Chapter two

A pale of water in my hands and my feet continuously exchanging big steps towards the garden. I made a long breathe as my hands slowly losing the grip of the heavy water. Alas! I arrived at the garden, water still intact and so with my arms. I look over the vegetables where everything is fertilized by organic. They are all safe and surely no pesticides would dare to inhabit because this garden has a strict order from the Don- to take good care of these goods because it will define their foods to digest. There are fifteen rows consisting of various veggies like eggplant, upo, alugbati, etc. This is my fifth pale but I haven't yet finished watering the sixth row. I pause for a while, closing my eyes and savouring each wind that passes by. My imagination drifted far away to the unknown island of hunky-richy males where i get lost. I scan the place for all of them stop from what they are doing as i carried myself up from the wet sands that drooling over my body. They... smile? Smirk? Then a brave man i want to bring home signalled them and speak with boldness and integrity, "Pardon my lady. We are only given a chance to witness a woman once a century." Ah. That explains why they are already raping me in their wild minds. A wide crooky smile escaped my lips. A wonderful afternoon indeed. It is indeed wonderful before i realized the darkness and light argued as to which would dominate. I rush to the pale of water but then, "AZUCENA! To the dining room." I hurriedly snap myself back to where my reality is and run.

"She's been doing this for quite long time now. I do not tolerate laziness in my territory. I intend to hone them into a productive pussy cats." That's the last line i heard before all the gazes turn to me. All of the maids are here, even the gardeners. Oh my! Even my future husband is here, wearing his usual frown. If only i could directly say my intentions. I want to marry Greg. And wait there's an additional to the feast. Who is this hottie with brown eyes? What's with that stare? I know. I know right. You want to say I'm beautiful. I shook my head to dismissed this inappropriate thought in the present context. "What now? I will give you the opportunity to decide, Greg." Don Alfonso's voice echoed across the room. Then all the eyes shifted to Greg except to this hottie still examining me. My attention moves towards Greg when i hear him cough as if clearing something in his throat though there wasn't any. "Well, sorry brad if you got to witness this almost unethical way of dismissing a maid." Then he looked at the hunk beside him. "But she deserves no place in this mansion." Then everything became vague. I feel like my whole hope is slowly consumed by a dark abyss and though there's nothing left, my physique becoming dust is blown to the unending fall. All their dismay and gayer opinion about this is just a broken tape making my ears bleed. I get hold of my chest, they will never see me cry. However the destiny may abide but disagree, to the cold floor i stumble.

The sight of white ceiling meets my eyes as i hardly adjust to the fluorescent. My back hurts maybe from the awkward fall. I recapitulate what happened, and my blood boils to 150 over 150 when i hold the truth that happened hours ago. The last person i wish to save me. The person i want to serve for the rest of my life. I hate you Gregorio! I will not stay in here neither! This is one of a living hell!

I am mapping my next move when the Mayor Doma enters the room. "Here's your stuff and your salary for the last month plus the fee for staying lazy is here. I cannot understand why Don favored to give you this when i know how unproductive you are." I sign in disbelief as she retreats to the door and harshly close it. Okay. I will banish here forever. Carrying my things and a little thicker pride, i march to the exit. I am closing the gates and bidding my sweetest goodbye to the only friend i have here, Mang Mario, the fifty five years old guard posting very loyal in the corner. I smile at him as i locked the gate. I hate this. It's so dark and all i got is a light from the 3310 phone i inherit from mother. What if I ask Don if i can stay here for tonight and first thing tomorrow i will disappear? Ah! Pull yourself Azucena. You got this girl. I started marching in the deserted road knowing sooner or later a rapist will come to feast over me or a zombie will eat my brain or a hideous creature will take me to make me his slave.

As i get farther from the mansion, all the negative forces inhabited my mind and the chills coming from the low temperature are shaking my nerves that i might consider the cemented road to be my bed for now. I no longer have the energy to fear what i might see or what i might met. I am tired. I am drained. I think I'm going to rest but for a minute i saw a human from a far walking fast towards my direction. He is wearing a thick hood and a cap in his head making his face unseen. By the power of adrenalin, i accelerated, almost running from the most unfortunate event of my life. "Hey! Hey! You! Wait for me!" What the fudge! Is he talking to me? I tell you, run for your life Azucena! And so i create my quickest steps evading the danger ready to crash my pretty face. "Azucena! Azucena wait!" Did he just call me? I stop eyeing the stranger calling my name like an art spoken by his tongue. He is catching his breath as he arrived in front of me. Sweat in his handsome face painted him a not-of-this-world kind of appeal. I just stared at him as he removed his cap and hood. What a great scene to join. "Sorry to scare you. But are you really sure you can make it to the town? Alone? No vehicle to ride?" I am not surprised by the concern, i am mesmerised by the way his lips perform words, how his tongue assisted the articulation, his brown eyes exposing the most genuine intentions, his Adam's apple moving, his hands having a tight hold of the cap, I smile and said, "I can." With the left shame in me, i turn my back and continue walking on the seems unending path. He is too handsome to bear. "Did i surprise you? Im sorry. Im being nosy. But yeah. I can walk you to the town til you can have your safe ride home", said he as he accompanied my pace.