08 - Resisting
1617 Words
08 - Resisting
Damian’s Point of View
Halos paliparin ko ang kotse makarating lang agad sa location na s-in-end sa akin ni Spade. I don’t know what got into me that I am so worried about her when Spade was already there to protect her in case something happens.
Maybe I just don’t like the idea of her being with other guys. It irks me. It scratches the possessiveness in me, but I don’t want to acknowledge it. I don’t want to.
Pagkarating ko sa lugar ay agad kong tinawagan si Spade. I asked him about their whereabouts and just a few seconds later he sent me the location of the bar they went into.
Dali-dali akong pumunta at pumasok.
“Where is she?” tanong ko kay Spade pagkalapit na pagkalapit ko sa kanya.
May itinuro siyang direksyon. She’s at the bar counter. “Akala ko ba may mga kasama siyang lalaki?”
“Kanina,” sagot ni Spade. “But as soon as they went inside, iniwan na niya ang mga ito and went on her own,” paliwanag niya. “Should we approach her?”
“No. We can’t,” mabilis kong tugon at umiling. “Let’s stay here and watch her from afar. I don’t want her to think that we’re following her.” Tiningnan ko si Spade na marahil ay naguguluhan na sa ginagawa ko. “Let’s leave after she leaves.”
“But what if she sees us, sir?”
“She won’t,” determinadong sambit ko. “Let’s blend in the crowd.”
“What if may mga lalaking lumapit sa kanya?”
Natigilan ako sa tanong niya. Napakurap pa ako bago naikuyom ang kamay ko. “Let’s see what will happen.”
“Sige po.”
I patiently sat in the corner and silently watched her. She’s drinking her second glass, looking around with an excited smile. She’s starting to move her shoulders, swaying them along with the upbeat rhythm of the music.
Maya-maya pa ay may lumapit na sa kanyang lalaki. I thought she would ignore him, but I was surprised to see her invite him to sit with her. She even offered him a drink. Hindi ko tuloy mapigilang mapaisip kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng ginawa niya.
Was it a normal gesture?
Baka gano’n ang ginagawa nila sa states. I mean, I’ve been there but I didn’t experience the night life there since I was mostly in the hospital taking care of my sister, her mother.
I continued to watch them. At nanlaki na lang ang mga mata ko nang makita ko ang ginawa ni Arabella. She just rubbed that man’s leg with a playful grin!
That girl!
Naikuyom ko ang kamay ko habang pinagmamasdan sila. Something in boiling inside me. Nangangati akong tumayo at sugurin sila perp pinipigilan ko ang sarili ko dahil ayokong sirain ang gabi niya. She’s here to have some fun and I don’t want to spoil it.
But it seems like she’s really testing my patience when she started clinging onto him. She slithered her arms around his arm like a wild snake.
Nakagat ko ang labi ko sa inis.
Is she the one making the first move?
But what shocked me more was when she sat on the guy’s lap and pulled him for a kiss. At doon na ako hindi nakapagpigil.
Something snapped in me.
Mabilis akong tumayo. Spade tried to stop me pero hindi ko na siya pinakinggan. I walked as fast as I could to reach them. Kuyom-kuyom ko ang kamay ko. I can’t contain the irritation I am feeling.
“Arabella…” matigas kong sambit sa pangalan niya. I had to make it sound like I was shouting to get their attention.
At mas lalo pa akong nainis nang makitang wala man lang siyang reaksyon nang makita ako. She didn’t look surprised at all. Instead, she grinned at me, arms still around the guy’s neck. “Uncle. What are you doing here?”
May kung anong pumitik sa ulo ko. “I should be the one asking you that. What are you doing, Arabella?”
“Making out?” she responded, uncertain. Her clueless expression made me even more mad. “Why?”
“Making out with someone you don’t know?” hindi makapaniwalang tanong ko.
“Well, it’s not new to me,” aniya.
My jaw almost dropped after hearing her response. “You mean you did this before?”
“Uh, yeah?”
Mariin kong naikuyom ang kamay ko. “Well, time to stop it. Wala ka na sa ibang bansa. There are some things that you no longer can’t do now that you’re here,” matigas kong sabi bago masamang tiningnan ang lalaki. I made sure to scare him with my eyes.
Kitang-kita ko kung paano siya tablan ng takot at dali-daling ibinaba si Arabella saka umalis.
“You scared him.”
“Yes, I did. And he should be scared, Ara. And you, too,” matigas kong sabi at masama siyang tiningnan.
“I am just trying to have fun, Uncle. What’s wrong with that?”
Mas nainis pa ako sa sinabi niya. “Everything is wrong, Ara. Everything. You can’t have fun with that. You can’t just do that!”
“Why are you so mad, Uncle?”
“Because I am trying to protect you, okay? I am trying to keep you from those men,” paliwanag ko sa kanya bago ako huminga nang malalim dahil pakiramdam ko’y malalagas ang buhok ko sa stress na nararamdaman ko ngayon.
“Those men? They mean no harm.”
“They do!” inis kong sambit.
“How can you be so sure? Because you’re probably just like them, aren’t you?” mabilis niyang tugon sa akin at tinaasan ako ng kilay. “You probably saw yourself in them and you’re scared that what you do with your women might also happen to me, your niece.”
Fùck.
“That’s…” Hindi ko masabi-sabi ang rason. How can I tell her the reason why I am acting like this is the fact that I don’t want anyone to touch her but me?
How can I tell her that without freaking her out?
Sino ba namang matinong lalaki ang magkakainteres sa pamangkin niya?
I know we’re not blood-related but she’s still my niece in paper.
Fùck it!
“See? Hindi ka makapagsalita dahil tama ako. You’re a player,” aniya. She sounded dismayed. “And why are you even here? Tapos na ba ang date n’yo ng babae mo?”
“I…” Fùck. Ano bang isasagot ko?
“You even asked Spade to watch over me,” dagdag niya dahilan para mapatingin ako sa kanya. “I already told you, hindi na ako bata. God, I’m 20 years old, Uncle! Kaya ko na ang sarili ko.”
“Iba ang Pinas sa kinalakihan mo, Ara,” paliwanag ko sa kanya. “At isa pa, gusto lang kitang ilayo sa kapahamakan. You’re under my wing now, and it is my responsibility to take care of you and make sure no harm shall come to you.”
“I just want to have fun, Uncle. Just fun,” giit niya.
Marahan akong tumango. “Okay, I get it. But fow now, umuwi na muna tayo.”
“What? No! I’ll stay here.”
Huminga ako nang malalim dahil sa katigasan ng ulo niya. “Uuwi na tayo. Next time ka na mag-enjoy. And if you want to have fun, sabihan mo ako. Gagawin ko ang best ko para maibigay ang kailangan mo.”
She looked at me straight in the eyes. “I came here to be fùcked, Uncle. I came here looking for a one night stand,” matigas niyang sabi at hindi inalis ang tingin sa akin. “Can you give that kind of fun to me?” mapanghamon niyang sambit.
Bigla akong natigilan sa sinabi niya. May kung anong bumara sa lalamunan ko kasabay ng pagragasa ng init sa aking katawan. Something just snapped deep inside me, as if something was just awakened.
“You can’t, right? So please let me stay here. Mauna ka nang umuwi at may duty ka pa bukas,” pagtataboy niya sa akin.
“Stop messing with me, Arabella. Umuwi na tayo,” I said, ignoring her words.
“I am not going home without getting fúcked,” pagmamatigas niya.
I stared at her. Hindi ako makapaniwala sa mga salitang naririnig ko sa bibig niya. She’s no longer the sweet and innocent child I used to know. Never have I ever expected her to have this kind of side. And that just proves me that I have still a very long way to get to know her.
“You’re going home, and you can’t do anything about it,” I said with finality before I grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her away from the bar.
“Uncle, let me go!” pagmamatigas niya.
But there’s no way I’m gonna let her stay in this goddàmned bar after knowing what she’s after.
Sinenyasan ko si Spade at mabilis itong lumapit sa amin.
“Carry this wild lady back in my car,” madiin kong utos bago huminga nang malalim.
There’s no way I’m gonna let some random guy fúck you, Arabella. You’re too precious to be bedded by a freaking stranger. No one touches you. Not under my watch!
If there’s someone who should take you to bed, then that would none other than…
Napapikit ako at napailing na lang sa naisip.
What the hell am I even thinking? I am probably losing my mind.
Umayos ka, Damian. Umayos ka. She’s your niece for fúck’s sake!
- Writer
