She got out of the car, flicked her cigarette, and stepped on it.
========================================================
Sherwin awakened at the pounding sounds at the door. He reached for his glasses and put them on. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and checked his watch. “Eight o’clock,” he mumbled.
“Damn! I slept here again,” he silently cursed as he turned the lights on and surveyed the totally cluttered living room. Bottles of brandy and beer cans were scattered all over the place. The smell of tobacco hung in the air.
“So much for having quitted smoking,” he thought ruefully.
The knocking persisted, snapping him out of his introspection.
“Reina!” he thought and ran to the door. His heart beating loudly at the thought and beads of sweat formed on his forehead, not to mention his hands feeling clammy.
He tried to fix the place before rushing to the door, trying to make it as presentable as it was the last time Reina was there. But after several futile tries of cleaning up, the knocking grew louder and heavier, almost breaking down the door.
Sherwin gave up and thought, “What the hell…” leaving the clutter and quickly opening the door.
Extremely agitated, the person on the other side of the door brushed past Sherwin and said, “Man, what took you so long?”
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“Holy shit!” was all Reina could say as she tried to hide herself near someone else’s gate.
She was already two houses away from Sherwin’s bungalow when a car passed by her and stopped at his house. The person got out of the car and walked purposely to the Sherwin’s place.
Reina had no choice but to go back to where her car was, continually cursing herself, “Damn! I should have gone to him last night! The other night!”
She regretfully went inside her car, feeling so defeated.
“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” she kept saying as she banged her head on the steering wheel several times.
“Tomorrow. Tomorrow, for sure,” she sighed and turned on the ignition.
“I’ll make it up to you, Sherwin. Somehow, I will,” she promised and sped away from Sherwin.
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“Oh… You,” Sherwin was dismayed to see who it was.
“Good evening to you, too!” replied Matthew sarcastically and walked carefully, trying not to step on the bottles and cans.
“Damn! I’ve only been gone a week and this place got trashed?!” he looked at his cousin incredulously.
“You look like hell, man!” he said again after examining his cousin’s wasted appearance. “Failed an exam?”
“Nothing… I just wanted to have some down time,” Sherwin said, avoiding his gaze.
“Down time? Smoking again is your idea of some down time?!” A disbelieving Matthew asked. “C’mon man, it couldn’t be that bad,” he coaxed.
“It’s nothing. Just don’t mind me,” Sherwin almost shouted.
Matt’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh I get it! It’s Florence Yoro. You heard she’s getting married.”
Florence Yoro was one of Sherwin’s ex-girlfriends but she’s the first woman he fell in love with. She was gorgeous beyond words. She had a charming smile that captivated every man’s heart and a very sunny disposition that would make it difficult for anyone to hate her. But behind that beautiful facade is an ugly truth: Florence was gold digger. She loves men who can spend for her and her vanity.
Sherwin was already in his third year in university when he noticed the beauty. He courted her and eventually, they ended up together. His friends tried to warn him about her but he still dismissed the idea and gave her the benefit of the doubt. Days passed and sadly, Sherwin faced the painful truth. She did not love him, only his money. He was greatly devastated that he had to leave Taiwan and continue his study somewhere else. He needed to forget her. He needed to heal from the wounds she had inflicted upon him and his heart. Since Sherwin’s mother is one of the members of ABAC’s Board of Trustees, he decided to transfer to Thailand.
“Forget her, buddy. We all know what she is…a slut,” Matt went to the fridge to get some water. “I’d bet my life she married for money. The guy’s old enough to be her dad but damn, he’s got a lot of dough.”
“Poor Mr. Chang!” Matt shook his head. “He doesn’t know he’s being used.”
“That’s it!” Sherwin bellowed. “Why do I always get attracted to women who just want to use me?!”
Matt sighed as he walked over to Sherwin and put his arm around his shoulders. “It’s like this. Women choose their prey as men choose their victims. So don’t let them get the upper hand, my boy. Use them first before they use you, get it?”
“Man, you should have learned from Florence,” with that, Matt took his arm off Sherwin’s shoulder, and punched him lightly on the chest.
“C’mon! Don’t just stand there! Hel…