Tempted [Tagalog]

THE sound of my alarm clock awoke me from my deep sleep. Kahit ilang beses ko pa itong patayin, alam kong naka-set ito para gisingin ako. Parang pagmamahal lang iyan. Kahit ilang beses mo pang tanungin ang sarili mo kung mahal ka ba niya, isa lang ang isasampal ng katotohanan sa 'yo... na walang forever, kaya huwag nang umasa, nakamamatay. "Another day to spare," bulong ko sa aking sarili habang nakatingin sa repleksyon ko sa salamin ng aking bathroom. "But that's okay, maganda pa rin ako." Sometimes, I just can't understand... How come when God showered the world with grace and beauty, I was the only one present and everyone else was asleep? Like, seriously! Ang hirap maging half Diyosa and half Goddess. Nakakainis! I then turned on my shower and let the lukewarm water gently caress my delicate skin. I was enjoying my morning bath when I heard the continuous beeping sound from my phone. Hindi ko naman pinansin 'yon noong una pero gosh! Ayaw talagang tumigil. So, I decided to step out of my luxurious bathroom and wear my favorite bathrobe. Kaagad akong nagtungo sa nightstand ko at binasa ang mga mensahe sa aking cellphone. "We won't break up unless we sort things out and give me an acceptable reason, Allie." I nearly rolled my eyes after reading that text message. It's Matthew — my fling just a few days ago. "Nasira ang morning routine dahil sa 'yong panget ka?" I once again rolled my eyes heavenwards. Pinaka ayaw ko pa naman sa lahat ay naiistorbo ang paliligo ko dahil lang sa walang kwentang bagay. This isn't the first time na makatanggap ako ng ganitong klaseng texts sa mga naging flings ko na. They always claim to be my boyfriend, but that term doesn't even exist in my vocabulary. "Great! Mukhang kailangan ko na naman magpalit ng number." Saka ko ibinato ang aking Iphone XS Max sa ibabaw ng higaan ko. Minabuti kong pumasok na sa loob ng walk-in closet ko para magbihis. Since today will be a typical day for me, I chose a pastel pink off-shoulder dress and white sneakers. Bagay sa isang tipikal na araw para sa diyosang kagaya ko. I blow-dried my silky and wavy hair then a touch of red lip tint to give me a fiercer look and a few pats of face powder to complete the look. Vóila! I'm all done! "GOOD morning po ma'am!" bungad ng ilan naming maids habang pababa ako ng aming grand staircase. I gave them a curt nod as I strode passed them. I checked my phone once more and of course; it's filled with nonsense messages again. Bakit ba ang kulit ng mga 'to?! Showing affection to someone even disgusts me to the core so, I really don't get it. Boys are like clothes that I wear every day. I'll throw them away when I'm bored or done with them, simple. I headed straight to our dining room and scanned the whole place. I saw my mom sitting on her designated seat but my dad is nowhere to be found again. "Where's dad?" tanong ko sa kanya which stopped her from reading the newspaper. Inangat niya ang tingin sa akin at tipid na ngumiti. "He left early for work," she said. "Good morning, my dear. Let's have breakfast?" I badly want to roll my eyes for the nth time right now. Bakit ko pa tinanong when I already know the answer? Of course, he already left for work. It's always been like that. Kaya bakit kailangan ko pa magtaka? "The audacity of me to even ask. Of course, he's a busy man. He never had the time to even join us for a normal breakfast," I said bitterly, making my way to my seat. Mabilis akong inasikaso ni Manang Carlota para sa aking agahan. "Things at the office are quite hectic right now, sweetheart. But guess what?" ani Mommy, ang mga mata niya'y bigla na lamang nagningning. "He promised that we'll celebrate our 25th Anniversary tonight!" Natigilan ako sa aking iniinom na juice at sandaling napatingin kay Mommy. Of course, it's their anniversary today. How can I forget about that gayong ako itong sobrang excited noon tuwing sasapit ang araw na ito. Iyong tipong ako pa mismo ang gagawa ng kung anu-anong gimmick para i-surprise sina Mommy at Daddy every year, without fail. Halos tatlong taon na rin ang nakararaan nang itigil ko ang kahibangan na iyon dahil nagsasayang na lang ako ng oras. And now, staring at my mom somehow snapped something inside me. By the looks of her, she looked like a teenager who just spilled the news about her boyfriend's sudden proposal of marriage. Hindi man niya sabihin iyon nang direkta sa akin, I can feel it. Kung paano siya kumilos at kung paano magningning ang kanyang mga mata... I can't help but to feel bad for her. "You honestly believed him, Mom?" I said in a mocking way. "I mean, this isn't the first time he promised something na eventually, makakalimutan din naman niyang tuparin." "Alison!" she yelled which stopped me from biting into my toast. "How could you say that to your dad?" I let out a frustrated sigh and just shrugged. "Fine, I'm sorry," I said. "I'll go ahead, Mom. Anabelle and Clarkson are waiting for me at school." Tumayo na ako at naglakad palapit kay mommy para humalik sa pisngi nito. I grabbed my keys and drove myself to school. I am aware that I have offended my mom earlier but she needs to accept the truth; na kahit anong gawin niyang effort to make their marriage work for my sake is just impossible. Kasi iyan din mismo ang inakala ko noong bata pa lamang ako. I've always believed that when certain individuals decide to get married, it's because they love each other. But I was wrong. Because in a world where I grew up, true love doesn't exist, and my parents are the living proof of that idea. Ang pagmamahal ay para lamang sa mga mababang uri ng mga tao and in my case, as much as I wanted to stoop down that level just to receive that kind of affection, alam kong hindi iyon maaari.