I've been working for almost two months now but I have yet to experience the life of a working individual the way I knew it. Working in pajamas may sound comfortable but I want to dress up and probably impress someone. “Mom, is breakfast ready?” I asked. I’m so privileged to have everything in my hands.“I called Bella to order for lunch but she said she didn't cook today,” Mom said. “Oh my gosh. Do you think she’s sick?” I worried knowing she goes out every other day to sell and deliver her home cooked meals.“Don’t say that!” Mom reacted. She too became worried.“Me? I’m perfectly well. I’m just limiting my activities outside for my own protection. No one’s here to take care of me if I get sick,” Bella said on the phone. I feel bad for her“Do you need anything?” I asked. “I’m fine. I’ll cook a lot later today. Do you have any orders?” she asked. “Bella, where is he?” I couldn’t help but ask.It took her a moment before she answered me. “He got stuck in the province,
I don’t know how but I seem to have managed my situation well during this time of the pandemic. So far, things are steady and I am getting the hang of working from home and talking to Quim practically most of the time that I am awake. There’s no denying that I am one of the few who benefit from this situation as I am enjoying the best of both worlds.Bobby is still there reaching out to me a few times every week but definitely not more than once everyday like he used to do or should I say, I obliged him to do when I was living in Quim’s compound. He must’ve realized that there's something serious going on between me and Quim and that the only thing that separates us is this lockdown.Bella is a darling. I’m so happy that Quim approved her working there regularly as his personal cook. She now cooks real food for him and the best is she keeps me posted of all his activities.“He was cleaning the guesthouse earlier. I offered to help but he said that it was fine. Looks like he tr
The storm continued to hit us all night but like magic, the sun was back shining the following morning. If I didn’t see the flooded streets and some fallen trees, I wouldn’t recall experiencing heavy winds and rains last night.I went down to get breakfast. Mom is on the phone having her regular catch up session with her friends in the neighborhood who like her can’t go out due to their age.“Good morning. There’s bacon and rice in the kitchen,” she told me.“Are you attending online mass?” I asked her.“We’re done,” she said.A few minutes after, Mom joined me. She seems like she’s eager to tell me something.“I heard Mrs. Sandoval’s daughter is pregnant with her second child,” she started narrating.“Well, that’s good news,” I said. Turns out her catch up session with her friends is not all about gossiping.“It’s a gift, actually. The husband was back just a month ago. Imagine that,” she said.Alone in the kitchen, I find myself processing in my head what I just heard from my
I remember back in senior high school, I had a female classmate who got pregnant by another senior high school student from another school. I knew she tried to hide it and even denied it to his family, friends, and school authorities until it became so onvious that she couldn’t continue lying about it. Back then, I didn't care about her. I was just following her story. I even updated my mother about it. I’m not sure how similar it is to Bella’s case but for sure, I want to hide it from my mother like it’s my own forbidden pregnancy.“What’s wrong? You barely touched your food. Are you sick?” my mother asked. These days, any symptom-related situation can cause anyone to be suspicious.“I’m okay. I’m just tired,” I said an alibi.“I read that even people who still have jobs these days are not spared from the effect of the pandemic. Imagine the amount of work they are expected to deliver while working from home. These companies think they’re just having vacation at home so they b
The Bella crisis is over but the aftermath is still undetermined. It’s been a week since she left but Quim and I haven’t spoken anything about her. We just went on with our lives doing our regular routine like she never existed and nothing about her ever happened.It should be fine that the storm is over but the flood will not go away soon. After clearing his name, Quim hasn’t spoken to me except for the tasks that he wants me to do. If he could send the instructions via email, he would. There were only very few instances when he spoke to me and it was all pure business. It’s like we went back to the old days only now he’s no longer a stranger to me. I was the one at fault and it hurts me that he's not giving me the chance to explain.“How is he?” I asked Bobby. Once again, he’s the only in the company that I can talk to.“Very busy. We just ended our meeting a few minutes ago,” he said. He’s still friendly to me.“Bobby, do you think I should resign now?” I asked him something
I subject myself to quarantine after leaving the house for a day or more specifically eight hours. There’s not much difference even if I went out yesterday. I would still confine myself inside my room as I go through my day. The days I haven’t spoken to Quim about personal matters only turned us into strangers who used to know each other. I am starting to wonder if anything romantic between us really happened. “Can we do a video call?” he asked me as I only accepted an audio call from him.“My internet’s slow. I’m only using data right now,” I said. Of course, I lied to him.“Well then, that's okay. I called because I wanted to check on you,” he said.“Thank you. I came home safely,” I told him. I’m trying to sound formal.“Are your parents okay with you going out of the house?” he asked.“I guess so. Besides, it’s better for my mental health. I haven’t gone outside for a very long time,” I said.“Just be careful because you're living with people who are over the age of sixty
Everything's going so fast now. I was employed just a few days ago but right after the day I sent my notice to leave the company, things just seem to happen in a rush.It was my first job but I knew that the resignation process that I went through was unusual. It seems to me that they wanted me out in no time or maybe it’s just Quim who wanted to get rid of me fast. He doesn’t want me in his company but he’s also trying to kill me with kindness by adding in my certification that I worked up to a certain extent to make it look better in my next employment.“Quim gave me the laptop, should I return it to him personally or should I just go to the office and leave it there?” I asked the human resources manager. At the back of my head, I am thinking this is the only way I can see him again and explain everything.But I guess, I’ve consumed all privileges that he could extend to me.“About that, Quim informed us that he’d send someone to pick it up anytime today. Please be ready with i
Bobby gave me a sympathetic look before I get off his car. I knew he wanted to say sorry to me but that would be too much. I should be the one telling him that apart from saying my gratitude for being my hero in many instances that happened in my life recently.To say that he saved me from Quim is accurate. If he didn’t come, there was still a chance that I would tell Quim to drive the car back to his garage and I would stay with him all night. I could have done all the crazy things that any love struck young lady would do in a place shared by only two people. Now that I’m back to my senses, I realized that I wasn’t really ready to be crazy in love.“Thanks, Bobby. As always,” I told him.“Call me…only if you want to,” he said putting no pressure on me. My mother shouted my name when she saw me. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it before the curfew,” she said.“I’m here already,” I told her.“Why was he here? Where did you two go?” she asked. My father is just watchin