“Be careful…sa susunod, baka patulan kita! Nakalimutan mo na ata ang sinabi mo sa akin…FUBU lang tayo. Well, tonight I am not in the mood! Sa susunod, pag-gusto ko, I’ll call you…” Ibinaba nya ang nakasampay pa ring binti ng dalaga, at tumayo papuntang pintuan. “Oh, before I forget…catch!,” at hinagis nya ang panties ni Kate sa dalaga. “Dont forget to lock the door,” bilin nya na parang nananadya.
It was not easy to resist giving in to his urges, but Josh was still smarting over Kate’s declaration that she was into him for sex only. Most men would probably jump for joy at having to fuck someone without any strings attached. But he was 34 years old, for chrissakes! He’s over that!
<3
Kate was having fits… her nephew called and he needed help. Apparently, he was inside Camp Allen and openly protesting the disappearance of a known CPLA member. He, and ten others were detained inside the Camp. Ninerbyos si Kate at dalidaling naghanap ng taxi papuntang Camp Allen. “Dios ko naman ang batang yun! Malalagot pa ako sa kapatid ko nito!”
“Sir, I came here to see about Dakila Gatmaitan. Nandito daw sya!” Kate was twisting her fingers behind her back, hoping that nothing bad has happened to her nephew. While she was being led to their officer of the day, she was looking around to see where her nephew was. She was relieved to see that he was just seated at the corner, one MP looking over him.
“Ma’am kayo po ba ang guardian nya?”
“Opo…ano po ang nangyari? bakit nyo sya dinetain?”
“Nahuli po syang nagpapaskil ng anti-military slogans sa loob ng Camp Allen.”
“Okay…siguro naman pwede na syang umuwi. Anyway, ako naman po ang guardian nya!”
“Hindi po namin pwedeng i-release yung bata. Una, wala po ang boss namin. Pangalawa, baka ma-fylan po sya ng kso. Ituturn over namin sya sa Police. Inaantay lang po namin sila!”
“Ha, hindi pupwede yan…me warrant ba kayo? Isa pa, menor de edad pa yan! Hindi pwedeng ilagay sa kulungan! Sino ba yang boss nyong yan? Illegal yang ginagawa nyo…Tawagin nyo sya ngayun din…!”
“Maam, nandito na po sya…” Tumayo ang sundalo at nagsaludo. Humarap naman si Kate para kausapin ang superior nung sundalo. Nabigla sya nang makitang si Josh pala…este Major Martin. Kinabahan lalo ang dalaga na baka hindi na nya mailabas ang kanyang pamankin.
For his part, umasta si Josh na parang hindi sya kilala. “Please, maupo kayo ma’am…. kayo po si Dr. Katalina Lardisabal? By this time, alam na po nya kung bakit dinetain namin si Mr. Gatmaitan…?”
Nag-init ang ulo ng dalaga sa pinapakitang asta ng lalake.”Don’t talk to me like you dont know me, Josh! If you are doing this to get back at me…”
“I’m sorry ma’am but you dont have permission to use my name…,” Josh coolly informed Kate. “I suggest you call your lawyer, if you want to know what to do next…We can’t release him as he was caught red-handed. Obviously, since he was caught in the middle of posting those anti-government posters on military property, we didnt need a warrant to arrest him…”
Lalong nanggalaiti sa galit si Kate. “Look, Josh or Major Martin, whoever you are…,” but she was cut short when Josh raised his hand as if commanding her to stop talking.
“Dismissed, Sgt. Castro…. you can leave us,” utos ni Major Martin sa sarhento. “Close the door…” Neither one spoke after the sergeant left them. Kate merely stared at Josh sullenly across his desk, while he stared back at her.
After a few minutes of the staring match, Josh shrugged his shoulders. “I was waiting for an apology…obviously, it’s not coming…”
“What do I have to apologize for…? If anyone should apologize here, it should be you,” mataray na sagot ni Kate. Lalo pa nyang tinaas ang kilay nya.
With a rueful smile, Josh leaned forward and answered, “for a woman with a PhD, you are quite slow … you come in here, raise your voice at me in front of my men, address me like I am some underling….I was hoping you would at least have the common sense not to anger the man who’s in charge, even if you personally hate my guts…Once again, you have proven me wrong…goes to show how much you regard me…”
For the second time in a space of two weeks, muling napahiya si Kate sa sinabi ni Josh. Inwardly, she realized she was wrong, at least for speaking to Josh like she did. Napakagat labi sya. “Oo nga naman, hawak nya ang alas, ako ang may kailangan kay Josh..”
“Josh…parang awa mo na……hindi nya alam ang ginagawa nya, he isnt 18 yet, menor de edad pa,” pagmamakaawa ni Kate.
“He was caught in flagrante, Kate…even you know the consequence of that. For fuck’s sake, he was in a military camp posting anti-military drivel! What the hell was he thinking!…”
“He was practicing his right to free speech!”
“Kalokohan yan, and you know it! You cant do that in a military camp! Whatever else the Constitution says, your nephew cant just spout inflammatory rhetoric inside a military camp and call it free speech! It’s plain common sense!”
“I know that… but he is just a kid! Didnt you do something stupid in your teens? … I am begging you, please, Joshua… I will do anything, huwag mo lang ipakulong si Dakila.”
“Are you bribing me, Kate?…What could you possibly have that I could want…” Malagkit ang tingin ng binata kay Kate.
Nanlaki ang mata ng dalaga…” Are you suggesting that I sleep with you….because I didnt mean it that way!”
“Goddamit, Kate! Once again, you show me what you think of me…! A sex pervert…,” mainit na sagot ng sundalo. “For the record, and not that I am asking to be bribed, but if there is anything I desire from you…it is your respect and an innocent date with you…but then again, maybe it’s just wishful thinking…I dont know why I keep putting myself in these situations with you. I must be a glutton for punishment!”
Kate was ready to pounce on his words, assuming to hear the worst. But to hear him almost beg for a date with her, even after the callous way she treated him, she went speechless. “We better end this conversation before I wring your neck!” Tumayo si Josh at tinawag uli si sarhento. “Asan si Dakila…tawagin mo sya dito…gusto kong makausap! … If you’ll excuse me Kate, I want to talk with your nephew alone.”
Tumango si Kate, at naglakad papalabas ng opisina ni Josh, feeling awkward at what she just heard. Josh was still standing at the door, and as she tried to make her way through the door, naramdaman nya ang kamay ni Josh sa kanyang likod. It lingered there for a while, and Kate lifted her eyes at him in surprise. Josh stared down briefly at her, noting how lovely and red her lips were from her lip-biting. He wanted to just kiss and suck at those plump lips and wrap his tongue around hers. Pulling himself together, he swung his eyes back to his sergeant, hoping that he didnt notice anything amiss between him and Kate.
While she walked away, Josh’s gaze went back to her. He wondered the same thing. “Why, Josh, after the way she treated you, are you still hung up on her?”
(itutuloy)