CIV

At noon, I called Gio. I hoped he didn’t have a meeting today. He managed to answer after several phone calls.
“Millie,” he greeted.
“Gio, what time are you coming home?” I asked him. I planned to accompany Marion to the funeral chapel where Aunt Matilda’s wake was being held. I just wanted to make sure Marion was okay. After all, they were still family friends.
I wasn’t crazy enough to go there alone, considering my husband’s attitude, so I would ask him to come along if he wasn’t too busy.
“Around 6 pm, why?” Gio inquired.
“I read in the newspaper this morning that Marion’s mom passed away. I wanted to visit. I just want to know if you’re free tonight or if you’re busy. I was thinking of going with you.”
Gio fell silent for a moment, and I was nervous he might not agree. Marion seemed to be the one man Gio couldn’t stand being close to. Just mentioning Marion’s name made me feel like Gio was mentally plotting his demise. If it weren’t for my friendship with Marion, Gio might have actually done something to him.
“But if you’re busy, we can do it next time. I just wanted to let you know about my plan. I don’t want to go there alone; I want you to come with me.” I said this to prevent any jealousy or other thoughts from arising.
I raised an eyebrow at the thought. I wanted to tell him because he was quite jealous.
“Okay, I’ll come home early so you can go there. I’ll call you later.” I was surprised by his response and smiled.
“Alright. Take care,” I said, then hung up my cellphone.
I sighed throughout the day. I continued trying to contact Marion, but he never answered. In the end, I gave up. I thought I would talk to him later when we went there.
I felt even more sympathetic to Marion’s situation. I thought things were getting better for them because Aunt Matilda’s condition had improved, and Marion had found a job. But now, the only person he had left in this world was suddenly gone.
Gio came home earlier than usual. We had dinner, and he left the house. We reached the funeral chapel where Marion’s mother was laid to rest.
There weren’t many people here. Some of them were familiar to me because I had seen them at a few gatherings in the past.
I realized something there. Perhaps if the Huff family had not fallen on hard times, there would have been more people here. But now, since they had lost everything in life, those who used to be with them had disappeared. This made me realize that sometimes, when you’re at the top, everyone applauds and supports you. But when you fall, they desert you just when you need them the most. It’s a sad reality. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s undeniable that some people experience this. Marion and his family were a perfect example.
As Gio and I entered, people looked at us. We were just here briefly; I wanted to convey my condolences to Marion.
I saw Marion sitting alone at the front of the funeral chapel. I looked at a picture of Aunt Matilda for a moment before attempting to speak to Marion.
“Marion,” I touched his shoulder. He didn’t turn to look at me; he just stared into space. “Condolences. I can only imagine what you’re going through.”
My words were sincere. I genuinely felt sorry for his situation and sympathized with his loss of Aunt Matilda.
Marion glanced at us, his eyes reddened, probably from crying. His gaze shifted from me to the man beside me before returning to me. He reached for my hand, taking me by surprise, and then stood up.
“You have no right to be here! You’re not here to offer condolences, Millie, especially not your husband!”
I was taken aback by his sudden outburst. I didn’t expect this reaction from him.
“He’s the reason our lives turned out like this! If it weren’t for your husband, my dad wouldn’t have died, and my mom wouldn’t be sick like this! She wouldn’t be dead!” He pushed me away. Gio immediately held me and moved me away from Marion, facing him.
Gio didn’t say a word, but based on how he held me and positioned himself in front of me, I knew he didn’t like Marion’s shouting and pushing.
Some of the people present looked at us and began whispering due to the commotion.
When Gio loomed over him, Marion stepped back while clenching his jaw. Even though he looked angry, he knew he couldn’t win against Gio.
“Leave, I don’t need your sympathy!” He walked away from where he stood and walked towards his mother’s casket.
Gio pulled me away from there. I still couldn’t process Marion’s anger.
I looked back at him before we left the hall. I pursed my lips when I saw Marion staring at us, feeling his intense anger radiating from him.
~***~
“Marion seems angry,” I remarked as we got into the car. The driver started the car, and we began our journey back home.
“I don’t care,” Gio’s voice still carried irritation, probably due to Marion’s behavior. “I wanted to sympathize with his situation, but after how he treated you, no thanks.”
I could sense his frustration. I couldn’t blame him because I also couldn’t understand why Marion was so furious with us when we hadn’t done anything to him. I knew Gio was the reason they fell apart, but it wasn’t Gio’s fault that his parents got sick and passed away.
I decided not to mention Marion again. The more I mentioned Marion’s name, the angrier Gio got.
The past few days had been peaceful. I later heard that Marion’s mother had been buried. I didn’t attend the funeral because I felt Marion wouldn’t appreciate me showing up.
I wanted to know what had happened to Mariana and Nicolas, but Gio was tight-lipped about it. No matter whom I asked, be it Elliott or Dario, they remained silent about their condition.
I’m now looking at the calendar. It’s my birthday. I can’t believe that Gio and I have been married for this long. Does he even know it’s my birthday?
I sighed. I don’t think so. He hasn’t mentioned anything, and if he does know, we probably won’t celebrate because of his busy work schedule.
I thought maybe I’d invite him to dinner as a way to celebrate my birthday.
I left my room after my morning routine.
“Good morning, Alicia! Has Gio left already?”
“Good morning, Ma’am. Sir Gio left earlier.”
I don’t know why, but hearing that made me feel even worse. He doesn’t even know it’s my birthday, and it looks like I won’t be spending the day with him.
Maybe I’ll call him to arrange for dinner tonight.
I had breakfast alone before leaving for the office.
As soon as I entered the office, my colleagues sang “Happy Birthday” song to me. Many of them greeted me, and some even gave me cakes. A few of my close employees also handed me some gifts.
I worked with a smile on my face. For lunch, I decided to treat my employees to a meal as a way to show my appreciation for their efforts on this day.
I tried calling Gio earlier, but he didn’t answer, so I left a message asking if he was free later with not much to do. I’m still waiting for his reply.