Chasing Justice #1

CHAPTER TEN: FINAL VERDICT

FINAL CHAPTER

THE NIGHT BEFORE SENATOR SUNSET WAS ARRESTED

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"Damn, work is killing me these days." Sunset opened her mouth when I feed her a spoonful of sisig with rice. Pinunasan ko ang labi niya nang may lumagpas na sauce roon. She looked at me with her puppy eyes, and she pouted while munching the food.

I pinched her cheeks. "My baby is tired?"

Tumango siya. "Sobra."

"Take a leave for a day, I'll take care of you."

"Maybe the day after tomorrow...I'll just finish some work at the office and I'm all yours..." Sunset smiled at me and reached for my hand. Tahimik lang akong tumango sa kaniya hanggang sa matapos kaming maghapunan. Actually, this dinner of us wasn't planned. It was just a random call from Sunset saying she would wait me in our usual dating spot.

The Sisig house here in taft. Halos maghahating gabi na 'rin. Mabuti na lang at gising pa rin ako noong tumawag siya para ayain akong mag-hapunan. Hindi pa raw siya kumakain dahil sa rami ng trabaho niya sa opisina. She was like a lost kid in the middle of the way. Kung wala lang siyang kotse ay mapagkakamalan siyang si Sisa e.

"Do you want to stay in my unit?" I asked. Magkatapat kami habang kumakain but Sunset as a kid she is, sinusubuan ko pa siya. I didn't complain though. Sunset being clingy to me like this makes me feel that she needs me even though what she achieved compared to mine is heaven and earth.

"Pwede po ba, father?" she asked.

Muli ko siyang sinubuan bago ako kumuha ng akin. Mabuti na lang at walang tao rito dahil lagpas hating gabi na. Kilala naman kami ng tindera dahil magmula college ay nandito na kami. We used to hide here back in time when the gang is too noisy and irritating, lalo na si Stanley na kung sino-sino ang hina-hunting sa kabilang table, which is taga-kabilang university kapag lunch time namin.

"I'm not a priest anymore. That was years ago..."

"Yeah." She laughed and whispered. "You stopped being a priest the moment I became 30. You literally became a party popper."

"Shhh..." natawa na rin ako sa sinabi niya. "What drinks do you want?"

"Bili tayo later sa mini-stop. Cobra." Pang-aasar niya.

"Sunset." Pinanlakihan ko siya nang mata.

Napahalakhak siya. "We have to finish a war, Prosecutor Dankworth..."

Hindi na lang ako sumagot. The more that I will answer her, the more that she will tease me. Sa aming dalawa, ako ang mapang-asar lalo na kapag magkasama kaming dalawa, but everytime she's in the mood to tease me, I have no choice to but accept defeat.

Napabuntong hininga ako at kinapa ang bulsa ko. I don't know if this is the right time... hindi ko 'rin alam kung bakit ko dala-dala ang bagay na 'to tuwing magkikita kami... I don't know how Sunset would react the moment that she will see this. Alam kong hindi siya magagalit... alam ko 'ring hindi siya tatanggi—but I don't know. Whatever her reaction would be scares me like a highschool kid who plans to confess to his crush.

NANG matapos kaming kumain ay dumiretso na kami sa unit ko. It's near our old office when we're still lawyers. Iyon ang building ng law firm nila Tricia. Tanaw na tanaw ko iyon habang nasa terrace ako ng unit. Bukod kasi sa lawfirm nila Tricia ay doon din nakatayo ang isang charity house kung saan nagtatrabaho si Jaimme.