Missing Pieces

“I hope she suffers from a deadly disease and dies a slow, painful death.”

“Sorry, sis, I can’t hear or see you properly. Wait, lemme adjust the webcam. There! Now I can see you clearly—what’s wrong? What did you say earlier?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing, nya, nya.”

“Suzie, stop it.”

“Suzie, stop it while your little sister buhuhu.”

“I’m serious, Suzie, stop fake rubbing your eyes. If you don’t cut it out, I’m cutting this video call.”

“No, you cut it out. Just because I’m not beside you doesn’t mean I can’t see that something’s wrong. So, what is it? Confess before I give your beautiful face a digital slap—What? Why are you laughing?”

“Don’t ask me. Ask yourself. You’re being silly.”

“Said the girl who’s now crying. Okay, Leila, enough fooling around. Tell me what’s going on.”

“Su, remember the story I told you about Maricon Gamol?”

“Your husband’s Filipina ex-wife?”

“Yeah.”

“The bitch who robbed his money for drugs, cheated on him multiple times, had a kid with a Filipino while married to him and left him to return to the Philippines whore house because to be satisfied she needs more than one di—”

“Su! We’re Filipinas too. Please refrain from saying something so degrading.”

“Tse, what’s wrong with calling a whore, whore? Besides, she and her family are why Filipinas have such a terrible record. Didn’t they plan to use him as a bridge to get to the US? Ang kapal ng mga mukha. They got no shame talking about bringing her lover to your husband’s country after she gets there using his money, all that while he was in the same room as them. Good thing your husband is sharp and recorded them, even though he didn’t understand our language.”

“Su, please.”

“Argh! My blood is boiling. I want to use that bitch’s skin as my rug. But then again, I’d hate to have any part of her in my house. Yuck!”

“Su!”

“Okay, fine. What about her?”

“Maricon has been trying to get in touch with my husband on Facebook. She sent him a friend request and ‘how are you’ messages.”

“Hah, like they’re some kind of old friends. As I said, makapal ang mukha. Her face is so thick, you won’t be able to cut it with a knife. What did your husband do? Is he why you looked as if God denied you access to heaven when you died?”

“Su!”

“Tsk. What did my brother-in-law do? Did he accept her request and sweetly replied to her messages or what?”

“No, he did nothing.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

“It’s not good Su.”

“Why? You want him to do something?”

“I don’t know. He doesn't seem to care at all. I mean, I looked at her profile and see that she’s still using his last name. Oh god, she already has another American boyfriend. They have a kid together, older than my daughter, so why use my husband’s name?”

“Sis, do you know that the opposite of love isn’t hate?”

“What?”

“Elie Wiesel said that the opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. So you should be happy with your husband’s reaction. It means he doesn’t have a single bit of feeling towards her.”

“You’re right, Su. You’re right, she still bothers me.”

“Why? Because she still uses your husband’s last name?”

“That and because she contacted me.”

“What? What did she want from you?”

“Actually, I’m the one who contacted her first and told her to stop using my husband’s name because it no longer belongs to her, besides she already has another man and has a kid with him.”

“Aw, sis, how could you do that? You said so before, the woman is an idiot. Did you really think you’ll get through to her?”

“I didn’t. But I didn’t expect her to be so annoying.”

“What did she do? Is it time for me to use my murder weapon?”

“Su...seriously you—”

“Stop laughing. Now, tell me her address. She’s here in the Philippines, right? I can throw the body in the Philippines Pacific, and no one will know. But then again, someone might look for her, okay that’s it. I’ll just write about her in my online stories. Maricon and her Boyenture! Get it? Boy plus adventure equals Boyenture.”

“Luka-luka!”

“I am crazy, especially when my little sister is getting bullied.”

“I am not.”

“Okay, let’s get serious. What happened? What did that woman do to make you look like shit.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“I hate you.”

“You love me and you know it. Now, spill it before I decide to hack that bitch's account and hang her dirty laundry.”

“Well, she said that I shouldn’t feel so proud because she’s the real wife and I’m just a mistress.”

“What? They annulled their marriage. And you’re married to my in-law now.”

“I know, but apparently the bitch—stop laughing! It’s your fault.”

“What?”

“You keep saying bitch, that I ended up saying it too.”

“Admit it, sis, it feels good. No? Don’t deny it. I can see it in your smile.”

“Yeah, it feels good.”

“See! You should copy me more often.”

“No, thanks. I don’t want to be a starving writer.”

“What? Now you’re hurting my feelings.”

“Pssh, like I’ll believe that. Anyway, apparently, Maricon filed an appeal against their annulment. Good thing my husband has a copy of their approved annulment.”

“Whoa, she’s shameless. You know what, do what your husband did. Ignore her.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Su, she registered her kid with her new boyfriend as my husband’s daughter, and she has the gall to claim that it was by mistake! Do you write the father of your kid by mistake?”

“Anak ng puta.”

“Su, please stop cursing.”

“You should curse more. So what now?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m annoyed because her boyfriend seemed to be on her side.”

“Huh? Does her current boyfriend want your husband to be the father of their child? Your husband hasn’t seen that bitch for the twenty years he’s been with you.”

“I know. And no, Maricon’s boyfriend wants the child, that’s why he wants my husband to waive his right to the kid, but he doesn’t seem to care how horrible Maricon is and even defends her. She was so young then, he said, and asked for my husband’s understanding. He even wants to bring her to the US too. We will be in the same state!”

“I understand sis, what did your husband say?”

“He wants to waive his right for the kid, but I feel like he doesn’t care enough.”

“Sis, I have to go. Look, talk to your husband. I’m sure there’s just something you don’t understand.”

***

“Leila, I’m home.”

“Welcome back.”

“No kiss?”

“No.”

“Hug?”

“Okay.”

“Lei, you’re crushing my ribs.”

“How did it go?”

“It went fine. I signed the papers and his kid with Mari should officially be in his custody soon.”

“Not Mari, Maricon. Mari makes her sound like a saint. She’s not.”

“Okay, Maricon. Stop glaring at me, your end up setting me on fire.”

“Hmph! Are you really okay with it?”

“Of course I am. That kid is his. We have our own. I don’t want nor need someone else’s.”

“But you don’t care if she’s using your last name.”

“Lei, I can’t force her to change her name. And I don’t care because, in my heart, you’re my only wife. I made a mistake when I married her, however that mistake made me return to the Philippines a lot and led me to find you. I don’t care about her anymore. Whatever happens to her, I don't care.”

“Even if she ends up living in the same state as us?”

“I admit, that bothers me a bit. But you know what?”

“What?”

“You can’t be happy if all you think about is someone else unhappiness.”

“But—”

“No more buts, besides…”

“Besides, what?”

“Maricon could never fill the missing pieces of my heart that only you can do.”

“Tse, bolero.”

“I’m not.”

“Do you even know what it means?”

“No idea, but I’m sure it wasn’t positive.”

“Mama, said you’re a sweet talker!”

“Shh! Don’t tell that to Papa. And you should already be sleeping.”

“But I want to say goodnight to Papa.”

“Goodnight sweetheart.”

“Nighty-night Papa!”

“What are you looking at?”

“I guess I like to be a bolero now. What? Why are you laughing?”

“I’m just reminded of why I love you. You’re adorkable.”

“I don’t need to be reminded because you’re always in my head. Now, where’s my kiss?”