The Price Of Love

Chapter Sixteen

Yuka had not heard from Tate since the day she told him that she was pregnant. She tried every way to contact him to no avail. He had abandoned her and the child she was carrying. Never had she thought that she would be in this situation.

She admits that she was not as smart as her little brother, Cosme, but after what her mother and Ate had been through with men she should've known better. She had seen how the two women she loved and cared for suffered because they had followed their hearts. She'd made a promise to herself that she would never be like them. She would use her head more than she would her heart. Pero dumating si Tate and she fell in love. Look what it did to her.

"Sigurado bang effective?" Tanong ni Yuka, taking a sip of the soda in a plastic bag she had in one hand. Bumalik siya sa dating tinitirhan nila sa squatter kung saan nakatira ang isa sa mga babaeng minamanage ng Mammy niya noon sa bar.

The place had not changed a bit. It was still the same old hell hole she knew. There were men getting drunk in the daylight, one drunk was running amok and waving a huge knife around asking if anybody wanted to fight him, sidewalk karaokes, half-naked kids running around, she even passed by their old neighbor who always had a wake in front of his house and was surprised to see that he was still holding a wake. The business was still running, she guessed. This was the squatter's version of casino, umaarkila ang kapitbahay nila ng mga bangkay na hindi nakukuha para gamiting front sa sugal. They found away around legal gambling so that the cops wouldn't be able to do anything about it dahil legal ang sugal sa lamay.

"Oo naman. Ito ang mga ginagamit ng mga katrabaho ko saka ilang beses ko na din itong nagamit." The woman who goes by the stage name Candy said as she went through her drawer. They were now in her little apartment she shares with other bar girls.

After finding what she had been looking for, she turned to Yuka who was standing behind her and showed the small white box.

"Magkano yan?" Yuka asked.

"Para sa'yo, three kyaw na lang." She answered.

"Ang mahal naman, Ate Candy. Wala bang tawad?" Yuka frowned.

"Ano'ng tingin mo sa akin, tiangge? Saka bigtime na naman kayo. Narinig ko naka-jackpot si Saskia ng mayaman." She said.

"Si Ate yun, hindi ako." Her face contorted into a scowl. "Bigyan mo naman ako ng discount."

"Sige na nga, dahil pinauutang ako ng mudra mo palagi noon two-eight na lang. Wala ng tubo yan. Wag kang maingay sa iba, sa kanila nabebenta ko yan ng three-five." She chuckled.

Yuka took out her wallet from her purse and handed the woman her money. The woman handed the box to her and shoved the money in her bra.

"Sigurado kang gagana ito, Ate Candy ha?" She wanted to make sure. "Ibabalik mo sa akin pera ko kapag hindi nalaglag ito."

"Gaga! Depende pa rin yan sa gagamit. Minsan may mga pumapalya. Ilang buwan na ba yan?" Candy asked, taking out a cig and lighting it.

"Hindi ko alam..." She quietly said and she had no plan of knowing. She just wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

"Huhulaan ko, na buntis ka ng jowa mo at ayaw panagutan. Hindi alam ni Sasha yan, ano? Di naman yun papayag sa gagawin mo kung alam niya. Sabi ko sa kanya noong nabuntis siya kay Saskia noon na ipalaglag niya na dahil hindi na siya babalikan ng Briton na jowa niya pero itinuloy niya pa rin. Kita mo ngayon, donya na ang gaga." Humalakhak ito bago humithit mula sa stick ng sigarilyo.

Yuka's eyes dropped to her feet. It was only Tate who she had told about her pregnancy. She knew her family wouldn't approve of what she was doing right now. But it was not them who'd take the consequences. She had a lot of dreams and being a single mother at nineteen was not one of them.