The Veil of Vengeance

Chapter 25

Sunod sunod ang mga dinner appointments naming dalawa ni Eren, just like this dinner we are currently in.

Hindi ko kini kibo ang ama ni Eren na masayang kuma kain kasama namin. Hindi sumama si Selen dahil ayaw niyang ma kita ang ama nila kaya naman kaming dalawa lang ni Eren ang ka sama niyang mag dinner ngayon.

“When are you two planning on having kids?” Naka ngising tanong niya sa aming dalawa.

“We don’t have a plan yet, dad,” sagot namam ni Eren. Siya lang ang nakikipag usap sa ama niya dahil wala ako sa mood makipag usap sa matandang ‘to.

“What why? You two should have a son or a daughter now,” naka ngiting sagot niya kay Eren.

“It’s not on our plan yet,” ako na ang sumagot dahil baka hindi niya na intindihan ang sinabi ni Eren.

“But why?”

“What why?” Nata tawang tanong ko sa kanya.

“Why can’t you give him a child? That’s your obligation,” sagot niya sa akin. Tinaasan ko naman siya nang kilay dahil sa sinabi niya sa akin.

I was about to respond when Eren responded first.

“Dad, it’s not her obligation to give me a child, if she doesn’t want a child then I don’t want a child also,” malamig na turan ni Eren.

Para namang napapahiyang yumuko ang matanda dahil sa sinabi ni Eren sa kanya.

“I am just telling the truth,” sagot pa nito. Kinagat ko ang dila ko para pigilan ang sarili ko na sumagot sa kanya.

“You don’t need to tell the truth, if we don’t want a child then we don’t want one,” seryosong sagot ko sa kanya.

“I am just telling you know, you are a woman,” naka ngising sagot nito sa akin. Kusang tumaas ang kilay ko sa sinabi niya.

“And so? So what if I am a woman?” Nang hahamon na tanong ko sa kanya.

“Calm your wife down, Eren,” galit na sagot ng ama nito pero hindi sumagot si Eren.

“Why? You don’t want anyone who keep on talking back to you?” Naka taas ang kilay na tanong ko sa kanya.

“Yes! Because you’re a disrespectful one,” galit na sigaw nito sa akin.

“Because you don’t deserve even a pinch of respect from me,” galit na saad ko sa kanya.

Hindi ako sumigaw dahil hindi ko gustong mag eskandalo.

“You won’t even say anything about this, Eren?!” Galit na tanong nito sa anak niya.

“You angered her because of your attitude, so don’t expect me to defend you dad,” sagot nito sa ama niya.

Ngumuso naman ako nang ma kita kong halos mamula na ang mukha ng matanda.

“Are you seriously going to defend your wife over your own father?!” He sounded so disappointed because of Eren’s stance on this issue.

“You’re already old yet you don’t even know how to respect someone who is younger than you,” nag ngangalit sa galit na sagot ko sa kanya.

Hiindi naman ito naka sagot sa akin. Pa buntong hininga akong sumandal sa kina uupuan ko at inirapan ko ang ama ni Eren. I don’t want to say his name, nor call him father after dropping all those rude remarks.

“Are you okay?” tanong ni Eren sa akin. Tumingin naman ako sa kanya at tumango.

Tipid akong ngumiti sa kanya at hinayaan naming mag dabog ang ama niya habang kuma kain siya. I could not care less.

“You should teach your wife the right manners she needs to learn,” pag babasag nito sa katahimikang bumalot sa aming tatlo.

Agad naman akong na tawa sa sinabi niya sa akin.

“Don’t make me laugh, old man. I know how to respect, but you are not one of the people who deserve my respect,” naka ngiwing sagot ko sa kanya at napa buntong hininga nalang ako.

Hindi ko alam kung hanggang anong oras tinagal ng dinner namin, pero iyon na ata ang nakaka pagod na dinner na nangyari sa buong buhay ko.

Dealing with an old man with such a misogynistic attitude is out of my concerns right now.

“I am so sorry about my dad earlier,” biglang hining sorry ni Eren sa akin. Agad naman akong tumingin sa kanya at agad akong umiling.

“It’s not your fault,” agaran kong sagot sa kanya. Napa buntong hininga naman siya sa sinabi ko at bahagyang umiling.

“Let’s go home?” tanong niya sa akin. Agad ko naman siyang tinanguan sa sinabi niya sa akin.

MAsyado akong napagod sa gabing ito kaya nama nang mag simula nang pa andarin ni Eren ang sasakyan ay hindi ko namalayang naka tulog na pala ako sa kinauupuan ko.

Hindi ko namalayan ang byahe dahil bahagya nalang akong na gising nang ilapag ako ni Eren sa malambot na kama.

“You could have woken me up,” inaantok na sambit ko sa kanya. Agad ko namang na rinig ang mahina niyang pag tawa sa sinabi ko.

“Just let me take care of you when you can’t even lift a finger to take care of yourself, Lana,” he whispered.

I suddenly felt my heart racing because of his words, they sound so sincere to the extent I started to doubt his intentions. I almost shed a tear because of him, I didn’t felt any love growing up because of my parents’ sudden death.

I almost forgot how to love properly if it weren’t for my bestfriend ay baka talagang nakalimutan ko na kung paano mag mahal.

I looked at Eren when he wasn’t looking at me anymore, I stared at his broad back trying to analyze if he was sincere on what he said earlier or it’s still part on his plans.

His words and actions are contradicting his purpose here.

“Sometimes you are confusing,” I murmured to myself but enough for him to hear me.

“I am not as confusing as you, Lana,” he fired back. That’s the last words I heard from him before I drifted to sleep again.