Belonging Season

Chapter 3

"Are you sure about this, Prim?" Andrea asked habang paulit-ulit na tinitignan ako gamit ang nag-aalinlangan nyang mga tingin.

Agad ko syang hinila palayo sa kinatatayuan saka inis na tinignan.

"Can you just shut up? Baka makita pa tayo e," saad ko at muling nilingon ang gusali sa aming harapan.

"We're party goer, Primson, not spy. What are we doing here ba? And why are we hiding? We didn't do anything naman!" Para syang bata na nagmamaktol ngayon sa aking harapan. Pero imbis na pagtuunan pa sya ng pansin ay naupo ako at muling ibinalik ang atensyon sa ginagawa.

It's been a week since that Levi Lopez rejected me at ang ipinangako kong paghihiganti ay hindi pa rin nawawala sa isip ko. I promise to make him pay lalo na nang tawagan nya si Mommy to tell her na hindi ako qualified sa trabaho for some reason.

Of course Mom got mad at me. Mabuti na nga lang at hindi nya kinuha ang mga cards ko after promising that I'll apologize for something I didn't do. She felt that Levi was insulted daw kasi. E ako kaya ang ininsulto ng lalaking iyon ano!

"Primson, come on. Jane is waiting for us. Let's just go party. We've been eyeing that building for five hours now at wala namang nangyayari. Let the press do their—"

"There! Let's go! He's here!" I said as I pull her out of the bush when I saw a black bugatti car parked. Inayos ko ang dress na suot, kinuha ang shades sa bag and took a deep breath before finally going into the crowd.

I've been waiting for a week now to avenge myself dahil nga nasa out of town daw sya sabi ng tumatayo nyang sekretarya. God knows where he really went. As if naman maniniwala ako na talagang nasa out of town sya.

Men like him, who almost looks like an artist and cold as ice would be on a bar fvcking every women he met. I know better. What happened one year ago when he rejected me is just a play; a hard-to-get play. Because in the end he ends up doing the thing he turned down.

Ngayon hinding-hindi ko hahayaan na hindi ako makaganti sa kanya. After everything he put me through? Nu-uh. The old Primson would just let her go but not me.

"Levi Lopez, you're time has come," I said smiling devilishly as I watch him walked out of his car and wave his hand into the crowd like a politician.

"Prim, wala tayong—where the hell did you get that?" Itinaas ko ang passes na hawak saka iyon ipinakita sa kanya.

Nagkibit-balikat ako at nagtuloy sa paglalakad. I actually borrowed this to my Mom when I told her I'll apologize to him. Of course she gave it to me thinking na talagang magsosorry ako sa lalaking iyon but over my dead and sexy body, ano?! Ano sya? Gold?

When we reach the front door, I heaved a deep signed bago pumosisyon. I can feel my hand seat and my body tremble dahil sa dami ng press na naroon but there's no time to waste. This is actually the perfect time para ipahiya sya like how he embarras me.

"How could you!" I made everybody turn their cameras on me with those three words. Agad akong napangiwi nang sabay-sabay nila akong kunan ng litrato habang nagpapalit-palit sa amin ang ni Levi Lopez ang kanilang mga tingin.

Everyone started to asked a question. Pakiramdam ko ay nasa isang press conference kami dahil sa ginagawang ingay ng mga tao sa paligid. But instead of backing out, I gave Levi Lopez a huge smile of victory and proceeded with my plan.

"How could you go on your leisure time when me and your child is suffering?! How could you keep us in secret?!" Everyone is shock about the revelations.

Marahas nyang inalis ang shades na suot saka ako pinakatitigan. Nagtiim ang bagang nito at hindi makapaniwalang suminghal. His eyes throws invisible daggers at me. I could almost feel his coldness within our three meters gap but that doesn't give me the idea to stop instead I can feel my heart jumping from excitement dahil alam kong kaunti na lang ay sasabog na sya sa galit na nararamdaman.

"We've talked about this, Levi," I faked wiping my tears, "I begged you for a hundred times. You promise to make up for the moments you ignored us. Ang sabi ko ay kahit si Pe—"

"Prim, what are you doing?" Madiing tanong ni Andrea sa aking likuran habang hinihila ang laylayan ng suot kong dress dahilan para mapahinto ako sa ginagawa.

I rolled my eyes and shush her. Kaunti na lang ay masasapak ko na ang babaeng ito for being a kill joy!

"You left us, Levi! You fvcking left your child broken to fulfill your promise to some random girl! How could you do this—" hindi ko na nagawa pang tapusin ang sasabihin nang bigla ay hablutin nya ang kamay ko at hilain ako papasok sa loob ng building.

Everyone is keeping their heads down, iniiwasan na masalubong ang tingin ng lalaking ito.

Tahimik. Wala syang kasing tahimik habang kinakaladkad ako patungo sa elevator pero hindi ko man lang nagawang maramdaman ang panginginig ng aking katawan sa kabila ng kaseryosohan nyang dala.

"What do you think you're doing?" Madiin nyang tanong. Agad akong napangiwi nang maramdaman ang pagtama ng aking likuran sa salamin na pader ng elevator na iyon nang pabato nya akong binatawan.

"Fvck!" Paulit-ulit ang pagmumura nyang iyon habang iniuuntog ang noo sa pinto ng elevator.

"Ano ba?! Hindi mo ba kayang mag—"

"Do you realize what you're doing ha?!" Bigla ay tanong nya. Ang kaninang takot na pilit kong hinahanap sa aking sistema ay unti-unting umusbong nang masalubong ko ang nangangalit nyang mga mata.

His lonely eyes is now turned into something dangerous and all I could do is gulp. His forehead creased and I can see his hand ball into a fist.

Ilang ulit akong palihim na lumunok. I can now feel my feet getting cold. Ang pagsisisi ay ngayon ko lang naramdaman. Mabilis akong napangiwi nang bigla ay madiin nyang hawakan ang aking kanang braso saka iyon hinila papalapit sa kanyang mukha.

I can almost smell his minty breath.

"A-aray," daing ko nang mas higpitan nya pa ang paghawak. Pakiramdam ko ay sinasakal nya ang lahat ng mga ugat ko sa braso para hindi tuluyang makadaloy ang aking dugo.

Ilang ulit akong nagtangka na alisin iyon.

"Nasasaktan ako, ano ba?!" Buong tapang na saad ko saka sinubukan na bawiin ang aking braso but all I felt was his strong force pulling me closer to him.

"Do you realize what you did, Ms. Madrid?" Madiing tanong nya. "You did more than just damage my image. You are ruining my chance—"

I fake a laugh that made him stunned. Pabato ako nitong binitawan saka hindi makapaniwalang pinanuod na punasan ang pamamasa ng aking mga pisngi.

"Ruin your chance?" Tumatawang tanong ko.

Nilunok ko ang lahat ng laway na bumara sa aking lalamunan upang mapigilan lamang ang sarili na sumbatan sya.

It wasn't his fault. It was mine. I decided to kept everything but somehow, hearing him saying I ruined his life, is a bit unfair to my side when all he know is just a bit of my life.

"You think this is funny ha?" Hindi makapaniwalang tanong nya. Inihilamos nya ang kanyang palad sa mukha at saka ako galit na galit na tinignan. "This is funny to you ha?!" He shouted. I can see his veins bulging out of his neck.

Madiin akong napapikit nang suntukin nya ang pinto ng elevator na iyon. Ngayon ko lang din naramdaman na nakahinto pala ang elevator sa kung saan mang floor.

"You are ruining my life—"

"What you did to me a year ago, did more than just ruining my life, Mr. Lopez," seryosong saad ko.

Ikinuyom ko ang mga palad sa laylayan ng dress na suot. Ilang ulit kong kinagat ang dila bago humugot ng malalim na hininga habang nilalabanan ang nakamamatay nyang mga tingin.

"You did more than just..... ruining my life after that night, Levi Lopez, stop acting like you're the victim here because I was left with no choice but to carry on with the mess you made."