karma, my husband's uncle

chapter 3

☘☘☘

I closed the door of my office behind me, leaving him, Karma.

This is probably my karma for what I did.

Nag-aya si Rigel na kumain sa labas kaya naman with my car, I drove us to a restaurant that he chose. Habang nagmamaneho ay lumulutang ang utak ko. Hindi pa rin mawala sa isip ko ang sinabi ni Karma.

If I were your husband...

At some point, deep inside me, I wished he was my husband. I wished Everest was not my husband. I wish that the way Karma treated me that night was how I get treated all the time. And if he really was my husband, I wonder if my life would be like that.

Karma. My husband. With just one night of pleasure and venting together, he made me wish that that phrase just stopped there. But it did not.

Because he's Karma, my husband's uncle.

"Bakit ka nawala noong isang gabi?"

Napakurap ako at bumalik mula sa paglalakbay ng aking isipan dahil sa naging tanong ni Rigel. Sinulyapan ko siya sa passenger seat kung saan abala siya sa kanyang phone. But he eventually put his phone down and looked at me, waiting for my answer.

Binalik ko ang tingin sa kalsadang aking kaharap. Lumunok ako at isinagot ang unang pumasok sa aking isip. "I went home."

"Really?"

Sinulyapan ko siyang muli kaya kita ko ang pagtaas ng kilay niya.

"Yes," I just nodded. "I worked."

Rigel knows me. And he knows that I love my work so this reason should be foolproof. It's believable. But seeing how he eyed me intently, being obvious that he doesn't believe me, I felt the heaviness of the consequences of my actions weighing on my chest.

I tried to play it off and reciprocated him a glance to battle his accusing eyes. "Don't look at me like that."

Sumilay ang ngiti sa labi niya na siyang ikinakunot ng aking noo. Bumaling siya ng upo sa akin at sinandal ang gilid ng ulo niya sa passenger seat.