After All: Chapter 5

A/N: HELLO WORLD! Hehe! It has been more than a year since my last post. Nakalimutan ko na atang mag-sulat, hehe! First of all, I would like to apologize to all my followers (wow, kung meron man, hehe) for not posting anything. I experienced writer’s block and at the same time, a lot has been going on in my personal life. I hope you understand. Since, matagal-tagal na din akong hindi nakapag-sulat, please forgive me if there are any grammar lapses or anything, hehe. Medyo pai-ikliin ko na ang story na ‘to so I can finish *hopefully* right away. So, without further ado, enjoy reading! 🙂

Love,
Miles ❤

~~~~~

The hangar launch was a success and it was all over the headlines. Richard, along with his co-investors, were extremely pleased with the outcome. It was also the day where Richard and Simon unexpectedly met – the day Richard was dreading for.

Simon noticed him veer directions when he saw him approaching. He quickly followed and grabbed his arm.

“Pinaglalaruan mo ba ako?” Simon looked at Richard furiously with his fist clenched.

Richard took a deep breath and responded, “Of course not! Why would you think of that?”

Simon smirked. “Come on Richard. Don’t act like you’re innocent. I know you’re doing this para makaganti ka sa akin. You are purposely placing me at different sites para mabawasan ang oras ko sa pamilya ko nang sa ganoon ay mapalapit ka kay Maya.”

“Excuse me?” Richard took a step forward. “Kung sino man ang lamang sa atin, ikaw ‘yon! Dahil ikaw ang asawa ni Maya at ikaw ang pinili niya.”

Then, there was deafening silence.

Simon glared at Richard. “What do you want Mr. Lim? Tell me. Asawa ko ba? Ayos naman ang visitation rights mo kay Thea, ah? What more do you want?”

“Simon, calm down. First of all, I know nothing that you got hired by my co-investors. Secondly, wala akong habol sa asawa mo dahil tapos na kami. I am only after Thea. You know how much I love my daughter and I am willing to do anything to make her happy. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I still have to entertain my guests.” Richard fixed his tie before walking away.

Simon stood in silence.

Bakit nga ba sobrang apektado parin ako sa tuwing naiisip ko si Maya at Richard? Shouldn’t I be nice to him? So that in the future…

Simon’s thoughts were interrupted by Ryan asking to join him for a drink.

~~~~~

Maya spent the whole afternoon cleaning the attic. She took the opportunity to de-clutter while Thea is away with Doña Esmeralda and Sean is sleeping soundly.

“Doris, paki-abot nga yung walis.”

Doris hurriedly climbed up to the attic and handed Maya the broom. “Eto na po, Ma’am. Kailangan niyo po ba ng tulong?”

Maya happily refused. “Hindi na Doris, kaya ko na ‘to. Bantayan mo nalang si Sean kapag nagising.”

“Sige po Ma’am.”

A blue box caught her attention while sweeping. Ano ‘to? She thought. She opened the box and was pleasantly surprised about seeing the contents inside. Ah, pictures of her and Richard. Her heart skipped a beat as she sorted out the contents of the box. There, she found the first flower he had given her which was completely wilted and dry, birthday cards, movie tickets, theme park passes, even the wrapper of the first chocolate he gave her.

I never thought that I still have this. I thought I burned all of it.

FLASHBACK

Maya and Richard have been together for 5 years before they called it quits. She was a newly hired flight attendant while Richard has been starting to make a name in the business empire his father has built. He frequently flies with Time Airways so some of the flight attendants, and even the pilots know him very well. One day, his flight to Hong Kong got delayed. He decided to spend his time at the coffee shop, where Maya and her colleagues love to snack and hang out.

Richard noticed Maya and approached her from behind. “Hi! Ms. Dela Rosa, right?”

Maya was startled but kept her cool since she recognized the voice. “Ay, hello po Mr. Lim. Yes, Maya Dela Rosa po.”

“Call me Richard.” He smiled. “So, may flight ka today?”

Maya grabbed her coffee and turned towards him. “Ah, yes. Actually kakatapos lang.”

Richard was obviously interested about her. “Really? Where?”

“Japan.” She sipped her coffee leaving a lip stick stain on the lid. “Ikaw, where are you heading to?”

Richard motioned Maya to sit. “My flight is delayed. I am heading to Hong Kong for some business matters.”

Maya was amazed. Little did Richard know, she has a little crush on him. She could not believe that she was talking to him. “Ah, talaga? Oo nga, I heard may problem daw ng kaunti sa maintenance. But it would be just a minor fix. No biggie.”

“Ms. Dela Rosa, tinatakot mo naman ata ako niyan eh.” Richard massaged his chest, pretending to be scared.

Maya chuckled. “Maya nalang please. And, hindi ‘no. The truth is, late kasi yung nag-me-maintenance ng plane kaya delayed ‘yung flight, kaya ayun. No worries, I think they’ll be done in an hour.”

“It seems like I have lots of time to kill.” He winked at her.

“I bet you do, Mr. Lim.” She let out a flirtatious smile.

Then of course, they went out on a lot of dates and one thing led after another. Their relationship was sweet and sincere, but it was undeniably passionate and intense. One morning, after their sensual love making, Maya confessed a thing to Richard.

“Babe, I think I’m pregnant.”

Richard didn’t know how to respond. He stared at her for few seconds before responding. “Are you sure babe?”

Maya bit her lips. “Hindi pa pero, three weeks na akong delayed. I’ve been nauseous lately and, ayaw ko yung pancit na niluto ni Nanay. Eh, paborito ko ‘yun eh.”

Richard faced her and cupped her face. “Honey, I’m here for you, okay? We need to find out soon.”

Maya stood up and rummaged through her bag. “Actually, we can find out now.” She held up a pregnancy test kit.

Richard’s heart was pounding. “Let’s test it.”

It was the longest two minutes of Maya and Richard’s life. They stood in the bathroom waiting for the result.

POSITIVE.

Maya didn’t know how to feel upon seeing the result. She was happy that she is carrying Richard’s child but at the same time she was afraid of all the responsibilities that would come along with it. Not to mention that she got pregnant out of wedlock – Nanay Teresita will be furious if she finds out. All hell will break loose.

Richard caressingly rubbed Maya’s back. “Hey, baby. It’s okay.” He hugged her tight. “We’ll talk to Nanay and Cristina Rose, ok? Everything will be all right.”

Sure, everything went well. Of course, at the beginning, it was hard for Nanay Teresita to grasp everything that happened. The Lims on the other hand were elated to find out about the news. Months after, Maya moved in with Richard. They seemed like a perfect couple, however, a lot of people were wondering why Maya and Richard could not seal the deal.

It turned out that Richard still has to fulfill his dreams and move to Dubai. Maya rejected the idea and insisted that she and Thea will be staying in the Philippines. The conversation turned into a heated argument until Maya decided to break up with Richard. It wasn’t easy but she had to. She also knew that she wasn’t ready to be tied up with Richard as she has her own aspirations, too.

The break up did not end well. Richard and Maya did not speak for years. It was only Doña Esmeralda and Nanay Teresita who were talking for the sake of Thea. Maya never faced Doña Esmeralda after the break up. For Maya, her almost-mother-in-law reminds her of the precious memories that she and Richard shared together. Another side of her was angry at Doña Esmeralda for not stopping her son to go to Dubai and start a business venture with Don Roberto. However, over the years, Maya did not stop thinking about the things that could have been if she ended up with Richard.

END OF FLASHBACK