Thinking Stefanie was right… I found myself amidst the massive
Shopwise grocery… I hate marketing… not specially in big stores like this
one at Libis… I get so overwhelmed, making me nauseated… Yet, I went,
bought some stuff… thinking I would surprise Francis and cook him dinner…
Hopefully, he would be home… otherwise I would be waiting at the gates with
two shopping bags… dawn a cab, I did mention that I hate taking a cab
alone…
He was home… unfortunately, he
wasn’t alone… and I was face to face with the "Charmed Ones", ready to be
sent home again without a fight… Good thing, Paul went out of the kitchen
before one of them had managed to say something and called Francis…
“Hi, I didn’t know you were coming…” Francis said, giving me a
soft kiss.
“I was to surprise you but seeing that,” I mumbled to go already.
“No… stay…” he said leading me in… I could feel the three
sets of hateful eyes on me…
“Could I hang on your room then…” I asked.
“Okay,” I noted a relieve in his tone, “but dinner would be ready
soon…”
I just went…
I didn’t bother to put on the lights… I just sat there at the edge
of the bed, motionless… trying to think how would I make my escape or the
night bearable… I looked at the window… it was grilled… no way out…
Stefanie!
I
lift the phone and dialed her number immediately…
It
just kept ringing and ringing… went busy… I dialed it again… she
wasn’t home… I put down the phone and, again, seat there motionless…
Then I thought that things were probably being said outside… bad things
about me… sealing me with disapproval… even in front of Francis… well,
they were there… He welcomed them even after what they did to me…
The
door opened… turned on the lights, it was Francis… “What are you doing
seating in the dark…” he asked as he close the door… I tried to smile…
He walked to seat beside me…
“They
apologized and promised,” he said.
I
nodded.
“Lex…”
he said putting his arms around me, “they are my friends…”
I
just nodded again.
“Can’t
you just forgive them and put everything behind… for my sake at least…?
“I’m
not asking you to choose… I just didn’t know they would be here…”
He
nodded.
A
knocked on the door, Francis went to get it… I walked to the window.
It
was Paul, saying dinner was ready.
“Sunod
na kami…” he said to Paul and closed the door.
“Go,”
I said turning to him with a smile.
“Tara…”
he said, happy.
“No,
Ikaw na lang,” I said still smiling, “full pa ko eh…”
“Lex…”
“Hindi,
busog pa talaga ako,” I said turning the TV on, “kayo na lang… Go…”
giving him the sweetest smile I could master.
He
gave up and turned to go out.
Moments later, the door opened again. It was Francis, on his back was
Jericho, trying to stop him.
“It’s an honest mistake…” Jericho said, struggling to explain
something.
“It’s okay, sabay na lang kami ni Lex mamaya…” he said.
“Lex…” Jericho turned on to me still sprawled in the bed,
“I’m sorry about what happened in Bed… I was totally out of line…” I
seat up straight as he walked toward me. Then, the rest of the guys were at
the door—yah, I know: one big drama. And the question was, would I like to
turn the table and be the bad guy?
I don’t think Jericho was sincere with his apology and even if he
were, he called me a social climbing bitch and I commuted all the way from
Malate to Pasig with my hair gelled!
I mastered a smile and nodded…
He offered a hand. I took it…
“Okay!” Paul said happy, “Now we could all have dinner! I’m
really starving already!”
I know I was to eat insult…
