Sweetest Arrangement

Chapter Four – The Girlfriend

HINAWAKAN ni Marie ang hita ng kasasakay na si Jaime. “I really enjoy driving your car.”

“You should be careful next time, you’ve almost hit the nun.” Jaime reminded her.

Tumingin si Marie sa kanya. “Nun?”

“Don’t look at me, focus on the road.” He scolded her.

“Hmp, ang strict mo naman sa’kin.” May hinampo ang tinig ni Marie.

“Hindi sa ganoon, gusto ko lang na mag-ingat ka sa pagda-drive,” aniya. Biglang lumambot na ang kanyang tono.

“Okay, I promise to focuss from now on.” Marie conceded. Without looking at him she continued talking. “How did you know that girl was a nun?”

Because of the way she smelled. Gusto niyang isagot.

He secretly smiled due to the thoughts playing in his head.

Nang binulungan niya ito kanina ay nasamyo niya ang baby scent nito. Kung hindi niya lang alam na madre ito ay iisipin niyang may anak ito.

“Babe, parang natigilan ka dyan. Are you mad because I almost hit her? It’s her fault, bigla s’yang tumawid.”

“May naisip lang ako.”

“Don’t tell me, ‘yung girl kanina.”

Kunot noong napatingin siya kay Marie, ‘di dahil sa nahulaan nito ang nasa isip niya, but because she sounded jealous. Napansin niya ang malaking pagbabago kay Marie, she was easily irritated on small little things and she was jealous all the time.

“Marie she’s a nun!”

“How did you know? She doesn’t even wear a habit!”

“Nakita ko na galing siya sa office ni Lolo.” Usually this time of the month, religious organization asked for his Lolo’s donation. But he wanted his charity works to be descreet so he requested them, the nuns not to wear a habit whenever they paid him a visit.

“Ngayon ko lang nalaman na may good side din pala ang Lolo mo.”

“Marie!” He warned her.

“Sorry. You can’t blame me, he looked cold and unattached. Hindi mo ako masisi, until now I can’t still figure out why he assigned you to be a waiter in Grand Imperial Palace in Palawan five years ago. Last year lang nalaman ng Papa na apo ka ni Don Edaurdo.”

“He had his reasons. Malaki na rin ang pasasalamat ko sa nangyari, aside sa nakilala kita doon, marami akong natutuhan sa Palawan.”

“What did you learn from being a waiter?”

“Humility, it taught me to appreciate the value of our small workers.”

“Hindi mo iyon kailangan dahil sa maayos naman ang naging pagpapalaki sa’yo ni Tita Lorena.”

“Forget it, let’s stop talking about this. It tires me.” Gusto na niyang tapusin ang usapang iyon.

He came from a two hours meeting with the the legal department. As the head of personnel, he needed to address employees’ grivances. And talking about the past just tired him more.

Pumayag siyang sumama kay Marie na mag-early break dahil sa gusto niyang mag-re-charge. Hindi kasama sa agenda niya ngayong araw ang pakikipagtalo rito. He noticed that she kept dragging the issue into their conversation these past few days.

“We cannot undo the past.” He said.

“Yah, we can’t change what had happen. But it makes me angry, sa tuwing naiisip ko na ang daming panahon ang nasayang dahil sa maling pagtrato sa’yo ng Lolo mo. Bakit hindi ka niya tinulungan sa panahon na kailangan mo ng tagapagtanggol?”

He looked outside. Kahit may ‘di sila pagkakaunawan ni Don Eduardo, it saddened him whenever he would be reminded of the past. Iyon ay noong naipit siya sa maling sitwasyon at sa pekeng akusasyon.