Of Saints and Sinners

"And?" I was baffled.

"And because he had sponsors."

"Are you serious?"

I looked at his friends' calm reaction.

They knew.

"So let me get this straight, aside from his wife and kids, and you, he also has sponsors?"

"Yes. Two actually. A COO from a private hospital and a Dean from a university."

"And that is totally fine with you?"

"You know, G, at first it was not. Not at all. I nearly begged off our relationship. But I thought about it and looked from his perspective. It's not so bad. I guess. I mean the sponsors are actually a bit old. about 50 plus already." Michael continued while I gazed into his eyes trying to observe further his reactions. "The way I see it, since they're older, I don't think I need to be jealous."

His answer was direct, blunt. He must have thought it through a lot of times.

"So your time from him is 6 to 9pm. When does he meet his 'sponsors?'" I quote-unquoted in mid-air.

"If I call him in the morning, about until 5pm, and he does not answer. I know he is with one of them."

"Man, that is complicated Michael. I swear."

"So what was the string that pulled everything?"

"One day I just realized..." He took a deep breath. "...that I couldn't be his other option anymore."

And those were the words - an option.

"I stopped communicating from texts to calls to social networking sites. I stopped everything."

"Like what I said earlier, there was no closure. I couldn't face him anymore."

"I see."

"It was painful, G. There were nights I couldn't sleep and there were times I just wanted to sleep all day."

"Of course Michael. Six years is six years. A partner is a partner."

Silence surrounded the living room area.

"But that was months ago, nearly a year. I have moved on G."

I wanted to believe him, I really do. But his words, they speak of hurt, of ongoing process.

Of a still open wound.

"So...what if, hypothetically, you accidentally see him and his wife together in a mall, would you go to him and greet him?"

"No."

"I thought you have moved on, Michael?" I interrupted.

He fell silent. A dead one.

"You're contradicting your statements." I told him.

He smiled weakly to me.

And then I smiled back.

And finally finished the Tanduay Ice I was drinking.




Part 3