24 The End of the Game

May 5, 2013

7:07 am

Christine Romulo

Here we go, another Sunday morning.

I guess it's good to have the same Margaret back to my life. Here we are again at the car with her reading her case studies. And yes, she finally makes progress. She can finally turn the pages of the file. She's not stuck at the same page for hours on end. Unfortunately, I don't think she's attending a morning mass with me. She has to make up with the lost hours from the week that she was gone.

As for me, I can say that I am genuinely happy.

It's like it's a new beginning. I could almost laugh to myself. After all these years, it seems that this is the first time that I actually took a lover for love. I took someone not for the sake of sexual gratification or taking them down. It's about wanting this person's company.

I arrive at the church with the same sound of my clattering heels. As I enter through the wide double doors of this church, I already expect the bane of my mornings to be here. Well, I was not wrong. He is indeed already here, but it appears that he is talking with another man.

From a far-off distance, I feel like I know the man Morris is talking to. From his graying auburn hair to his formal clothing, there is only one man that I know who is like that – father. It only took a short turn to the side for me to see his face – the face of the devil. So, I am right. Morris is indeed my father's spy.

Just when I was about to approach the piano, Morris and father's talk ends. Father leaves Morris with his conniving smile while Morris simply nods blankly. As he was about to leave, he first approaches me.

"Good to see you still doing church work, Christine," father remarks with his odd sense of humor. "What a fine heiress you will be for my name. Keep it up."

His words simply go over my head. I can feel the rage flowing through my veins as I realize what's going on. My sister's friend is just a spy. As my father heads out of the church, I stride furiously towards the man that I thought would be a fair acquaintance.

I see him give me that smug look, but it all fades away when that smug look of his is erased by a slap on his face.

"How could you?" I say through gritted teeth. "You act as my sister's friend when all along you have a secret agenda. Why don't you just, I don't know, play your game?"

Despite me slapping him strongly in the face, he just laughs at my expense. I can feel myself pursing my lips in his arrogance. I can almost feel myself slapping him again, but I think once is more than enough.

"This is not how you greet an acquaintance, Christine," he says calmly with his arrogant of a laugh. "Frankly, I don't know what agenda you are talking about."

"Oh, don't you play stupid with me, Morris. Just admit it! You are my father's spy, aren't you?"

Despite my reddish face of fury, he still finds this amusing. He laughs like there is no tomorrow as he turns to face me. "You actually think I'm your father's spy?"

"Yes, how else would my father know that I am seeing Mateo Macedo?"

"I don't know," he shrugs. "Public knowledge. Christine, you are forgetting that you and Macedo are dating in a public place. The world of the elite is a small place. Anyone can tell anyone what you're up to. Right now, at this moment, no one knows that we are talking. Why? Because no one is here except for you and I. Also, no one knows that you slapped me on the face except for you and I. Why? That's because I come from an arbitrary family not even close to your standing. Frankly, your world is not one I want to be a part of. Pray God you don't accuse me of such as it only sends chills into my spine just by thinking the thought of it."

And with those words, he had left me into silence. My knees fall weak that I cannot help but sit on one of the congregation seats beside me. I can't believe it. Someone actually spoke that way towards me. There was no mandatory politeness that of an elite. It was just pure… frankness and honesty. Just when I thought he is done, he rounds on me like a child.

"Christine, for a woman of many skills, I cannot believe that you could be this bad at reading people," he continues. "What's next? Are you going to say that you and Macedo are finally a couple?"

Honestly, I am beginning to rethink my thoughts. I accused him of being my father's spy, but as he continues to speak, I feel that he is beginning to act less of a spy but more as a spymaster. I look up to his face with an agape face. There's no more words need be said. He knows. As he finally understands, he just shakes his head amidst all of these.

"You don't really know how to listen," he says sharply. "People have been warning you not to pursue Macedo. It's too dangerous."

Finally, he is beginning to show his true colors. This man, Morris, is a man I have only known for a month. How to describe him? For a month of knowing him, I can say that he is this smug yet religious man who happens to be my sister's friend. Though he is calm, he now shows his true colors. He is a man that always interferes with other people's business.

"Why are you too concerned about my choices of partners anyway?" I retort back to him. He can be this nosy asshole that thinks he knows everything. "You are supposed to not care! You are just my sister's friend!"

"That's the point. I am your sister's friend. Frankly, she told me that you do not listen to her. Of course, I know her to be this passive person, but she asked me to warn you. She thought that you might listen to me. I know Margaret, Christine. She has been telling me relentlessly about your doings. She just can't say a word about it because she knows that you are sometimes right. Still, Macedo is too far, Christine, and you still won't listen."

I hate him so much. Since the first day that we met, I have called him a challenge more than I. And now, he is challenging me once more by using a person I care about the most against me – Margaret. Of course. How could I forget? Margaret did warn me to be careful, but I took it lightly. I don't want to cause my sister any more pain with my choices. As I remember this, I want to let out a tear, but I can't.

"I love him, Morris," I say silently as I reflect on his words. "Don't round this on me. Margaret warned me. Father taunted me. And now, you, a stranger who knows nothing about me, thinks me stupid for choosing him. Morris, you just don't know him. He is a man that had given me a new light. I could go on and use my sexuality to destroy dynasties, but he gave me real love."

Finally, he yields. He lets out a pitiful smile and sits beside me. He puts his arm around me as if he would console me. "It's not love, Christine. You and I both know that this whole charade of you with Mateo started when I refused to be with you. End this game. For your sake."

All of a sudden, I can feel his hands crawling to places where it should not be. In this unsolicited touch, I feel myself shrinking away from him and take a step away.

"Don't," I say to him as calmly as possible. "You were right that I did choose Mateo because I wanted to get back at you. I did say that I will win this game, but I don't want to do this game anymore. I genuinely want that man in my life. Stop this, Morris. I may not be that good at reading people, but I see you long enough in this church to say that you are not a promiscuous person."

From his wry smile, I know that I have spoken true. Honestly, I did not expect that he would attempt to do such a thing, but I know him. This is not the smug Morris I know. "You're right," he says wryly. "I can't do this to you. I can't do harm towards you."

All of a sudden, he rises from his seat. He walks towards the piano and pulls out a folder from the covers.

He then hands the folder to me. "Still, as a person that cares enough for your sake, I believe you should read this. Mateo will not be faithful to you for long. I just hope you are smart enough to realize that."

Gently, I take the folder away from him. It was just a simple Manila folder with a few papers inside. However, as I open the folder, I can see several pictures of Mateo that I cannot understand. Some pictures are with different women. Some pictures are with him walking suspicious looking alleys. Some pictures are even photos with him and his father. Besides the photos, there are also pages upon pages of notes written in red ink. The notes turn into a blur as I try to read it clearly

As much as I wanted to read this, I can't help but close the folder. Is this even true? I have not even taken what I needed to understand, but are these notes even true? I look up at Morris once more who looks at me with his smug of a face again.

"Oh, and just before I forget, don't believe everything that you see. Everything is a façade when it comes to your life."

With that, he walks away again back to his routine of which he will stand outside of the church until the mass starts. As he leaves me to think by myself, I am beginning to see things in a whole new light. Did he just put a folder inside the piano in order for me to find that in there? Was he attempting anonymity with all of these? More importantly, how did he find out about this?

All of these questions just keep flooding in my head. I can even feel myself pursing my lips in frustration.

"Don't frown now, love, for the angels are crying in your anger."

As I turn to my side, suddenly he's here. Mateo. Of course, I can expect that he will be around. How could I forget that he is already my boyfriend?

"What's bothering you?" he asks.

He sits beside me and looks into my eyes with much intent. I simply put the folder away to prevent suspicion.

"Nothing," I say with a wide smile on my face. "Just the sheets. It's been getting harder and harder. Mister Silang, the main church pianist, is trying to make sure that I am improving in my job. So, how's your weekend?"