In The Wilderness

Chapter 5: Intense and Strange

Savannah

Sa dami ng nangyari sa nakalipas na mga oras ay hindi ko alam kung ano ang eksaktong nararamdaman ko ngayon. Gusto kong umiyak dahil sa sinapit ng relasyon namin ni Terrence, subalit walang luha na pumapatak sa aking mga pisngi. Makirot ang aking dibdib subalit hindi ko magawang umiyak, dahil somewhere down the line, a part of me already saw it coming that after all the shîtty things that he'd done to me and me still forgiving him and staying with him despite that; he would still have the audacity to be unfaithful.

But it doesn't take away the fact that it hurts like hell to see it happen.

Hindi ko rin magawang umiyak at i-embrace ang pangit na pakiramdam na dinulot ng pangangaliwa ni Rence dahil una sa lahat, I am literally in another man's house whom I don't really know. Narito pa rin ako sa kanyang simple subalit cozy na living room.

He left me to rest in front of the fire while I heard him in the kitchen nearby. Imbes na matulog akong muli at mag-relax ay nakadilat lamang ako at parang tangang nakatitig sa apoy.

I am also kind of overwhelmed by the feeling of a little fear, because the man with a Greek accent who calls himself Silas, just saved me from hypothermia, and also flatly told me that he's a bad man?

What does he want me to do with that information?

And for all I know, he could be a criminal on the loose. I took a deep breath to stop my racing heart beat.

"Dinner time."

Halos mapatalon naman ako nang marinig ko ang kanyang malalim na tinig. Agad naman akong napaupo at napatingla sa kanya. He's now standing with his full height while the dog stands beside him like a loyal soldier.

"I'm not hungr—"

My treacherous stomach made a growling sound when the smell of cooked food filled my nostrils once again.

"I-I–"

"You're going to eat, end of this discussion." He authoritatively replied. My stomach already betrayed me and disobeying him doesn't look like much of a choice, kaya naman imbes na makipag-argue pa ay tumango na lamang ako.

"I-I can do it." Sabi ko nang akmang tutulungan niya akong tumayo. He just made a light groaning noise at the back of his throat before he took a few steps away. Hindi nga niya ako hinawakan subalit ramdam ko ang kanyang mabigat na titig sa akin.

Nang makatayo ako ay sandali kong inikot ang aking paningin. Halos ang lahat ng parte ng cabin ay gawa sa matibay na kahoy.  May maliit na hallway sa gilid ng fireplace, I assume that's where a room will be. May malaking kulay puting carpet na nakalatag dito sa kanyang living room, there is a wooden coffee table and two simple wooden chairs.

And if you take a few steps to the right, you will find his cozy kitchen and a wooden table with two chairs. He led me there and pulled the seat for me. God, he is so huge that the chair sinks in his presence.

I sat down with the blanket wrapped around me. Meanwhile the dog walked to his own bowl of food and started eating.

"Ano 'to?" I murmured to myself as I stared at the bowl of food in front of me. It smells so good, pero mukha siyang yassified version ng ginisang munggo, dahil may mga extra bean at spinach toppings pa iyon.

"White bean stew with rosemary and spinach." He said.

That sounds like what Martha Stewart would cook, and not this massive man.

When I looked at him, he's already sitting on my opposite side with a bowl in front of him. His hand was meaty and his fingers were long and thick, that the spoon dwarfed in his hand.