LEMUEL: The Liar

I started my day with a cup of coffee and a piece of newspaper in my hand. “The heartless heiress of XVInc, threw documents at employee’s face gone viral” Napairap nalang ako, it probably reach my parents already. Sooner or later matatanggap ko ang tawag nila para pagsabihan ako, at hindi nga ako nagkakamali. I was about to sip my coffee when my phone started ringing. It’s mom. I was about to ignore it when she cut the call. Mabuti naman, I don’t have time to deal with her. After reading the trashy article about me, I opened my social medias. My newsfeed is full of stuff about how entitled I am, how I’m a b***h, a piece of s**t. I rolled my eyes. Mga tao talaga ngayon, they are quick to judge, they don’t even know the whole story. That dumbass of an employee don’t deserve a position in my company. That document is copied from a failed project of our company years ago, akala niya siguro hindi ko yun malalaman. And now I am the one who is looking bad, but I don’t care. Neverminding the bad comments, I posted a picture of me with no makeup on and sipping coffee and captioned it “finishing my morning routine with a cup of coffee” and as expected, I’m bombarded with hate comments but I care less. Manggalaiti sila hanggang sa pumutok ang ugat nila sa utak. Yes I am petty. This is me. The most hated, entitled brat. I exited my social media and check my schedule. I have a property to check. That’s my only schedule for today. I contacted my secretary s***h bodyguard s***h driver saying we’re off to Tagaytay to check that property. After minutes of waiting, Kuya Jomel arrived with his usual grim look. He’s a mid forties man and he’s been working with me since I am in high school. I’ve been checking emails and appointments for the next days as we are traveling. I came up with an email sent months ago, saying “Papatayin kita”, normal na sakin ang makatanggap ng death threats ngunit hindi ko alam bakit bigla akong kinilabutan. The email is from someone with an address of kamatayan, nanginginig ang kamay ko na inexit ang app at pinatay ang tablet. Itinuon ko ang tingin ko sa labas, kumunot ang noo ko ng mapansin ko na parang iba yung dinadaanan namin, ang takbo ng kotse ay mas mabilis sa usual na takbo nito. I’ve been there once at natatandaan ko ang dinaanan namin. Panicking, I asked kuya Jomel, “Kuya bakit po parang iba yung dinadaanan natin?” hindi pwedeng magkamali si Kuya Jomel, or baka naman shortcut lang? I tried my best to stay calm kahit sobrang nagpapanick na ako. “Ma’am may humahabol po satin.” Kuya Jomel blurted. Because of what he said, lumingon ako sa likod at nakita ko ang itim na sasakyan na nakabuntot samin. Nakita ko ang paglabas ng kamay galing sa bintana ng kotse sa likuran, may hawak itong baril. “KUYA JOMEL MAY BARIL!!” Hindi ko namalayan na tumutulo na pala luha ko, tinanggal ko ang seatbelt ko at halos yugyugin ko na ang driver’s seat, ordering kuya Jomel to drive faster. Napahiyaw ako ng biglang may tunog ng baril kasabay ng pag gewang ng sasakyan at pagtama nito sa puno. I feel the blood gushing out of my head, I’m aware of what’s happening but I can’t move. Tangina? Is this gonna be my end? Sinubukan kong tumingin sa paligid ngunit hinang hina ako, ang nakikita ko lang ay si kuya Jomel na nakasubsob sa manibela, hindi ko alam kung buhay pa ba siya. My tears started flowing. Lord, help me.