Chapter 4: The Wild Wolf
2286 Words
"To look into the eyes of a Wolf is to see your soul,
Just make sure something you wish to see is there."
~Wolf Song
“ANO, ASAWA MO... ang babaeng ito?!”
Gulantang ang lahat sa inihayag ni Paul sa pamilya nito na ang babaing kasama ay asawa nito. Nanlalaki ang mata ng mga ito at halos hindi makapaniwala. Hindi inaasahan ng mga ito ang inihaing pasabog ni Paul. Lalo na ang lola nitong si Allysa na nagpahiwatig ng disgusto.
“Yes, Granny,” sagot ni Paul na parang napakawalang halaga ang tinatanong ng matanda. Mukha itong pagod at halatang gusto na nitong matapos ang interogasyon na iyon para makapagpahinga.
“Asawa mo ba talaga ang...” Huminto ang matandang babae para tignan siya pataas-pababa. “Ang babaing ito na mas malaki pa ang mata sa kwago? Kailan ka pa ikinasal sa babaeng ito?”
Alam kong dapat ginagalang ang mga matatanda pero kapag naputol ang pisi ko, uupakan ko ang isang ‘to. Kung makapanglait akala mo kung sinong Miss Universe. Kaya patience, KM, patience.
“Noong Lunes, Granny,” sagot ni Paul.
“Lunes?! Ikinasal ka noong Lunes sa babaing ito na hindi namin alam? Sa babaing ito na hindi namin nakilala kahit kailan? Sa babaing ito... na... na... ohh, que barbaridad! Paul Angelo, anong nakain mo at nagpakasal agad? Pinikot ka ba ng babaing ito? Ha? Sumagot ka!”
Ouch, ang sakit naman.
Nakatuon ang mga tingin nila kay Paul, naghihintay ng kasagutan. Matagal bago nito ibinigay ang sagot. Tumingin ito sa kanya, na ikinabog ng dibdib niya. Ang lakas ng kaba ni KM.
“No,” he said, intently looking at her. “Hindi niya ako pinikot.”
Nakahinga siya nang maluwag sa sinabi nito.
“Ano ka ba, Alicia. Kararating pa lang ng apo mo, sinalang mo agad sa hot seat. Pati ang pobreng babaing ito, tinatakot mo. Hindi ba’t matagal na nating gustong magpakasal itong si Paul? Ano’ng pinuputok ng butse mo ngayon? At hindi naman siguro kung sino-sino lang ang napangasawa nitong apo natin. Maganda naman oh... malaki lang ang panga at mata,” singit ng lolo ni Paul.
Isa pa ito. Maganda na eh! Maganda na sana kung wala lang iyong pahabol na malaki ang panga ko! Mga pamilya ata ito ng manlalait, juice ko!
“Tumigil ka riyan, Domingo!” sikmal nito sa asawa. “Hindi ikaw ang kinakausap ko! Oo gusto kong magpakasal itong apo natin pero hindi ganitong parang nauubusan siya ng babae.”
Nauubusan? Ano ako, isang ulam na natira sa karinderya at walang may gusto?
“Don’t you dare call me Domingo, Alicia. Simula nang maghiwalay tayo, patay na ang taong iyan. Naging Dominic na ako!”
“Gaya ng hindi mo dapat ako tawagin na Alicia. Allysa! Iyan ang itawag mo sa akin! Tama ka, hindi na ikaw ang Domingo na minahal at nakilala ako. Nawala na siya sa puso’t isipan ko nang magtaksil siya!”
“Oh-oh, here we are again in World War III,” anang nakakabatang kapatid ni Paul na si Mayan. “La, hindi ba kayo nagsasawang mag-away? Kararating lang ni kuya, tapos iyan ang bungad ninyo?”
Doon nahimasmasan ang matanda. Lumapit ito sa kanyang asawa at hinawakan ang pisngi nito. “Apo, sabihin mo sa akin, ginayuma ka ba ng babaing ito?” Tumingin ito sa kanya at inangilan siya. Animo ito isang matandang mangkukulam sa paningin niya. “May kilala ako para mawala ang gayuma niya, apo.”
Paul looked tired and annoyed. “Granny, I am fine. Walang gayuma o pamimikot na nangyari. We’re tired... and we just want to be in our room.”
Walang nagawa ang mga tao roon nang ayain na siya ng asawa papanhik sa kwarto nito. Tumango siya sa dalawang matanda at nagbigay galang, tinaasan siya ng kilay ng matandang babae parang sinasabi na pagsisihan niya ang pagtapak niya sa mansiyon na iyon. Pakiramdam niya isa siyang daga na napadpad sa lungga ng mga pusa, hindi siya makahinga at naninibago.
Habang paakyat sa hagdan, sinulyapan niya ang mga taong nakatingin pa rin sa kanila. Natuon ang pansin ni KM sa bunsong kapatid ni Paul na si Anthony. Ito ang unang sumalubong sa kanila kanina at saka binuhat ni Paul. Seeing his husband happily carrying his little brother made her heart swarm with emotions she couldn’t fathom. But it was good, really good. It was her first time seeing him smiling like that, like a proud wolf with his pack of wolves.
Her wolf.
That was when she realized that Paul can be a good father someday. Just thinking that he will be the father of her child made her heart beam with so much happiness.
Anthony was looking at her with his round, curious eyes. He was a charmer but something strange was written in his eyes... he looked afraid.
Ang bata ang nasa isip niya nang makapasok na sila sa magiging kwarto nila.
“Bakit hindi mo sila kasama sa Zyrion?” tanong niya.
“Nag-aaral pa si Mayan at Anthony,” maikling sagot nito habang inaayos ang mga gamit nito sa closet.
“Pwede namang sa Manila sila mag-aral ah,” rason niya.
He looked at her irritatedly. “Kalagitnaan na ng school year, at ayokong mag-adjust na naman si Anthony. Besides, ayaw iwan ni Lolo ang bahay na ito kahit iyon ang kagustuhan ni Lola. Kaya every weekend, nandito tayo. Pagpasensyahan mo na lang si Lola.”
“Pero salamat pala kanina... sa panliligtas mo sa akin.”
“I didn’t do that to save you. Ayoko lang ng g**o at kalbuhin ka ng buhay ni Lola.”
Napatango siya at lihim na lang na nagpasalamat at iniligtas siya nito kanina. Kahit naman pala papaano, may puso rin ang lalaking ito. Masyado itong mailap, iyon ang unang impresyon niya nang makita niya ito noon. Masyadong pormal sa lahat ng pagkakataon. Gusto niyang kumbinsihin ang sarili na bugso lang ng selos at hinanakit niya sa ama at kay Daneia kung bakit niya ito pinikot, ngunit may kakaibang dating sa kanya ang mga titig nito.
Hindi niya kayang ipaliwanag kung paanong may mga paruparong naglalaro sa kanyang bituka kapag may mga iilang sandali na nagtatama ang kanilang tingin. Kung paanong may mga kabayong naghahabulan sa kanyang dibdib kapag nakikita niya ito. She knew it was bold and unforgivable to seduce him. But she loved him. All of him.
The Wolf. That was what they call him in business industry. Started with small hotel and restaurant his parents built, his empire grew like a wildfire in a span of five years. At his age of 30, he made Tropical Orient Hotel and Restaurant a benchmark to all competing and starting businesses within his league.
Just like a wolf, powerful and cunning, he managed to acquire small businesses that he thought would be a threat. He had closed different deals for merger and alliance with different significant companies. No one wanted to battle with the wolf for he was young with fresh ideas and bold innovations, strong and a wizard in his field.
And now, he had his own pack.
He was the bachelor every woman dreamnt to have. Handsome with utterly strong s*x appeal, business magnate – from rag to rich, and... mysterious. He remained elude from press because there was no picture of him smiling in newspaper, even in internet; he was an anonymity every woman wanted to solve. That was why the press tagged him as ‘The Wild Wolf.’
There was something in his eyes – black, dark like a night without a moon. That eyes that flickered with silent, strong menace when he realized what she had done the night she seduced him. Dangerous. Yet there were times when she thought she was seeing a different man everytime she had the chance to glimmer the portal inside him. She wanted to go deeper inside him, to know him well, and to disclose his secrets.
Biglang naalala ni KM ang usapan nila ng kaibigan niyang si Jacel Domingo kung saan tinutukso niya ang kaibigan kay Johann Lindon Ong.
“A badboy is a badboy, Jacel. You can not tame someone like him,” aniya kay Jacel pagkatapos nitong ihayag ang plano nitong paghihiganti kay Lindon.
“Correction. He can not tame me. It’s the other way around,” nakataas noong tugon nito.
Sa kanilang magkakaibigan si Jacel ang pinakamatalino, seryoso, at palaging may sense kung magsalita. Ito ‘yong tipong kapag nagsalita, imposibleng hindi makinig ang mga tao sa kanya.
“It’s either you swallow him or you leave him,” singit ni Meriza habang nagfe-f*******:. People found her eccentric. Beautiful weirdo they said. Sanay na sila ni Jacel sa kakaibang sense of direction nito sa buhay. Bukod sa kakaibang trip nito, lantaran ang pagpapakita nito ng pagkagusto sa mga crush nito na alam naman nila ni Jacel na front lang nito iyon dahil kilala nila kung sino ang totoong gusto nito.
They were poles apart but they bonded like true sisters. A genius. A weirdo. And her? Well, KM can only describe herself in three words – and her school can attest to that. Pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous. ‘Wag nang banggitin na nag-uumapaw siya ng s*x appeal at humor sa katawan. Iyon ang wala sa mga kaibigan niyang si Jacel at Meriza.
Wild Wolf. Iyon ngayon ang nasa isip ni Jacel. Mukhang nagbiro ang tadhana at tinutudya siya nito at sinasabing, ‘You can not tame the wild wolf. No one can tame a wolf.’
But her will and drive refused to believe that. It was her desire that drived her to tame him. Taming him didn’t mean changing him. Iyon ang maling nababasa ni KM sa mga pocketbook, na kailangang baguhin ng isang tauhan ang kapareha nito para mas maging mabuti ito. That was bullshit. Isa iyong cliché na eksena na paulit-ulit niyang nababasa.
Women usually fall in love to a bad boy because, instinctively , they thought that they could changed that bad boy into a good boy. That it was part of their love story to change him, to alter him, and she believed that that wasn’t a true love after all. Loving someone is accepting the things to which fate binds you with all your heart.
Taming him was knowing him. Penetrating the kindest soul in him. To nourish the good in him. She will not alter the wilderness inherest to his personality. She would love him rough or soft, tame or untame... with or without his Winnie the Pooh underwear.
It’s either I’ll swallow him or leave him, she smiled naughtily. Thank you, Izza. Now I know what you meant.
“Dalawang araw tayo rito? Saan ako matutulog?” Pinagkrus niya ang mga kamay sa dibdib sa paraang naaapi. “No. No. No. Way. Don’t tell me, dito ka rin matutulog sa kwartong ito? Hindi pa ako handa, Paul. ‘Wag na ‘wag mo akong binibigla. Alam kong hindi maganda ang simula natin pero dalagang Pilipina pa rin ako. Pusong Pinay, ugaling Pinay at gandang Pinay. Hindi---“
“Diyan ka sa kama at dito ako sa sofa,” sagot nito at umupo sa sofa.
“Ang asawa ko talaga, hindi na mabiro. Maluwang naman itong kama ah, kasya tayo rito,” aniya at palundag na humiga sa kama, itinaas ang kanang kamay sabay pose nang nakakaharuyo.
“You should behave properly in front of them,” he said, his legs crossed and head lazily rested on the sofa.
She looked into his eyes. “Yes, hubby.” And she blinked.
“Be good all the time,” he commanded.
She smiled at him. “Oh, I am good all the time, hubby.”
He continued. “And act that we are madly in love with each other.”
She purred and bit her lower lip. “I. Am. Super. Duper. Deeply. Madly in---“
“Will you stop acting like that!” he hissed.
She laughed heartily. “Acting like what?”
In an instant, he was standing. Nakalapit na ito sa paanan ng kama, magkasalubong ang mga kilay nitong umakto sa malakas nitong personalidad.
“Para kang baliw, babaing sinaniban ng kiti-kiti.”
At hinawakan nito ang kaliwang sakong niya na ikinawindang ng buong pagkatao niya. Una niyang naramdaman ang init mula sa kamay nito. Dumaloy iyon sa buong pagkatao niya. It sent tingling emotions to her, a feverish sensation.
Then it dawned to her that itchy and prickly feeling everytime someone was touching her feet. She yelped and struggled. Nagpapasag siya dahil hindi niya makaya ang kiliti na nararamdaman. Ngunit mahigpit ang pagkakahawak nito, pinipigilan ang kanyang paglilikot.
Hanggang sa paglilikot ni KM ay natabig niya ang maliit na aparador sa kaliwa niya.
At may narinig silang nahulog, at ang pagkabasag ng bagay na parang ngipin na nakakangilo.
Binitawan nito ang kanyang paa at tumingin sa pinanggalingan ng ingay. What she saw was something new to her. Nanlaki ang mga mata nito, nabanaag doon ang takot, sakit na may halong pag-aaruga at pagmamahal, parang hinango sa ilang taon na pagkakalinga sa punong binigyan ng buhay.
She saw him lived... and died at the same time.
She saw him smiling, like he had the universe in his hand, hugging a woman behind her back.
They looked happy together. But all left was a frame with broken glasses.
Now, Paul seemed broken
And so KM was.
And she felt that tiny pieces of glass digging to her heart. After a week of their marriage, KM was broken.
- Writer
