RECONNECTING
2579 Words
Present
Gally did not notice that she’s already crying. Matt sat on the bed and hugged her tenderly. “Hush now, what’s important is that I’m here already.”
“Matt, do you hear yourself? I am married. Even if you come back, it’s too late.”
“There’s no right time for the right love, baby girl.”
Gally sighs, “If you think that things are as simple as that, then you better think twice. I guess I better get going.”
“No, not that fast baby girl.”
“Matt, have you forgotten that it isn’t my home? That I have two kids and a husband who’s waiting for me to come home, and yet here am I reconnecting from the past?”
Matthew was stunned for a moment; yes, he expected this, but not as hard as this. Gally is indeed married and has a family of her own now. Am I this asshole to ruin it? After all these years, I thought it would be as easy as courting someone, but it's not.
“Okay, I'll drive you home, I'll just take a shower.”
“Don’t bother Ky-kyl-- I mean Matt or whatever you want me to call your name.”
Matt smiled, “You can call me your baby boo then, and don’t be stubborn, I’ll drive you and I’ll let Katty drive your car.”
“Baby boo? Yeah, in your dreams!”
It’s already 6 am on his wristwatch. “I’ll be back my sweet baby girl.” Smiling.
“You know what, you can just stay here and rest so you’ll have energy when you go to your honey.”
“Hmmm, why do I smell jealousy here?”
“Jealousy? Are you kidding me? Again, I am married. Why would I be jealous?”
“Maybe because you still love me, and your love for me has never stopped? What do you think?”
Perhaps it’s true that her love for him was still living inside her. Maybe it is the sole reason why she had difficulty loving her husband completely. But is it right for her to think about it now? “Of course not!” She voiced out without even knowing she did.
It saddened Matt, and he headed out of the room.
When Matt quietly went out, Gally fixed herself. She badly needs to go home.
At the bathroom, Matt was letting the water run in his body. The thought of winning Gally back makes him dead serious. “Am I ready for this? What if she won’t understand what really happened in the past?” That’s the only fear Matt has. He could fight for Gally whatever it takes, but when he thinks about the real reason why he left, he is losing faith.
Gally went out of the room to find Kat. She knocked at the door, but Kat did not respond. So finally, Gally decided to go inside, and Kat is not in her bed, but Gally hears the sound of water from the bathroom. She’s maybe taking a bath. So Gally sits on her bed and will wait for her best friend to finish. She was sitting on the opposite side of the bathroom when she heard the door open. “Katarina, how dare you give my photos to your cousin?” Without even looking at her. “And why the hell did you not even tell me about it?” Kat was not responding to any of her questions, so she decided to look in her direction.
It was Matt who came out from the bathroom with only a towel wrapping his lower body.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude, I thought it was Kat. Where is she and why are you here?”
“Well, baby girl, as you know, it is not my house either so I’m just using her bathroom since she told me that she will need to go out very quickly.” Walking through Gally’s direction.
“Hey, you stop right there. Don’t come near me.”
“Why not? Are you afraid of me?”
“Why would I be, Is there something I should be afraid of?”
“Yeah, you’re right, there’s nothing to be afraid of, especially that you’ve already touched all of these,” referring to his body.
“What are you talking about?”
“Hmmm nothing, sweetie.” Still walking slowly in her direction when the towel drops on the floor.
“Oh my!” Gally said and immediately closed her eyes and moved towards the door with her eyes still closed.
Matt grinned, “Baby girl, you don’t have to close your eyes, it’s just me.”
“Matt if you will not stop, I’ll give you multiple spankings!”
“Hahaha! Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Wait for me outside. I’ll just get dressed, sweet baby girl.”
``Whatever, you perv!”
Matt’s laughter filled the room.
Gally felt her face reddened the moment she got out of the room. “The nerve!”
Matt couldn’t help himself but smile in front of the mirror.
Matt and Gally are now in his car. No one wants to break the silence. They appear to be both in very deep thinking.
Gally was pondering about the mess in her life. How would she face her husband again? Of course, it isn’t right to think about it, but she felt at peace when she was out for a day.
While Matt was thinking about how he would finally tell Gally everything without her getting mad.
They reached Monteclaro’s house.
Gally doesn’t know how she would face her husband.
Matt opened the door for her, and they just parked outside the house, and Kat parked her car inside the parking lot. So he slowly guided Gally out of the car going inside the house.
A very sweet girl who is around 8-year-old opened the front door for them and gladly embraced Gally. “Mommy! Are you okay? Why didn’t you come home last night? What happened to you? Who is he?” She bombarded her mother with questions.
Gally can’t help herself but smile. “Sweetie I just need to go to Aunt Katty’s house.”
When the kid turned around while pulling her mother’s hand, Matt saw her red heart-shaped patch on her lower left shoulder since she’s wearing a halter top. “Cool, we have the same nevus.” Matt voices.
“Excuse me?” Gally looked at him. “Hmm, nothing.”
“Uhumm-hmmm.” Francis clears his throat to let them know about his presence.
“Brother!” Matt greeted Francis and hugged him.
Francis tapped Matt’s shoulder, “How are you, great Matthew? It’s been a long since we’ve last seen each other, 4 or 5 years?”
Gally was speechless upon knowing that the two know each other. She gazed in Matt’s direction to look for an answer, but he avoided her eyes.
“Oh, baby, Matt here is a long-time friend of mine.”
Gally looked at her husband and just nodded. “Excuse me, I’ll just go upstairs and take a bath. Kat, would you like to come with me?”
“Sure!”
“You guys stay for lunch, I’ll ask the maid to cook an extra dish.” Gally heard her husband say it.
“Great!” Matt and Kat chorus.
Upon entering the guest room, Kat asks Gally, “since when are you using the guest room as your room?
“And when have you learned to lie to me, huh?”
“Wait, what? When? How? Where?”
“Katarina, don't start with me!”
“Hahaha! I’m sorry, Okay? He forced me to give him your photos, and said that he will tell mom and dad about my addiction to this Korean boy band.”
Gally was intentionally letting her eyes get chinkier than it seems. “How dare you! Go out of this room and leave!”
“Ewww, as if I will bite it. Not me Galileah!”
“Stop calling me that and leave!”
“So you really want me to leave? Fine, I'll leave.” She went out of the room.
Gally was laughing and followed her, she opened the door, and to her surprise, Kat was there and scared her. “I told you, Galileah I won’t bite your trick on me!”
Gally grabs her hair and laughs. “You are crazy!”
“But of course we’re friends, why do you have any friend who is in the right state of mind? None right?”
“Oh, shut up! I’m not done with you yet, I’ll tell Aunt and Uncle about the thousands of dollars you’ve wasted for that Kpop!”
“Hahaha! Go ahead!”
“You know what? Just go with them, I think I don’t need you here.”
“Fine, fine, Galileah Quinn Monteclaro! Goodbye!”
“Shoo! I’ll just take a bath and will follow you.”
Gally was done and just wore a pair of shorts and shirt where her cleavage was a bit exposed. Then, she walked down the stairs.
Matt, Kat, and Francis talked when they heard steps and all looked in Gally’s direction.
Gally wasn’t aware that the three are now looking at her. She’s singing a few lines of her favorite song at the moment. “I’m gonna love you like I’m gonna lose you, I’m gonna hold you like I’m saying goodbye.”
I never thought that she had this talent for singing; she sings so well. Matt said to himself.
She even stops in the middle of the staircase to sing her heart out. “Wherever we're standing.
I won't take you for granted 'coz we'll never know when, when we'll run out of time, So I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you. I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you.”
Kat claps her hands that brings Gally back into her senses. “Oh my! What are you guys doing there?”
We were talking here when you suddenly sing like you’re in a singing contest. Kat grinned.
Even Francis isn’t aware that his wife knows how to sing.
“You are now singing again, girl!” Kat was surprised and happy.
Gally blushes by the thought that they just all witnessed her singing.
“Whatever, let’s now go eat.” Gally invited everyone to the dining.
At the dining table
Steak, roast chicken, mashed potato, caesar salad, corn salad, wine, and different fresh fruits are cut into pieces. Matt could still remember how Gally spoke about her addiction to mashed potatoes.
Francis sits beside Gally, and Matt is in front of Gally. He could see how Francis is taking care of Gally. He felt envious. It should be me, the one who serves my sweet baby girl and not him.
He gets his food and silently eats when Gally’s eyes meet him. He could feel that Gally was shouting in pain and confusion. How he loves to comfort her.
Francis caught their eye-to-eye contact; that’s why he speaks. “After lunch, are you up for a drink, Matthew?”
“Sure, brother. I have nothing to do now.”
“How about you Katarina?” Francis asks.
“Why not?”
Francis to Gally, “I think you should rest, baby.”
“You don’t have to say it.” She stood up and excused herself from the crowd. “Excuse me, I’m done eating.”
Francis just shrugged his shoulders while slowly shaking his head.
Gally went to her room, brushes her teeth, and lay down in bed.
She was scanning her emails about her plans to work again when she felt sleepy. She closed her laptop and decided to take a nap.
Meanwhile, the three in the dining room were still conversing when Matt asked Francis where he could use a bathroom.
“Oh, the bathroom down here has no water supply at the moment, but you can go upstairs and use the guestroom’s bathroom.”
“Okay, thanks. Excuse me, guys.”
Kat and Francis nodded and continued what they were talking about.
Matt reached the hallway upstairs. Francis did not tell him which room to go to. So he just opened the first door and went inside. He saw Gally sleeping in the bed. This doesn’t look like a masters’ bedroom, The bed is too small to be a masters’ bed. He was about to leave the room so he wouldn’t disturb Gally’s peaceful sleep when she heard her call his name.
Gally was dreaming in broad daylight. “Kyle, baby boo, I need you, please meet me.”
Matt was stunned by what she said. She seems to like having a dream about the time they were supposed to meet each other, and it was the same message she sent him that night. And it touches his heart. How could he abandon an angel like her? Regret started to burn inside him again.
Instead of going out, he comes closer to the bed. He just watched Gally sleep. He even forgets the reason why he’s there. He was supposed to use the bathroom.
“Kyle, why did you have to leave?”
Matt thought that he awakened Gally, but she’s not. He felt angry about himself, and he didn’t know that this would affect his actions on Gally. “I’m sorry sweet baby girl if I had to leave you then, I’ll be forever sorry about it.” While caressing her face.
Gally thought she was still dreaming, and she could feel someone caressing her face. She moved her head closer to the hand that’s touching her face as if she’s longing for the touch of it. Matt touches her lips with his thumb.” Your lips are so soft.” Then slowly moved down his head to meet Gally’s face and finally kissed her lips. The kiss was warm and loving. Gally responded as warm and loving of Matt’s kisses. When she realized that she is not only dreaming. She opened her eyes, and then there’s Matt. She quickly pushed him out of confusion.
“Oh, my! What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here!”
“I know, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to kiss you.”
- Writer
