First Night
Jay-jay's POV
"It's been a while! I'm bored." I complained while sitting with both feet on the bench. This old man had just ï¬nished treating my feet. He just applied ice. It's a good thing my feet are thick and calloused . Maybe they're already covered in blisters because of the heat of the sand I ran on earlier. "Give me 10." He replied. "I don't have 10 pesos. Do you have any change? I have twenty in my bag." He laughed weakly. "I'm asking for 10. 10mins. Or maybe 10 kisses will do." Idiot! "I'll throw a chair at you." My threat was lifeless. "How long will that take? I'm hungry." "Just a moment. Okay?" He sighed. "It's just hard to serve your wife." "Your face is like a wife." He laughed again. He kept walking to the fridge and back to the sink then putting something on the stove. Whatever the shameless one is cooking. I'll slap him if it's not delicious. I don't know how much longer I'll have to wait but the smell of what he's cooking is making my stomach grow even more. My pets are losing control of their stomachs. He's obviously just waiting for the food he's cooking to be cooked. A little later, he took wine glasses from the cupboard. He put one in front of me and the other across from me. When what the animal had prepared was cooked, he arranged them on plates. He was even better than the chef in terms of the quality of what he was doing. And when he put down the plates, I drooled at the deliciousness and aroma. He turned away for a moment and when he came back, he was holding a bottle of wine. I looked at him sharply. "Are you sure about that?" I asked sarcastically. He looked at me and the bottle he was holding. He thought for a moment. He shook his head. "Probably not." He turned the bottle over and the next thing he brought was a pitcher of juice. He must have been afraid of getting cooked in the ï¬re. He drained each of our glasses. And when he was sure that everything was ready, he smiled at me. "Enjoy the salmon stake." He was obviously very proud of his own cooking. I squinted before he started to peck at what he was bragging about. In fairness, Eman's cooking can be compared to that. Salmon is sociable, it became a stake. If you're at home, you're drowning in oil while rying it. Then it's half-cooked and half-sticking to the pan. Proud Filipino dish. He also started eating. My dinner is usually rice. It's only a little because it's late. About three spoonfuls of rice and then a big chunk of dal. Auntie doesn't like pure meat at night because she says it's bad. That's why the dinner is usually egetables or ï¬sh. "So, how's life while I'm gone?" He asked as if you thought he was asking his girlfriend he hadn't seen in a long time because he just hurt her and cheated on her and then he'll come back like nothing happened, he's still shopping at the factory and Marikina. Stupid! I looked at him evilly while he was eating ï¬sh. I chewed it slowly before swallowing and drank the juice from the wine glass because I can't drink alcohol or I might burn him to the ï¬re. "It's fun. Promise." I answered dramatically. "Enjoy the kidnapping." I gave him a plastic smile. He nodded. "It's my faultâ€"." "Oh, you know!" "Lookâ€"." "Can't you stop now? I'm eating." I complained and he seemed to get it. We continued to be silent while eating. I thoroughly enjoyed the social salmon. After eating, we were still silent. I guess he was already thinking about how to order me to wash the dishes. I wasn't going to wash them. I was stiff! "Would you likeâ€"?" "I won't wash the dishes!" I cut him off. He laughed out loud. "I'm about to ask if you want some desserts." "What... What is that? Is that delicious?" I asked, somewhat intrigued. "Of course." He said and stood up. He opened the fridge and took something out. He also grabbed a saucer from the cupboard before starting to put it there. I waited a few minutes before he handed me the chocolate ice cream with whipped cream and vanilla syrup. SAAAAARRRRRAAAAP!!! I was still smiling before starting to scoop it up. "You like it?" He asked. "Who wouldn't?" He laughed again before looking down at me. That's when I noticed that he didn't have desserts like me. Suddenly, he was scolding me. "W-what did you put in here?" "Whipped cream and vanilla syrup." I narrowed my eyes at him. Even more narrow than Korean and Chinese. "That's it? That's it?!" He frowned. "Should I put something else?" "Nothing else? Didn't you put something like the water you made me drink?" I accused. He seemed to get what I meant. He shook his head while smiling. "No. I didn't put anything else." I pointed the spoon at him. "I'm telling you! I'm really going to beat you up with Kuya Angelo." "Like I'm scared." He whispered but I still heard him. I'm going to report you to Kuya. You thought. I just continued to devour the ice cream. He was still looking at me like he enjoyed seeing me happily eating. "I miss you." He suddenly said. "I miss yah too." I didn't have the answer in my head. My eyes widened as I realized what I said. I looked at him and the ice cream I was eating. "I miss yah ice cream! I miss yah too!" I said while poking the ice cream with a spoon. "Of course. You miss the ice cream." He said while his crooked smile flashed. His smile and laughter were constant. He kept punching me until my teeth were knocked out. "You're a dick!" I said annoyed. "Why did you come back?" His smile disappeared and I couldn't deny it as if something was tugging at my heart as his eyes turned sad. His eyes had a sad face. "For my siblings. For my friends." He stopped and looked at me. "For you." I couldn't eat properly. I just stared at the bowl while poking it with a spoon. "Why didn't you stay there? Your relatives are there. Find new friends. Find a new girl." "It's easy to ï¬nd a girl. But it's not easy to ï¬nd someone to love." He shook his head. "And why would I look for you when you're here ?" It was hard to speak Tagalog completely, what? "Am I your girl?" "No. But I love you." Ulowl. I quickly ï¬nished the rest of the ice cream before standing up. I didn't want to hear what he would say next. "I don't feel like it anymore. I'm going to rest." I said and turned around. "Jay, please." He stopped me. I sighed. I faced him again. "It's scary to listen to what you're going to say. What if it's not true again?" "I have no reason to lie to you again." I shook my head. I looked in another direction just so he wouldn't see my tears forming. "More than a month. For others, that would be a short while. But for me, waiting for your explanation, it's been too long." I quickly wiped away my escaping tears. "I have so many questions that I want answered. I told myself several times not to get my hopes up but I still volunteer." He was about to approach me but I immediately turned around and walked away. "I want to rest." I said without looking back at him. Even though my feet hurt, I still had the strength to quickly climb the stairs back to the room where I woke up earlier. I closed the door as I entered and wiped my tears. You're the only one! I'm telling you. That's why it can't be just the two of us with that animal. If I don't go home pregnant, I'll go home with my heart broken again. I want an answer. I really want one but every time I think about what he'll say, the words he said when the truth came out suddenly come to my mind . What if I get hurt again? I might not be able to take it anymore. I'll slap every guy I meet. I frowned as I walked into the bathroom. That guy said there was a cabinet inside and there were clothes I could use. There was a big cabinet. It could almost be a walk-in closet if it wasn't straight to the bathroom. The door was folding. I think this is the bifold because the door folds in two on its own to open fully. Fierce! There were a lot of clothes inside. Complete, even a bikini and underwear. I checked the size and my eyes widened when I saw that it was my size. Beast! How did he know my size? I just grabbed it, including a t-shirt and pajamas before heading straight to the bathroom. My eyes widened when I saw myself. I was still a beggar with my dirty and messy hair. Then I put on a show in front of him. I just pouted before taking off everything I was wearing and getting into the shower. It was good and complete with everything. There was shampoo, conditioners, soap, body wash, feminine wash, foot scrub and some other wash. Brainwash. After taking a shower, I briefly dried my hair before lying on the bed. I knew that that little girl wouldn't be able to sleep here because there were other rooms available. And one more thing, she couldn't try it either because I would beat her up. She just tried not to keep her promise. I would kick Kwan Jr. I thought I would fall asleep quickly because I was tired. But I must have rolled around a few times, my mind still wide awake. I turned off the light, closed the window, and turned on the ceiling fan, but there was still nothing. I counted the sheep I could eat. I counted cows, goats, pigs, deer, and pythons. My eyes were still wide open . I decided to drink some milk ï¬rst. They say it's an effective sleep aid. I just hope there's something here? I slowly opened the door. The light in the living room was off, but the front door was still open. I guess they didn't bother to close it because there was no one else here. I was about to head straight to the kitchen when I looked outside the door. The kumag was sitting on the terrace window sill, holding a bottle of wine. It looked like he was already drunk because there were three empty bottles next to him. I knew he had a strong liver and a high tolerance for alcohol. But I couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind right now. I decided to just go back to the room. I didn't want us to meet and have him try to bring up that subject again. I lay on my side on the bed. I stared at the closed window for over an hour until I heard the door open. I forced my eyes shut. I also held on to the bed sheets tightly, especially when I felt the bed sink behind me. Are you crazy?! Are you really crazy! I almost lost my breath, especially when his hand crawled around my waist to hug me. I wanted to scream loudly but I chose to hold it back. "Jay." He whispered on the back of my neck. "I know you're awake." Kingina! Kingina! Kingina! "Breath. I ain't doing that to you." He said and my breath seemed to escape on its own. "B-let go, you animal." I commanded. "Please, let me sleep like this. I've been having trouble sleeping since I came back. My body clock is still adjusting." He explained. "N-no way. G-go away." He hugged me tighter instead of following my words. I couldn't sleep anymore because of what he was doing. I could have beaten him and broken his bones to get him out of here. But I suddenly felt pity. Even though I actually felt more pity for what he did to me. I let him go like he asked. But I had no intention of sleeping anymore, I had to make sure that this traitor's hand wouldn't crawl away. "It hurts." He said, which surprised me. "It hurts so bad seeing you in so much pain. And it doubled because the reason for your pain is me." He said and I didn't react. "Everyday I keep wishing that your feelings would never change. I'm so scared that one day, I'll wake up that you no longer love me." He hugged me tighter. Then I felt him sobbing behind me. It felt like my heart was being squeezed. I cried silently along with him. Why does it feel like it's my fault that he got hurt? Did I want it? Is he the only one who has the right not to get hurt? You're the only one! "I know you won't forgive me that easily. But I will still take my chance ." I chose not to speak. I felt like I was crying silently . I don't know how long we cried until I fell asleep. I woke up when I felt someone kissing behind my ear. My hand spontaneously raised to hit the blasphemer. "Aw." He complained weakly. I scratched the back of my ear before turning over in bed, which was a big mistake. I felt someone kissing my lips and trying to deepen it. His arm was still wrapped around my waist. Idiot! I opened my eyes and my spirit completely woke up when I saw the shameless one. The idiot was still closed while feasting on my lips. I immediately slapped him and he pulled away from me. He held his cheek while looking at me in complete surprise . "You're crazy!" I shouted before getting up. "W-what? What is that or?" "What! I'm going to look at your face there!" I stood up and walked away from him. Maybe he would do something else later . "Good morning too." He said sarcastically. The idiot looked like he didn't know anything but he couldn't fool me. I knew he was just pretending to get away with his nonsense. He said he wouldn't do anything. I just gave him a hard time and went straight to the bathroom. I made sure the door was locked to make sure the tukmol wouldn't follow. I showered and did my morning routine. I also changed clothes. It was a good thing I saw a hair clip. I used it to tie my hair that had blown out because I was too lazy to comb it. The real beauty is the anger at the comb. When I came out of the bathroom, I looked at the tukmol Keiâ€"kwanan. He was dumbfounded and seemed to still be thinking about why I slapped him. "Get up there! I'll cook for you!" I ordered. He looked at me while raising one eyebrow. "After slapping me? You cook your breakfast." He replied and lay down again. Look at this idiot. I approached him and kicked him. "Is that really how you guys are? When a woman gets what she wants, she doesn't serve him anymore?" He suddenly got up while his eyes widened at me. I laughed softly because his hair was still standing. "Excuse me. I haven't gotten what I want rom you yet." "What's that?" A mischievous smile spread across his lips. "Many children." He said and was about to pull me away but I immediately met his face with my sole. "Are you children? There! You scrub my soles! You scrub! Go ahead! You scrub!" I hadn't scrubbed my feet since yesterday. I guess the smell of that was worth it. I'm not good! He walked away while holding his nose. "When was the last time you scrubbed your feet?" "Yesterday probably." I replied and smiled teasingly. "Get up . I'm having breakfast." I turned my back on him and headed straight to the kitchen. It was a good thing I didn't wait that long for him. He had already changed his clothes and washed himself but his hair was still messy. I simply laughed at him because I didn't want him to think that I was okay with him. But I won't deny that after hearing that from him, I felt a little sympathy. What if he was also hurt by what he did? It was a good thing! My stomach quickly churned when he placed the fried rice, hotdog, sausage, bacon and eggs on the table. I didn't wait for him anymore and started eating right away. He was about to sit down when we heard the sound of the radio. It was as if someone was talking and then the signal sounded. Kei-kwanan immediately walked away to go to him. He took something from the small table in the living room before leaving the house. I just let him go and continued eating. I had almost ï¬nished everything but he still didn't have anything. It looked like there was a problem. I just handed him food because he might get angry with me. I left him a hotdog with a bite, a slice of bacon, a sausage and an egg and then a spoonful of fried rice. That's a lot for someone like him. I didn't want him to think I didn't care about him. It's a good thing I still handed him food. I covered the table before ollowing him outside. He was still talking to someone on his walkie talkie.I slowly approached them, hoping to ï¬nd out what they were talking about, but it seemed like he would take a long time to ï¬nish. I just went to the beach and played in the sand. I made my own house and castle. Ugly things are not allowed here. Then I'll put a dragon and a lion, but I can also put Kuya Angelo , he's even scarier than those. I also drew the faces of the Snakes in the sand. Even the faces of Percy and Aries. And now I've proven that I'm good at drawing. That's why they don't look like people. I heard the person Keiâ€"kwanan was talking to say goodbye, so I approached him. "What's that about?" "We have a problem." He said seriously. I was overcome with nervousness. "What's the problem?" "Angelo is looking for us." Dead! Burol! Funeral! "W-does he know we're here?" He shook his head. "I just bought this island. The papers are not yet processed under my name." I didn't know if I could breathe a sigh of relief. "But there's another problem." He added. "We can't leave this island, he will surely ï¬nd us." I pulled my hair out. I felt like I would rather die at the hands of Kuya Angelo or he could die himself. I was kidnapped! I'm innocent! I looked at the sea. I'm going to swim! I'm going to swim away from this place. "Jay?" He called to me but I ignored him. "I'm going home." I said and quickly ran towards the sea. "Hey! It's dangerous!" "I don't care!" I would rather go home as a cold corpse than go home with a dead body. I would die too if that happened. As long as I'm going home!