CHAPTER XXXIX: Call of Clouded Hope

Once the fireworks display came to a halt, I decided to go inside and freshen up.

All the smoke and dust probably accumulated around my body and I don't want that touching my bed.

The warm shower made me feel clean again but I was so hungry that my stomach kept on growling even though I wasn't finished washing myself.

I checked the time and it was a little bit before one in the morning.

This was a good time to eat, I think.

I went down and peeked if there were still people celebrating in the kitchen and in the dining room, but there was not a single one of them in sight.

I sighed in relief.

It was still pretty awkward to interact with them, even though I gave them gifts, it's still not something that'll change overnight.

I glanced around the enormous table and almost couldn't stop the drool that was about to leave my mouth.

There were numerous foods laid out in a feast style arrangement.

Everything looked so delicious that I was confused for a second on what to pick amongst them.

I sat down on my designated chair and grabbed the serving fork from the pancit canton.

This was actually one of my favorites especially since I don't really eat too much carbonara and stuff like that.

I also placed fried chicken on my plate and some lumpiang shanghai, also known as a Filipino Spring Roll, a typical celebratory dish in my home country.

On these types of occasions, our family usually prefers to prepare Filipino dishes since it is based on our origin and we don't really have time to go back to the Philippines because my parents travel a lot.

So, eating this makes us remember our upbringing to which we don't get to witness as much anymore.

Unfortunately, what's 'less' before is almost non-existent now.

I chewed slowly as I tried to remove all these unnecessary thoughts.

It's freaking New Year for Pete's sake!

I don't want it all to end with me just moping around like some emotional teenager!

Argh.

I encouraged myself to just grab more food to cheer my lonely self up.

It's amazing how food can change someone's mood in an instant.

When I was done with my second plate, I contemplated whether I should eat dessert or not, but eventually gave up because I didn't even try to stop myself anymore.

I placed a slice of chocolate mousse cake and a small chunk of biko.

Biko was a sweet and sticky rice cake that was extremely delicious and considering how I'm sacrificing my entire diet for this, there's no way anyone can tell me otherwise.

When I finished everything, it felt like my stomach was going to blow up.

I haven't experienced being this full in months!

It was kinda rewarding to be honest.

It's like a night of cheats and sweets.

Totally worth it!

Looking at my now spotless plate, I gathered it all up and washed it.

I didn't want to bother the helpers anymore since it was so late in the early morning already.

Shrugging off the excess water on my hands and wiping it off with the towel, I quietly returned the plates and utensils to where they belonged.

I, then, grabbed a glass of water and held it as I walked out of the room.

To my surprise, the glass of water I was holding onto was now scattered across the floor with water spilled everywhere.

To my utter shock, standing in front of me were the helpers and guards for the entire household.

"W-What's going on?" I asked whilst unmoving.

"We wanted to give you our gratitude for your gifts." Elsi, one of the helpers, said.

"I loved the dress, young miss!" Glory, another helper, shouted.

"My daughters would love the notebooks you bought! Thank you!" Kris, a bodyguard, added.

"Me too!"

"They looked stunning, ma'am!"

"I loved it!"

"It almost made me cry!"

The whole house was filled with their praise and thanks.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Uh, it's okay! You don't need to thank me." I responded. I was seriously getting flustered

They were all coming at me in unison that I couldn't pinpoint who was even saying what exactly.

"But we want to, young miss." I whipped my head towards the person who suddenly appeared beside me.

Manang approached me with a large gift in her hand.

"This is from my family." She handed it to me.

I looked at her with confusion and hesitance but she merely nodded and urged me to open it.

I carefully unwrapped the gift and was stunned to see what was inside.

It was an art set filled with different sizes of paintbrush, rows of acrylic paint, various shades of pencil, charcoal, and more.

I was flabbergasted to say the least.

I could feel my hands trembling as I stared at it.

"I-I, you didn't have to do this…I mean wow. Um, thanks…" She smiled and patted my head.

That brings back memories when I was just a child, how she stroked my head and made me laugh.

It made my chest warm.

"This is mine." I turned to one of the helpers as he extended his gift towards me.

"Here. This is from me." I wasn't expecting to see the chef here either.

Soon, all of them proceeded to hand their gifts to me.

I was slightly overwhelmed by how plentiful it was because almost every single one of them gave their individual presents.

At the end, they had to help me bring it up to my room because more than half of it didn't fit my arms any longer.

We stayed up a little later to talk and share stories with each other. It was genuinely heartwarming.

We just had to stop because they had their own duties to attend to while others were beginning to doze off, myself included.

As I gaze at the stack of gifts at one side of my room, I couldn't help but be happy.

It's as if I accomplished something extraordinary given everything I received.

I could recall one of the things Manang said to me earlier.

"You know, 'nak, we were supposed to give you our gifts during Christmas along with your brother's but you weren't here." She started.

"I didn't even expect to receive anything." I mumbled.

"We know what you've been going through, 'nak, but it's not something you should torture yourself for. No matter how cold and aloof you may seem, you are still the Miradia that I raised. I'm thankful to merely be here with you as you grow and you should also appreciate yourself more as you move forward with your life."

It was a new realization meant for this new year.

Thus, I couldn't be more pleased to start anew.

That's why, the sleep I had that morning can be categorized as one of the most unwinding slumbers I've had.

A week had passed since then and the change in our household flourished beautifully.

I used those days to open the gifts they gave me.

One of them created a small photo album filled with their own captured pictures of me.

Another one presented me with a handmade bracelet.

There were also other accessories such as rings and necklaces made from pearls and other materials.

What I found cute was the gift the chef prepared for me.

It was apparently my favorite ice cream cake he hid in the freezer.

I was doubtful at first when he gave me a piece of paper with the word 'FROZEN' on it because the first thing that came to mind was that it was related to the actual movie called 'Frozen.'

That was hella creative or I was just unbelievably dumb.

Either way, everything was beyond what I expected and I can say their efforts were fruitful.

My brother still hadn't returned from his trip with my parents but I didn't feel saddened at all.

In all honesty, it was rejuvenated from all the stress and anxiety.

However, this was probably just a calm before the storm.

Because no matter how joyous one can be, it needs to be balanced with misfortune.

As it is the way life was built and applied.

And not even I nor my forceful will can hinder that from happening.