Chapter 2 2

It's been several minutes since Jonas and I parted ways, and I got into this taxi. But until now, the smile hasn't left my lips.

Ajuju, hilarious. Just kidding. I'm just amused by our conversation earlier. It feels like we've known each other for so long. Like we're comfortable with each other. Maybe we were friends in our past lives, right? Or perhaps our shoulder blades were buddies in ancient times?

I'm sure Jonas isn't an ordinary guy. He's a Saiyan. Like Goku and Vegeta. Just kidding. I know he's wealthy and low-profile, allowing him to mingle with people like me-poor folks in the surroundings. While we were talking earlier, he effortlessly switched to English. Not like me, struggling even with a single word.

Common since. Tch. Turns out, it's common genes. I thought it was common sense.

Perfectionist. What did Jonas say about that? I can't remember. Anyway, the pronunciation is the same. Like he's just making it fancy.

So, anyway, Manila is really crazy. This city is enormous. Not like our province where a few steps lead you to the town, a few more steps to the plaza, and one more step, you're in front of your plastic neighbors, engaging in plastic camaraderie. Here, I've been sitting in the taxi with Manong Driver for several minutes, and I still haven't reached my destination. Seems like there's forever.

Forever is a long journey.

I shifted my gaze to the window. I can't help but be amazed by the tall buildings I see. This is the city they were talking about. Amazing. It's really beautiful. I wish Grandpa were still alive to see Manila's beauty with me. But Grandpa, always too eager to move on to the afterlife.

Have they had a meet-and-greet with Itay and Inay there? I hope they send a picture with the caption, "Child, you're next. ASAP."

"Ah, I know!" I said to myself as I came up with an idea.

I opened one of my suitcases and took out a large picture frame of Grandpa. Since Grandpa disappeared a week ago, this picture frame has been my frequent companion. I talk to it as if he's still alive.

"Grandpa, look at that building! It's so tall!" I pointed to a high-rise building we passed by, with numerous windows. "If we were at the top, and I pushed you, would you survive?" I suddenly frowned. "We'll never get to try that because you're not here anymore. It's really sad, Grandpa."

I put Grandpa's picture frame back into my suitcase as the taxi entered a massive gate. It stopped as two security guards with long firearms blocked our way. It's like scenes from the movies I've watched. There's something like this in real life.

The taxi moved again after Manong Driver exchanged smiles-rather, fake smiles-with the security guards. After a while, the taxi stopped at a huge gate painted black. I peeked at the gate to read what was written.

"Falcon Residence," I read, then turned to Manong. "Are you sure? Is this it?"

He looked at me, "What does it say on the paper? Falcon Residence, Aviana Subdivision?"

I double-checked the paper, and Manong was right. "Ah, yes, that's right. How much do I owe you?"

"Just a thousand, miss."

I was startled, "WHAT? A thousand? Is your taxi emitting gold smoke or something?"

"Miss, Aviana Subdivision is far from where we started. Nothing comes cheap in this world."

"There's still something cheaper than this, Manong!"

"What?"

"Damn it. Damn it. Damn-"

"Miss, stop that. You might say something worse."

"But there's something worse than what I already said," I insisted.

"Fine, what is it?"

"The suman in our province, three for twenty pesos. Sometimes you can get four for twenty if there's nothing left to buy," I proudly mentioned.

"I don't care about the suman in your province. Just pay."

"Is there no discount, Manong? Come on. I'm new in Manila."

"Forget it, miss. Go to the barangay if you want to haggle."

"Can I?"

"I don't know, miss. You're confusing to talk to. Just pay."

"What a grump. Are taxi drivers always this grumpy in Manila? The drivers in our province are so friendly."

"He's friendly, miss."

"Is that what you call friendly?" I retorted.

"That's friendly enough," he replied, not even bothering to look at me, as I was busy counting the remaining money in my wallet.

My wallet now only contained crumpled bills and coins, and unfortunately, it didn't add up to a thousand. It was only eight hundred. Even after shaking my wallet, no more money came out.

I looked at Manong, "Hehehe. Manong."

"Miss, I know that smile. It's not enough, right?"

I nodded, "Yes. I didn't know that taking a taxi in Manila is so expensive."

"Tsk. Okay, that's enough. Next time, don't take a taxi. Just walk."

"Thank you, Manong!" I said and handed him the eight hundred. "Here are two suman. They're delicious!"

I got out of Manong's taxi, lifting my two suitcases and a bayong again. If I was already wide-eyed at the tall building we passed earlier, I was even more wide-eyed because of the gate in front of me. It was black, made of expensive-looking metal. Then there's Falcon Residence written in gold. It seems Grandpa Andres wasn't just wealthy but super duper extra mega wealthy.

I noticed a button with a camera on the side. I pressed it.

"Good Day! This is Falcon Residence. How may I help you?" the camera spoke. Wow. A talking camera.

"Hello, camera! I'm Althea Josefa Marinduque. Grandpa Andres sent me here." I even waved at the camera. "How about you, Camera? Do you have a name? What's your name?"

Wait? Was that the right question? "Uh, what is your name?"

I pondered again. It seemed like my question was wrong. "What is your camera name?" I muttered to myself, still unsure if that was the right question.

"Thank you, Ms. Marinduque. Falcon's gate is now about to open," the talking camera replied, and suddenly, the massive gate opened.

"WOW!" I exclaimed in amazement. Their gate automatically opens.

I entered and immediately looked around. There were many well-maintained trees, indicating proper care. On the left, there was a flower garden with various colors of flowers. There was even a pink-painted nipa hut. Could that be for Grandpa Andres? I continued walking and saw five cars parked in front of an enormous house.

OMG. Lord, is this really a house? It looks like Malacañang Palace in size. The cars I see in front are so beautiful. Definitely for the wealthy. Only in Manila will you see this because we don't have such things in the province.

In the province, it's just a competition of tricycle aesthetics. I looked to my right. There's a large swimming pool, and beside it is a fountain with two angels spouting water from their mouths. Are those angels or tilapia?

"Good Day, Ms. Marinduque."

I turned around when someone spoke. When I looked, a man in what seemed like business attire appeared. He was already at an age. He also wore glasses. There were two guys with white polos accompanying him.

"Good Day too," I replied.

He smiled at me, "Get her luggages."

The two guys quickly took my suitcases. They almost fought over them.

"Are you Lolo Andres?" I asked him.

I still haven't seen Lolo Andres in person. I've only spoken to him on the phone before.

He shook his head, "No. I'm Fernando-the right hand of Lord Andres. I was assigned to take care of you when you arrive. This way, Ms. Marinduque. Please follow me."

He walked ahead, so I followed. We entered the massive house, and I was even more impressed with the things inside. Everything was pure white. From the chairs to the displays on every corner of the house. There were paintings on the walls with meanings I couldn't comprehend.

Are those called abstract paintings or imprak paintings? I can't remember. Ugh. Headache.

I stopped when I saw a large family picture with handsome and beautiful beings. There was a slightly older person, then what looked like a couple, and the other five males seemed to be their children. One was a bit younger, very cute and chubby. It looked so deliciously pinchable, like a siopao filled with asado. Rawr. So cute!

"Who are they?" I wondered while staring at the large portrait.

"They are the Falcon Family," Sir Fernando answered. He pointed to the elderly one in the picture. "That's Lord Andres. Your grandfather's friend." He then pointed to the person beside him in the photo. "The one next to him is Sir Erwan, his son, and his wife, Ma'am Cynthia." I nodded.

Even though Erwan and Cynthia were a bit older, they still looked good. Erwan resembled Lolo Andres. Probably. He's his son, after all. lols.

I noticed something about the guys in the picture. From Lolo Andres to the youngest one. They all had the same eyebrows. Thick and almost perfectly shaped, making their eyes lively.

"The other five guys are their children. The one on the right is the eldest, Erwin Alejandro, the son of Sir Erwan and Ma'am Cynthia." I looked at Erwin, and I almost squealed because he was so handsome. He was smiling in the picture, making him look even more attractive. "Next to Erwin is Elton Alexander." He pointed to Elton next to Erwin, who looked similar but with a frown instead of a smile, like he fell from heaven and earth rejected him.

"Elton seems grumpy, unlike Erwin, who's smiling. Was he conceived during Ma'am Cynthia's bad mood?" I joked.

Sir Fernando laughed, "No, Iha. The two who look alike are the twins, Brylan Kylde and Brent Klode."

"Ah, they're twins. Wow. They're so handsome!"

"You're right, Iha. They're twins."

"Ah, twins indeed. What did I just say?" I replied. "What's the name of the youngest?"

"She is-"

Before Sir Fernando could continue, a young boy suddenly appeared in front of us. He only reached my waist. He looked at me without any emotion on his face, like a robot holding a toy car.

"This is Sir Erwan's youngest son, Christopher Llyod." Sir Fernando touched Chris's head.

I bent down to be at the same height as Chris, "Hello, Chris. I'm Ate Althea. How old are you?" I asked with a smile, but he ignored me, quickly hiding behind Sir Fernando.

"He doesn't speak," Sir Fernando said with a compassionate look at Chris. "He's five years old."

"Is he mute?"

Sir shook his head, "No, just traumatized from the tragedy that happened to the family a few months ago."

"What tragedy?"

Sir glanced at Chris before speaking, "It's been six months since Sir Erwan and Ma'am Cynthia passed away. They were headed to Cebu with Erwin and Chris for the company's branch opening, but a tragedy occurred."

"What tragedy?" I asked, anxious to know.

"The ship they were on sank. They found Sir and Ma'am lifeless, hugging Chris, who was weak, probably due to exhaustion, thirst, and hunger."

I covered my mouth in shock. Trying not to cry at the fate of the couple.

"Chris witnessed how his parents took their last breath at such a young age. Since then, he stopped talking. His doctor says he's mentally and emotionally traumatized. It can be treated, but there's no certainty when. He's still too young to cope," Sir explained.

"What about Erwin? Wasn't he with them?"

Sir Fernando's face saddened. It was evident that my question affected him.

"We haven't found his body yet. It's been more than six months, and we still don't know if he's alive or-"

"He's alive!" I confidently interrupted. "There's no corpse found, so I'm sure he's still alive!"

"I hope so. Lord Andres hasn't lost hope in finding his eldest grandson alive, so he continues the search. But some say Erwin might have been eaten by sharks, and that's why there's no trace. It's been months since it happened. If Erwin were alive, they argue, someone would have reported it by now."

"What right do they have to declare someone dead without seeing the body? Oh well, Sir Fernando, I strongly believe Erwin is alive. I'll shave my head if he's really gone."

Sir Fernando chuckled, "You're full of positivity, Ms. Marinduque."

"Just call me Althea. Hehe."

As Sir Fernando was about to speak, we heard a shout from the staircase. We both turned to see the twins walking, seemingly in an argument.

"I told you not to come to my classroom, right? Why are you so stubborn?" one of them scolded the other.

The other remained silent, continuing to walk past us.

"Klyde, he's-" Sir Fernando stopped speaking as Klyde passed us, heading straight to the room.

"Let's go. Let's walk to Lord Andres' study room while I tell you what happened to the family," Sir Fernando said, and I followed him, glancing around and listening to his story.

"It's been six months since Sir Erwan and Ma'am Cynthia passed away," he paused, and I covered my mouth in shock at his revelation. He continued, "They were on their way to Cebu with Erwin and Chris for the company's branch opening. But a tragedy occurred."

"What tragedy?" I asked, eager to know.

"The ship they were on sank. They found Sir and Ma'am lifeless, hugging Chris, who was weak, probably due to exhaustion, thirst, and hunger."

I held back tears and tried to compose myself. "How heartbreaking."

"Chris witnessed how his parents took their last breath at such a young age. Since then, he stopped talking. His doctor says he's mentally and emotionally traumatized. It can be treated, but there's no certainty when. He's still too young to cope," Sir explained.

"What about Erwin? Wasn't he with them?" I inquired.

Sir Fernando's face saddened. It was evident that my question affected him.

"We haven't found his body yet. It's been more than six months, and we still don't know if he's alive or-"

"He's alive!" I confidently interrupted. "There's no corpse found, so I'm sure he's still alive!"

"I hope so. Lord Andres hasn't lost hope in finding his eldest grandson alive, so he continues the search. But some say Erwin might have been eaten by sharks, and that's why there's no trace. It's been months since it happened. If Erwin were alive, they argue, someone would have reported it by now."

"What right do they have to declare someone dead without seeing the body? Oh well, Sir Fernando, I strongly believe Erwin is alive. I'll shave my head if he's really gone."

Sir Fernando chuckled, "You're full of positivity, Althea."

As he was about to continue, we heard a shout from the staircase. We both turned to see the twins walking, seemingly in an argument.

"I told you not to come to my classroom, right? Why are you so stubborn?" one of them scolded the other.

The other remained silent, continuing to walk past us.

"Klyde, he's-" Sir Fernando stopped speaking as Klyde passed us, heading straight to the room.

"Let's go. Let's walk to Lord Andres' study room while I tell you what happened to the family," Sir Fernando said, and I followed him, glancing around and listening to his story.

"It's been six months since Sir Erwan and Ma'am Cynthia passed away," he paused, and I covered my mouth in shock at his revelation. He continued, "They were on their way to Cebu with Erwin and Chris for the company's branch opening. But a tragedy occurred."

"What tragedy?" I asked, eager to know.

"The ship they were on sank. They found Sir and Ma'am lifeless, hugging Chris, who was weak, probably due to exhaustion, thirst, and hunger."

I held back tears and tried to compose myself. "How heartbreaking."

"Chris witnessed how his parents took their last breath at such a young age. Since then, he stopped talking. His doctor says he's mentally and emotionally traumatized. It can be treated, but there's no certainty when. He's still too young to cope," Sir explained.

"Uh, what happened to Erwin? Wasn't he with you?"

Sir Fernando's face saddened, clearly affected by my question.

"His body hasn't been found yet. It's been over six weeks, but we still don't know if he's alive or-"

"He's alive! No corpse has been found, so I'm sure he's still alive!"

"I hope so. Lord Andres hasn't lost hope in finding his eldest grandson. Some say Erwin might have been eaten by sharks, making it hard to locate the body. It's been months, and if Erwin is alive, someone would have reported by now."

"Why do they assume someone is dead without finding the body? Oh, sir Fernando, I strongly believe Erwin is alive. I'll shave my head if he's really gone."

Sir Fernando chuckled, "You're full of positivity, Ms. Marinduque."

"Just call me Althea. Hehe."

Before Sir Fernando could speak again, we heard a shout from the stairs. We both turned to see the twins walking separately, seemingly in an argument.

"I told you not to come to my classroom, didn't I? Why are you so stubborn?" one of the twins yelled.

The other remained silent, continuing to walk past us.

"Klyde, he-" Sir Fernando began, but was interrupted as Klyde passed us.

Klyde seemed aloof in person. Is he famous in their school?

The other twin stopped in front of us, offering a reserved smile. "Klode, this is Althea."

"Is she the one Grandpa mentioned?" Klode asked politely.

I noticed the contrast between the twins. Klyde had a tough demeanor, while Klode was gentle. Did he go through a Downy bath?

"Yes, she is."

Klode looked at me, "Hello. I'm Klode. My twin, Kylde, just went into his room." He spoke softly. "Sorry about him. He has a hot temper."

"No problem," I replied.

"I'll change first," he excused himself, walking into the room next to Kylde's.

As Sir Fernando and I continued, I asked, "Aren't twins supposed to get along well? Shouldn't they be super friendly with each other?"

"Super friendly?" Sir Fernando laughed. "Those twins are peculiar. When they were kids, they got along perfectly. But as they grew older, they started arguing frequently. Klyde is usually the one angry, and Klode just tolerates him."

We entered Grandpa Andres' study room, filled with books. I couldn't help but feel excited. I love reading English novels.

After settling into a soft chair, Sir Fernando's phone rang. He excused himself to answer it, announcing that Lord Andres had arrived.

Just as I was about to speak, the door opened, revealing an elderly man in a stylish black business suit and glasses, with white hair. He approached me with a big smile.

"Dear! Finally, you're here. How was your trip?"

I hesitated, "It was fine, Grandpa Andres. Thank you so much for the help you sent. I'll repay you with my first salary."

"Do not mention it. It's nothing." He glanced at Sir Fernando. "Ferds, call Elton. Tell him to come to the study room."

I took a seat. Grandpa Andres mentioned that I wouldn't be working as Chris's nanny.

"So, what will I be doing here? Will I be Chris's nanny?" I asked.

Surprised, he chuckled, "Nanny? Where did you get that idea? No, you won't be working as a nanny."

"Then, what will I do? You mentioned a job over the phone."

"We didn't quite understand each other on the phone." He paused as the door suddenly opened.

A man in boxer shorts entered, and I was almost left agape by his well-built physique. He had abs, and his boxer shorts seemed ready to fall. I managed to look at his face, noticing his blonde hair, making him resemble a foreigner. It was Elton, the second son of Mr. and Mrs. Cynthia, seemingly born out of resentment.

"Elton, my grandson. Althea has arrived," Grandpa Andres warmly announced. Elton, near the door, seemed uninterested in my presence.

Lolo Andres turned to me, "Elton will be your husband."

"What?" I stammered.

"Your husband," he repeated, and my brain had to reload.

I came here for a job, not a marriage proposal. Elton, the San Goku look-alike, as my husband? Why not Piccolo, Krillin, or Gohan? Why San Goku? What the shell!

Wait, was it "shell" or "smell"? Oh, what the shell?