are the one who looks like you want to say something. So, what’s up?” I ask, resting my back on the kitchen counter.I cannot believe I am doing this. I don’t even know if I am doing the right thing. I am taking a huge risk.He looks down for a minute, then drags his eyes back at me. “You really want to listen to me? Are you finally accepting
“Ooh, no, Mommy! It is because I now know that I can only have one mommy and one daddy. Julie is my auntie. So I have you as my only mommy, my Daddy, and two aunts—Auntie Julie and Auntie Ana.” She explains.This kid is too clever for her age. Where did she even learn all these? Until last night, Julie was her mommy, and this morning she just turned into an auntie? Who is advising this kid? I don’t even want to look at Julie right now. She must be dying inside.“But baby, Julie..."“We already talked, Mommy. She is okay with being my best friend and my best auntie.”She…they talked? How? When?I raise my voice and turn to Julie. A wicked wink from her to me denotes that she indeed talked with Angel. And I presume that is not the only discussion they had? She looks like a cunning witch with this confusing smile she is wearing. Where did they begin for things to even reach that point?“I think Angel and I should go now.” Ray says while I browse Julie's face. Why is she acting so confuse
“Kindly excuse us, Mary. And the next time a person comes to see me, do your job right and inform me right away. You have no absolute reason to send someone away. I hope this misconduct does not repeat itself again.” Ray states.“What? Are you doubting me because of this?"“Watch it, Mary!” Ray howls, making this bitch lean back in fright. Her big eyes almost pop out of stupor. “Show some respect to your senior, or I will be forced to kick you out.” He deadly warns.“You have already reinstated her?” She asks with disbelief, straightening herself after taking a step back.Her mouth never runs dry, does it? What is with all the questions? Why is she so bothered by my stay here? Why does it seem like she does not want me here? What exactly is her beef with me?“Just get the hell out, Mary! I am your boss. I owe you zero fucking explanations.” Ray affirms in an irritated tone.She smirks evilly, as if he really knows he has all the reasons to explain a damn to her, but he is just playing
His eyes are miles away from mine. Not just my eyes, but he avoids looking anywhere close to my direction. Why? What kind of hot sh*t is he in? What mess is he entangled in? “I asked you a question, Ray! Who is that bitch who just insulted me right here? What is your deal with her?” I query again, finally conjuring his eyes to me.He does not look like someone who is in the mood to entertain this conversation, but I do not look like some light bitch who is willing to let this conversation go either. I am not willing to starve my curiosity like this.“I am sorry for how she acted.” He says this as he strolls over to his seat.Sorry? This seems like the very first galling word that appears in his vocabulary. He is so good at apologizing for mistakes that are not even his. Wow!“I didn’t ask for an apology. I asked who the hell she is and what right she has to insult me that way.” I state. I am sick and tired of his sorry.He drops on his seat, and leans on the table, motioning for me to
“There are people in this life whom you cannot care about, no matter how much you force yourself to even be human. And unfortunately, Tarah happens to be one of those.” Ray explains flatly. No remorse. No guilt. There are no feelings in his words.But on second thought, I can relate to him. I mean, I don’t think I can ever care for his mother after everything she has done to me and my child. I just can’t bring myself to have even a little pity for her. And that Tarah too. She is in the same category as Mrs. Mazzur. Nothing will save them from my wrath, and I will show them no mercy, no matter what.All the same, he has his own problems to deal with, and I have my own to deal with. I think it is best if this conversation ends here to avoid complications. But something tells Mary she is not done, causing trouble. I still feel the need to ask for more information about that witch, except whether he enjoyed their steamy romance that night. Yack! That sucks. It is even making me nauseous.
“How dare you two try to make a fool out of me, huh?” Tarah screeches as she inches closer. “You both have the nerves to meet behind my back? Don’t you have any shame?” She hisses again, and I smirk.What shame? She is the one who is so shameless to get paranoid when she has not even seen anything.How did she even know we were here? They don’t look like a couple who would follow each other around or even sit in the same office, and she does not seem like someone who just bumped into us by sheer luck. Or am I paranoid?Ray walks to my side, meaning he is on my side. After what he just told me about this woman and how I have seen them act like a wild cat and a pissed dog to each other, I am certain he will not hesitate to defend me over her if the need arises. He has got my back. Now, I can defend myself against this bitch, and it would be so satisfying to show this woman that she has nothing on me, but the most fun would be if her own husband chooses me over her. That is total glee fo
“And I will do everything I can to make sure you will never succeed, Mother!” Bravo! God bless this man for me.His mother snaps her face at him. “I cannot believe that you and your father had the audacity to defy my orders and go for this woman. Are you happy now? She has been here only for a few seconds, and she is already wrecking Havok. See how she is disrespecting me in front of even these pesky servants!"Oh, is she crying this early? It sucks, but it is interesting in a way. I mean, seeing her this way is a very heartfelt picture. And having her own son and her husband take my side gives me so much hilarity. I wonder where Ana is. She should be here to add more fun.“The problem is not about her dissecting you, Mrs. Mazur. The question is, do you have any respect for yourself? Do you have any shame, because even up to this point, I am trying to analyze just how a woman who is supposed to be my real mother could be so cruel and shameless to do what you did? So tell me, Mrs. Mazu
The drive has been so short and quiet. There is nothing that has been said throughout the seemingly short journey. Everyone has been engrossed in their own thoughts, except for Angel, who has been throwing questions here and there along the way.Coming into contact with the gate, Ray hoots, and the door opens. We drive in together with the jeep that is carrying our luggage.Taping our feet to the ground as we got out of the car, Angel was about to shout her awe at the place she would be living, but her glee was held at her throat by the sight of the antagonistic eyes of Ray’s mother and Tarah. They are here, gawking at us like they have loaded guns and their fingers on the trigger, ready to shoot us and send us to our next lives. If they didn’t have their hands crossed on their chests, I would have been forced to check and be weary of every slight movement. But I guess we are saved since there is no sense of guns. The bullets from their murderous eyes are totally harmless since I am u
That day. How can I leave all those memories of that moment behind? I cannot. I do not want to. Just like him. “I am carrying that one too.” I say.“Does that mean that it meant something to you?” He asks. You should see the hope and desperation in his eyes. I never liked the word miserable, but I like how it displays itself in his eyes. It gives them a look that would thaw anyone.I would like to get lost in them and swim through their walls and try to scour what more miseries lay deep there, but I guess there will be time for this and much more. Later? Yeah. When we surpass all these obstacles. When we are free to love and cherish each other without any worries or roadblocks, “I will ask the same thing that I asked your father, Ray. I know your father does not need any form of stress, and heaven knows I want none for him. But your mother and your wife are probably having a grave dug for me and my child the moment we step foot in that mansion. And you know I will not take any sh*t fr
It is that awful day. That day, I am closing yet another chapter and opening a new one of my unknown future. That day, we are saying goodbye to this house that has been our home for the last about six years. Sad, somehow.Darting my eyes around this house and this particular room, I won’t deny that I will not miss this place This is where I started my life all over again. Another phase of my life unfolded. I came into this house about six years ago. My heart was bleeding. I was torn. I was so broken and so lost. So confused. And most importantly, I am so bitter with myself, the world, and everything in general. The graph that depicted my fur was so obscure. I could not tell where I would end up with my baby. All that I knew was that I was a pregnant woman. A broken and broken potential motherI was a pregnant woman whose baby daddy had just toyed with and betrayed me in the most cruel way. That is what I knew back then. I was made to believe that, and I embraced that lie. I was about
“Mommy! Mommy! Mom!”Damn!I kick my duvet aside and get out of bed at a light speed. I hike to the door and open it as fast as I can ever do that, and Angel’s face greets me.“Angel? What is the problem? What happened?” I ask as I pull her inside, looking around for anything that is chasing her.“Nothing, mommy!”Nothing? She came all the way to my room, running and screaming my name this early morning, all for nothing. What time is it? I don’t have a wall clock on my face, so I grab my phone from under the pillow and check the time. Huh? Just twenty minutes past six in the morning? This is early, and she is awake? It's not even a school day.“Why are you still sleeping, mommy? What if Daddy comes to get us and we are not ready?” She asks.Ooh, that is it? The excitement? The glee. The enthusiasm and everything within the margins of that for the idea of living with her dad is what woke her up this early. My goodness! We have everything packed. Even the beds have been garbled, and we
“Okay. I suppose you have bought a gun, then? We really will need one unless you want to die in the hands of Mrs. Mazur and Ray’s wife, Irma. Goodness! I don’t like the kind of feeling that I am getting. We are technically throwing ourselves to the wolves.” Here comes Julie, the lamenter. The fear-freak little bitch She is scared to hell by this news that I just gave her.I know. I know. Yes, believe me, I do understand her. Everyone would look at this scenario from her perspective. Almost everyone would share her sentiments right now about this madness. All this is wrong. All is risky. Wait, risky, yes. Tick that one. But wrong? What exactly is wrong? Me granting an old, ailing man’s plea? Is my daughter getting what she truly deserves? What am I entitled to? Or the possibility of me and Ray perhaps just reuniting? Or is Ray performing his duties as a father to his only child?What exactly is wrong there? Nothing wrong with the above, right? We are just rewriting all the wrongs here.
“First, I need at least about three days to sort things out. I need to prepare my daughter for this first.” I say.I know she will be over the moon with the mind-boggling news of living with her father. I know how much she longs for this—to have her dad close. This will surely blow her mind off. And as early as now, despite the fights that await us ahead because of this, because I know it will evoke a catastrophe, I am happy for my daughter. And I will not deny her this golden chance, nor will I let anyone hinder her from enjoying this new life that she is so entitled to. It is her right. Nobody should stand in her way of this.“I understand. You can have the three days, but please, my dear, don’t take too long. I want to sort things out as early as possible.” Mr. Mazur says:I don’t understand what is chasing this man. Why does he want to speed up things like this? All the same, maybe it’s the need to clear his conscience. If that is the case, I will make sure he gets the peace that
“I was a very vibrant man when you last saw me, Irma. I was the man of the house. I held the sole authority to make you marry my son, and you two could be living happily with each other. No one could have dared go against my word. You wouldn’t need to sneak your hands under the table just to hold each other like your heart wants.”Shieeet! Damn! How does he know? I told you this man is so sharp-witted. I try to yank my hand away from Ray now that we have been caught, but I guess he is glad that we have actually been caught because he does not let go. He pins me more on him, and since I don’t want to arouse any more suspicions, I just let him have his way.I blush as I gaze I look back at Mr. Mazur, though. This is so embarrassing. The old man might be thinking about what we would be doing if there was no one around. But if only he knew that we had already sampled that sin. Sigh!“Instead of choosing what was right, which was my son’s happiness, I put my interests first, my legacy, my
So,their name had no stain, until I decided to stain it. They were stainless untill Irma decided to show up and now she is dragging their name into the mud. And they can not allow that. He is here to ask me to stop this war that I have started because it will stain their name more than it has already done.“I would like to know, do you have any proof of what you are accusing my wife of? Because if you don’t…”“I do have.” I cut him off, nicely, though, after remembering Ray told me not to abset him. “I would also like to let you know that I was not planning on causing any trouble for your family. I was minding my business and doing perfectly fine with my daughter without you all of you in the picture. Believe me, there was no way I would have chosen all this mess over the peace I had.” I explain.“I know. But now you are in this mess. What do you plan to do?”He asks.“I am sorry, Mr Mazur, but that I can not tell you. All I know is that your wife and your daughter-in-law will not leav