(Note: Little sexual content here, but needed for “character development”. It would probably help if, while you read this you listen to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXBfYcjgB4Q, and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9-026ZCKR8. Wonderful covers of old classics. Enjoy!!)
Funny, ever since that awful evening with Josh, the nights seemed colder now. She had to wear extra thick socks to keep from freezing. Maybe it was just the weather, or it was her conscience bothering her. She just wished she could have handled it differently with Josh. She wasn’t averse to having a more or less committed relationship with him, it was his overbearing macho posing that irked her. It reminded her of how her father treated her mother.
Like Josh, Kate’s father was a military man used to giving orders. At home, his word was law and there was no gainsaying him. Before they got together, her mom used to be a vibrant, energetic and adventurous woman. She had just finished college and was ready to travel the world. Before Kate’s innocent eyes, her mother slowly wilted under the pressure of her father’s domineering attitude.
When she was twelve years old, she overheard her father telling her mother, “Asawa ka lang! Ako ang magdedesisyon sa pamilyang ito.” Turned out Kate’s father had mortgaged her mom’s inheritance to invest in some business, which later turned out to be a hoax. Months later, her father and mother find out that the investment offer was a shady deal, and the person running it has run off to the States. Instead of remorse, however, her father managed to blame her mother again. “Kung marunong ka kasi tumulong sa gastusin, ‘di hindi sana nawala ang bahay ng tatay mo. Puro kasi kayo gastos!”
There were other similar incidents after that, but that scene was forever etched in Kate’s memory. From then on, she made a commitment to herself and her mother that she will never ever allow herself to be in the position her mother was in – married, forced to stay home and take care of kids, and then made to feel a burden to her husband! “That’s no life for me,” Kate repeated to herself.
To this day, she wonders if her mother was happy with her life. It was too late to know that, her mother died of cervical cancer three years ago. As for Josh, count that as one of the things she will have to answer for to San Pedro.
<3
James was at the restaurant bar waiting for his brother to arrive. He’d just come home from overseas and his brother had just arrived from duty in Mindanao. As always, he had no idea what his brother did exactly for the military, only that he headed the MIG office at Camp Allen. Other than that, everything else was classified confidential. Not that it mattered, for as long as his brother was safe.
James was enjoying his SMB, listening to Robert Plant at the background crooning his cover of “Sea of Love”, when he saw Josh take the stool beside him. “Musta?”
“If you could get me one of those,” nodding his head at James’ bottle, “all’s good.”
While nursing their beers, the brothers made a little chitchat, and exchanged bits of news about their plans for the summer. James was on leave and their mother always planned some kind of family vacation. They were probably too old for it, but it made their mom happy, so whattheheck!
“Ano tong narinig ko kay Ma? You’re running around with a doctor?”
Josh nearly choked on the beer he was chugging, and gave his brother an incredulous look. “I swear mom should enlist with the military intelligence! Daig pa nya ang informers ko…but yeah there was a doctor, Phd to be exact…but that one didn’t work as I thought..” Josh glumly admitted. Even after a month of underground surveillance work in Mindanao, any mention of Kate still got to him.
“Don’t tell me someone finally got to you,” kantyaw ni James. “She must be some kind of woman…maybe too smart for you”
“Let’s not go there,” Josh replied harshly. James shrugged his shoulders. Obviously, Joshua was still stinging from whatever it was that happened between them. Josh got a bit of reprieve from the inquisition when the rest of the guys arrived and played a good several racks of pool.
<3
At about one in the morning, Josh decided he needed to get some rest. He was a little buzzed from drinking and a little bit of cool air would help clear the fog. As he was walking up Session Road, he noticed a man grabbing the arms of a woman. The woman was obviously struggling to get loose. His gallant nature rising to the fore, Josh sped up the sidewalk to help. The nearer he got, the clearer he could see the woman … and it was not just any woman but … Before he could reach them, the woman scratched the man’s face with her free hand. Thrown off guard, the guy let go and got kicked in the nuts for it.
“Gago ka!,” mura ni Kate, sabay tadjak sa leg ng lalake. Hinampas pa nya ang bag nya sa lalaki for good measure.
“Hello, Kate, nice to see you again.”
Natigilan si Kate sa pamilyar na boses ni Josh. Taking advantage, the guy picked himself up from the ground and loomed towards Kate. “Pare, away mag-asawa ‘to! Huwag kang makialam!”
Fortunately, Josh was alert enough and pulled Kate behind him. “Bro, ako na muna bahala sa kanya. Umuwi ka na lang!”
The guy could only glower at Josh, who at 6’, towered over the skinny guy menacingly. “Sa ‘yo na yan. Napagsawaan ko na sya,’ he spit out maliciously.
“Aba, gago ka talaga…tangina mo…wala kang silbi….aanhin ko naman ang sa ‘yo, ang liit liit!” Akmang susugurin pa sana ulit ni Kate ang lalaki, but pinigilan sya ni Josh, who was himself wincing at Kate’s foul mouth.
“Will you shush, pinalalala mo pa eh,” utos ni Josh sa dalaga.
“Sir, may problema ba?” tanong ng isang pulis. As usual, they were late.
“Kate, do you want to file a complaint against the guy?”
“Ikulong nyo yang gagong yan…walanghiya ka…sabi mo discuss lang tayo ng dissertation mo!”
“Sir, pakidala sa precinto yan. She’ll be filing charges,” Always the take charge man, Josh took hold of the situation and begun directing the policemen, who, surprisingly, followed him with little hesitation.
Matapos ibigay ni Kate ang statement nya, Josh drove Kate home, over her objections.
Kate sat quietly beside Josh, nade-deja-vous sa scenario na yun.
“Ganun ba ang mga type mong lalake?” She could hear the contempt lacing his question.
“Not that you have any say in it, but no. He invited me for late night coffee because we needed to talk about his dissertation. He started getting drunk and I decided to go home. Yun…nagalit…hinihiya ko daw sya…I swear hindi ko alam kung bat ganun ang drama nya…anyway, salamat…”
“You didn’t need my help,” Josh replied. “I can see now that you really are a ball buster. I feel sorry for him, knowing what it feels like to be put in my place by you…” commented Josh
“Josh, please….I was a bitch, and I know that…”
After a few minutes, nasa tapat na sila ng apartment ni Kate. “I’ll walk you to your door.”
Naglakad silang dalawa papuntang apartment ni Kate. They were both silent, but keenly aware of each other’s presence. Kate took out her keys, and Josh reached for it.
Parang nakuryente si Kate nang hawakan ni Josh ang kamay nya. Slowly, with his hand still in hers, he brought her hand to the keyhole. Josh couldn’t help himself, and while standing behind her, he grabbed her waist and dragged her to him. “Josh…’” whispered Kate, not knowing if she was saying no or asking for it…
He swooped down and gave her one of his addictive kisses. Kate tilted he head to give him access to her luscious lips, and clung to his head to anchor his lips more. She could taste the faint taste of tequila in his mouth…it wasn’t distasteful, in fact she found it quite sexy. It was a slow seductive playing of tongues…he nibbled at her lips, licked them a little, and then slid his tongue against hers. To Kate, it felt like heaven… His lips wondered to her nape, sending little tingles of excitement down her spine, and pooling at her pussy…
In the background, someone was playing that haunting erotic song “You Do Something to Me…”
<3