Chapter Thirty-Seven [ The hub of fascinating activities] While continuing to stroll down the rocky, broad road, Ericka notes that Vicky is not a typical young person and that, in fact, people hold her in high regard because they share a respectable socioeconomic class.Ericka's mind goes back to her early years, when the community celebrated fiesta in honor of the patron saints."That Vicky was the small, adorable child who was her oldest sister floweret girl when her oldest sister was crowned as the community festivals queen. They rode in beautifully decorated queens throne vehicles during the general parade festivals with a happy musical band playing behind them."After walking down, a wide, rocky road with rice plantations on both sides, Ericka glances forward to see a dark lane with many mosquitoes attacking her. Her thoughts are still racing through her head."The residents of the town hold her family in the highest regard as one of the well-known, honorable families in the com
Chapter Thirty-Eight [ The uncontrolled wildfires]"Could you stop moving because I might lose strength and swiftly let go gripping tightly of your two legs?" Randy is chastising her younger sister further. "Make sure you hold tight to my neck so that even if we fall, the powerful current won't carry you down to the bottom of the river."Randy makes fun of Ericka for trembling and quivering in her knees, fearing that she may unintentionally let go of her larger and taller older brother.As is customary, as soon as they cross the river, they dash into the dark, cave-like plantation where large plants that can eat tiny animals reside and spread disease-carrying mosquitoes to onlookers.The land doesn't belong to Ericka's parents, but at that moment she saw large snakes clinging to a large banana trunk that had fully ripe fruits on it."Observe! This is outside the scope of our plantation. Come on, let the snakes devour the fruits instead of coming after us and consuming our entire body.
Chapter Thirty-nine: The typical youth's lifestylesOn Monday, Ericka is quite upset since she neglected to wash her school uniform the previous weekend. Fortunately, John still has a white T-shirt and an old pair of black pants that she intends to wear. He even laid them out neatly on the bed before heading out into the river early in the morning."Never mind. As long as I attend all of my courses today and learn something new from each of my teachers regarding today's subject matter, I can wear civilian attire today."Ericka speaks as she quickly gathers her old, worn-out bath towel, shampoo, and bath soap and heads downstairs to retrieve pails of clean water from the water pump faucets a short distance from the house.“Maybe I should just wash myself next to the water pump so that I won't have to carry a hefty bucket of water to the restroom.”She noticed that John and Randy were sprinting in the direction of the river, carrying their blue laundry soap and white underwear.“You're
Chapter One [ Returning home gives new hope and strength]After going through all of her strange, arduous, and heartbreaking romantic encounters, she is dressed nicely for travel.She is returning to the place where she was born and raised as a quirky, unusual pussycat who was also incredibly intelligent, vocal, and a little fighter.The torrential rainstorms that destroyed all the family's plants and animals caused the farm plantation to collapse.She left the city on a massive ship that had to travel a wide ocean in order to manage and settle the abandoned countryside, where she ran into her former ridiculed classmates.At first, she was once-bullied, young girl who feels that love is a paradise of temptation. She believed that she was already properly attired as she entered the funeral service for her distant relatives who had perished due to misfortune, which was held at the end of the road leading to the school, market, and business district of the barrio, which was two kilometer
Chapter two [[Early childhood memories resurface: Many shocks]That early afternoon of December,Ericka thinks with her eyes wide open that her ex-boyfriend who she considers her husband would show up with his family and surprise them. She asserts," What? We have nothing to offer because everything has fallen apart. Here, even mineral-infused filtered water is useless. I still need to get clean water out of the running water, and I need to boil it first to kill any bacteria that could cause amoebiasis or other gastrointestinal disorders.”As her gaze shifts to her Ate Lorie, who has begun to feed her elder brother's pet carabao with a bunch of green bananas, she takes pleasure in watching the animal masticate the food while tilting its head. She didn't say anything; she just looked and talked about the problems.Until they both made the decision to embrace their lack of everything and whatever negative emotions that go along with it, Ericka continued.“They must be fatigued, thirsty,
Chapter Three[The early childhood days: The Favorites]Ericka finds herself in a difficult situation as she recalls a stage of her youth when, on a summer morning spent on a farm, she anxiously searched through her mother's clothing box for what seemed like an emergency while muttering,"for my double-lined dress, which is the only one I currently own but is now old, worn out, and full of scratches. I have another sort that is brown but has already been used as rags. It has thin, transparent woven fabric linings and is constructed of silky fabric in the color sky blue.”Little Ericka intently peered down at the family's wooden old box before tilting her weary neck and gazing upward in distaste.She gradually became weary of gazing at the long mirror that was affixed to their drawers and hurried over to her shrewd cousins.She is grateful that they got to meet her during her lonely, uninteresting, and pointless childhood.“The Community Center, which was next to the school's border on
CHAPTER FOUR [School days: Mirror reveals}On the first day of the school year, Ericka was getting ready excitedly because she will begin going to school in the first grade. When she sees herself in the mirror while wearing her new primary school uniform, she remembers her goals and aspirations to advance her knowledge, wisdom, and personality unconsciously.That is what she means every time she was been awakened from night sleep in the early dawn when her fathers’ male chickens crow repeatedly but the sunrise doesn’t emerge yet making her feel unconsciously restless from the long hour of waiting as she lay flat beside her mother and youngest brother on the wooden floor covered with a mat made of woven dried buri leaves created by her hardworking mother.As she was in that situation, she has already those wishes and fantasies as her mind lingers saying that,“When I grow bigger, older, and taller, I like to prove to my parents who always thought of me as weak, freak, and incapable of
Chapter Five [ Similarly to a deer running away from predators] Ericka is already in her grade four level. in that community school. After one month, it’s their turn to do the convocation program. Her teacher gave her a poem to memorize for the program.Her mother sews her a pink, simple dress but during the exact day, Ericka shivered and got nervous and she miss one line of her poem.Her mother quickly comes closer to encourage her not to be terrified. Her male teacher also gazes at her seriously making Ericka becomes firm and courageous facing the audience whose eyes focus on her.Her mother laughs when the strong wind blows making her dress fly showing her repaired colorful short underpants as her mother whispered,“My little, tiny girl Ericka. I have more sympathy for you because you are a dreamer and courageous to face life’s challenges. Now, people can see your old, repaired underpants and newly sew dress which suits you. I am happy that you began to endure tough life without