Chapter 5 - The Requirements

When he left, Bro Mor went inside and like a child jumped and said gladly, "Yes! They have met already... Just now."

"Really? Have they talked?"

"No, our Ms. Peace was able to escape like a jetplane."

Upon asking the taxi driver to stop in front of the building, she quickly paid, got off, did five paces and swiped the card at the gate so it would open automatically... then scampered to the stairs till she reached the fourth floor for her residential unit. She was really tired as her panting hadn't stopped even though she was already seated for about fifteen minutes. She had really scared her senior citizen mother to death that she did not dare to open her mouth to ask her.

Not long after, granny Reyna realized that she should give her a glass of water. And that was what she did. That glass of water had not just quenched her thirst but it somehow eased away her tiresome as her panting was no longer heard. However, she remained quiet as she stood up to go up her lofty bedroom to change for a house dress.

Granny Reyna was unable to ask her as she did her tutorial session with Baby Arm. One more thing, she was also busy cooking their food for supper.

The conversation between the mother and the daughter took place only when Baby Arm was already comfortably asleep. There and then, they decided to print the requirements that Splash would give to that importunate Britton man. Splash told her mother that she would not talk to him that was why there was a need to print it.

The content of the printed requirements are:

1. A latest NBI clearance should be presented.

2. A medical certificate certifying that he is not an HIV-AIDS infected and other diseases

3. An original copy of a birth certificate and certificate of not married yet

4. A testimony that he is qualified to be a better provider family man or even as a father

5. An original result of a NEURO TEST

6. Strands of hair and a money to pay for a DNA test

7. An affidavit that he should sign in conformity not to keep on insisting to see Ms. Peace and her baby unless otherwise proven his blood relationship with the child

8. To put these all in a long brown envelop after completion and mail it to Ms Peace's office address.

Only one month was given to comply these requirements including the time when Ms. Peace would have received it from a mail man. A day after a month allocated for him to comply would mean expiration of his claim to see and talk with her and her baby girl.

The next morning, Splash reported to their office late for almost an hour. However, she appeared to be composed and something up in her sleeve. As she was greeted by her office mates, she briskly tuned in the music apps in her mobile phone and started to dance like a pro. After a little bit of dancing she vowed like a Korean and greeted them back in Korean language. When she was walking toward the door of the adjacent room, the man he saw yesterday with Bro Mor blocked her that hindered her to go to the next room where her table was placed.

"Excuse me." She said in a peeved voice. But the man did not move even an inch. So she continued," Do I know you?"

"No. But I have already told you my name when I called you four nights ago." He said smiling with glittering eyes.

"The Britton man?"

"Sydney Britton, your child's biological father."

"Uhu... You can prove your claim to me once you do and complete these requirements." She gave the printed coupon bond to him which he willingly accepted.

Splash was able to be at her desk and started to work with the printed note on a card board, 'DON' T DISTURB, AM BUSY'. In fact, she was just done posting the warning on her table when Sydney Britton was about to complain with the long list of requirements.

Sydney tried to calm himself by reminding him of the saying that, "If there's a will, there's a way. If there's no will, there's no means." He left with quite a heavy bosom but he was hopeful to do and comply them in one month.

He was already about to be in the elevator when Bro Mor caught him for a secret conversation. They went to a nearby coffee shop for them to talk something that may affect him negatively or positively, depending on his rapid and careful attention to the requirement given to him by Ms. Peace.

From that coffee shop, he departed with an overwhelming excitement and enthusiasm in his heart.

In his thought, he planned to withdraw some amounts for those requirements. However, he would quickly mail an envelop with his strands of hair and the fee for the DNA test. He would also include the affidavit he signed in it. Next, he would be wiring his brother to send him FBI clearance to be presented to get an NBI clearance here in the Philippines before undergoing several laboratory tests.

He was so busy complying all the requirements. Nevertheless, when he thought of his dream during his sleep that he was coddling his daughter, that he was hugging and kissing her, that he was very happy listening to her loud guffaw, his fatigue was doused with relief that at last there was a possibility that he could be with his child. Never mind if Ms. Peace would have refused to make him her man. She was willing to undergo the courtship stage. She's worth waiting for as she had his daughter. Indubitably, he was a thousand sure that he was the biological father even if the DNA result hasn't come out yet. Dr. Stevenson assured him of it the last time he went to coerce him to divulge the recipient of his seed. He even threatened him of his license as a physician.

Three days after Splash gave the list of requirements, she received the mailed envelop with the affidavit, strands of hair and the amount to pay for the DNA test. With the mail she had just received manifested the interest of Sydney Britton to achieve his claim.

Her cousin who was a pediatrician and her lawyer uncles provided her the address of an accredited laboratory for the Paternity DNA testing services. She was told that the result would be out after three to five days. She paid 14,500.00 pesos for it. The excess amount of what Sydney sent her was sent back to him.

If Sydney was busy completing the requirements, Splash was also very busy both in her work and in her household chores. Her rest was devoted to tutoring her child which had become not only her habit but also her hobby as she was enjoying every bit of the time she was spending to educate her young child.

Despite of her obligations and responsibilities, an attempt to hide from, Sydney Britton still came to her mind while she was waiting for the result. It was really scaring her to learn the truth about the biological father of her daughter as she had set her mind that no one would ever claim.

"I shall wait till then." She told her colleagues when they asked her.

"When did you bring the specimen in the laboratory for the testing?" Bro Mor inquired but Splash would never tell her the truth. She was doubtful that Bro Mor was trying to sell her to Britton.

Three days after the visit from the laboratory, she went to a bus terminal to send off her child and her mother for the countryside. It was miles and miles away from this commercial city of this country P. During that same day she also secretly had a conversation with her boss filing two months leave of absence. The leave she filed would have started on the day the DNA result would be released.

It had been two days since she was all by herself in her apartment. Before going to the laboratory, she brought her luggage to his brother's apartment which was a walking distance from a bus terminal she would be boarding in going home to her province with her parents and her child.

At 7:30 in the morning the result was given to her. She did not dare to read it. Instead, she kept it in her backpack and briskly walked toward the door. As she was turning left of the lobby, she spotted Britton. It was her luck that she was able to detour in going out of that laboratory without a problem. Without much thought, she decided to have a day trip that was why she picked her luggage from her brother's apartment as quickly as she could. In her trip going home to a very remote rural area, she inspected the result... There and then... It proved that Britton had the right to claim.

"My God, thanks a lot that I was able to scape from him." She talked to herself murmuring.