sib·yl·line

/ˈsibəˌlīn,ˈsibəˌlēn/

Adj. relating to or characteristic of a sibyl; prophetic and mysterious.

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I could feel my hand flaming as it hit Christian in the face. My heart pounded, and rage bottled inside me when I felt his warm tongue touched my cheek. I thought he was different from other men, but it turned out he was like them. Pervert. Maniac. Disrespectful towards women’s dignity.

From the moment I slapped him so hard in the face, moments of when my mom slapped dad came flashing into my mind. It was...traumatic. I could hear their shouts and screams as it happened in front of me with Christian beside me during that day. My sight dropped to the floor, and my senses were numb. As I watched him rub his jaw with his palm, I removed the sleeves of his jacket tied around my waist and threw it to him.

“So, that was your plan all along? Show me that you are nice because you have hidden motives?” I pointed him with my sharp gaze and catapulted all the napkins he gave to me. “I am amazed by how pretentious men are. I shouldn’t have trusted you in the first place. Men like you deserve torture.”

I rushed away and never mind the stain on my back. Of all the men I have to encounter, why a pervert who acted like a gentleman? I used to have changed my perception of men when he helped me lately, but he ruined it. And he just proved that men are dangerous.

“Eunice, wait,” he shouted as I reached the last level of the stairs. “I’m sorry! I was just---”

I continued walking until I reached my car and slammed the door as I entered. I wanted to scream my anger out, but I chose not to. I am not the type of woman who stresses myself out for a guy – a stranger to be exact. I returned my sight to where Christian was, and I saw those perverts again, talking to him, smiling like they were successful in making me consumed by my anger.

“Why do men like them exist?” I muttered to myself.

I started the engine of my car and headed back home. It’s almost four in the afternoon, and I have no subjects left for today, so going home was the best plan. As I was in the middle of the road, I thought of how my mom was doing in the Philippines. Is she having a good life there? Has she forgotten me already? Did she found someone who can make her feel special? I can’t deny the fact that I missed her so much. I wanted to hug her tight and tell her everything that happened to me. But I can’t. She doesn’t reply to my messages, and my calls to her were dropped.

I let my heavy heart out as I reached the front of the house. I was about to open the gate when Marina, our old neighbor called me by my name. I paced to their house, and she welcomed me with a warm hug.

“It’s good to see you, darling,” she said as she unfastened her hug. “It’s been days since we last saw each other. How are you doing?”

“I’m doing great. I just got busy at school,” I smiled at her. “When have you arrived?”

Marina is a retired teacher. From the day we moved here with mom, she welcomed us warmly and considered us her family. Her husband died six years ago, and her son already settled in Canada.

“I arrived this morning,” she smiled and sat down in her rocking chair. “I visited my old friend in Harlem and we got to have good days in the Jazz party. It’s really good to see long time friends getting old. Remembering the days when we were living freely as young people made me feel so much happiness. I even saw my ex-boyfriend and he told me I am still hot as a teenager,” she laughed. “You’ll know what I mean when you reached my age, darling.”

“I’m happy that you and your friends had a reunion. I bet that you really had a great day with them,” I chuckled.

“When I and Leonardo exchanged our vows to each other is still the greatest day I ever had,” she said with so much joy in her eyes. “Wait, when are you planning to get married?”

My jaw dropped, and I felt like I was put in a hot seat. “Oh...umm...getting married is not on my list as of now. I, umm...still planning on prioritizing my dreams.”

“Well, you better hurry, child,” she pinched me in the side. “I don’t want to miss your wedding. You know, I am now just waiting for my days to end,” she said with sadness in her voice.

“You’re going to live longer, Marina. Trust me,” I held her hands and kissed her on the forehead.

“Oh, by the way, someone sent you flowers, chocolates, and books. The guy wearing a red hood left them in front of the gate,” she pointed at the table. “I took it when the guy was gone. Passers may take it away if I didn’t take it. You know, we can’t trust anybody,” she whispered.

“Did you see the guy’s face?” I asked, my face contorted in confusion.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t. He was already entering his car when I opened the door.”

I headed to the table, and the smell of roses played my nose. A huge box of chocolates settled beside the thick books about werewolves. I took the flower, and I saw a card on it which has a dedication written in a different language.

“J'espère que vous aimez ces surprises, mon amour. J'espère faire partie de votre monde un jour. Vraiment à vous, M. Moonlight." 

Marina shifted her gaze to me as I read the dedication aloud.

"It’s French," she said, giving me a sweet smile. 

I couldn’t think of who possibly sent these to me, but since the dedication was written in French, I thought maybe Lea’s cousin was the sender. I took the books, and gave the flowers and chocolates to Marina, thanking her for her kind gesture.

Our sight shifted to the car entering our house’s garage when we heard a loud siren. It was dad, bringing another woman in the house. Marina glared at me with disappointment in her eyes.

"Your father is getting worst," she sighed. "Why can’t he change for the better? He lost the best wife he could ever have because of his addiction to women."

Disappointment raged within me as well as I saw how dad almost stumbled because of being drunk. The woman took off her heels to support dad as they headed the door. Even though it’s already dark, I can see the woman’s thick makeup from afar. 

“I have to go now, Marina,” I kissed her forehead and cupped her face with my right palm. “Thank you so much for everything.

As I was about to open the door, I saw a sachet of condoms dropped on the rug. I took it and threw it away. The face of the woman greeted me as I gently opened the door. Her stares scrutinized me from head to foot. 

“Hey!” she called me in an intimidating tone. “You’re the daughter, right? Get me some beer in the fridge.” 

“Who are you again?” I asked her, sounding dominant. “Who invited you here? Wait, let me guess. You are one of dad’s sex toys, right? Oh, as far as I’m concerned, sex toys aren’t part of the family and they’re in no way have dominion in the house. So, if you understand what I am saying, I hope you’ll get yourself straightened up and serve yourself the best you can. I am not your maid, and you are not the boss here,” I fearlessly said, leaving her almost exploded in anger, and then I had my way to my room.

I burst out a harsh breath as I entered my room and then dropped myself in the comfort of my bed. There’s nothing even new to this scene, except for the mysterious guy who gave me these books, but I felt exhausted every time dad brought another burden in the house. I stood up to put the new books on the shelf, but as I was about to put the first one into the slot, I saw a paper peeking through its pages. I took it only to see a picture of me walking in the hallway. I flipped it and read what’s written in the back. 

“Your beauty stuns me. You are a rose that blooms amidst the dull daisies. PS: I can see you everywhere.”