Chapter 4

"WHAT!? WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" hindi napigilan ni Kaylee ang sarili na sumigaw dahil sa sinabi ng mommy n'ya.

"Well, you're not getting any younger. You are already 26 years old so therefore, you should be married already." nakangiti pa nitong tugon sakanya na para bang hindi big deal para dito ang magpakasal.

"Are you out of your mind?" her mom and dad looked at her in disbelief dahil sa tanong at uri ng pagtatanong n'ya dito. "Do you think marriage is a joke and just nothing to you? do you think marriage should done just because someone turns 26 years old? I'm 26 years old, so? ni wala man lang nga kayong binigay na gift man lang kahit late na, tapos sasabihin n'yo sa'kin ngayon na magpapakasal ako? did you guys lose your brain while gambling in the casin—" hindi natuloy ni Kaylee ang sasabihin n'ya ng biglang dumapo sa pisngi n'ya ang palad ng mommy n'ya habang ang daddy n'ya ay walang pakialam sa nangyayari.

"Watch your tone young lady, you're being such a rude brat to your own parents, you don't even respect us at all." sigaw pa ng mommy n'ya sakanya.

Pagalit na tumingin si Kaylee sa mommy n'ya kahit pa nga medyo masakit ang pisngi n'ya dahil sa pagka-kasampal nito sakanya.

"Ako ba nirespeto n'yo bilang anak n'yo? You forget about me my whole life and just care about your business and how to spend all your money by gambling tapos biglang haharap kayo sa'kin to say na magpapakasal ako? does giving birth to me and treating me like nothing ain't enough suffering that you give me? you want respect? I can respect you but I choose not to." she said while tears are rolling down her cheeks. But Kaylee stand tall and strong in front of her mom and her dad who doesn't care.

"how dare you talk to me that way—" her mom hissed at her.

"and you cut my accounts dahil lang sinugal n'yo iyong pera? yung Pera na binigay n'yo sa'kin? ginasta n'yo sa pagsusugal tapos ipapakasal n'yo ako?" ani pa ulit ni Kaylee.

"Young lady, that money is still our money. Wala kang pakialam kung kukunin namin iyon sa card na kami rin ang nagbabayad." dinuro siya ng mommy n'ya.

"seriously mom? you have a lame excuse there. binigay n'yo sa'kin ang pera na iyon! tapos babawiin n'yo para ipang-sugal? and then suddenly I'll get married? bakit? what's your reason?" Galit na galit si Kaylee despite her tears flowing down.

"You don't have to know!" her mom hissed.

"I demand to know! it's my life that you keep ruining, at least give me the reason why!" napa-sigaw na si Kaylee dahil sa Galit.

Bago paman makasagot ang mommy n'ya, biglang hinampas ng mga palad ng daddy n'ya ang lamesa kaya napatingin silang dalawa ng mommy n'ya dito.

"You two are so annoying to my ears, shouting here and there." inis pa anito saka binaling ang tingin sakanya. "Kaylee, you'll get married and that's final. you can't do anything about it, nor we will stop it from happening. I don't care if you're not happy about it, what's important is you're getting married." anito, mapaklang natawa si Kaylee sa sinabi ng ama n'ya.

"Bakit nga? for what reason? na bankrupt naba ang kompanya n'yo at kailangan n'yo akong ipa-kasal sa ibang pamilya to save the company?" biro lang sana iyon ni Kaylee because it's absurd to be doing that in this generation.

"You really wanna know?" pagalit na tumango si Kaylee dito.

"We promised the Monaco Family to let you marry their grandson to pay our debts to them. You are the payment of our debts." casual nitong sabi na para bang wala lang siya sa mga ito at mas importante ang utang ng mga ito kaysa sakanya.

Kumunot ang noo at nagsalubong ang kilay ni Kaylee dahil sa galit sa sinabi ng daddy n'ya.

"What? what am I to you a toy? alam n'yo umpisa palang alam ko na na wala kayong pake sa'kin kahit anak n'yo ako pero this? ipapa-kasal n'yo ako sa taong hindi ko naman kilala para lang ibayad sa utang n'yo? yun lang ba talaga ang halaga ko sainyo? pambayad sa utang?" sunod-sunod na tumulo ang luha ni Kaylee dahil sa sobrang galit at sakit na nararamdaman n'ya.

"We made you to be able to pay for our debt and now you're finally fulfilling your real purpose of being born." sabi ng Ina n'ya na walang kasing sama.

Nakatitig ng sobrang sama si Kaylee sa mommy n'ya habang patuloy parin na tumutulo ang mga luha. Hindi n'ya mapigilang mapaluha sa sakit ng marinig n'ya ang mga salitang iyon mula mismo sa bibig ng nanay n'ya.

Kaylee can't help but to gasp in so much pain. Her one percent hope of being loved by her parents vanished because of what her mom said. Turns out she's just really nothing to them but a piece who would wipe away their debt from another family by selling her to them.

"Simula nang ipinanganak ka, ipinangako kana namin sa mg Monaco. Nakabenta kana sakanila, hinintay lang namin na mag 26 years old kana para maging legal age ka to married their grandson." Kaylee can't believe how heartless those words are from her own mother.

It all makes sense to her now. All the trainings, the learnings on how to do a proper household job and how to coke. Everything is making sense to her now. Kaya pala kung ituring siya ng mga ito ay para bang ipinaalaga lang siya dito.

"We don't want to do it but we have no choice." komento naman ng daddy n'ya nabaling ang tingin n'ya dito.

"No dad, you guys are completely in control of everything. For the past 26 years, you guys have a debt from that family from where? dahil ba sa sugal?" tanong n'ya dito pero hindi ito sumagot at nakayuko lang kaya alam na kaagad ni Kaylee na dahil talaga iyon sa sugal.

"You guys have been addicted to gambling since before at ako yung pinagbabayad n'yo sa mga kapalpakan na ginagawa n'yo. That explains why you guys don't really pay attention to me or even just greet me good morning, none, pambayad pala ako sa mga utang n'yo. Tell me, how much is your debt?" tanong n'ya pa dito ulit.

"You don't have to know that—"

"Tell me how much! Billions?" putol n'ya sa sagot ng mommy n'ya and both of them didn't utter a word when she said billions.

Kaylee deeply sighed upon realizing how fucked up her own parents are to have that huge debt.

"It doesn't matter how much debt we have. What's important is you're gonna marry the grandson of the Monaco Family end of discussion." ma-awtoridad na sabi ng daddy ni Kaylee.

"And if I don't want to?" she firmly said without breaking a eye to eye contact to her father.

"You'll do it, you have no choice. Because if you will push not to do it, we have no choice as well but to make your life more miserable that it already is."

Kaylee smells no hope in her life when she heard her own father said that before walking away. Kaylee just sit there and cry silently.