CHAPTER 37: WAR OF WEALTH

Chapter 37: War of Wealth

Hinablot ko ang tuwalyang yakap-yakap ni Coco na gaya ko ay hindi rin makapaniwala sa nakikita. Mukhang papaligo na sana ito kaso may nakitang kalbong nakahubad sa labas kaya nagawi rito.

“Pahiram,” I said and walked as fast as I can towards Triangle at binalot ang pang-ibabang katawan ng tuwalya. “Anong ginagawa mo?” Nagising ang katawang lupa ko sa mga sandaling ito. Pusangina, ang aga naman ng ulam?

“I’m serious Pancake.”

Huminga ako nang malalim at nilingon ko ang spectators namin. “Sho, shoo pasok na, hindi ‘to palabas.”

They all made a face lalo na si KL. Nang tuluyan silang makapasok ay muli kong hinarap si Tatsulok at pinitik ang tainga niya na may hikaw. He winced in surprise ngunit hindi nagreklamo. “Ibang level na rin talaga ang impeksyon sa utak mo ano? Look at you, ang pangit mong kalbo.” His serious face made me laughed ngunit niyakap lang niya ako.

“Can I run now?” he asked again.

“No.”

“Pancake?!”

“Pancake mo mukha mo Tatsulok ah, you have a lot of explaining to do.” Hinila ko siya papasok sa dorm at dinala sa kwarto namin. I don’t know if sinadya ba nila na walang tao sa silid namin ni Megan dahil pusangina, pati si Pentagon na feeling kwarto niya ang kwarto namin, wala roon. Wala nga rin sila sa sala.

Pagpasok pa lang namin ay agad niya akong niyakap mula sa likuran. “I’m very sorry for all the pain I’ve cause you Pancake. Hindi lang ikaw ang nasasaktan ko kasi sa ginagawa ko, sampung beses yata ang sakit na dulot sa akin.”

Sinapak ko ang ulo niya at bumitaw mula sa pagkakayakap niya. “Puto Tatsulok wag mo akong daanin sa yakap-yakap na ‘yan, hindi ka na gwapong kalbo ka!”

He didn’t laugh but he brushed off his head with his palm. “I don’t mind losing my hair as long as I don’t lose you.”

Puto, naiiyak ako sa mga naririnig ko. Imagine, I cried a river before because of him and now he’s trying to regain himself by explaining?! Kahit pa sabihin natin na strategy niya iyon. Pusangina pabibo naman kasi! Inako ang lahat.

Tumulo ang luha ko habang nakatingin sa kanya. “The past weeks were tough Triangle, and you weren’t there for me... for us.”

“I know that’s why I’m sorry,” sagot niya. “Don’t cry Pancake, please?”

“Puto ka, alam mo ba kung ilang beses mo na akong pinaiyak?”

“I’m sorry,” sabi niya kasabay ng pagyuko.

“Sorry mo mukha mo, pusangina Tatsulok alam mo bang halos isumpa na kita dati? Ano, nagpapakabayani ka? You want to be selfless that’s why you took everything by yourself? Puto, mga tarantado pala kayo ng kapatid mo eh, mga feeling bayani mga puto!”

Suddenly I heard someone shouted from outside. “Grabe ka Kitten ah!”

I wiped away my tears at naiinis na tumayo. Binuksan ko ang pinto kung saan naroon si Gon, nakikinig. He grinned like crazy before he raised a V-sign with his bionic fingers bago tumakbo palayo. Baliw talaga. I slammed the door close at muling bumalik sa pagkakaupo.

“I didn’t want to be selfless Pancake that’s why I settled things on my own. I did t because I am selfish. Ang selfish ko kasi lumaban akong mag-isa para sa mga taong gusto kong manatili sa buhay ko, so that I have all of you for myself. Fuck, that was so fucking selfish of me. Sarili ko lang pala ang inisip ko at hindi kayo, when in fact you wanted to be there in every steps but because I am selfish, I left you out; all of you.”

“Damn, I was so selfish because I thought seeing Trench happy will also make me happy kaya ipinagtabuyan kita papunta sa kanya without thinking how you feel. Hell, you weren’t a doll or anything but because I am so selfish, I treated you like one just to make my cousin happy dahil akala ko ikasasaya ko rin ‘yon. I was so selfish that I don’t want him to take part in every activity in the Capital, inako ko lahat ng iyon kasi kung sakaling may hindi magandang mangyari, I still have him at the end kasi nga ang selfish ko. But Pancake, I wasn’t alone. I was with your brother.”

My eyes widened. “S-si Jean-Claude?!” Of course, sino pa ba ibang kapatid ko? I mentally rolled my eyes on my own stupidity. Engot din kasi ako most of the times.

“Jean-Claude has been so selfish for so long now,” mapait na ngumiti siya. “Damn, he’s too strong to endure everything for quite a long time. You hated him so much when he just wanted to protect you. But when I went to talk to him, I didn’t see a Jean-Claude Gallego that the Capital highly look up to. I saw a brother, a cousin, a man who endured something for so long so that one day, things will be at the right place.”

Hindi ko mapigilan ang mapahikbi. So all this time I was hating Jean-Claude for something that was actually his way of protecting me?

“He said he can bear the whip, stress and every pain but he cannot bear seeing you living in a shitty place like the Capital. Sabi niya mas kaya pa niyang kamuhian mo siya kaysa sa kamuhian mo ang sarili mo dahil sa ganitong uri ng lugar ka pa nabuhay. He said he’d rather work himself to death kaysa makita kang nahihirapan sa pakikibagay sa sistema na hindi pantay.”

Tila may tubo sa mga mata ko na walang tigil na naglabas ng mga luha. Every word I heard is a whip to my heart. I thought it was so painful to be ignored by your brother when he’s more hurt than I am because he has to ignore me.

“That when you two do something together, you always win but he doesn’t mind because he’s very happy that you are good in something kahit sinasabi ng iba na hindi ka matalino. Every time you were compared to him, he wasn’t pleased because he knew that you are so much more than what people think you are. He didn’t vote for you during face-offs because your idea isn’t superior than your opponent’s but he was so proud of you because you have the best idea except that it’s impractical at the moment at gustong-gusto niyang isigaw na ‘ Kapatid ko ‘yan! Kapatid ko nakaisip niyan!’ kaso hindi niya magawa.”

Patuloy lang ako sa paghagulhol habang iniisip ang mga masasamang bagay na inisip ko noon tungkol sa kapatid ko. Jean-Claude was never the bad brother that I thought I had. Ang totoo niyan ay ako pala ang masama. I was the bad guy all along.

Napatingin ako kay Tatsulok at buo ang loob na nagtanong. “So what are you two planning?”

***


Panay ang pisil ko sa kamay ni Pentagon habang nakaupo kami sa labas ng pinto ng Capital Court. Nasa kabilang upuan naman si Trench at gaya ko ay hindi rin siya mapakali. Nag-usap na sila ni Tatsulok kanina and I don’t know how Triangle asked forgiveness from him but knowing Trench, malamang hindi pa man siya kinakausap ni Tatsulok, napatawad na niya ito. He doesn’t even think that he has something to ask forgiveness for.

Bumukas ang pinto at pinapasok kami sa loob ng Capital court. Ito ang unang pagkakataon na nagawi ako sa gusaling ito. The hall was huge at mayroong estatwa sa gitna ng Lady Justice. Pusanginang Capital, may nalalaman pang estatwa ng justice eh eh mukhang pati yata ang Capital Court, hawak ni Moran. Ano pang silbi ng attributes nito na blindfold, sword at balance?! Wala na, wala ng sense iyon.

The news of the Grande challenging the position of Elipidio Moran spread like wildfire at laman iyon ng mga balita na ngayon ay napapanuod sa nagkalat na malalaking screens sa paligid ng mga wards. Our footsteps echoed on the hall as we stepped inside.

An old fat man sat in the middle, samantalang nasa gilid naman si Moran, nakangising aso. Puto, kung pwede nga lang sana batuhin siya ng sapatos ginawa ko na. Kaso nakapaligid sa kanya ang mga men in black na handa yatang saluhin kahit ano para sa walang kwentang tao na gaya ni Moran. Across him sat Triangle.

Nagsimulang magsalita sa harap ang matabang lalaki. “So we are here to discuss the highest elite position and the incumbent Moran is here with his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth and the Grande’s. Dahil sa sitwasyon, we are telling you that everything in your documents are to be diclosed to the public, is that okay to you?”

“That will be great,” sagot ni Moran samantalang tango lang ang naging sagot ni Tatsulok.

“We will start with each parties’ real properties including its improvements in their acquisition costs and current fair market value.”

They started comparing everything in a manual and automated way. Abala ang mga staff sa gilid to make sure na walang dayaang nagaganap hanggang sa sumunod na ang mga personal properties, other assets liabilities at mga business interests. Halos hindi na kami makahinga as the figures increased and decreased on the huge screens in front of us ngunit sa huli ay malayo pa rin ang agwat ng net worth na naiwan ng mga Grande sa current net worth ni Moran. The Grandes left huge sum and hidden properties for the Grande cousins ngunit gayunpaman hindi niyon nalagpasan ang kay Moran.

“I told you, try harder Kid,” Moran sneered before turning to us. “Kahit pa may mga hidden properties ang mga Grande, I still have something on my sleeves too.”

“Then I will present my SALN too.”

Napalingon kami sa likuran kung saan nakatayo ang kararating lang na si Jean-Claude. He was looking at Moran with rage. Lumapit siya sa harap at inilapag ang dalang attache case. Inside are my pertinent documents including my identity. I am a son of Marie Grande,” sabi ni Jean-Claude.

Saglit na nahulog sa malalim na pag-iisip ang lalaking mataba bago niya kinuha ang laman ng files ni Jean-Claude. One of his staff reviewed the authenticity and fairness of the documents including the truthfulness of the contents. Namayani ang katahimikan sa loob ng Capital Court habang hinihintay ng lahat na lumabas lahat sa malaking screen na nasa harap.

My heartbeat became erratic as the figures began to increase, eventually defeating Moran’s networth. Kahit si Moran ay napakuyom ang kamao habang hindi makapaniwalang tinitingnan ang nasa harap.

Pentagon cussed few times due to relief at napabuntong-hininga naman kami ni Trench. Triangle’s face also lit up and Jean-Claude maintained his straight face. Gusto kong tumalon at magsaya ngunit bago ko pa man iyon nagawa, the figures changed again and it returned to the first figures that it was at nasa baba naman ang networth ni Jean-Claude.

“Sorry but the Capital disregards the net worth of a member which is an illegitimate child or a child out of wedlock and you are an illegitimate child Jean-Claude Gallego.” The fat man picked up his gavel and struck it on the block. “The Capital Court declares that Elpidio Moran still holds the highest elite position.”

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