When Catherine went home that night, her mother was already sleeping together with her younger siblings in the other room. She was surprised to see that her rebel sister Caroline was home as well and she's the one who opened the door for her. She was being ushered by her twin sister outside the house and they sat in the wooden bench under the shade of the mango tree.
"What happened after I left you in that old house? What did those armed guys did to you? D-did they harm you?" asked Caroline in an apprehensive tone.
"They didn't harm me," Catherine answered.
"You stayed in that house for two nights straight, don't expect me to believe that they just look at you all those times without doing anything to you?" said Caroline, unbelieving.
Catherine folded her arms. "Why? Did you expect that they're going to r-ape me?"
Caroline was already expecting the worst. "I do. You are alone there with those guys. What am I suppose to expect and you didn't go home for two nights. What did they do to you during those two nights? Just answer me, Catherine! Because if those bastards harmed you my boyfriend's men will pulverize that old house with grenades for revenge. Just tell me!"
Catherine finds her twin sister's comical bravery a little bit laughable.
"Please calm down, Caroline! I was never harmed. I was never r-aped! Believe me, okay? Just leave that house alone!"
With a deep sigh, Catherine continues...
"Just think about it. If they're bad people you will never see me alive again! The fact that they let us go without turning us to the Police Station for questioning, then that's enough proof that they have no intention to harm us. Let's just forget everything and move on with our lives!" she cried, her voice was raised a bit higher than usual annoyed with her sister's interrogation.
"Shhh...lower your voice! Mother might hear us...," Caroline said.
Catherine yawned, she's feeling sleepy already, John has ravaged her poor body over and over again before she was sent home, she was physically tired. "Can we go to sleep now?"
"Wait, who are those people inside that old house? Are they robbers too?" asked Caroline.
"No. The guy who kept me inside the house was the owner himself. Those three burly men were his bodyguards."
Caroline's eyes were about to pop out from its socket. "OMG, so what did the owner do to you? Tell me! I won't allow you to sleep if you won't tell me what really happened between the two of you!?" her voice was persuasive.
Catherine's eyes were beginning to water. "We have sex for two nights straight," she confessed, her lips quivering, shame and guilt are all coming back in full force tormenting her body and mind.
"W-whaaat?!" Caroline almost suffered a heart attack, dammit! Her sister never had a boyfriend before. "Oh my God! That meant he really r-aped you!"
A suffocating silence enveloped around them.
"No. He never r-aped me, I offered myself to him so that he will let you go and he will set me free as well without turning us into the Police Station. He didn't force me to have intercourse with him, I allowed him to touch me. That was the only solution that my mind can come up with during those terrifying moments. Besides, you can't hurt him, he was already my boyfriend," said Catherine.
Caroline glared at her ignorant twin. "Oh, you silly stupid cow! How can you gain a boyfriend in an instant--for just two nights? I call that two nights stand! And that's not even a boyfriend or girlfriend normal relationship. You are so fucked up! You should listen to me, you never had a relationship with anyone of the opposite sex! You have no idea what is a normal relationship with someone. That guy took advantage of you! How can you even say that he was your boyfriend? He clearly brainwashed you!" said Caroline in an agitated voice.
"I will kill those bastards!" Caroline said, her palms curved into a fist.
Catherine shook her head several times, clearly frustrated and alarmed by her sister's boiling rage. She let out a deep sigh.
"Shut up Caroline and please stop now! You have no idea what you're saying. I already sacrificed myself to remedy your mistake. Those men in there were powerful, dangerous, and armed individuals. They can easily trampled us like ants. Whatever revenge you are planning for them right now you'd better forget it! If you're really going to pursue that damn revenge of yours then do it after our family already migrated into the city, that's it if you want to die alone! For your information, those guys got your photo and my photo in their cell phones! They have evidence that we try to rob the house. Please don't be stupid! Drop this issue right now! I warned you, Caroline! If you don't want to be killed then forget what happened on that terrible night," she breathed in sharply, weariness and fatigue covering her entire face.
"Caroline, please don't play a Hero because heroes only look triumphant and good in movies, but they suck in real life!" Catherine added.
They were silent for a while, they had to deal with their troubled thoughts in private.
"D-did that guy used a condom when he had sex with you?" asked Caroline with a worried look in her eyes.
"W-what condom...?" then Catherine's eyes grew bigger like saucers. "I think no...shiit, I'm sure no!"
Caroline slapped her sister hard in the arms. "You really are so stupid! You should have demanded him to wear a condom! You could get pregnant! How many times he entered you?"
Catherine rubbed her drooping eyes. "I forgot to count," she said sadly in a horrific way. Then she realized she was indeed stupid! But who can think of a condom when you are in that dangerous situation? Her first instinct was to save herself and her sister.
Caroline felt bad for her twin sister's nightmare, she was the one who was responsible for her unfortunate predicament. "Don't worry I have medicine with me that can prevent pregnancy. You shall drink it later before you go to sleep tonight."
Catherine was horrified to realize that the possibility of her getting pregnant was very high. But when her sister told her about the medicine, her tensed nerves calmed a bit. She can't afford to get pregnant! They have so many problems to think about.
"When are you going to go into the city?" asked Caroline.
"Tomorrow. I will prepare everything there, then the day after, I will be back here to fetch mother and our siblings. You still don't wanna go with us?" she was actually hoping Caroline will change her mind and come with them, she will be feeling happy and relieved.
"No. I will stay here in our village. But who knows what lies ahead in the future I might change my mind. Just not now. Don't worry, if I have some free time I will visit you all in the city," said Caroline.
"Okay," she said.
They both rose to their feet and entered their nipa hut house.
Caroline gave her twin sister the white powdered substance to prevent unplanned pregnancy.
Without hesitation, Catherine ingested the medicine and drunk one glass of water afterwards.
A few minutes later, they were already lying side by side in the mattress spread wide in the wooden floor.
Catherine wasn't able to sleep right away. A lot of things were bothering her mind. She was totally committed to the idea to migrate into the city as soon as possible.
Wait...how about...John?
A voice suddenly materialized in her mind asking her a specific question.
Who is John to her?
He has no place in her life, he is a sex maniac! Besides, he was a complete stranger to her. Therefore it's better that she forget everything about him and move on forward.
'Goodbye John,' she said to herself. She completely ignored the little tugging of her heart. She turned a deaf ears to those silly little voices that were whispering strange words into her subconscious mind.