Chapter Eleven
WYATT
Wyatt Rafael J. Lazaro
Chief Executive Officer & Ronnie's bitch
The new desk plate was the first thing I noticed the moment I sat behind my desk. My face quickly turned sour as soon as the words started sinking in. Veronica Cordova was one vile woman, she was truly revelling in her win and she had no problem rubbing it in my face.
This woman had been calling me 'her bitch boy' all throughout the weekend. I was being treated as a joke in my own household. Bitch boy. I scowled as I thought of the word again. Isang beses ko pa marinig iyon, I swear I would go ape shit.
The intercom beeped. I pressed the answer button.
"Bitch boy." I almost jumped when I heard her voice through the machine. "Let me in."
I pressed the button to be able to talk through the intercom. "What are you doing here, Veronica?"
"Hello, nakalimutan mo na ba yung bet natin noong isang araw? Sasama ka sa akin sa trabaho ko." She said.
"I have work to do myself." I told her.
It went quiet for awhile, I thought she'd left me alone but then the door to my office opened. In came the warrioress with her new side kick, my PA. Yes. They'd been spending most of their time together. Yesterday, she and Donny insisted on doing the groceries for the house. They left in the afternoon and came home at 8pm because they saw a movie together. She and Donny had their first little movie date and they were even talking about going to the spa together this coming weekend. How cute.
"Hey, bitch boy!" She said with a huge smile on her face. "Did you like your new desk plate?"
Nahilamos ko ang mga palad ko sa mukha. "You're driving me crazy. Ibabalik na kita sa tatay mo."
"Ang OA mo naman. Ang ganda-ganda nga ng bagong desk plate." She stopped in front of my desk and lifted the plate. "Bagay na bagay sa'yo. You should be proud that this has my name on it."
"You." My attention averted to Donny. "May kinalaman ka dito, ano? Siya na lang kaya magpasweldo sa'yo."
"Boss, wala ah. Binabantayan ko lang si Ronnie katulad ng sabi mo." He said.
"Don't pick on him. He has nothing to do with this, pinakiusapan ko yung publicist mo. Halika na, Lazaro. Late na ko sa trabaho. Ano'ng oras na, o!" She impatiently looked down at her wrist watch.
"I have meetings today. I can't just leave work."
"We had a deal. Cancel the meetings." She demanded.
"I can't drop everything-"
"I'm dropping my clothes off for your stupid magazine!" She exclaimed and cocked her head to one side. "You agreed to this, Lazaro."
"Fine." Napahilot na lang ako sa sentido ko. "But I can only stay until-"
"No, you don't make the rules here, Wyatt Lazaro. I do." She crossed her arms over her ample chest, making her breasts pop out more in those seemingly innocent polo shirt. "Kapag hindi ka tumupad sa usapan natin, I will not pose for your magazine."
"Okay, you win." I raised my hands as if surrendering. "But will you please stop calling me bitch boy?"
"No, bitch boy." She said with a cunning smirk.
Now, I was beginning to understand Phoenix Cordova. I understood why her father went mad. This woman, whose height was only around my shoulders and had a frame of a delicate goddess, was enought to make a man lose his sanity. If I weren't desperate enough to have her on my magazine, I would lock her in a box, drive to the Cordova's and leave the box in front of their gate.
I pressed the intercom button to talk to my secretary. "Have all my meetings cancelled today."
She bent down and pressed the intercom button. "Have all his meetings cancelled for the rest of the week."
"Why are you controlling my schedules?!"
She lowered her face to mine and said in a low, threatening voice. "If I have to shove my fist up your ass and control like a puppet, trust me, I will do just that."
I gulped, my adam's apple bounced up and down my throat. Veronica knew exactly what to do to get her way and there was no escaping it. . Ngayon ko na talaga naiintindihan kung bakit pati ang pamilya niya ay sumuko sa kanya. She had never been said 'no' to anything in her life and 'no' was a foreign language to her.
"Donny, stay here in the office. Ikaw na ang bahalang magpaliwanag kay Dina." I instructed him. Dina was my ever trusted publicist and one of the pioneers of Sybarite House, she was also a little bit of a hellcat herself. She gives me hell when I don't get my shit done on time. Sometimes I wonder who's the boss between her and I.
"Boss, bakit ako? Sa akin na naman magagalit yun." Napakamot siya ng ulo.
"Do what I say." I said.
"Can't Donny come with us?" The warrioress asked.
"No." I answered.
I thought this would be a good opportunity for the warrioeress and I to bond. Maybe she'd see that I wasn't really the turd she thought I was. I wanted to get to her.
RONNIE
Lazaro drove to the center in his Koenigsegg Agera. I felt horrible having to bring a car as flashy and expensive as this to a place where women and children sought for help. I never even bring my Mini Cooper to work.
"Si Wyatt Lazaro." I heard a woman whisper as we walked into the center. There were already women lined up, sitting on white plastic chairs. Si Gelay, isa sa mga katrabaho ko, ay nakaupo sa likod ng mesa at isa-isang iniinterview at pinagfifill up ng form ang mga nakapila.
"Wyatt, pa-picture." Isa sa mga babae ang naglakas ng loob na lumapit, she already had her phone ready in hand to take a picture.
Of course, Wyatt Lazaro loved the attention and being the center of everything as women began to line up to take pictures with him. Gelay told them to calm down and asked them to go back to their seats.
"Hindi kita dinala dito para makipag-meet and greet." I rolled my eyes at him.
"Kasalanan ko ba na hanggang dito may mga fans ako?" He said, grinning sheepishly. Lazaro was a well-known personality and I couldn't blame him for having women come up to him, wanting to take pictures.
"Huwag ka ngang magsyadong in love sa sarili mo." I scowled. "Ibi-brief lang kita kaya makinig kang mabuti. This shelter houses a total of 107 women and children. Karamihan mga biktima ng human trafficking at sexual o domestic abuse. Nakita mo yung mga nakapila, we deal with hundreds of women seeking our help everyday. Everyday, Lazaro."
"I see." He nodded his head. "But what is my job here?"
"Sa ngayon, I want you to clean the toilets." I said.
"You want me to what?" Nanlaki ang mga mata niya.
"Ang OA naman ng reaksyon. Maglilinis ka lang ng toilet."
"I won't do that."
"Yes, you will, bitch boy. Now, go on and do your job."
"Will you stop calling me bitch boy?" His face crumpled again. "These hands are made only for caressing."
"The only thing you'll be caressing today is this mop's handle and scrub brushes" I said as I handed him the mop.
"You've got to be kidding me, Veronica!" He shook his head. "I haven't even held a broom in ages. I'm going to call my staff to have someone do this for me."
"Hep! Hindi pwede. That's cheating! You do the job you're assigned to." I said, trying to sound as authorative as possible.
He snatched the mop from my hand, mumbling in annoyance. It felt so good having Wyatt Lazaro in the palm of my hands. Sinamahan ko siya sa banyong lilinisan niya. That's what I wanted to see. Wyatt Lazaro getting down and dirty... in a different way than he usually does.
"Ikaw na ang bahalang maglinis dito. Babalikan kita kaya ayusin mo yang trabaho mo." I said.
He was still mumbling to himself when I left him there. I was smiling from ear to ear as I walked out. Could life get any better than this? Now I had Lazaro put in his place. I never thought I'd have this much control over Wyatt Lazaro.
He had underestimated me. Tito Mark, my fairy godmother Rome's husband, was an expert pool player and I had learned from him. Ako ang favorite na inaanak ni fairy godmother Rome kaya palagi ko siyang kasama. Siya lang naman kasi ang kumukunsinti sa mga kagagahan ko mula bata pa lang ako. When Dad was against me and my movements, Ninong Rome and Tito Mark were there to support me. They themselves were LGBT rights activists. The first ever social movement I had ever experience were with them. I remembered, as a child, sitting on Ninong Rome's shoulder as we marched along the street with the LGBT group holding up a pink banner that says 'I love my gay ninang'. Of course, Dad wasn't all too happy about when he found out that I'd been a part of the march. Ang paalam kasi ni Ninong Rome ilalabas niya lang ako para kumain at manood ng sine and him being the paranoid dad he was, thought of all the worst case scenarios that could've happened. Little did he know that years after that, his innocent little daughter would be the one organizing movements and parades for women's rights. Kay Ninong Rome ko nakuha ang fighting spirit ko and what had happened to Ate only fueled my fire.
After finishing the paper works at the front desk, I went back to Lazaro. By that time, it was already lunch. Kahit naman gaano kagago si Lazaro, of course I won't starve him.
I went back to find him mopping the floor with his top off and his expensive trousers rolled to his knees, women were flocking around him like seagulls scavenging around the last morsel on the beach. He was charming the ladies, sweet talking them.
"Hey bitch boy, it's lunch time." I said, cocking my brows at him. Ano'ng iniisip niya? Talagang kailangan nakahubad habang nagmomop? Ano feeling niya? Siya si Magic Mike? Although, I had to admit that he had nice toned muscles.
"Well, girls, it was nice talking to you all." He gave them a courteous bow. Ano siya? Japanese?
"Wyatt, thank you sa pagtulong magbitbit ng mga gamit ko." Sabi ni Nita, one of the staff here.
Everyone said bye as I tried to drag him away from the women.
"Magbihis ka nga. Bakit ba nakahubad ka? Talagang pinagyayabang mo yang muscles mo, ano?" Asiwang sabi ko.
"My body, my rules." He said with a mocking grin.
I rolled my eyes at him, took his shirt that was hanging on his shoulder and threw it to his face. "Please. This is no place to display your abs. A lot of women here had gone through enough already."
"Ano bang problema? They don't seem to mind. Isa pa, ang init init dito." He complained.
"Bakit naman yung janitor nakadamit pag naglilinis dito?" I shook my head. "You just love attention, don't you?"
"I do. I mean, they were objectifying my body and I'm not the least bit offended. I'm actually flattered. I worked hard for this." He said as he was buttoning his shirt.
"Hindi lahat ng tao katulad mo. Not everyone enjoys people ogling at their bodies. You have to remember that this is a shelter for abused women and children. Dapat maingat ka sa interaction mo sa kanila and be careful what you say."
"What if the women who pose for my magazine enjoy people ogling at their bodies? What if they are as proud of it as I am? Ever thought about that, huh? Your views are deeply flawed, Veronica." He said with a mocking grin.
"But you and the men who patronizes your magazine have to understand that women are real beings with thoughts and feelings. Not just sexual objects to be looked at." I stressed as we walked to the canteen.
"I do understand that but if you are consuming something as pure fantasy, I don't see any harm in it."
"You don't see any harm? Ikaw ang nagtuturo sa mga nagbibinatang lalaki kung paano tratuhin ang mga babae. You and your magazine influence how women are being viewed."
"Never in my magazine have I ever stated that women should be treated less of a human being and I never look at them like that. Why do you want to put the blame on me on how some men view women? Have you ever thought that maybe it had something to do with how they were brought up? I didn't raise those men. I'm not with them 24 hours of the 7 days of the week. My magazine releases an issue a month."
"You have no idea how powerful media is and how it creates reality."
"But you're going to pose for my magazine. Do what I say, not what I do, I suppose?" He arched a brow.
"It's different. I'm making a statement here."
"That's what I don't get about you feminists. One moment, you're having slutwalks walking around naked in the street and the next you're condemning women who are making a living with their bodies." He shrugged. "I just don't agree with how people use feminism to empower people who don't even know what they are fighting for. We all have equal rights now."
"It isn't even about equal rights. It's about being equally safe and equally respected. How can you even tell me that while you're in here? Women are suffering everyday for their right to just live. Look at all these women around you and tell me that inequality doesn't exist. Tell me that rape doesn't exist, that violence doesn't exist, that abuse doesn't exist."
"Saying that this exist doesn't mean that that doesn't."
"Exactly. We can't repress the darkest parts of humanity. We can't just put it away and pretend it doesn't exist."
"Maybe you're right about somethings and wrong about the others, just as I am. Maybe we can agree that like any two-sided arguments, the solution lies somewhere in the middle." He said. "Now can we get some food before this turns into a debate? I am starving."
I decided to drop it as I myself didn't want to get into another debate with hin, this could go on and on forever but he did give me something to think about. Nagpunta kami sa canteen at kumain. After that, I had him help out in serving food for the kids in our custody. Mga batang pansamantalang kinukupkop namin for rehabilitation and therapy. Most kids were victims of abuse. It was sad that things like this happen. I had been working here for years and it still breaks my heart everytime we had to take another child in.
"Okay naman pala siya." Bulong sa akin ni April habang naglalagay ako ng soup sa mga bowls.
I looked at Lazaro who was tending to the kids. He was feeding a small little boy on his lap while he was talking animatedly to the little girl beside him. Hindi lang pala ang mga babae dito ang nadadala sa charm niya, even the kids seemed to be gravitating towards him. His interaction with the kids didn't seem forced, it looked so natural. I found myself smiling as I watched them.
"Tapos na ba kayong kumain?" Tanong ko sa mga bata nang lumapit ako. Ubos na ang pagkain sa mga plato nila pero hindi pa rin tumatayo ang mga ito. Usually, they'd be running to the playground as soon as they finish their meal.
"Opoooo!" They answered.
"Halika na. Mag wash na kayo ng hands para naman makapaglaro na kayo sa playground." I gently told them and guided them to the sink. I helped the little ones wash their hands.
"Kuya Wyatt, laro tayo." Si Honey, isang anim na taong gulang na bata na na rescue namin mula sa mga sindikato. They were forced to beg on the streets and if they don't meet the quota for the day hindi sila makakain o bubugbugin sila.
"Mamaya na, Honey. Kailangan pang tumulong ni Kuya Wyatt maglinis dito." I said, raking my fingers through her hair.
"Ate Ronnie, bagay kayo ni Kuya Wyatt. Maganda saka gwapo." Humagikgik si Elvis.
"Kayo talaga, ang babata niyo pa kung anu-ano na ang iniisip niyo." Ginulo ko ang buhok ng paslit. "Doon na kayo para makapaglinis na dito."
The kids ran out of the canteen and went straight to the door to the backyard playground. The kids waved at us and he waved back at them.
"Those poor kids. I can't believe anyone can have a kid but you need a license to drive." Naiiling na sabi niya.
"They like you." I quietly said.
"What's not to like?" One corner of his lips curled upward. "Ikaw lang naman ang may ayaw sa akin. Everybody loves me."
I rolled my eyes at him. And then I remembered why I hated him in the first place. "Dalhin mo na yang mga pinagkainan sa kusina at hugasan mo na."
By the end of the day, he had already befriended anyone. As much as I hated to admit it, he had a certain charisma and attitude that drew people to him. Everyone couldn't help but like him. He had a million watts of charm. I understood now why all his helps were so... so devoted to him. He had a way of making everybody he comes in contact with feel special.
"Lazaro, ano ito?" I exclaimed when I saw him guiding men who were carrying stereos and people turning the meeting hall into a club. Umalis lang ako para magpalit ng damit sa staff room dahil pauwi na kami pero ito na ang nadatnan ko pagbalik ko. The whole meeting hall was set up to look like a party with strobe lights lighting up the dark room.
"Hindi mo ba alam?" He asked.
"Ang ano?" I put my hand to my hip, giving him the death stare.
"It's Maricriss' birthday today." He said. Si Maricriss ang isa sa mga babaeng kinupkop namin sa center. "She said she has never had a birthday party in her life. Can you believe that?"
"Pero hindi ka dapat basta-basta nagpapapasok ng kung sinu-sino dito. The women and children in here are in a very vulnerable position. Have you even consulted Ms. Grace?" I asked him with fury in my tone. Ms. Grace was the head of this organization, every plan and decision we could make has to go through her first.
"Ms. Grace!" Lazaro waved at her, the middle-aged plump woman was already by the buffet table.
"Wyatt, ang saya naman nito." Ms. Grace walked up to us with a plate in hand. "Ronnie, subukan mo yung mandarin chicken dun sa buffet. Ang sarap."
Lazaro gave me a sideway glance with an arrogant smile on his face. "It's the best catering service. Makita ko lang kayong nag-eenjoy, masaya na ako."
"Paano yung mga bata, Ms. Grace?" I asked. "Baka maistorbo sila sa ingay dito."
"Their room is at the far left wing. They won't hear a single sound. I checked." Sabi ni Lazaro.
"Huwag ka nang mag-alala, Ronnie. Okay naman ang mga bata at may nagbabantay naman dun." Ms. Grace assured me.
"Don't be a party pooper." He chuckled.
I folded my arms over to my chest and breathed in. There he was again, using his charm to get his way.
"Sir Wyatt, thank you. First time ko talagang magkaron ng birthday party at ang bongga pa." Maricriss came up to us, hugging him.
"Anything for you." He patted her back. "Now, go enjoy yourself."
I felt so singled out. In just a matter of hours, he had already got under everyone's skin. Everyone loved him. The way people treated him, it felt as though he had worked longer here than I did. Everybody was already so familiar and comfortable with him.
Next thing I know he was surrounded by all the ladies as they danced with him playfully. It wasn't wild or flirty in anyway, everyone was just having fun. Wyatt Lazaro was indeed a life of the party. This was his natural habitat. He thrives in parties, in being around people, and especially in attention. He loved the spotlight and the admiration of the crowd.
Then Lazaro had the music stopped and went in front with a microphone in hand.
"I just want to take this time to greet Maricriss a happy birthday. Let's sing happy birthday for her." He said as he lighted up the candle on the cake.
We all went around to sing happy birthday to her and she even cried a little. It was such a touching moment. Isang kasambahay si Maricriss, she came from a rural province and was brought to the city to become a help. She wasn't lucky and ended up with an abusive employers who'd beat her so bad that she ended up in the hospital. Kami ngayon ang kumupkop sa kanya habang on going ang kaso niya.
"Maraming salamat, sir Wyatt. Ang saya-saya ko ngayon." She said, teary-eyed and then she bent down to blow the candle on her cake.
"Hey..." Lazaro came up to me after the cake was cut and handed me a can of soda. "You enjoying yourself?"
I shrugged. "You can't just come here and treat this as a joke."
"I'm not treating this as a joke. It's a wonderful thing you're doing here." He said without a hint of anything but pure sincerity.
I pressed my lips together before I spoke again. "I think you're doing a wonderful thing for Maricriss, too. For the kids and all the women here."
"I'm glad you think that way. I'm not as bad as you think I am, Veronica. In fact, I got something for you."
"Something for me?" I cocked my head to one side, my brow rising.
"Yeah." He answered with a grin. Then he went back to the center of the room and grabbed the microphone from the stand. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for a moment?"
And everyone did give their attention to him. Lazaro looked straight into my eyes, smiled at me and winked. I lowered my head, feeling embarrassed. Why was I easily embarrassed? I had never felt embarrassed in my whole life. Sa pamilya ako ang pinaka may makapal na mukha.
"I'd like to dedicate this song to Veronica Cordova." He said and I swore my cheecks heat up when everyone started teasing. I was glad it was kind of dark in here. "I know this song fits you perfectly."
The background music started to play. Was he really going to sing a song for me?
"Nang isilang ka sa mundong ito
Laking tuwa ng magulang mo
At ang kamay nila ang iyong ilaw
At ang nanay at tatay mo'y
Di malaman ang gagawin
Minamasdan pati pagtulog mo..."
That asshole. My face contorted into a disappointed frown. I really thought he was going to sing a song for me.
"Boo! Ang pangit ng boses mo." I heckled.
_____
I'm baaaack! Totoo na to hahaha.
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