Chapter 12

MELISSA QUIZON

When I left Eugene's hospital, I went straight to Reid's elementary school. It was four o'clock—time to pick him up. I became more observant of my surroundings and grew nervous when I noticed a vehicle following the tricycle I was riding. I grew even more nervous when I thought about the possibility that Wright owned that car. I paid the driver before getting off his tricycle. Then, I walked closer to the school's entrance gate. Parents were not allowed to enter the campus, and we must wait in a certain area. The school I chose for my son was well-known, so I was not worried when it came to his security.

"Mommy!"

I looked at the gate. Reid was accompanied by several students who were also leaving. He went to the guard and pointed at me, and the man let him out. I knelt so we could share the same line of sight. He ran closer to me while dragging his bag. He hugged me tightly and kissed me on the cheek.

I felt relieved when I hugged my son and breathed a sigh of relief when I felt his tiny arms wrap around my neck.

"Hi, my baby." I took a handkerchief out of my bag and then wiped his sweaty forehead. "How are you? How was your day?"

He showed me his star-filled arm. I messed up his hair. My son was a genius!

"We have a family day on Friday, Mommy," he said happily. He took the handkerchief from my hand and wiped the sweat on my forehead. "Uh, Mommy, it's okay that it’s just the two of us, isn't it? It's okay even if I don't have a Daddy as long as you're always with me and Uncle Doc."

I stared at him. Was my decision not to let him know his real father wrong? Was I wrong if I just wanted to protect my son from the pain that his father could cause him? I knew the time would come when he started looking for his real father, but this wasn’t the right time.

"Reid..." I took a deep breath and smiled sadly. "Aren't you jealous of your classmates who have a Daddy?"

He shook his head. "I don't want you to cry, Mommy."

I hugged him tightly so he wouldn't see my tears dripping. "My baby's sweet."

I wiped away my tears first before facing him. I nuzzled his nose before standing up. Then, we looked for a tricycle. Now that I was with Reid, I was even more nervous than Wright might show up and take my son from me. I took Reid to Jollibee and ordered a chicken joy. It was his reward for a job well done.

I did not let Reid leave my side. Whenever he let go of my hand, I looked for him immediately. I didn't want him to disappear from my side, even for a few seconds.

When we got home, I arranged the food on some plates. Reid, on the other hand, went into his room to change. After we ate, I decided to take a shower. When I came out of my room, I saw Reid in front of the TV while holding a game controller.

I sat beside him. "Reid, that's enough. Assignments first."

"Later. It's just multiplication. So easy," he said as he continued pushing the buttons in the controller.

"Aren’t you full of yourself?" I mumbled. I knew he was smart, but I still didn’t want him to neglect his studies. "Three times two?"

"Six," he responded lazily and sighed.

"Four times nine?"

It took quite a while for him to think. "Thirty-six."

"Six times three?"

"Eighteen, Mommy." He hit pause and then looked at me. "Mommy, I'm in the middle of the game."

I came up with a plan for him to do his homework. "If you lose, you'll do your assignments."

"Deal. What game?"

"Street Fighter," I said proudly. That was the only video game I know. Last time, Reid beat me when we were playing.

One corner of his lip rose. I was out of breath because I saw Wright whenever he did that. "I choose Guile."

I cleared my throat and then sighed to calm myself. I looked at the TV screen and chose a character. "Gouken," I said. "Game start."

We started the game. I was not good at these video games. But because I imagined Wright was Guile, I became desperate to hit and beat him.

Reid stood up when I knocked him out with a left hook. He groaned when K.O. appeared on the screen. "Woah! Mom! You're great!"

"What? Do you think women can't play games like that? Think twice, son." I pointed to his bedroom door. "Do your homework."

"Oh, man!" He scratched his neck and tiredly walked to his room. I didn't want to spoil him, even if he was my only child. I wanted him to have self-discipline.

...

Reid knew I was leaving. I read Don Quixote to him first until he fell asleep. For a few minutes, I watched his face as he slept. The resemblance between him and Wright was very noticeable. How could I deny that he was not Wright's son if, at first glance, you already knew who his father was?

I kissed him on the forehead and stroked his cheek before slowly closing the bedroom door. I walked over to the living room, and I saw Minerva sitting on the sofa.

"Minerva, you'll take care of my son first, okay? I'll pay you back. Don't ever open the door to strangers."

Minerva was the daughter of Missing, my neighbor. She was the eldest of seven siblings. She was the babysitter I hired whenever I had a gig. She was kind and helpful to her mother, and the salary she received from me was given to her mother for their expenses.

With each move I made to prepare to leave, I felt more and more anxious. But if I didn't do this, Reid and I would have our income reduced. He had Family Day on Friday, and I knew we were required to bring money. I did this so that I could give him everything he needed.

"Make sure he follows my orders, okay? I'll be home at midnight."

Minerva nodded. "Yes, Miss Mel. Be careful."

"Thank you."

She closed the door when I left. I checked first to see if she had locked the door. When I was sure my place was secure, I hailed a taxi to take me to the bar that Crissa had mentioned.

I handed the taxi driver my payment before I got off. CherryPop Bar was an exclusive bar. Their patrons were well-known, and they did not accept those who were not a member. We would be performing there today so that we would make a lot of money.

I told the bouncer that I was one of the performers. He checked my belongings and ID before letting me in. Loud music greeted me. There were already many people, and some were dancing on the dance floor. Even in my few years of performing in bars, I still hadn't gotten used to the smell of smoke and alcohol.

The only thing I didn't feel comfortable with was the feeling that someone was looking at me. I looked around.

"Melissa!" Ellyza ran towards me and hugged me tightly. "It's good that you don’t look so pale anymore!"

Nadine was behind her, and we high-fived.

"Uh, I rested, so I’m fine."

I was still not comfortable. It was as if someone was staring at me. I continued to look around, and my eyes reached the different sides of the bar. My heartbeat quickened when I saw a familiar figure leaning on the bar while holding a glass in his right hand. I couldn't see what he looked like because of the darkness, but I knew he was looking at me. My eyes narrowed.

"You know, you were the talk of the faculty earlier. Why did you treat Wright like that? He's so handsome in person!" Ellyza caught my attention because of what she said.

"Uh, I was shocked by his handsome face.” I wanted to throw up!

"If those looks appear in front of you, why shouldn't you be surprised." She beamed. "He left right away. I didn’t get an autograph."

"We're ready in two minutes," Crissa announced.

"What will we play?" I asked, but she only winked at me.

We got on the stage, and they started to string their guitars. When I heard the intro, I pounced on the drums.

‘Disrespect, it's all that you do to me / So messed up, the way that you're treating me / Brace yourself, there's something I want you to know / You should know / Replaceable is one way you're saying it / You've made your bed, now you can lay in it / 'Cause one day soon, I'll have a brand new you'

With each lyric of Miranda Cosgrove's "Brand New You," my heart cried out. It was as if this was exactly what I had wanted to say to Wright when we met. I couldn't help but be sucked into the song. I bowed when I felt tears dripping down my cheeks.

'Does it make you mad / When you're thinking back to the starting line? / Back when I was yours and you were mine? / You took me for granted so I found a brand new you / And when you see me around this time / Well, I hope you see that I'm doing fine / It's never been better since I found a brand new you'

After the last beat, I immediately wiped the tears from my cheeks. I bit my lower lip to avoid sobbing. Crissa and I played five more songs. I watched people go crazy headbanging to our music. I also saw a few dancing in the middle of the dance floor. I also looked towards the place where the man was staring at me earlier, but he was no longer there.

The curtain went down, and some other performers replaced us. I put my drumsticks in my bag. Nadine and Crissa, on the other hand, put their electric guitars in their cases and slung them over their shoulders. I knew they wouldn't be partying anymore because we still had school tomorrow morning.

"Hey, I’ll just go to the toilet." I said goodbye to them and walked towards the bathroom.

I entered, but before I could close the door, someone stopped me. He opened the door again and entered. My eyes widened when I saw who the daring man was.

"What the—"

I backed away. Wright closed the door. I watched as he turned the lock. My chest throbbed even more. With each step he took, I would take a step back. He quickly reached for my arm and leaned against the wall.

Why did destiny continuously hurt me? He grasped both my hands raised them to my side. I couldn’t pull back because of the tightness of his grip.

"Melissa." I could smell the alcohol on his breath. "I missed you."

I could no longer speak because he suddenly took over my lips. I sighed. He took advantage of the slight opening of my lips to insert his daring tongue. There, I tasted the alcohol he had drunk. I struggled, but nothing happened. His kiss became even more daring while I struggled.

I tilted my head to avoid him, but his lips also chased after mine. I gathered all my strength and withdrew my hands. I pushed him hard and gave him a loud slap.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?!" I shouted and rubbed my lips hard.

"I want to see my son." There was a streak of misery in his voice. He came closer to me, but I pushed him again. He almost fell to the ground because of what I did. I saw the heaviness of the lids of his eyes. He was drunk.

"Get the hell away from me!" I took a step back. "Don't be pathetic, Wright. Don't claim what's not yours!"

His face hardened. I hurriedly unlocked the door and exited. I didn't want to see his face! Have mercy on me! Why didn't he want to stop?! Damn it!

In my haste, I bumped into something hard. I rubbed my nose, which hurt from being hit.

I looked up to apologize. "I'm sorry—"

My apology stopped when I saw Eugene's gentle face. One of his hands touched my cheek. His forehead furrowed. "Hey, I’ve been looking around—"

"Melissa..." I looked at Wright, who was just coming out of the bathroom. He looked shocked to see me hugging Eugene. He met Eugene's gaze. They both gave each other sharp looks.

I couldn't take it anymore. "Take me home, Eugene."

"Let's go." Eugene's hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me toward the nearest exit. I even heard Wright calling my name, but I didn’t look back. "You've had one fucked up day, sweetheart."