Broken Vows

Chapter Thirty Three

Yufa

The shop had several customers upon my arrival. The usual negotiating between my employees and patrons sounded like soft bells against my ears. Merise lifted her eyes towards me and gently nodded to acknowledge my presence. I went straight to my tiny office, deposited my things and joined them outside attending patrons.

Merise closed a deal, settling on a quite lovely price for an engagement ring. After handing the item over to a young gentleman, she turned to me and look at me for what seemed like a very long time. I know she was waiting for me to spill whatever happened between me and Nathan yesterday. A small grin was playing on her lips.

"Don't look at me like that, Merise." I warned her, rolling my eyes further into my skull.

"I won't tell Mr. Rucio, if that's what you are worrying about." She leaned on the wall while crossing her arms.

"No, it's not like that Merise. Rucio knew about him....it's just..." I trailed off, not very sure if it's alright to share with her what is going on between Nathan and I.

"Oh? A long rivalry, perhaps?" She inquired.

"No, no. Merise, it's more complicated than that." I sighed. My situation is more than complicated. My life is still pretty messed up and now I'm losing grip on it. Why does Merise have to remind me about Nathan.

"Miss Yufa, I don't know what circumstances you have had." She started. "I'm not gonna stick my nose further into your personal business. My sincere apologies if you found my asking...offensive."

I didn't find it offensive but it caught me off-guard. What keeps me on edge was the thought of not being able to completely move on from my failures. The taste of betrayal is still bitter on my tongue and Nathan's unfaithfulness keeps haunting me even in my sleep. The menacing look in his eyes, the way he pinned the destruction of his life onto me was too much to bare. There's still the loss of my child which left the biggest hole in my soul. I thought, seeking freedom would grant me the happiness I was looking for. But it cost me another part of my soul which is my family. I thought I will receive support from them but they abandoned me right when I needed them the most. Even if I overlook all of these, still my past will weigh me down just as when I was about to soar high. Nathan is one of the many proofs.

"You deserve a break." Merise continued.

"Pardon?"

"You've gained too much stress, Miss Yufa. You deserve some break.. Here..." Merise handed me two pieces of rectangular paper.

"What is this?" I asked, reluctant to see what was written on the paper.

"Tickets." She beamed. "There will be a ballet concert tonight. Ballet is a good stress reliever."

Looking at the small piece of paper in my hands, I wondered if this is a very good time for ballet. The silhoutte of a tiny ballerina seemed inviting. Merise was right though, I needed some stress reliever. I couldn't remember when was the last time I watched something like ballet. I can't even remember the last time I went to cinema. I smiled to myself.

"You're right. Ballet is a good stress reliever."

***

The hall was packed the time Merise and I arrived at theater. The show says they will start at exactly 8:30PM so we still have time to find our seats without disturbing anyone or blocking their precious views. Merise kept looking around, probably looking for someone or just merely looking for a better place. Later, I found a good seat for us which wasn't too far from the stage. It's odd to find two vacant seats amidst the packed hall, as if the seats itself was reserved for, well, reserved for both of us.