C4 Why Not Marry Alondra?

"Are you okay here, Nana Bertha?" Alondra asked her former landlady as she massage the old woman's hands. " Aren't you going to feel cold here at night?"

From work, Alondra went straight to check up on older woman's son's house in Mandaluyong where she's currently residing. It was two days ago, when the boarding house she owned in Sampaloc, Manila where she lived, caught fire. It's a good thing that no one got hurt by the fire but the boarding house was burned to ashes. She was only able to salvage a few things.

"Don't worry about me, Alondra. I'm fine here in Marlowe's house. I am more worried about you because you will be apart from us. I won't be able to see you anymore much more cook for you."

Nana Bertha had been her landlady for a long time. She had lived in her boarding house since she came to Manila on her first year in college. She became a second parent to her when she was orphaned two years ago, when the bus both her parent were in to fell on a cliff in Quezon. She never forced her to pay her rent when she didn't have a job then. She even lend her money to some debts, her parents' left behind. Just when she had found a decent job, the fire happened. She wasn't even finished paying off her debts, now she had nowhere to go. It's a good thing that the fire happened during the night when she was at the boarding house. She was able to save her clothes.

"I'll be fine here in my son's house. I am more worried you have nowhere to go to."

She smiled as she pulled at her fingers. "I am staying at my boss' vacant house. Nobody lives there for now."

" You're staying there alone?"

She shook her head "Yeah. My boss is currently overseas and it's not often that someone would come to clean the house. They said it's better if someone would look after it. It's a waste if no one would live there."

Marlowe came in to serve coffee. " Mom, don't worry about Alondra. The place she's staying at is great and is near her workplace. She's safe there because it has security. It's actually a rich man's house."

"Even so, I would like it better If she stays here with us." Then she started hitting Marlowe. " Why don't you marry her instead so she won't be separated from us? You two agree at almost everything and you look good together. She's pretty and you're handsome. You know how much I wanted to see my grandchildren from you. If you're going to marry, why not marry Alondra?"

She saw how Marlowe struggled not to shout and pull his hair off out of irritation. Up until now, Nana Bertha never had an idea that her only son actually wanted to be a daughter. Surely, Nana Bertha would be disheartened because he is so good looking. Only a few of their friends truly knew that he was the true heir to Darna's stone.

I was a waste because she really had a crush on Marlowe the first time she saw him. If they did not become good friends she would've found a way to force him to marry her. He was so kind and sweet. Plus he was so caring. Too bad he didn't become a true man.

"Mom I'll take Alondra home now because she still had to go to work tomorrow." He said as he nodded to Alondra.

"I'll be going home now Nana Bertha." She said and kisses her cheeks.

"I will really pray to God that you two end up together."

She giggled when she was out of the house. "What are you laughing at?" Marlowe shouted at her.

"Your mom was praying for you to become a man."

"I'm contradicting her prayers with my own. If I have to enter every church and join every religion I would just as long as I keep my womanhood!"

She laughed because no matter how he looked at him, no one would think that he bears a woman's heart. Even the way he speak and move was manly.

"I just feel like it's such a waste." She said

"Don't feel sorry for me. There are a lot of men out there. You're just so picky."

"I don't even have a house to live in, for me to even think of guys. I want to fix my life first, before I start whoring myself to the male population." She brushed her palms together. "I really hope I receive my pay soon so I can start looking for a decent house."

"You don't like your boss' penthouse? You really look rich in it."

"I feel itchy. I'm not used to living in a rich man's house." She didn't even want to sleep in the bed. She stayed in the living room and slept on a comforter on the floor.

"I don't get you. But hey, the moment you meet a handsome, rich man, grab him, sleep with him then force him to marry you so you will instantly become rich, sister."