Grim Reaper

NAIRA MARLEY

“ Naira? Hey babe are you listening? ” i blink my eyes twice and smile awkwardly at my best friend.

“ Excuse me but, what did you just said Liza?” napa-face palm ang kaibigan niya sabay buntong-hininga.

“ You've been absent minded since yesterday. Anong nangyayare sa'yo? Missing your ex husband? ”

“ Wala namang bago sa kanya. Aasa pa ba tayong maka-move on 'yan Liza? She love him more than her life. See, ni-ayaw na ngang mag-treatment kasi iniwan na raw s'ya ng asawa at kapatid n'ya. Well, i do understand her part. I really do. Masakit naman talaga pero kasi girl, hindi naman dahilan iyon para pabayaan mo ang sarili mo. We understand na you treated your stepsister as your own sister and you love your husband too. Pero girl, iniwan ka na oh niloko ka na nga di ba? ” Litanya ng isa ko pang kaibigan.

Francine Rivers ang isa pang best friend ko. Siya ang babaeng laging missing in action dahil sa busy siya sa sarili niyang company. Ang company na pinagkatiwala sa kanya ng stepmom niya. Her stepmom is a Mafia Queen, she run the underworld and since she take over their family business, bago niya pinakasalan ang tatay ni Francine ay nilegal niya lahat ang business niya. She's a good person and Francine like her kaya't busy siya. She doesn't want to fail her stepmom.

“ Yeah right. Wala naman talagang bago, himala na lang kung may bago sa kaibigan natin. ” Liza agreed, tipid akong ngumiti at nilapag sa mesa ang isang litrato.

“ Actually, may bago. I'm interested to this dancer. ” napaluhod silang dalawa at pinag-agawan ang litrato na binaba ko.

“ Isn't this Grim Reaper of 24 Centimeter Bar? He's one of the hottest dancer there. Y-you like him? ”

“ Liza, i said I'm interested not i like him. It's different. ” i replied.

“ Different my a$$. Hindi ba ini-book ko siya sa'yo yesterday's night, anong nangyare? ”

“ Wait, nag-bar kayo ng hindi ako kasama? Ang sama! ” angkla ni Francine.

“ How can we invite a drop dead woman buried in tons of files? Halos pakasalan mo na nga ang office mo sa sobrang busy mo. ” Parang aso't pusa talaga itong dalawang kaibigan ko pero masaya ako sa kanila.

“ He had emergency at hospital so he left. So, pwede n'yo ba akong tulungan? ”

“ We loved too but, you know the rules of 24 Centimeter Bar. Hindi nila pwedeng ilabas ang personal information ng mga tauhan nila. Even guards there wears mask. ” yeah, strict ang 24 Centimeter sa information ng employees nila for safety. But, the bar is really good as well as their staffs.

“ Well, just book him again. You can just ask him pretty simple. ”

“ Francine, I don't know how. Paano ko siya kakausapin? How should i start? Should i gave him credit card or contract to talk? ” my two idiot friends burst into laugher.

“ Babe, he's a bar dancer not your client, not your board members and not your project. You can't just buy his time. Just be casual h'wag naman iyang parang sinalang mo s'ya sa board meeting. ” it's been so long since i had talk to someone else.

If it's wasn't for business, I'd rather stay in silence. Yet, I really do want to know that man.

“ Just try it. You are 34 not 17 Naira. ”

“ And that scared me more Liza. I'm 34 and can't even handle the cons and pros if i talk to him. I don't know how to start. ” i replied that made them sigh heavily.

“ Because all your life you devoted only to your cheater husband. At 21 you married him instead of enjoying your freedom. You run away and throw your inheritance for that jerk. You spend your 13 years playing perfect wife while secretly supporting him. You're not old, it's not too late for you to enjoy life Naira. ” i bite my lower lips.

13 years— i wasted 13 years for him. I thought we are inseparable, i thought his love won't change. Akala ko'y walang magbabago. But he chooses my stepsister over me.

I run and throw away my inheritance because i choose him. Hindi siya gusto ni mommy para sa akin at dahil mahal ko s'ya ay tinalikuran ko ang sarili kong ina para piliin siya.

Year after I left my mom estate, she keep sending people to bring me home. She tried chasing me for almost 3 years then she stop. She understands and respect my choice. And i never returned home.

Maureen Stitch Marley my mother. She's now Maureen Stitch she divorce my father when i was four. She can't stand his in-laws bossing around her and my father cheated. My mom is one of the wealthiest woman in Asia at hindi alam iyon ng aking ama. When she divorce him, my father make sure na wala siyang makukuha kahit isang sentimo o kahit sustento para sa akin. She agreed, i was four can't barely understand and remember.

My mom work hard everyday and night until one day she remarried. I was only seven, she married my stepfather. He's not a good man either he shout at me, made me do so much house chores and my mom don't even know. She don't care at all. Year after year I was 13, he almost r*ped me. I left home, i meet Liza and Francine. That time Francine already had stepmom si Tita Yvonne. She's kind and gentle, how i wish all stepparents are like her but no. Even my stepmom from dad side is evil as demon. Mom is so busy building her own empire that she almost forget about me.

My stepsister from my father side Clara is kind, she always visit me at my apartment when i moved out from mom's house. I treated her as my own sister not until she betrayed me.

I hate my father for treating mom like a servant, for cheating while they are married, for letting his wife hurt me. I hate my mother for ignoring me the whole time. For believing her husband rather than believing me. That's why when I married, i never invited neither one of them and i never came home until now.

Glad that i have Tita Yvonne, she help me build my own business. Mayaman siya mas mayaman pa kay mommy. She treated me, Liza and Francine as her own child. Trio Delubyo ang tawag niya sa amin kasi everytime na magkakasama kaming tatlo sa mansion niya ay magulo ang lahat. But, we love her. Ako, iniwan ko ang mga magulang ko, si Francine maagang namatay ang mommy niya while Liza, her mom is working abroad and yeah may sariling pamilya doon. Ang business namin ni Liza ay mula kay Tita Yvonne, hindi niya binigyan si Francine dahil ginawa niya itong solong tagapagmana ng company niya. See how much she love her stepdaughter. Hindi ko man lang naranasan iyon.

When i fall in love to Leo, my ex husband. Akala ko ay iyon na ang tunay na liwanag ng buhay. Pero niloko niya ako, just like other man— he cheated.

“ Nevermind, all men are the same. Cheater, abusive, gold digger they love to act so gentle to win your heart and dump you if they have new one. So, nevermind. After all, no one will like a crippled like me.”

“ You're too scared to entertain new people. ”

“ Dahil sasaktan lang nila ako Liza. I've been through in so much pains, i can't take anymore. ” i almost tried to look for him, but no.

Remember the last man who ruined me, I can't let anyone ruined me again. I can't even fix myself and i must look for another crazy man? NO! I better sleep and heal myself.

But hey, why do I feel like I've felt the same thing to Seven Reed and Grim Reaper? Should I try and find out who is Grim Reaper? Pero paano kung pagtalsilan na naman ako ng puso ko at mahulog ako sa lalaking hindi ko naman kilala. My heart notice him, it's dangerous. What if he's like my ex husband?