It was now two days after the unthinkable happened between Patty and me.
Nothing seems to have changed. She would call or text me for updates about Lily. Sometimes she would ask me questions to clarify some things. She had been consulting people, she said.
I’m glad that Patty could help me and my wife. I’ve just been married to the love of my life, and I don’t want this marriage destroyed. No, just the thought of it scares the hell out of me.
Of course, I tried calling Lily, but she won’t pick up my calls. I texted, chatted on messenger, but to no avail. I visited her at her mom’s house, but most of the time, she would just ignore me. Perhaps, the only times she would look at me or communicate a word or two was because of the presence of her mother.
Like a volcano waiting to explode. That was how Patty described my wife.
I was very tempted to ask Lily, what else happened in that hotel room that night. But I don’t want the volcano exploding on my face, so I held back.
Should I call Jana or Jake and confront them? Nah. I thought long and hard. The best thing is for us to move as far away from that dangerous couple. I even started to restrict our socmed accounts. I dreaded them reaching out to us.
Oo gago ako, but I’m not completely stupid. That couple should have targeted us, befriended us, and play with our emotions. Jana was clearly in cahoots with her husband. Making me leave their room must be part of their play, a crucial one.
Hell, I don’t even have a complete memory of what happened to Jana and me after we moved to the other room. Some fragments of memories came, but a few of them were so unbelievable.
Did I really do that? Did that really happen?
But what happened already happened. I want to move on, but my wife seems to have been stuck in a quagmire. And it breaks my heart.
Today, I am supposed to report to work. No, both Lily and I should get back to the office, but my wife’s still not fit for work, so I told Patty I’d file for additional two days of sick leave for Lily.
I know how hard Lily had worked to reach the position she is in now. Just a little push and both of us were up for promotions. We’ve all planned for this, and had been looking forward to its fruition. I’d hate for all of her efforts to go down the drain.
Fortunately, her direct superior was one of the principal sponsors of our wedding. His name is David Bosco, a man approaching his sixties and a big-shot in the company. He is a divorced man who has a daughter and son. I heard both of them are outside the country.
I used to greet him boss, but since my marriage to Lily, both of us had to call him “Ninong” privately.
This man always had a poker face in the organization. I rarely see him smile when I visited my wife’s office before.
“Hindi naman yan suplado o masama ang ugali. Pag trabaho, expect nya, trabaho talaga. Pero mabait yan.” Ito ang sabi ni Lily sa akin. Kaya nga kinuha namin itong ninong.
At totoo, hindi ito mahirap kausapin, approachable kumbaga. Outside work matters, he is an easy person to be with.
Medyo galante din ito. Ang dami nyang regalo sa aming mag-asawa on our wedding day. In fact, the hotel accommodation for our honeymoon was also a gift from him. All expense paid, we just presented a gift certificate at the hotel’s front office and we got to enjoy all the amenities of the hotel.
Sadly, that honeymoon proved to be a disaster to us.
So I tried to call this ninong of ours first day in the morning, but he wouldn’t pick up. He must be busy, so I decided to text him and apologized that Lily was sick and couldn’t come to work. I requested for a two-day leave in her behalf.
It took a while before he texted back a word. “Okay.”
I sighed in relief. It means that Lily could have an extended holiday to clear her mind. Hopefully, she would be able to come around in time. But although her boss already confirmed, I still decided to personally talk to him, as a gesture of respect.
As I was heading out to Lily’s workplace, Patty texted me that she already managed to convince Lily to come back to the apartment. She also told me not to worry because she’d be accompanying my wife today as she had a day-off herself.
That’s good news. Although there was no need, I still texted Patty a “Thank you.”
The drove to my wife’s office was just a mere five minutes, as it was still early in the morning and traffic was light. The foremost reason why we got this apartment was due to its near vicinity to our workplaces.
When I arrived, Ninong David was still not around, as I purposely went really early. His personal secretary asked me to wait outside his office. The wait wasn’t that long and when ninong arrived, he told me to come in his office.
“So how’s Lily?” He asked as he was putting down some papers on his table.
“She has headache and a bit of fever.” Pagsisinungaling kong sabi.
“Pinagod mo ata, iho?” Nakangiti pa nyang sabi, sabay kindat.
Natawa na lang ako at napakamot.
He pressed the intercom and told his secretary to bring in some coffee. He asked me if I would like a cup, but I declined since I have to report back to work today. I said goodbye and then went on my way.
Nang makarating ako sa opisina, agad kung binusisi mga updates ng mga trabahong naiwan ng team ko. Karamihan ay tapos na, pero may iilan pa ring pending. Maaasahan talaga si Candice; kabisado na nya mga diskarte ko sa mga kliyente, so panatag ako nang umalis for honeymoon.
“Good morning, Sir!” Ang masayang bati ni Candice nang pumasok ito sa office ko. May bitbit na itong dalawang tasa ng kape. Ganitong-ganito ang routine namin sa umaga. Hindi na ako nagpapasabi, kusa nang nagtitimpla ng kape si Candice para sa akin. Kahit buhay may-asawa na ako, may mga bagay na hindi talaga magbabago.
And after my recent stressful days, it’s relaxing to find myself in a comfortable and familiar environment- like an early coffee before a day’s work.
“So, kumusta ang honeymoon nyo, Sir?” wika ni Candice.
“Okay naman.” Ang tipid kong sagot. Ang totoo, may hindi magandang nangyari sa honeymoon, something na hindi ko basta-bastang ipagsasabi sa iba.
“Mas lalo ka atang gumwapo, Sir,” Biro pa nito. “Sabi nga nila, ang mga lalaki daw pag galing sa pulot-gata parang bateryang nakapag-charge. Kabaliktaran naman daw sa babae. Sana naman pinagpahinga mo kahit konti ang asawa mo, Sir. Hahaha.”
Sanay na ako sa mga jokes na medyo naughty ni Candice, kaya hindi ako na-ooffend. Natawa na lang din ako. Nang matapos namin ang aming kape, agad kaming nagtrabaho ng masinsinan. Nag meet kami ng aking team, at nagbigay ako ng mga targets namin for the week.
I concentrated on my work, otherwise I’d just think of Lily and our current personal issues. Natapos ang araw, at uwian na. I then took my phone out, half-expecting my wife to leave a message for me, only to be again disappointed.
There were only 2 messages on my phone- both coming from Patty. One was in early afternoon, saying she’d brought Lily back to our apartment, and the second was just five minutes ago, telling me to buy Lily’s favorite food. It was supposed to be our dinner.
So I dropped by Lily’s favorite restaurant first and ordered a take-home of their seafood platter and two other dishes. I also ordered two boxes of Italian pizza. After that, I went home as fast as I could.
The dinner was not as bad as I thought. Lily had pretty much calmed down, although she was still a little unresponsive to me. Patty dominated most of the conversation. It was a bit awkward for newlyweds like Lily and I to be this distant, but Patty had already briefed me, on what to do; Mostly, that I had to be patient and just go with the flow.
After dinner while I was washing the dishes, Lily took a hot bath. I then had time to have a private talk with Patty.
“So did you talk to Lily about what really happened that night?” I asked.
Patty was silent for a while before answering. “Yes and no. Yes, she told me a bit about what happened but no, there wasn’t enough details.”
“But was there another guy who came in?” I pressed. I could hear my heart beat fast, but was dismayed to find out that it was more due to anticipation than nervousness.
“Yes.” Patty looked at me and nodded.
“Did they—?”
“If you want to know if that man had sex with your wife. The answer is yes.” Patty cut me off.
It felt like I was punched in the gut. Ever since I saw the video, I’d had this hunch. Having confirmed my suspicion though, didn’t feel good.
The feeling in the pit of my stomach is hard to describe. Anger? Perhaps. Remorse? Yes. Uncontrollable desire and excitement? Definitely.
Halo-halong emosyon.
After a while I asked, “Who was that guy?”
“Lily wouldn’t say.” Patty shook her head. “She only said that the man was way way older.”
An older man. It meant more experience, and perhaps more fetishes too. I wonder what that man did to Lily? Was there a video, too? I was shocked at this realization. There must be another video, since Jake was there.
Nervously, I grabbed my phone and dialed Jake’s number in a hurry. I still had it saved, and had not deleted it yet.
It took a while before he picked my call.
“Hey there!” I heard his gruff voice. I could also hear what seems to be a woman moaning. The guy is having sex! Is he fucking his wife right now?
“It actually took you this long to call.” He added laughing.
“Is Jana with you?” It was weird but it was the first thing that came to my mind when I heard a woman’s voice in the other line.
“Why? You missed her already?” He chuckled. “Nope she isn’t here. I’m having fun with two lovely young hot wives right now. Other men’s wives, to be exact.”
“Kayong dalawa,” utos pa nya sa kabilang linya, “say hi, to my friend Roger.”
“Uhmmm… Hi, Roger.” I heard the ladies say in sexy voice. Patuloy lang sa pag-ungol ang mga ito.
“You heard that Roger? These ladies can’t get enough of my cock. I remember, just a few days ago your wife Lily was in the same situation as them, begging me to fuck her brains out. Hahaha. And I did. How is your wife? Did she say she missed my cock?”
“Fuck you, Jake!” Fury like I’ve never known exploded within me. “Gago ka. Ano ginawa mo kay Lily?”
“Whoa, whoa hold on my friend. What happened was of mutual benefit. A give and take. You fucked Jana, I fucked Lily. We’re just even.”
“But you brought in someone else. Who is that guy?”
“Hahahaha.” Nakakainsulto ang lakas ng tawa nya. “So you only found out now? We’ll you see, your wife tried to call you many times but you ignored her. Then a friend of mine wanted to meet your wife, how could I refuse him? I’m a good friend, you see. That man and your wife instantly became friends too. Very intimate friends.”
“And besides, noong nakaisa ka na kay Jana, dapat binalikan mo na asawa mo. But you were greedy and wanted more. I gave you a chance, but you didn’t take it. I brought a friend over. So what? That night, Jana invited a girl friend of hers too. Don’t tell me, you don’t remember?”
What? Shit. That really happened? That morning, I woke up with a headache, and remembered fragments of memories of the previous night with Jana. Yes, there seems to be another girl, but I thought I was just hallucinating.
“So now you remember?” Jake sneered. “Her name’s Tanya, a college girl. She’s pretty young, just nineteen, with all the right curves, and pretty too. Kung tutuusin hindi ka naman lugi. That is, kung sinulit mo yung gabi. How about I arrange for you to meet Tanya again? This time, no drinks, no alcohol no whatever. Fuck her, tie her up, use some toys, abuse her- your call. Do whatever you want. It’s on me. Take it as my apology to you, for not telling you sooner about my friend banging your wife. How’s that?”
“Jake, what do you want? What games are you and Jana, playing? I’m not dumb, I know you set us up.” I took a deep breath and tried to control my anger.
“No games bro.” He laughed. “Would you believe me if I say I was there for another reason?”
“No I won’t” I said flatly.
“Here’s the thing. I’m a pretty straightforward guy. I’m not gonna lie because you seem pretty desperate for answers. Jana and I were in that hotel to meet up a friend because that friend wanted to have fun with Jana. In short, he wanted to fuck Jana. Then when we arrived, he said he saw a very hot girl in the hotel- your wife to be exact. He said he was interested. You see, that guy has some weird fetishes, but he only ever likes beautiful girls. The type of girls who are one-of-a-kind. It perked our curiosity and so we knew we had to meet you guys. The rest, you already know.”
“I heard the man’s way older.” I asked, trying to control my anger.
“Older but, filthy rich, powerful and very influential.” He replied.
Even for me, this is too much information. I was stumped for a while and was speechless.
“Anything more? You see, I’m busy and the girls are a bit resentful.” He joked.
“Where’s the rest of the video?”
Of course, if there was another video, I must get my hands on it. I felt my body trembling with anticipation. I was hoping that he’d send it to me, but his reply really surprised me.
“I don’t keep videos of my conquests. All the private videos that I’ve taken in my life, I gave them back. That’s been my creed. The same thing went for you and your wife. As much as I wanted to keep the ones with your wife on it, even if I felt she was special, I had to let go of the videos. So sorry I couldn’t give what I don’t have anymore”
“You only gave me two.” I angrily reminded him.
“I gave the third and last one to your wife. Ask her. Okay, I’m hanging up. Say hello to little Lily for me.”
And with that, the call got disconnected. The revelation got me thinking.
So the last video was with Lily? That must be the one with the older man in it. Saan kaya ito ngayon? O baka na delete na ni Lily, o winasak na nya ang SD card? Parang umakyat na lahat sa ulo ko ang dugo ko. Kelangan ko iyong makita!
“Hoy Roger, that was Jake, right? anong sabi nya?” Patty’s voice woke me from my trance.
I slowly nodded and replied, “He said there was another video, and it’s with Lily.”
Patty’s eyes grew wide, and the way she looked at me was like telling me “I know that you are eager to see that video. I know it.”
I too, was looking at her thinking the same way. I know she was also curious to know what that video was all about. The key to the changes that Lily has gone through was in that video, after all.
“So should we look for it now?” She said in a hushed voice.
“Huwag, baka biglang lumabas sa banyo si Lily. Mahirap mag-explain pag nadatnan niya tayong naghahalughog ng gamit nya.”
Kaya napagpasyahan naming manatili na lang sa living room at antaying matapos si Lily. Patty asked me to bring out the box of beer cans, which I also bought on the way home. She said they are going to have some drink and eat pizza while watching some movies. She will try to make my wife relax and open up.
“How about me, what should I do?” I asked.
“You do nothing. Act like you’re super exhausted. Just lie down on the couch and pretend that you’re asleep.”
“Now?”
“Yes, before she comes out.”
So I laid down on the couch and tried a couple of sleeping postures that were comfortable. I settled with the simplest- me lying down, face up with an arm slightly covering my eyes.
But before closing my eyes, I took a quick glance at Patty who was squatting on the floor below my legs. She was scanning the channel for appropriate movies to watch. Lily likes sci-fi flicks so, Patty checked the ones that are on, and settled on a sci-fi movie with a bit of romance in it.
She was wearing a loose tank top with white shorts. Her hair was tied up in a bun, which allowed me a clear look at her smooth neck area. I couldn’t help but remember the previous steamy night that we both shared in this living room.
But before I could go on with my fantasy, I heard the sound of the door to the bathroom being opened, which prompted Patty to nudge my leg. It was my cue to start on my “sleeping” act.
I heard Lily’s light footsteps getting near. Then I heard her voice, “Tulog?”
She must be referring to me.
Then Patty replied, “Yes. Nagtanong ako ano magandang panoorin. Tapos, ayan na tinulugan ako bigla. Mukhang napagod ata sa trabaho. Halika, tabi tayo. May beer dito at pizza, tapos may movie akong nakita. Nood tayo.”
Narinig ko ang pagtapik ni Patty sa sahig at ang kasunod na pag-upo ni Lily sa tabi nito. Bale nasa leg area ko si Patty tapos si Lily ay nasa may chest part ko. Kapwa sila nakasandal sa may paanan ng couch.
“Yan ba yung Her?” Tanong ng asawa ko habang nagbubukas ito ng beer can.
“OO. Napanood mo na?” Wika ni Patty.
“OO, matagal na.”
“Ay? Hanap tayo ng iba?”
“H’wag na. Yan na lang. Gusto ko ang slow-paced na istorya ng movie na yan.”
Sandali silang natahimik. Ilang tungga pa ng beer at nagsimula nang mag-usisa si Patty. Ako naman, pigil na pigil ang paghinga. May halong nerbyos at excitement. Tuluyan nga kayang magtapat ang asawa ko?
“Sabi ni Roger, may extra 2 days ka pa bago bumalik sa work?”
“Uh-huh.” Pagsang-ayon ni Lily.
“Pero okay ka na ba? How’s your state of mind?”
“Kakayanin. Bahala na.” Sagot ng asawa ko.
“Look, nothing good will come out if you bottle things up. I know you’re in pain coz I feel it. Sis, tell me, what’s bothering you ba?”
A long time of silence, then I heard a soft sob coming from my wife.
…