Torment

NO REST FOR THE WICKED

Rosalie immediately looked away from Homer's heated gazes. His eyes were distinctively wrathful, melancholic, and judgmental but at the same time dark, intense and seductive. It was intoxicating, distracting to look at. "Bakit ba kailangan mo pang idamay ang nakaraan nating dalawa sa usapan na to? Oo na nagkamali ako. Kumabit ako sayo. Yes, we fucked. Masaya ka na ba? But That's over. Wag na wag mo nang ibalik pa ang mga bagay na nangyari na."

"Hindi ba't ikaw naman tong pilit na nag-uungkat ng nangyari saatin noon simula pa lang noong nagsimula tayong mag-usap ngayon Rosalie?" Homer chuckled humourlessly while shaking his head. At some point he could never deny that he was enjoying this conversation. Rosalie was obviously humiliated and intimidated. He liked every bit of it. Like a fiend, he was feeding on that building anxiety that she was now beginning to have. But at the same time Homer had to admit that Rosalie was perhaps stronger than before as she immediately disregarded his statement and moved on from one topic to another by suddenly saying, "Talaga bang galing kayong Italia?"

"Well, I'm glad you change our subject." Homer leaned his back on his chair and sighed. "I don't lie that much Rosalie you know that. Doon ko pinalaki si Jane kasama si Harriett." Rosalie was taken aback. What was she thinking? That he was not capable of raising his child overseas? Maybe she was just feeling some sort of pain because she was absent in their daughter's life and it was due to her terrible choice of being with Edgar. "Sinasabi mo bang hindi ka nagsisinungaling? Eh nagsinungaling ka nga hindi ba noong pineke mo pa lang ang pagkamatay mo, niloko mo ko dahil kinuha mo si Jane sakin at nagsinungaling ka na sa apilyido mo palang. Papano ka naging El Salvador Homer? At bakit iyon ang huling pangalan na gamit ni Jane? Dahil ba ayaw mo na maging Santos sya at makilala namin sya? Hindi pa panlilinlang yon?" It was probably insulting for Homer Santos to hear this statement from his beloved but it barely hit Homer El Salvador in front of his nightmare. Instead, Homer replied a smile to Rosalie and had begun slicing another bread to fill his stomach.

"Bakit? Gusto mo din ba syang maging Ramos katulad mo?" Rosalie gulped and looked at him sternly. "But really, El Salvador suits better. I fought to become who I am right now. I am an El Salvador. That's my last name. That's who I am."

"Hindi mo sinagot ang tanong ko Homer." He licked his bottom lip and gulped his bread. "I don't need to answer your question. Bakit El Salvador ang apilyido ko ngayon? Kagaya ng sinabi ko sayo nakipaglaban ako parang maging kung sino man ako ngayon. That's my reason." Even to his daughter and Harriett, Homer had never truly said a soul of how he had gotten his surname. How he had managed to gain so much wealth, respect and power in the art and business industry. How did Homer Santos runaway from Rosalie when she got married with Edgar? How did Homer Santos come back to Santa Lucia very rich and intelligent after two years? How did Homer Santos fake his death? How did Homer Santos arrive and had eligibility to become an Italian resident? How did Homer Santos finally change his surname to become Homer El Salvador? How did Homer El Salvador today became as who he is right now? Well, no one knows. Not even a single soul had known him that much. His friends knew him enough. Amelia knew him enough and that was it. People knew bits and pieces about his past but no one truly knew what had happened to him. Homer had managed to keep everything. He would never tell to anyone, no matter how horrible his past might be, he would not let anyone to get under his sleeves, to know him truly as a person. "I changed my surname because I can. Noong mga panahon na ipinapatay ako ng kuya mo sinabi ko sa sarili ko na-"

"Walang kinalaman si kuya Manuel sa pagkawala mo. Alam yan ng lahat ng bayan simula noong akala naming lahat ay patay ka na."

"Sabagay napaka inosente naman nga pala ni Manuel." He sarcastically said.

"Wag mong insultuhin ang kapatid ko. Hindi sya ang tinatanong ko. Papano ka nakapunta ng Italia?" Homer thought that his journey to Europe was quite long and remarkable but he did not need to explain himself to Rosalie or to his daughter or to any other people who desperately wanted to know how he had chosen Italy as a refuge after his sinful love affair.