Fit Her Shoe [Gottfred & Lorin]

Kabanata 2

What happened in his condo didn’t leave my mind. They were haunting me—his angry, resentful, unforgiving eyes, the conversation, everything. But still, hindi ko pa rin kinuha ‘yong mga travel documents ko na hindi ko alam kung saan o papaano niya nakuha dahil hindi ako sasama sa kaniya, lalong hindi magpapakasal.

Hinawakan ko nang mahigpit ang kamay ni Daddy. Leaving Gottfred still raging in anger and more pissed off because I refused and it probably crushed his overly inflated ego, I quickly went here and sought comfort from him.

“Dad, please, wake up! Hindi ko na po alam ang gagawin ko,” pagtangis ko. “I need you here! I couldn’t do this alone, Daddy!”

I cried myself to sleep again like what I had been doing the past days. My back was hurting when I woke up the next day. Matinding humihingal ako at ganoong mayroon ding mga butil ng pawis ang noo ko mula sa isang masamang panaginip.

In that dream, people were throwing rocks at my father. They were blaming him—angry, spiteful, unforgiving, too much bitterness bubbling inside them. I tried to cover him pero natamaan pa rin siya ng malaking bato sa ulo. Then, he collapsed on the grounds and the next thing I saw was him bathing in blood.

So much blood.

Agad na hinanap ng mga mata ko si Daddy at napahawak nang mahigpit sa kamay niya, sighing in great relief knowing that it was just a dream, a very sick nightmare I would not want to experience again.

I was straightening my back when the doors opened abruptly, disrupting me from my thoughts. My heart galloped seeing Gottfred, looking ever so powerful and ruthless in his all-black office suit, his aura giving off dominant masculinity. However, my eyes were not blinking anymore as I stared at him approaching where I was.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. “I told you already! I am not going to get married to you!”

The corners of his lips twitched up in a mocking grin, and then said, “I could not remember sounding like I was giving you a damn choice, Lorin. Because whether you like it or not, you are going to marry me. And why is it a big deal for you, huh? Sa papel lang naman ang magiging kasal.”

“Because marriage is a sacred thing for me! Whether it is just on papers or just for a show! And it is only between two people that love each other!” katuwiran ko, trying to make him understand that what he was asking from me was not a simple thing. “You know what it was like to be in that situation more than anyone else, Gottfred! Your parents had been through—”

“Oh, shut up! Do not lecture me about love! And you know what? This is all beside the point! I should not be explaining to you because all you have to know is you are going to Vegas with me and get us married there. I hold your family’s fate in the palm of my hands. At isipin mo na lang na ginagawa mo ito para kay Tito Lorencio. Look at him,” he said and gestured his hand at Daddy on the bed. “You don’t have the money to pay for his bills. Sadsad na ang kumpanya ninyo. You are going to need me. At ganoong kakailanganin din kita. Maggamitan tayong dalawa.”