Chapter VII

A lot of people would've sulked in a corner after getting a big, fat no in their faces. Also, they say that romance is just around the corner. What is it with things and corners? Is my life a circle then? Have I been living in a dome all my life? Well, considering my last name, I guess I was pretty sheltered.

I took a deep breath to stop myself from laughing at my own joke. I rested my head on my pillow and closed my eyes . . .soon enough, I was dreaming. I was falling I can't tell where I was from but the stabbing sensation in my gut felt real. I tried wriggling my arms and legs, but I can't seem to come in contact with anything. It was just the cold wind blowing past my face from down below, from the abyss waiting for me. I closed my eyes as I wait for my fall to stop, sure death waiting for me.

Faces rush through my mind, like lightning slashing across the blank sheet of my consciousness. But the stop didn't come. I was still alive, though nothing else could be seen other than utter darkness.

Wait, there was something I saw. It was a tiny speck of light. It was there, floating still in place in the middle of wherever I was. Then it rushed its way towards me . . .

I woke up with a jolt, face beaded with sweat. I went to the sink to wash my face and calm myself, I checked my watch, and it was half-past four. It was just in time for my four-hour shift. I got myself a quick bath, a fresh pain of clothes and headed out to the store.

When I clocked in for work at the local fast food, the guard stopped me and told me the Store Manager was looking for me. As I enter the Manger’s quarters, I felt a chill run down my spine. Instead of our Lady Manager, in the desk was a woman with long black hair that reached a gentle tap on her backside. Her bangs covered the right side of her face and her left eye shined like crystalized ash. She was wearing a plain black shirt that was one too small for her and straight cut jeans that caressed the outline of her body perfectly. She sat on the desk cross-legged as if she owned the place.

She winked at me and the chill ran up and down fast. "Hi brother, hisashiburi da ne (long time no see, right)?" she greeted me.

"Oi, naze kimi ga koko ni? (Hey, why are you here)?" I spat at her.

"Now, now, don't speak to your sister like that. I remember how cute you were when you started calling me Onee-chan."

"That was long ago; please don't go speaking of ancient history." I stood my ground. “And you didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”

She smiled playfully. “I was just having a chat with Audrey. I was making sure she was taking good care of my brother.”

I looked over to my manager, and she was white as a ghost. In between nervous chuckles, she managed to say, “Ted, you never told me you were from THAT Rivera family.”

I snapped back at my sister. “And besides, entering the Manager’s Room is legal. We are in the middle of business hours.”

“Our family holds a sizable share of the business’s stocks. I came here on official business. Your manager knew better than to fight back.” she lectured.

“We are Filipinos from a third world country. How is our family this rich?” I asked sarcastically.

My sister approached me, and I fought the urge to take a step back. She handed me a piece of paper and told me to sign it. I read its content and looked at her with the most puzzled look I could manage. She smiled her sweetest smile, which can only mean she has a very bad idea planned ahead.

"This is a resignation paper." I spoke.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, but even an idiot would've figured that out." she said. "I want you to sign it. I've already talked Audrey into signing it."

"What? Why?"

"You're coming to Japan with me. Dad has problems with the England branch so he's going there to deal with it himself."

"What about mom?"

"That's kind of the point. She wants you to work for her."

“Aren’t you more than capable than taking care of things over there?”

She looked at me in the eyes. Her gaze made me feel dizzy, and I could feel my guts curl into a ball. The air seemed too thin inside the room. But I made sure to keep my composure. I couldn't be seen panicking in front of my sister. I got a pen and immediately signed the papers. If there is anything that I have learned, it is that fighting with Minerva was pointless. Afterall, this was Minerva Rivera, eldest child of our household, and the last person you want as an enemy.

"Well done, Ted." she spoke. "And here I thought I was going to have to rip your head off before you sign."

I smiled at her and said, "Well, I am pretty tired with everything. So, this is a nice break." But underlying my words was the Mach 3 speed of my brain trying to come up with a plan to save myself from leaving. "Unless, of course, there is an available course of action to prevent me from leaving, then that is totally out of my control."

She looked at me with doubt and smiled, "What do you have in mind?"

The first thing I wanted to say was that the Finals were close, and I was working on something for one of my subjects. But that would just prolong the suffering, as she would just wait 'til the end of the school year, then take me to Japan.

Then, I guess I just have to find something irreplaceable, something that would require me to stay. I need to gain something authentic, something I can say is my own. And as these thoughts flow out of my head, I realized I got myself a taxi back to my apartment. I got out, paid the cabbie, and sulked in my room for about the rest of the day. That was until I had the vague picture of what I had to do.

I got up and headed to the next town. I checked my watch and it read five minutes 'til five in the afternoon. I got myself in a public jeepney and observed everything my line of sight could catch. There were grocery stores, a small convenience store, and an elementary school with tutorial centers here and there. And I got off at the next block. I was now in front of a café.

I walked in and got greeted by three ladies; each was at least in her early twenties. They had their hair tied to a bun near the back-left side of their head. They had light make-up and mild lipsticks on. They wore a black over-all dress with a frilly skirt that reached a few inches above the ground, enough to show their matching black doll shoes. The sleeves were long and loose, only able to hold their wrists tight. The over-all was topped with a matching frilly-looking apron. On their heads were white cloths used as hair-bands.

They bowed in front of me as they gestured me to a chair. I smiled and waved my hand to say that I wasn't here for a meal. I showed them the item I had in my hands: an envelope with my bio data and resume, whichever was needed for application. The smile on their faces shortened, as if releasing all the released tension it had and gestured me to the manager's room. When I say manager, I meant more like the shop owner.

The narrow, narra-wood door opened and showed the inside of a small room with white walls. It had a shelf or two at my left side and a desk at the right. A man with silver hair and wrinkled eyes, probably around late fifties, sat in a steel, foldable chair near the desk. He stood up and offered me a handshake, which I took instantly.

He took my resume and paused for a while, his expression unreadable. He took a soft breath in and I prepared myself for the questions. But to my surprise, he laughed gently and patted my shoulder saying, "Okay you're in. You start tomorrow at noon."

I got home late that night, around ten in the evening due to heavy traffic congestions. As I sat on my sofa, I recalled the words of the people at the cafe. "You will work in the lobby as a waiter. If there is anything you need to know, don't hesitate to ask your colleagues." said Mr. Shinohara, the store owner.

"People usually come here early in the morning for breakfast so the noon shift wouldn't be too much trouble for a beginner." said Ms. Guevara, one of the ladies who greeted me in front of the café.

My subconscious was probably working too fast as I was already taking a shower when I caught myself biting my thumb, a habit I do when I over think. The next thing I knew was that my lights were out and I quietly sat in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal in hand. I took a few deep breaths as I calm my mind down.

I checked my watch and it read half past eleven. I knew I should be getting some sleep, but deep in the corner of my mind, I was scared that the moment I let my guard down, mom and Minerva would find a way to drag me out. Added to the sugar I had; sleeping was no easy feat. But the funny thing is, I was still able to catch a snooze, and wake up on time for my first class at eight in the morning.

After the first class was over, I was walking through the same mossy corridor when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I jumped with a start and took a look at who it was, it was Barry. He had his usual smug face on. Given that he's taller and stronger than me, I can't really do much about it.

His smug look faded as he saw the expressionless face I had on. At least that was how I wished I looked. But he said, "Dude, you're pale as tofu. Have you seen a ghost?"

I laughed softly, more like snickered, and said, "Nope, I saw something way worse than that?"

He raised an eyebrow, egging me to continue. I let out a sigh and said, "I met my sister the other day."

"That's cool; a little sister-brother catching up wouldn't hurt every now and then."

"Well, yeah. Except that my sister and I are always at each other's throats since we were kids. She wants to drag me back to Japan and start working for our mom."

"What's wrong with that? School sucks if you ask me. You'll get actual job experience, you get to meet people and convince them with your speaking skills, and you get to make your company flourish. These are just some of the probable advantages of going. And staying here doesn't seem to bring any merit."

"Yeah, I know that. But there is something making not want to leave. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but I know I mustn't leave."

"Jonah?"

The bluntness of his question made me flinch and smile awkwardly. "N-no, I don't think Joe has anything to do with this. But I will not cross her out of the list of plausible factors. I just- I just feel like there is something more to it."

He let out a sigh and tapped my back. "You know, for someone so logical, you can be quite an idiot sometimes."

I looked at him with disbelief. I was trying to get things off of my head and here he comes to trash talk?! But he continues, "But being an idiot now and then is healthy, in my opinion. You get to make mistakes; you get to explore your potentials more."

He slid off as he headed to the gym for practice and I headed to my next class at the Literature Building. This was a class I had the most leeway in as the professor was a business partner of my Father. I could and couldn't attend class, either way I was sure to pass. I guess connections do make things easier. But that is no reason for me to go and do whatever I wanted; I refuse to use my name as a shield.

There were thirteen of us in the Literature class and the professor was pretty cool. He was hip and he let us say what we want, interpret things the way we can. He was kind in giving positive feedback and his rare constructive criticism was much welcome.

I sat in my chair, the one to the left at the back row near the window; I noticed that the teacher still was nowhere to be seen and it was already seven minutes past the starting time. But as if on cue, the door swung open and the teacher came in, or so I hope. But it wasn't. In front of us was a woman with a green off-shoulder shirt and skinny jeans. She had the bangs of her black hair hide the left side of her face as her lips curved into a sexy smile. Her eyes glistened like crystal ash and I fought the urge to run out the room.

"God morning class," she greeted us. "My name is Minerva Rivera, and I will be substituting Mr. Juaqin for today as he is out on a sick leave."

She looked at me and joy rushed into her eyes and voice as she said, "Let's get along and have a fun class."