CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR. GAY COUPLE.

        Inside a small saloon, Natalia was drying a woman's hair. The women were gossiping about how a rich married man was caught sleeping with the maid of his wife.

   "I can't believe it, man looked so innocent," Nat said as she used the hair dryer on the woman's head. "Don't you know that the people who look innocent are the dangerous ones?" One of her customers spoke. "That's why I don't let young women come work in my house. Do you women remember my friend Selena?"  A red-haired woman asked. "Yes," some of the women replied. "Well, she caught her husband cheating on her with his secretary and the secretary was already a month pregnant for him." The red-haired woman whispered. The women gasped. "Poor woman, no wonder she doesn't go out anymore."

     "Excuse me, mam, your phone has been ringing." one of her apprentices handed her phone to her. "Hello, this is Natalia speaking." "My name doesn't matter. I have something important to tell you.'' She had a female voice speaking. "

"And what could that be?" Nat asked the woman. "Your boyfriend is cheating on you with Rosa. Not only that, she is pregnant with his child." "What nonsense are you saying!?" Natalia's outburst got the attention of all the ladies. "I will send you the evidence, it is up to you to decide if it is nonsense or not." After saying that the woman cut the call. A few minutes later, she sent her the pictures. "Nat saw her boyfriend holding Rosa by the waist and Rosa's hands were on his shoulders, the next picture showed the two of them coming out of the hospital.

    Nat was heartbroken, Tears rolled down her cheeks. "What's the problem, Nat." One of her customers asked with concern.

"I will be right back." Nat stormed out leaving all her curious customers.

       Nat reached the twenty-one people Street. In her grey car Holding a bat. She went straight to Rosa's house and started banging on her red wooden door with her free hand while she clutched the bat tighter.  "Come out whore!" she banged harder. This got the attention of the neighbors and the shop owners. It was around six pm. They all gathered in front of the flat. Rosa opened the door, Nat pushed her and walked in before Rosa could utter a word. Rosa closed the door and ignored the stares from the crowd.

    The apartment had a small parlor, a bedroom, a small bathroom, and a small kitchen that was connected to the living the kitchen doesn't have a door but a large window that is facing the dining room, and the dining room is in the left corner of the living room. It makes it easy for guests to see her kitchen.

Her living room was plastered with sakura flower wallpaper with a pink couch and three pink leather chairs with wooden armrests.

     Nat stood in the center of the living room, swinging her bat which was scaring Rosa. "Nat, what is all this nonsense?" Rosa asked and slowly stepped back. "Since when did the two of you start cheating on me? Rosa looked confused. "Answer me!" Nat shouted which made Rosa flinch. "There's nothing between me and Alejandro, I swear." Nat slowly walked forward and Rosa kept stepping back until she entered the kitchen.

    "You think I am stupid, you Meretrix(prostitute). Occidam the hodie(I will kill you today)."  "I swear to God, there is nothing between me and Alejandro. "Then explain to me why he escorted you to the hospital 🏥?" Nat's legs grazed on the dining chair. She looked at it and her eyes landed on the dining table. She saw a plate of white rice and a bowl of chicken broth. 

     "I fainted at work, he was kind enough to take me to the hospital. I promise there's nothing between me and Alejandro. The child I am carrying isn't his." Rosa leaned on her baby pink title counter. There were tears in her eyes. Nat stood next to the dining table, after contemplating for a few minutes, she looked at the scared Rosa. "I will leave for today, but if I find out that you and Alejandro are cheating behind my back and the child you're carrying is his. Et ego mitto vos ad infernum (I will send the both of you to hell)." She threw the bat on the ground and left the house.

    Alejandro called and came over but she locked the apartment and she refused to open the door for him. The next day, she was arrested by the police for murdering Rosa.  

     Her narration ended. Trent and El looked at each other before looking at her. "You're the owner of the bat?" El asked. "No. It belongs to my son." Nat answered. El was surprised. "You have a son?" "Yes. I and Alejandro have a ten-year-old son." Ella plucked her brows into a frown. She was hundred and one percent sure that it wasn't in the file. 

   The door opened and the police officer came in. "Your time is up, it is time for the prisoner to go back to her cell." Trent and El stood up from their chairs. "I will get you out, is a promise."  El hugged her. "One more thing!" Nat's voice stopped them in their tracks. They turned to face her. "It's obvious the two of you love each other, don't waste your time the world accepts gays now." Rosa winked at them. "I am trying to win his heart but he won't let me" Trent grabbed El by the shoulder and dragged her making her land on his hard chest.

    "Be sure to invite me to your wedding." It was the police officer that talked this time. "We aren't getting married!" El blurted out and was struggling to get out of Trent's grasp. "I promise to invite the two of you to our wedding when the time comes." "ok, we would love that." Nat and the police officer answered.

    Ella got out of the station with a red face. "How could you!" El hit him on the shoulder. Trent began to laugh. "It's not funny." she stormed to her feet and walked toward her car. "Come on El, wasn't it fun?" Trent followed her behind, he went in the direction of the passenger seat. They both buckle their seatbelts. "Where to?" Trent asked. "Twenty-one people street,"  El answered.

  The ride was quiet again. Ella was thinking about what Trent said. "Does he mean what he said or was he just joking with them?"  El shook her head. "Focused El, but are my feelings for him visible? Ahhhh! I am going to run mad because of Trent." El bit her lips.

    Trent was also thinking about what Nat said, he knew that El is in love with him. What he doesn't know is, if he is in love with El. One: he doesn't like seeing El with other men, especially Chen. He clenched his jaw. Two: He always had the urge to protect her. Three: He always dreams of him waking up with El beside him. Four: Whenever he is beside her, he always wants to grab her and kiss the life out of her.

      "We are here. Ella parked on the side track. Twenty-one people street is mostly filled with small kiosks. When Twenty-one people street was designed with a road in the middle of the street, impatient drivers that cannot wait for the traffic to end will follow the road, and some of these drivers stop near the kiosks to buy stuff they need. That made the street become more of a business area than a residential one.

       El and Trent walked down the street, looking at the street, they were a bunch of people stepping out of their cars to buy what they needed. They saw some kids playing basketball on a public court. "They are really good," El said. Young black boy dung when he scored. "Woahh!" the other screamed. Some rubbed their chest with him while some did the black power handshake.

   The boy that scored looked in their direction. The three looked at each other for a few seconds. "Tariq, Grabbed the ball!" He went back to playing while they walked ahead. Rosa was the tenant of Mr. and Mrs. Philips. They went to knock on their red wooden door when they heard the sound of glass breaking.

      "Ahhhhhh!" They heard a woman screaming. Trent broke down the door and ran in with El tailing behind him. "Stop!" Trent shouted and the hand of the man stopped in mid-air. The lady's cheeks were swollen, her lips were broken and her eyes were blackened. Trent glared at the man. "How can you shamelessly hit a woman?" He shivered when he heard Trent's voice. A little girl ran out of the room and hugged the woman. She was crying heavily. 

    Ella felt like beating up the man. "HOW IS  THIS YOUR BUSINESS?" the man shouted at Trent. Trent sighed and calmed himself down. He reminded himself he was here for a different reason, and the woman could have reported her husband if she wanted to. "We are reporters from EBTV." (Ehteran Broadcasting Television.) Hearing this the man cleared his throat. "Why are you here?" the man asked. "We are here to ask you a few questions regarding Rosaline Rodrigo," Trent informed the couple. The middle-aged man's eyes widened.