Soul Sister, Foul Mister

               I am Adora. Adora Quisumbing. I’m a lounge singer, a wife, a mother. My dream? I dreamt of being a star – a superstar. I want to be famous, to be popular, to be wealthy, and to be respected. But that’s just a dream, only a dream, and will only be a dream. I’m not that beautiful to be paired with the handsomest men in the showbiz industry. Also, I’m not that flawless to throttle those sexy women wearing skimpy dresses. I am just simple. I am just being me.

                I am living in a city, oh yes, a city, but don’t you be much beguiled if I am living in a city. I am living in a house, amongst the towering skyscrapers and mansion-like houses amidst this one big city, which can be categorized as one of the poorest and most dismal-looking ghetto houses. You’ll never even dare to switch places with me, not at all. Well, I am married to Johnny, a carpenter, and we have two kids, a one year old and two months old, respectively. Johnny regularly works by day while I go into the bar, obviously, at night. Oh, I want to clear that I am no hooker; I am only just a singer. The kids? They’re not living with us, my sister, Laura, is taking care of them. We, but most of the time, I, visit them in her house for about two to three times a week or so, I f I have spare time. Things remain unchanged, not until that day came.

*Knock! Knock!*

I opened the door. It was Johnny.

“Dear, are you drunk?” I painstakingly asked.

“Of course, I am! Didn’t you notice? Stupid!” he said while he almost stumble as he tried walking towards the house. “Get off my way, I’ll sleep.”

“Okay.”

Johnny has changed and I didn’t know why. Lately, he’s getting home quite late and his attitude got a little bit rough.

⃝⃝⃝

“Hey! Adora!” the woman shouted. It was Claire.

“Oh Claire, why? I’m off to the bar.”

“Did you know…” she started.

“Know what?”

“Your husband, Johnny…”

“What’s with Johnny?” I confusedly said.

“…. Johnny. Johnny… Johnny has another woman,” she declared, nervously.

“Oh no! Not my Johnny. He can’t do that,” I refused.

“But you can’t deny the fact that I saw Johnny and that bitch kissing so bad yesterday,” she added.

“Who the hell is that girl? Where?”

Tears slowly came rushing down onto my eyes. I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t. I tried to hide it, yet it showed. My knees were rattling. I can do nothing. I just hugged Claire that time. I didn’t go to work then. Gravity was so strong that I couldn’t raise my feet off of the ground. Felt like the Earth were shaking and the ghetto streets came falling apart.

“Hey! Hey! Adora! Adora! Wake up!” ‘Twas Claire trying to wake me up.

As I opened my eyes, nothing has changed, I’m still where I was, but my heart, my heart felt like ‘twas stabbed by a million knives and left bleeding.

Just a few steps and…

“Where are we?” I asked.

“Where here,” she said. “This is where I saw them. If I were you, I’ll often go here from now on. Just to check. I guess you want some proofs, don’t you?” she advised.

I just nodded. I felt like my body’s trembling. I just didn’t feel good. Why would I, in the first place? So I went home. As I reached home, I found my half-naked adulterous husband lying on our old, crippled couch as if he had no problems at all. I went to our dining space, adjacent to the living area, the bedroom, the comfort room, and the kitchen only divided by pieces of plywood gathered by him from his work, and sat there and recognize things out. I really wondered who the hell that woman could be.

⃝⃝⃝

Another painful day has started. It’s been three days since I heard that damn bad news. I just wished Jigsaw killed me, for me not to feel the hurt, but it’s still there. And every time Johnny walks in, I don’t know what to feel, especially now that I know that he’s been cheating on me. It’s really hard to pretend as if I feel none.

“Cook me some food?” he asked barbarously.

“What will I? We got no stocks, Johnny,” I answered. “You ate the last egg here in the basket, this cheese bread is already spoiled, and this fish, it was already eaten by a rat.”

“What do you want me to do, vomit the egg I ate? Reheat the cheese bread? Or put that fucking rat in a guillotine for he had done a mortal sin? What? Go and find some food,” he raged.

“Why don’t you?” I said in a pugnacious manner. “You know what? I’m sick with all your shits. You’re treating me like a slave now. Why have you changed? Why?”

I cried. I hardly cried. Simultaneously, he choked me and pushed me against the wall. It’s the first time he did something like this to me. He’s not that brutal before. My body felt pain, but my heart, it felt double.

“Why? Adora, you have a problem, don’t you? The time you said ‘I do’ to me, you are already my slave.” He gripped my neck tightly.

“But we never get married,” I said, while grasping my breath.

Suddenly, after a few minutes, he let go of me. He then kneeled down.

“I’m sorry,” he repeatedly said.

I stared at him. The old Johnny was back.

“Will you forgive me?” he asked.

I did not answer. I moved out from where I stood and headed to the room. My body was out of my control that moment. I started packing my clothes until he saw me. He ran unto me and hugged me caressly. Slowly, he rubbed his cheeks on my back. I grabbed my things and started to leave, but he did a gesture of refusal, he clutched his hand onto my arm and put my bag down.

“Please don’t leave me,” he insisted. “I love you. I’ll die if you leave.”

“Then I’ll better wait to see you die.” I didn’t know where I got the strength to say those words; it just came out of my sultry mouth.

“What I’ve said earlier were all a lie. I was drunk, though. I’m sorry.”

“Even the ‘I love you,’ also a lie?”

“No. I mean the one I said when I’m furious,” he explained as he shrugged his head. “Don’t ever leave me, I love you very much.”

All my anger suddenly disappeared. My heart bore no pain at all. I just loved him so much and so I chose to stay by his side – no matter what. At that momentum, I hugged him so tight as if we’ve never seen each other for years. Half of my life, I already devoted it to him and without a doubt, the rest of it will also be his.

“I love you, Johnny.”

“I love you, too, Laura.”

My eyes bulged out. My world turned upside down. I became so frantic. I felt like I’m dead.


To be continued...