Charlie felt weak when she woke up the next day. Bumalik din ang pagduduwal niya kaya sinabihan siya ng Mommy niya na umuwi muna upang doon niya ituloy ang pagpapahinga at ipapadala na lang daw nito sa bahay nila ang family doctor nila upang matignan siya.At first she protested, dahil gusto niya sanang makausap muna ang Daddy niya dahil hindi niya ito naabutan nang magising ito. She realized that after yesterday’s scare, important words to say must not be delayed. But her mother insisted that she goes home. Kaya naman napilitan na rin siyang umuwi.Her heart was hammering against her chest during the whole travel back to their mansion. She had been away for more than a month and she doesn’t know what chaos she brought there too when she eloped with Gael.When Jacob pulled the car over at the driveway of their home, a nostalgic feeling suddenly enveloped her. She suddenly missed her peaceful yet sad life. Noong hindi pa bumabalik si Gael sa buhay niya. Noong hindi pa siya nagkakamali
“Hindi po talaga nagagawi rito si T’yo, Aling Myrna?” nag-aalalang tanong ni Gael sa dati nilang kapitbahay sa may aplaya. Doon siya dinala ng paghahanap niya sa tiyuhin. Kahapon matapos niyang ibalik si Charlie sa mga magulang nito, umuwi siya sa San Gabriel upang doon lunurin ang sarili niya sa lungkot dahil sa napakabigat na desisyon na nagawa niya. At bakit hindi? Kusa niyang isinuko ang asawa niya pabalik sa mga magulang nito—sa mga taong siya ring dahilan kung bakit ito labis na naghirap noon; mga taong pilit silang pinaglayo; mga taong pilit silang tinugis hanggang sa mapilitan siyang isuko si Charlie para sa kaligtasan nito.Mula nang iwan niya si Charlie sa Antipolo, hindi na naalis ang bigat na nasa dibdib niya. He did not just thought of turning the car around once to get Charlie back. But he willed himself not to.Madalas sabihin sa kanya ng T’yo Berting niya noon na ang tamang desisyon ay mahirap gawin. That thought gave him the assurance that he was doing the right thin
“Charlie, will you need me to help you pack your things?” anang Mommy niya kay Charlie. Nakasilip ito sa pinto ng kanyang silid. She gently shook her head and gave her mother a faint smile. “No, Mom. I can manage,” aniya, habang tinitiklop ang ilan pa sa mga gamit na ilalagay niya sa loob ng suitcase niya. Her mother forced a smile. She can clearly see the visible lines of worry on her face. lt has been a tough week for all of them. “Okay, sweetheart. Remember, don't get out of the bed or stand for too long. Kapag kailangan mo ng tulong, just call me, alright?"Marahan siyang tumango. “Yes, Mom.”Her mother gently pulled the door closed. But despite of that, she can still hear the chaos outside. She was hearing rushed footsteps as well as hushed and worried conversations from their househelpers. Why wouldn’t they? It was like their packing the whole house with them!They are migrating to the US in haste. First because of her Dad’s health condition. Second, for them to be safe. Three
Five years later “Are you ready for tomorrow?” malumanay na tanong ng Daddy ni Charlie sa kanya. They were talking via video call and she can clearly see the worried look on her father’s face. She forced a smiled. “I will be fine, Dad. Besides, this is not the first time that I’ll be negotiating over our… o-our debt,” alanganing niyang sagot. Even after so many years, the word still tasted bitter on her mouth. “Yes but this is the first time your Uncle Joshua will not be with you. Do you want me to call your Grandma or your Uncle Kiel para may kasama ka—“ “Dad, ‘di ba nag-usap na tayo,” maagap niyang putol sa ama. “How will I learn if I’d always rely on other people? Besides graduation ni Tala bukas, Uncle Josh will not miss his daughter’s graduation just to help me, would he? Don’t you trust me?” Her father had this conflicted look on his face for a while. “I do. It’s the people you meet I don’t trust.” She smiled, her heart warming up a little. There she was all grown up and c
It was ten minutes before lunch at kanina pa inip na naghihintay si Charlie sa may waiting room ng opisina ni Mr. Jones. Ilang beses na rin niyang nakausap ang secretary ng lalaki. But everytime she does, iisa lang ang sagot nito, may importante pa itong kausap na tao sa loob ng opisina nito.She had always been very patient when it comes to her business dealings. Her Uncle Joshua told her to never show extreme emotions when dealing with clients or business associates. And so she had learned to manage her emotions well. But this transaction, no matter how she needed it to go smoothly today is clearly testing her patience. Why wouldn't she? Sinunod niyang lahat ang protocols para makakuha ng appointment kay Mr. Jones. But now that she's here, she felt like the CEO was just making a fool out out of her by making her wait for hours! Hindi niya tuloy maiwasang isipin na baka inutusan ito ng mga Mondragon na paglaruan siya. This is not the first time the Mondragons have used their conne
“So, how was the meeting with Mr. Jones,” anang Uncle Joshua ni Charlie sa kanya. Agad siyang nag-angat ng tingin mula sa kanyang plato, makahulugang ipinalibot ang tingin sa mga kaanak niya na nasa hapag. They were having dinner at his uncle’s house in celebration of her cousin Tala's graduation. Everyone from her father’s side of the family were present, except of course for her parents and her brother Caleb who was away preparing for his Accountancy Licensure Exam. Sa totoo lang, wala sana siya dapat doon ngayon. She’s still flustered from meeting Gael earlier that day. All she would want to do is to spend the night in her bed with the help of a premium drink to knock her senses off to sleep. But Tala’s graduation is quite a big event for the family. Paano, matapos nitong mag-shift ng course ng tatlong beses, her cousin finally got her degree. And soon, Tala will be moving to Italy for her masters in fashion design. Her heart felt a little heavy with the thought. Sometimes, she
“Coffee?” alok ni Jasmine kay Charlie na noon ay sapo-sapo pa rin ang nananakit na ulo. Last night she had one too many drinks while pouring her heart out to Jasmine. The brandy did its magic last night—make her talk and knock her off to sleep. ‘Yon nga lang, hindi siya sa bahay niya nakatulog. Natulog siya sa bahay nina Jasmine at Gray dahil sa sobrang kalasingan. “Thank you,” paos ang tinig na sabi niya matapos salinan ni Jasmine ng kape ang mug na nakasilbi sa harap niya. She took a sip of the hot beverage, wishing that it will take away all the effects of her stupidity last night. It was ten minutes past nine in the morning but she’s still there, in someone else’s home looking like a shit. Ngayon siya nagsisisisi kung bakit uminom-inom pa siya kagabi. Napakarami niyang dapat gawin sa opisina. Idagdag pa ang muli niya sanang pakikipag-usap kay Mr. Jones. Heck! It’s not even yet the weekend but she got wasted! What was she thinking? She silently cursed herself. What’s happening
The woman has been silent for a while now. Her beautiful caramel eyes staring at him were filled with confusion and fear. Gael smiled secretly. Good, he thought. She should really be afraid of me.This woman whom they say was his wife looks a little more matured now compared to the pictures compiled by his men. She still looked beautiful though, an air of effortless sophistication follows her-- a real billionaire brat. She looked so innocent then, breathtaking. No wonder he was smitten. Stupidly smitten. He knew now that she was never good for him. And he curse the day that she met her and her family.Nang magising siya sa isang ospital sa Germany limang taon na nakakalipas at ang tanging natatandaan lang ay ang kanyang pangalan at ng kanyang T'yo Berting, nakilala niya ang kanyang tunay na kapamilya, si Aksel Bernstein, ang lolo niya at ang may-ari ng Bernstein Industrial Technologies.His father was the old man's only son. But Aksel never approved of his mother who was from a p