C1 Fire
I woke up early because of the loud noise from the bicycle ridden by the bread vendor.
I heard Mama calling him. We loved to eat pandesal (A favorite bread of every Filipino) every morning, so she didn't miss to buy.
I folded the blanket and stacked my pillow neatly. I stretched my body before leaving the room.
Dad brews coffee in his favorite cup. The aroma of coffee fascinates me. I pulled out a chair then sat on it.
"There, have breakfast," said Mama. When I touched the pandesal bag, it was still warm.
"Your favorite coffee," Dad said as he pulled up a chair next to me. He knew I wanted coffee mixed with milk or coffee, mate.
We are often like this every morning, especially when I have no work. We only had pandesal for breakfast. But sometimes, we also ate rice when the vendor did not pass by.
"Sweety, will you come with me? I'm going to the market this morning".
It's Saturday now. My mother's day for shopping. Besides, we had no dish in the refrigerator other than beans for lunch.
I have work today at Charlotte's house to teach Chander, her son. Dad is out of work today, but he still wakes up early because he has some things that need to be fixed. Just like the galvanized steel we need to replace. When it rains, water drips from there. It's hard because when it rains hard, the kitchen is flooded.
"Not anymore, Mom. I'll clean the house first. And it looks like you're leaving too"
Mother is wearing a green dress with a flower design. Her basket is already on the table. She seems to have taken a bath because her curly hair is wet.
"Oh, Okay. I can't wait for you either. I'm going to the market," she said goodbye after eating some more pandesal.
Dad told her to buy something before she finally turned the door lock.
I went straight to the bedroom to get a towel. I also took a bath for an hour because of the water's heat that dissipated the cold brought by the morning.
"You're so lovely!" I greeted myself. I face the mirror as the foam plays with my hair. It's my hobby to talk to myself in the morning.
"You inherited it from me, Sweety!" It was Dad who had been waiting for me to come out.
"Yes, Pa. That's right!" I even sang because of the loud music of the neighbor. It's better to hear loud music than fight.
A few more pours of water into my body before I finished. Dad took a deep breath. It seemed like he was waiting for Christmas before I finished a bath.
I wore a simple white shirt and faded jeans. I also adjusted the shoes for a simple look.
I cleaned the house before leaving. I broom and mop the floor. Mama will take care of other things.
"Pa! I'm leaving!" I shouted after carrying the greeting card for the child I was teaching
"Be careful, Sweety! There's your allowance on the table!" he says from the bathroom.
I would not have accepted that, but I thought maybe my fare was not enough. I also don't have breakfast. I will eat at the cafeteria nearby the house Charlotte when I feel hungry.
Immediately my stomach rumbled. I bought a plate of porridge with eggs. The porridge with minced garlic and lime is delicious. I thought I was the only one eating this morning here in the cafeteria. I saw a man-eating from a table not far away from my seat. He has a good physique, and his nose is defined. You will definitely be cursing because of his perfect face. Adam's apple swelled even more because he swallowed what he ate.
I adjusted my seat as he noticed I was looking at him.
"Ma'am! I'll pay! Keep the change!"
I hurried to drink water and then took a tissue to wipe the side of my lip.
"Keep the change! The change is just one peso!" Manang shouted.
Shame on me!
"And at least there's still change! Be thankful, Manang. That's a blessing!" I said.
During the few hours teaching Chander, my head hurts. If her mother hadn't come to the neighbor to gossip, Chander would have listened to me. He only listens to his mother, and it sucks.
He is easily distracted because of his young age. It would have been okay because he quickly understood what I was teaching. Still, he was very impatient and easily bored. Sometimes he would suddenly take his robot toys to entertain himself.
"Thank you, Kaoree. It's good that you put up with my son" she laughed and then handed me the payment I had worked for a month.
"It's nothing!" I smiled. This will add to my savings for going to college next school year.
Exhausted, I fell asleep in the jeep. If I hadn't woken up by the person next to me who I just leaned on, I wouldn't have woken up.
"Oh! I'm sorry!"
Her eyebrows meet. "You just slept on my shoulder. You even managed to spit on it!"
"My saliva has a benefit because it is the saliva of the Goddess. You should be grateful!" I laughed at her, so her eyebrows met even more.
I was surprised when I came down that the sky was dark, not because of the rain but because of the smoke.
Within a few minutes of walking, I saw our mobbing neighbors. The firefighters were noisy, and there was a lot of mourning.
"Boss! Where are they!?" I asked one of the firefighters.
"Don't worry. We're rescuing them!"
I suddenly felt nervous when I saw the fire slowly consuming our house.
I didn't know if my parents were in the house, so I was even more nervous.
"I want to help!" I said, but they stopped me. Ten minutes before firefighters extinguished the fire, there's no sign of Mom and Dad.
My tears started to run.
"Please! Where are my parents!" I said to the firefighter. But his eyes became sad, and I followed where he was looking.
"Pa! Ma!" I cried as soon as I recognized them. Their bodies lay with the other victims of the fire.
Even though their face is not easy to recognize because of the burn, I know that they are my parents. The wedding ring that the two wore and the slippers I gave last Christmas were enough to confirm that it was them.
I cried hard. "Ma! Pa!"
I want my body to be numb because of the weight and pain I feel. I hope they just took me.