Chapter Forty One
COCO
"Tito Axel..." Adrenaline shot through me as Tito Axel held me by my shirt collar. Hindi ko na naramdaman ang sakit ng ulong kaninang naramdaman ko ng gisingin ako ni Anais. I felt as though all my blood went up to my head. Fuck hangover! This feeling was worse than the worst hangover I've had. It felt as though my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.
"Dad, please... bitawan mo si Coco. Nasa tamang edad na ako. I already know what I'm doing. Ginusto ko ang nangyari sa amin." She begged, clutching onto the blanket she had around her body.
"Tumahimik ka! Ginagawa niyo akong tanga! Ilang beses na kitang pinagsabihan!" He roared at his own daughter before his eyes went back to me. "At ikaw! Ano'ng akala mo sa anak ko? Your fucking whore? Kung noong una hindi kita napatay, ngayon tutuluyan na kita!"
"Dad, please no!" Anais jumped out of bed. She held the blanket over her body with one hand as she tried to pry Tito Axel's hands from me with the other. "Don't hurt him. Pareho namin ginusto 'to!"
"Tito, I'm sorry..." I sincerely apologized.
"Sorry? Paano pag na buntis ulit ang anak ko?" He shook me by the collar.
"I'm on the pill, Dad! Hindi ako mabubuntis!" She exclaimed. "Let Coco go..."
"Hindi pa rin yun sapat na rason para gawin niyo iyon." Tito Axel shouted. "Paulit-ulit mong dinungisan ang pagkababae ng anak ko!"
"Dad naman. Please, just let go home. I'm no longer a freaking virgin, okay? May anak na kami. Wala naman nawala sa akin!" Anais said, almost on the verge of tears.
His raised one hand and his fist was the last thing I saw before I tumbled down. Napaupo ako sa sahig sa lakas ng suntok at napahawak sa pisngi ko. Naramdaman ko ang pagtulo ng dugo sa gilid ng labi ko dahil tumama iyon sa ipin ko. I wiped off the blood.
"Daaaad!" Anais let out a shrilling scream before kneeling in front of me. She embraced me as if that would shield me from his father. She began to cry and sob. "Don't hurt him. Tama na, Dad!"
"It's okay. I'm okay." I said, rubbing her back soothingly.
"Sa tingin mo palalampasin ko 'to?" He sneered spitefully. "Hindi mo na ginalang ang anak ko. Binuntis mo na nga, ginagalaw mo pa. Ano? Magtitikiman kayo kung kailan niyo gusto?"
"Tito Axel, I'm so sorry..." Iyon lang ang tanging naisip kong sabihin ng mga oras na iyon.
"Sorry?" He let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Pag katapos mong anakan si Anais, sorry? After you just fucked her, sorry? Do not degrade my daughter's dignity as a woman. Panindigan mo ang anak ko! Fucking marry her!"
"D-dad..." Anais took a sharp inhale.
Suddenly it felt like the world had stopped spinning. It was so quiet and all I could hear was our breathings. Did I just hear what I thought I heard or was it my imagination? Was I in a dream?
"Ano? Tatahimik ka na lang d'yan?" He towered over me, shoving my shoulder. "Pakakasalan mo ba ang anak ko o hindi?"
"I... I will. Tito, pakakasalan ko si Anais." Kahit sa lahat ng simbahan.
"Mag-usap tayo." He kept a stoic face as he waited for me.
I gently pulled away from Anais hold and got up. She just looked at me and Tito Axel in a state of shock. Her mouth opened looking like she was about to say something but it closed again when no words came out.
Tito Axel exited my room and I followed behind him. Si Dad ang sumalubong sa amin pagkalabas ng kwarto.
"What happened?" He asked and his brows furrowed when he saw me. Tumaas ang isang kamay ni Dad papunta sa gilid ng labi ko. My head flinched at his touch. "Bakit nagdudugo yang gilid ng labi mo? What did you do to my son, Atticus?"
"I punched him so it's more realistic. Para matakot talaga si Anais." He said, matter of factly. "And he fucked my daughter. He deserves it."
Dad let out an annoyed exhale. "Palalampasin ko ito ngayon pero huli na 'to, Axel!"
"Hey, I did what I had to do." He raised his hand in front of him as if surrendering. "Walang personalan."
I stared at the both of them, completely confused. "What are you two talking about? I don't understand..."
"The help told us you came home with Anais last night. Umakyat kayo sa kwarto at hindi na kayo bumaba." Dad told me.
"And?" I impatiently asked.
"I called your Tito Axel and told him that Anais was with you in your room. We decided it was the perfect timing and the perfect excuse to get you two married." Dad said.
"You're setting us up?" I brushed my fingers through my aching head.
"Bakit nagrereklamo ka? Ayaw mong pakasalan ang anak ko?" Tito Axel's brows crumpled.
"No, of course I want to marry her. Siya ang inaalala ko. Paano kung ayaw ni Anais? She has a boyfriend." I quietly said.
"She'd have to say goodbye to her boyfriend then. At saka ngayon mo pa naisip yan pagkatapos mong galawin ang anak ko kagabi?" Tito Axel crossed her arms over his chest. "Magpapakasal siya sa'yo sa ayaw o sa gusto niya. Paninindigan niyo yung ginawa niyo at bibigyan niyo ng buong pamilya si Cookie, naiintindihan mo?"
"Yes, Tito." I nodded my head.
"Good." He said and averted his attention back to Dad. "Paano ba yan? We're going to be in laws."
"Our plan worked. We did a great job, balae." Dad smiled, holding his hand up in the air. They high fived each other like two adolescents congratulating themselves after winning a basketball game.
ANAIS
Pumunta si Coco kasama sina Tito Phoenix at Tita Cassie sa bahay to formally for my hand in marriage. We all sat on the long table in Mom's garden patio while the food started rolling in. Our son sat on Coco's lap, playing with his Dada. Kuya Miggy was busy with his food. Tita Cassie and Mom were talking about the recipe for- I didn't even know what food it was. Toffie was climbing over Dad's shoulder as he spoke with Tito Phoenix who had Arthur on his lap. Ronnie and Bryce were at the garden lounge, talking about God knows what. I sat there in silence, feeling like there was an invisible bubble around me. Like I wasn't a part of all these.
How could I be so careless? Sinisisi ko ang sarili ko kung bakit kami napunta sa ganitong sitwasyon ni Coco. Kung umuwi na ako, hindi mangyayari ito.
Tito Phoenix clinked a spoon against his glass, getting anyone's attention.
"First of all, I'd like to thank the Lavigne's for warmly welcoming us into your home." He started. "Thank you, Valerie, for the wonderful meal."
Mom smiled and humbly gave him a nod.
"We've had a strained relationship for the past few years but it's all in the past now. Sana makalimutan na natin ang mga galit natin sa isa't-isa at makapagsimula ng bago. Soon we'd no longer be two families, magiging isang malaking pamilya na tayo." Tito Phoenix said and then looked at Coco as if telling him to take the floor.
Coco cleared his throat. "Tito Axel, Tita Val I would like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage. We've both made mistakes in the past which caused our families to fall apart. We had Cookie at a very young age. Naging mapusok kami at padalos-dalos. I want to apologize for turning your little princess into a mother too soon but I'll never regret it because we had Cookie. Our son is the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me. I know it's past due pero hindi pa naman siguro huli ang lahat para itama ang mga pagkakamaling nagawa ko."
Coco turned his head and looked at me with warm eyes. I lowered my head, feeling the sinking in my stomach.
"I'm not going to marry him." I said in a soft voice. It was so soft I wasn't even sure if they heard it.
It went silent again. My fingers clenched into fists on my lap.
"Anais?" Coco's head shot up at me.
I lifted my head up and looked at them with chin held high. "Walang kasal. Hindi ako magpapakasal kay Coco."
I stood up from my seat and I ran in. Umakyat ako sa kwarto at ibinagsak ang sarili ko sa kama. I couldn't marry Coco. Bukod sa may iba siyang na buntis, alam kong napilitan lang siya dahil kay Dad.
I had always dreamt of having a family with Coco and our son Cookie. Pero mali ito. Mali ang ginagawa ni Dad. Ayaw kong magpakasal sa akin si Coco dahil lang tinakot siya ni Dad. Para ko na rin siyang pinikot. I didn't want to be that kind of woman. I wanted him to marry me because he loves me. Because it's what he wants. Tears started flowing down the side of my eyes.
"Mymy..." The door slowly creaked open. I lifted my head up from the bed and saw Cookie walking towards me.
Pinunasan ko ang luha sa gilid ng mga mata ko. "What are you doing here, baby?"
"I just want to see if you're okay." He climbed up my bed and sat next to me.
I sat up, kissing him and forcing a smile just for him. "Okay si Mymy."
"Di ba when you marry someone it means you really, really, really love that person? That's what my teacher told me." He said.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Cookie, mahirap kasing ipaliwanag yung sitwasyon namin ng Dada mo."
"Don't you love him?" His lips tugged down.
"Cookie..." I bit my bottom lip.
"Dada told me he loves you so much it hurts him sometimes." Sabi niya.
"He... he said that?" My heart skipped a beat at what he said.
"Mmhm. It's supposed to be a secret but it's not anymore because I already told you."
"Oh Cookie..." I pulled him into a hug. "I don't know what to do, baby. Mymy's so confused."
"Marry him." He urged.
"You're still too young to understand everything. And you don't have to understand it yet. This should only just be between Dada and Mymy." I gently explained, brushing my fingers through his hair.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen3h.Co