Deliverance (DS #1)

Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

No Hope

HINABOL ni Patricia si Sandro pagkalabas nito. "Alessandro, I won't marry you!" Pinigilan niya ito sa braso.

Lumingon sa kanya ang lalaki. Ngunit dahil sa lakas ng boses niya ay pati ang ibang empleyado at maging ang sektretarya niya ay napatingin sa kanila.

"Tinatanggihan mo 'ko, mahal?" Nilakasan din ni Sandro ang boses nito.

Narinig niya ang singhapan ng mga tao. Even her secretary Van was stunned at the scene.

Napapikit ng mariin si Patricia. Ngayon naman ay ipinapahiya niya ang sarili. Naiinis na hinila niya si Sandro papasok muli ng opisina. Nagpahila naman ito hanggang sa loob. Namaywang ito at ngingisi-ngisi.

"Alessandro, hindi ka puwedeng basta magsabi na pakakasalan mo 'ko na para bang wala akong karapatang tumanggi." Kinuyom niya ang mga kamay. "Hindi porket ikaw ang ama ng baby, may kalayaan kang angkinin 'to! I'm the woman here and I'll decide who to marry and it's not going to be you!"

He crooked his head on the other side. The handsome contour of his face was perfectly captured by the sun rays coming from the glass windows. Bahagyang kununot ang noo nito. "But it's my child. If you don't want to marry me then give me the child after birth."

"No!"

He shrugged. "I want the baby, Patricia."

Ang tigas ng iling niya. "The baby's mine."

"And mine as well. So if you want to keep it, well, I'm going to keep it too. And the only way that we can keep it together is by marrying each other."

"Alessandro, you cannot be a good father!"

Natigilan ito at may dumaang hindi mapangalanang emosyon sa mga mata nito. Napatuwid ito ng tayo at binulsa ang mga kamay. "I can't be a good husband but I can be a good father to my child."

"Then you can't just keep me like that."

"How about my baby?"

Bakit may kung anong kumukurot sa puso ni Patricia sa tuwing sinasambit ni Sandro ang baby? He sounded so possessive of the child...

"Kung tatalikod ka sa mga ilegal na gawain mo at magbabago, puwede ko namang ipakita sa 'yo ang baby. Pagkapanganak ko, hindi ko siya ipagdadamot. Just..." She closed her eyes and exhaled. "Just stop being the bad guy, Alessandro. If you wanted to father my baby--our child, then... then stop. Stop all of these."

He seemed to be thinking. Nagbaba ito ng tingin sa tiyan niya. She instinctively held her tiny bump.

Their eyes suddenly met.

"Let's talk again over dinner tomorrow," pinal na sabi nito. Before she could refuse, mabilis itong may dinugtong. "We'll dine on a safe and public place."\

Napakurap siya. "Anong pag-uusapan pa natin?"

"Our set-up. The baby." He shrugged. "Us." Naglakad na ulit ito palapit sa pinto.

She just let him. "There's nothing to talk about 'us'."

"You keep on refusing to marry me when it's obvious it's the right thing to do, Patricia. I'll take responsibility. I'm capable." He opened the door and stormed out again.

This time, hindi na siya humabol. Hinayaan niyang mawala lang ito sa paningin niya.

Pinilit niyang magtrabaho pagkatapos niyon ngunit bandang huli ay wala rin siyang maayos na natatapos.