A Shocking New Beginning

Tuesday, 11 May 2021

It's nice to have aquakinesis. It makes my bath time more fun than ever! The water coming from the shower didn't drop on my head as quick as it should've washed my entire body the minute I turned on the water. Instead, it made a slow-motion effect of surrounding me from head to toe without touching my skin. It looked as if I'm being held captive by the water, and it cracked me up.

When I stopped manipulating it, I cherished my bathroom's comfy feel. The look and ambience made me feel as if I were living in a hotel. I loved the blush-colored polished tiles that line the bathroom walls, the grey shower curtain that complemented the silver glass floor enclosure; its main function is to clear the water. At the corner by the bathroom door is a black granite counter supporting a semi-recessed white bathroom sink, and above it, there's a wide mirror mounted on the wall. I couldn't help but smile while my face was drowning in water coming from the rainfall shower.

I grabbed my shampoo from the small silver storage hanging on the hook on my 2 o'clock. It had two layers: my shampoo and body wash were at the top, and my loofah body scrub was at the bottom. I enjoyed shampooing my hair and scrubbing my entire naked body with the bodywash on my loofah. Once done, I started to rinse myself. When I turned around to rinse my back, I opened my eyes to the sight of Procopio at the corner and that got me too surprised. "Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" I turned the water off and covered my penis with my hands. "What do you think you're doing?!!! I'm completely naked in here. You're invading my privacy!"

"Wow, you scream like a girl. How can you be embarrassed when we're both men?"

"But that's what makes it more embarrassing! Didn't you witness my anxiety moments after Papa saw me in that sex footage?"

"But you're not having sex, you're just taking a bath which is normal. I mean, not that I'm saying that sex isn't normal because it is normal when it's consensual, but what I…."

"Okay, enough!" I shook my head. "Why are you here?"

"I'm always here."

"No, I mean, why are you watching me take a bath, you pervert?"

"Hey, don't be too quick to judge. I'm straight. I just came from the Underworld and wanted to update you on the progress of Princess Nicolette's solution to get her crown and power back."

I wiggled to dry myself. As long as I have this power, towels would be useless to me, so I didn't bring one in the bathroom. But now that Procopio could see me butt naked, I wish I had brought one. And since I didn't have a towel, I had to cover both my ass and manhood as I went out of the bathroom and towards my wardrobe cabinet. "Okay, so what's the progress?"

"There is no progress."

I was quickly putting my boxer shorts. "What? Then what's the urgency if you're telling me that there's no progress?" I started putting my black denim pants on.

"Well, I had to update you that there is no progress."

I rolled my eyes as I put on my navy-blue Fila shirt. It had Fila written in red and white on my chest area, and there were red and white stripes near the end of the sleeves, as well as the hem. "You're kidding me, right?" I grabbed a pair of black socks and sat on the foot of the bed.

"Nope. You are supposed to be updated every time I come back from the Underworld."

"Alright, but please don't ever invade my privacy like that again. That was really creepy," I said as I put my socks on. Then, I pulled my black Fila Strada Disruptor shoes underneath the bed and put them on.

"Fine, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be embarrassed. I mean, with me always around, don't you think I've seen everything? Like earlier this morning at around three before I left to travel to the Underworld, you suddenly woke up with a smile and started masturba…"

"Oh my God, stop!" I got up from the bed. "This is crazy. The main reason I'm living on my own right now is because I need to have my own privacy. But if you're saying that you can see everything that I do, then living on my own is useless."

"But that's what I do because I'm your guardian."

I knelt down to talk to him eye to eye. "Procopio, I really need for this whole independent thing to work out. Can you help me do that?" I asked in a gentle tone.

"Of course."

"Can you give me privacy whenever I'm doing something private?"

"Sure, I got it. So, private would mean whenever you're taking a bath, having sex, or masturba…"

I had to cover his mouth with my thumb. "You don't need to enumerate all the private things that I do. I believe you got them all right."

He nodded, still with my thumb covering his mouth.

I let out a big sigh and finally uncovered his tiny mouth. "Alright then, we're good," I said while looking at my watch. "It's quarter to one. I need to go to work now. See ya." I grabbed my black Fila cap from the cabinet and put it on. I picked up my wallet, key, and some change from the dining table and put them inside my pocket. Then, I noticed Procopio staring at me in a weird way.

"What?"

"You look like a Fila endorser."

I checked myself through the mirror mounted above my bed's headboard, then looked at my Fila shoes. "But I look good, don't I?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then, you should make yourself invisible now, because I'm going out and I know that you will be following me as usual."

"Yep." He disappeared.

"Enjoy your day!"

"You, too!" The voice said.

I went to the hallway towards the elevator and pressed the down button. Then, I realized it felt silly to use the elevator because there are only two flights of stairs. But then I also realized that an elevator would be more convenient when I'm carrying bags of groceries. When the door opened, Gerald was there and I'm supposed to be annoyed, except I got shocked at the girl standing beside him. It had been too long since I last saw her, but I instantly recognized those brown curly hair, brown eyes, and petite stature; it was Camila. What is she doing here? I lowered the bill of my cap, hoping to hide my face, but Gerald saw me so it was useless. "Hey, man. Enjoying it here so far?" They came out of the elevator and I quickly moved to the right side away from Camila, surpassing Gerald to get inside the elevator.

"Not much," I said.

"Well, you'll adjust."

"Yep," I said with my head down as the elevator door slowly closed. When they were finally out of sight, I had to breathe out the air that I'd been holding to conceal my trepidation.

What the fuck just happened? What in the world is Camila doing here and why is Gerald with him? Did she recognize me? I came out of the elevator with a worried face.

With the thought of Procopio seeing everything about me, and Camila's unexpected reappearance, my new beginning has been quite a shocking one, so I was wishing a normal day at the bookstore as I rode my bike. I also realized that there was absolutely no need to bring my bike to the bookstore because it was really close to my new place. I'm so silly.

Papa was still at the store when I came in. "Hey, Pa."

"Hey, son. I left a note on your desk, so you won't forget the deliveries that are coming today. Please double check them. Also, a new couple ordered a set of Encyclopedia Britannica and some other books. I said that there will be a delivery today, and they can expect their orders by tomorrow, so please set those aside and put them under my desk."

"Yes, Pa. I will."

"How was your first night of stay there at your new place?"

Shockingly crazy. This was the response I had in my head. "It was okay. I'm still adjusting."

"You'll get used to it."

I'm not so sure I would. "Yeah, I hope so."

"Okay, son. I'm out. Enjoy your afternoon shift!"

I smiled and nodded. It hasn't been an hour when the sound of wind chime alerted me. I thought it was the delivery, so I instantly got up, but was taken aback by the fact that it wasn't. It was Serena. I unconsciously went back to my seat as if I were in danger. "What are you doing here?"

She came to my desk with a fierce look, so I felt like I had to protect myself. Except, I didn't know from what. "Relax. I'm just here to ask if you've seen my anklet and earring. As much as I want to catch up with you, I'm busy, and you don't look like you're happy to see me." I think she sensed the tension that I was feeling.

"Uhm, did you say anklet?" I asked, trying to hide the uneasiness by sounding calm.

"Yeah."

So that was an anklet, not a bracelet. I pulled the bottom drawer of my desk and took out the earring and anklet which were wrapped in paper. "Here you go."

"Thanks. I won't bug you today, but be ready when I'm ready to bug you someday."

My jaw dropped. What did she mean by that?

"Have a nice day!" She gave me a wicked smile that struck my gut like a sword.

What on Earth is going on with this day? I'm supposed to have a fresh beginning, but people from my past just keep on showing up. I sighed and closed my eyes to breathe in and out, trying to calm myself. Then, I continued the work that I was doing via computer.

By 5pm, my day at the bookstore ended. I was still a bit flustered about everything that happened during my first day at The Pilgrim Residence and Serena's somewhat threatful comment, but at last, with a new book that I got for myself from the new deliveries that came, I could start reading at the fountain for maybe an hour, then go to Justin's place for dinner.

As I rode my bike towards the church, I appreciated that the distance between my new place and the bookstore was closer, as well as the distance between my new place and the church. Indigo Street was the most accessible place in my town and I love it!

I sat on the fountain's cast tone seat and opened The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. By 6pm, my stomach was growling, so I folded the edge of the page that I would read next, then closed the book and started imagining what Justin would cook for dinner. I was craving for Filipino food since we've been having Korean and Japanese food recently. I wanted pork sinigang, or monggo with lots of pork. For some reason, instead of Coke, I was craving for Sprite. I guess I really wanted to have a new beginning by changing some things a little.

I picked up my bike and was about to ride it when I heard water splashing from the fountain. Then, I noticed a hand holding onto the cast tone seat. Then, another hand. My eyes went wide as an owl's while I approached the fountain to identify whom those hands belong to. When a red orange hair emerged from the water and Princess Nicolette's face appeared, my heart stopped. The shock and joy I felt that moment was unlike any other experience I had in my life. "Princess Nicolette…"

"What are you staring at? Come and help me up!"

I smiled with my 32 teeth showing. I missed her yelling at me.

She was slippery, so it was a bit of a challenge to help her get out of the basin by just merely holding her hands. I put my hands under her arms, closed my eyes, then pulled her out of the water with all my might. When I lost my balance due to all the weight that I lifted, we both landed on the grass with her whole body on top of me. I gently moved her to the grass by turning on my side, and got surprised that she was completely naked…but that wasn't the only shocking thing, she also had legs and feet! What on Earth is happening?