Tita Janice's scream shook the four corners of the bedroom. She went straight to her son to cradle his face with her hands. "Are you okay, Nathan—oh, my God, you're bleeding!"
The hysteria in her voice froze me on the spot.
"Eira, get some ice! Nathan is bleeding!" she ordered.
"He's not going to die from one hit, Tita. He looks totally fine to me," I replied.
"Fine? He looks fine?! Paanong fine,eh, dumudugo nga ang labi ng anak ko?!"
She turned to look angrily at Iggy before she raised her hand to strike him but I quickly grabbed her wrist.
"Bitiwan mo ako, Eira! How dare this trash hurt my son?!" Nathan's mother furiously yelled at me. "Ni hindi ko nga pinapadapuan ng lamok itong anak ko, ni hindi ko pa nga ito napapalo kahit minsan 'tapos susuntukin lang ng kung sinu-sino?!"
"Tita, calm down—"
"Don't tell me to calm down! Sino ba 'yang lalaking 'yan?!"
I saw the triumphant smirk on Nathan's face. "Oo nga, Eira, sino ba itong lalaking 'to?"
Die, maggot, die!
"Who is he, Eira?" Tita Janice demanded. "And why is he inside your hotel room?! Ano ang ginagawa ng lalaking 'yan dito?!"
I saw how Iggy lowered his head. He must have realized that he had landed me in more trouble. "I'll...go..." he said. "Do you...want me to leave?" he added as an afterthought.
I shook my head at him.
"Sino s'ya, Eira?! Bakit hindi ka makasagot?!"
I turned to face Tita Janice. "Boyfriend ko po."
My mother's closest friend looked at me with a mixture of disdain and disbelief in her eyes. "So, it's true, kinakaliwa mo nga ang anak ko!" she threw the accusation at me. "Hindi ako naniwala, Eira, because I have known you since you were in diapers but for you to say na boyfriend mo itong lalaking ito while my son is right here?! Have you no shame?!" she shrieked.
Her words felt like a slap to my face but the irony wasn't lost on me – there she was being righteous when her son was fucking my cousin.
I started to laugh. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry..." I muttered then I laughed harder.
"Eira!" I heard my mother's voice.
I turned to look at her. "Yes, Mom?"
"What are you doing?"
"Sorry, Mommy, pero natatawa po talaga ako..."
"Ninang, maybe she's in shock. Maybe this is her being defensive kasi nahuli po s'ya sa akto—"
"Oh, God, you midget. Are you going to deny na magkasama kayo ni Ate Jella rito? Na nakatira kayo sa iisang bahay?" I asked Nathan who immediately acted like I had given him the biggest insult.
"What? Why do you keep on dragging Jella into this?"
"Jella? Kailan pa s'ya naging si Jella lang sa'yo at hindi Ate Jella?"
He turned to his mother. "Gumagawa na lang po s'ya ng kuwento, Mommy, kasi gusto n'yang pagtakpan 'yung kalokohan n'ya—"
"Talaga? Pagtakpan ang mga kalokohan ko pero ang sabi mo ay gusto mong makipagbalikan? If I am the woman you say I am, bakit ka makikipagbalikan sa akin? And no, don't use our families, Nathan, punyeta ka, I won't let you. Gusto mong makipagbalikan kasi hindi mo matanggap na nakahanap ako nang mas higit pa sa'yo pagkatapos mo akong itinapong parang basura!"
