The visitor

"Where are you going, Amanda?" Marco was surprised to see Amanda putting away her belongings.

"I will pick up Harold and go home. Or go to a place where we can be safe," she replied.

"Your home is not a safe place to hide. Did you forget that it's a place where you were kidnapped?" He reminds her.

He's worried about Amanda and Harold's safety. He knew that Amanda had gone through great bitterness and pain at the hands of the syndicates. He couldn't quite imagine that they would feel it again after five years. He doesn't have enough money to send them back abroad immediately, but he can approach Harry and ask for his help. He can no longer think of his ego this time. The important thing is that he can keep Amanda out of harm’s way.

"I know, I know. Then where did we go, Marco?" She asked, an anxious look on her face.

It seems that everything on her table has been cleaned. She has no plan to stop what she is doing.

He gently held both of her shoulders.

"Calm down, Amanda. I won't let anything bad happen to you and Harod, okay?" He said sincerely.

She looked into his eyes as if she had seen salvation. He wants to admit to the woman that he loves her, but he is still dominated by nervousness. He needed a little more time. He had to wait for the right time.

"Where we will hide, Marco. Now that Mr. Aragon has traced my cellphone number, he will soon be able to see where I am. I'm scared of Harold." She could no longer hold the tears and she started sobbing.

He hugged her tightly and caressed her back. Amanda suffered so much in the hands of Mr. Aragon. The trauma she went through has not disappeared. He felt pity for her. If only he could ease the pain inside his heart, he would definitely do it."

I will find a way, Amanda. For now, you can stay at my place; it's safer there than at your house," he suggested.

She slipped from his embrace. She wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Thank you, Marco. You've always been a good friend to me. I can always count on you." She said thankfully.

After she cleaned her desk properly, they left the restaurant and went to see Harold.

She instructed her staff to close the restaurant temporarily first. It could be a way for Mr. Aragon to find them.

"What's wrong, mommy? I'm not done with my session yet," Harold whispered.

"I will explain everything to you when we reach your Tito Marco's place." Amanda replied to the child.

When Marco already sent Amanda and Harold to his house, he thought of going to the grocery store so that they would not have to go out often. They need to be careful, especially since the syndicate looking for Amanda has a lot of connections. They find them quickly.

"I'm sorry, my house is a bit messy," he said when he opened the main door of his house.

"It's okay, Marco. Thank you for letting me stay here." Amanda is eternally grateful to him.

He is happy that he can help them. He was happy with what he was doing for the woman he secretly loved.

He had already bought all the essentials inside the house for Amanda and Harold. He also bought meat so that Amanda could cook something when he was at work. He also went to Amanda's family and informed them that Amanda and Harold were staying at his house for the meantime. He did not tell them the real reason. Amanda's mom was still happy with what he announced. He saw that she loved him so much for Amanda.

He hopes Amanda likes him the same.

The female cashier at the grocery store where he was shopping looked straight at him. Especially when he picked up the sanitary napkins and panty liners he had bought. He knows that many men do not want to buy women's things, especially sanitary napkins. But he didn't think about what this woman would think.

"He's very handsome, but unfortunately he's gay."

He heard the female cashier whisper to her fellow bagger.

"Did you see it? He bought almost everything for women. Someone is being delusional." The other woman commented.

"It's for my girlfriend. Don't talk to people when you don't know them yet." He replied because he was annoyed with them.

The jaws of two women dropped off. Society is very judgmental at the present time. He shook his head when he was finally out of the store.

He hurriedly walked to his car. He can do everything for Amanda. He loved her so much, even though he could only show his love for her in secret ways.

While driving, his cellphone suddenly rang. He quickly took it out of his pocket, thinking it was Amanda who was calling.

"Marco, how are you?" It's Gwen's high pitched voice.

It's been a few days since she didn't call him after he said he was in love with someone.

"Hey! I'm doing fine. What about you?" he replied.

"I feel better now that I heard your voice," she said with a slight laugh. She laughed softly, but he heard it clearly.

"Stop trying to annoy me, Gwen. I guess you haven't called in a while," he asked.

"When was the last time you declared your love for someone? I thought you might be busy with your love life," she said.

There was pain in her voice. Gwen was very naughty. She's funny and she liked to annoy him. He missed her clumsiness, rudeness, and silliness, but he didn't want to expect him to feel the same way. He knew Gwen liked him, but he couldn’t love her back just like how she loved Amanda.

"You're not a disturbance to me. You're my friend and I'm glad to have you," he said.

He wants to cheer her up. He didn't want her to be in pain because of him.

"Friend? Ouuchh, it's painful, Marco. Do you have to tell me that directly?" She said sadly.

He took a deep breath. He didn't know how to explain to Gwen that he could only love her as a friend.

"Why? Where else do you want to hear the truth from? I don't want you to get hurt because I gave you false hope," he said seriously.

She kept quiet on the other line. He knew she was crying again, like how she often did before their conversation ended.

"I'm sorry, Gwen. I hope you understand me." He spoke softly at the end of their conversation.

His chest was heavy. He wasn’t used to having someone hurt, and it was Gwen. The person who, due to their natural sense of humor, frequently cracks a smile.

It's very sad that he only gives her tears in exchange for making him smile when he's very down.

A few days later.

After the day Harry visited Amanda’s restaurant, he attempted to return to the place again. But he was always shocked when the whole place was closed. He saw a man nearby, so he asked him.

He was disappointed with his answer. He said the restaurant had been closed for several days. He also couldn't figure out why he couldn't stop thinking about Amanda despite the fact that she belonged to a former friend.

He stayed in place for a few more minutes, then decided to leave. He thought of calling Harold just in case he could get an answer as to why Amanda's restaurant suddenly closed.

"Can we meet?" He immediately asked when Harold answered his call.

He was thankful he hadn’t changed the number after they last met.

"I'm here at Tito Marco's place. Are you going to visit me?" He answered in a happy voice.

Every time he heard Harold’s voice, he seemed to have a strange joy inside his heart, and he couldn't explain it.

"Yeah, sure. What do you want me to bring for you?" he asked excitedly.

He honestly couldn't wait to see the boy who looked like him. The whole truth will be revealed at the right time.

"I want chocolate and ice cream. Strawberry ice cream, that's mommy's favorite," he whispered, as if he didn't want other people to hear his last words.

He knew Amanda was forbidding Harold to approach him or to be near him. But he didn't care about it anymore. He would do whatever he wanted. And even Amanda couldn’t stop him.

"That's it? What about toys?" he asks.

Harold was silent for a moment. Maybe he was thinking about what toys he would buy for him.

"I want a water gun so we can play. Just bought three pieces. I want Mommy to join us." He said excitedly.

He was stunned by what he said. He knew Amanda didn't want to see him with Harold. What if they even invited her to play with them? But he didn't want to disappoint Harold, so he just agreed to what he wanted. They actually have the same desires, but Amanda is strongly opposed to them.

"See you later, Tito Harry." He said happily.

When he hung up the phone, he immediately put away the scattered papers on his desk. He also closed his laptop and quickly took the car key.

"Sir, I have something important to tell you about Miss Dina," his secretary said when he met her outside of the door of his office.

"Cancel all my appointments today. I have something important to do," he said quickly, then left.

"But, Sir. She wants to talk to you," she insisted.

"I'm your boss. Do as I say, understood?" He spoke seriously, then his secretary immediately complied. Actually, he hired a new one because he doesn't want a secretary who does nothing all day but try to get his attention. He was irritated.

He first went to a toy store and bought all of Harold's orders. He also bought tulips for Amanda.

He had just rung the doorbell when Harold opened the gate. He was waiting for him to arrive. The boy hugged him happily, as if eager for him. He even picked up Harold and kissed his neck and armpits, trying to tickle him. His laughter was echoed. He's very happy.

"Let's go inside, uncle," he invited him.

He even held his hand.

"Harold, let's have our lunch!" he heard Amanda's voice from the kitchen.

"Yes, mommy!" Harold answered.

"Who's are you talking with? I told you to stop calling Harry Anderson. He was a bad man." She yelled.

Harry's eyes widened at what he heard.

"His kind mommy. Why don't you just trust him?" Harold replied.

"How can you be so sure about it? Come here, let's eat," Amanda continued.

"Just put three plates on the table. We have a visitor," he said.

Amanda's jaw dropped when she saw him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, confused.