Beginning
Selena Cortez
"I'm excited for Señorito's arrival!" Clara told me. I smiled at her and continued preparing the ingredients needed for Aling Sanya's dishes.
"It's been a long time since I last saw him," she added. Well, how about me? I haven't even seen him yet. I wanted to respond to her, but I didn't want to ruin her imagination about Señorito, so I just let it be.
"You know, he's not just incredibly handsome! He's also very kind!" she said, blushing, while chopping onions. I couldn't help but worry that she might accidentally cut herself.
"Lena! Clara! Where are the ingredients I asked you to chop? You two are still gossiping, that's why the work is taking so long!" Aling Sanya grumbled. Sigh.
"Here they are!" I replied, placing the onions I had chopped on a plate to bring to her.
"I'll start with this, and I'll come back for the rest later," I told her, and she nodded in response.
"Aling Sanya, here you go." I set down two plates filled with chopped onions and peeled garlic.
"Lena, remember, you still have a lot to do on the ranch, so don't spend too much time gossiping with Clara!"
"Yes, ma'am," I simply replied to her to avoid prolonging the conversation.
"I'll just go back for the other ones that are already chopped." I'm not really assigned to the kitchen in the mansion; my work is primarily at the ranch with the horses in the stables. It just so happened that Celestine and Samantha weren't here today.
They had work, and it seemed like it would be a long day for their exams. Even though they wanted to help, their studies were still important, especially now that they were in college.
And since there wasn't much to do at the ranch today, instead of having Mom come here to help with the food preparation, since both Mom and Dad are getting older, I volunteered instead.
I also wanted to see Clara, one of my classmates. We're both in Grade 10, but we rarely see each other here in the Saavedra mansion.
This place is big, and there's still a lot of work even when the owners aren't around. There's no time to slack off because the mansion, where Clara works, and the ranch, where I work, are quite far apart.
"LENA!" I turned to Marco when he suddenly called my name. He's one of my co-workers here on the hacienda and also my schoolmate, but he's three years older than me.
"What's up?" I asked him curiously. He was catching his breath and seemed to have run from the ranch to the mansion. Okay, so what's going on? Is it urgent?
"Julia is about to give birth!" he exclaimed, gasping for air. My eyes widened, and I immediately untied the apron behind me.
Julia is my favorite horse because I practically took care of her since she was a baby. Her mother died during childbirth.
Then, after a few years, she learned how to flirt, and she ended up getting pregnant, and now she's about to give birth!
"OMG!" I shouted, not realizing that we had caught the attention of the people in the kitchen. I quickly handed my apron to Clara and looked at Aling Sanya.
She scowled at me, but I knew she had no choice but to let me go. Although Julia grew up around people, she's still elusive to those around her, and she's usually only gentle with me.
"Sorry, but I need to go!" I told them and followed Marco to the stables.
"Did you run all the way here?" I asked Marco as we were walking out of the kitchen. He made a series of gestures that puzzled me, and I looked at him from head to toe. His clothes were dirty, and he was covered in sweat!
"Why do you look like that?" It was only when we reached the back part of the dirty kitchen that I saw his horse. Before I could ask, he answered.
"We've been trying to get Julia to calm down since earlier, but she's very elusive. When you left, she suddenly couldn't sit still, and that's when we noticed she's about to give birth. I almost got kicked three times, luckily I managed to stay away from her. She doesn't want to be approached by Mang Simon either."
"Are you okay?" I asked him with concern. He nodded, and he helped me get on his horse.
Before long, we arrived at the ranch, and even from a distance, I could see a few people gathered there, making quite a noise.
"Mom! Dad!" I called out to my parents when I saw them outside the stable. Like Marco, my dad was also dirty.
"Child, it's good that you're here. We sent for you because we were getting worried about Julia. It seems like she's been struggling with the delivery since earlier," Mom said, and I nodded, telling her that I would check on Julia first.
As I approached her stall, she was there, lying down and seemingly in distress based on the sounds she was making. I cautiously moved closer to her, but my companions held me back, as she was acting quite aggressively today. However, I trust her since I've taken care of Julia, so I wasn't worried.
She calmed down, and we all let out a sigh of relief. We waited for a few minutes, and then I assisted Dad in delivering Julia's foal.
It's not new to me to assist with the birth of horses or any other animals here on the ranch because it's the work I've grown up with alongside Mom and Dad.
Since I was a child, I've been here on the ranch, although we often stayed in the stables rather than here because this is where they're stationed. If our employers visit, we either see them when they arrive or when we return home.
Chapter 1I often see their portraits in the mansion, Senyor and Senyorita. Whenever they have bonuses, they get it from our housekeeper, and sometimes when I don't have school, Mom and Dad would take me along to get the bonus.As for their only child, I haven't seen him yet. I've only heard about him from the stories of other workers here. They often talk about how handsome and kind he is, especially to Clara.I never really took an interest because I know we're just their workers, and it's unlikely for me to be noticed. What I know about him is that he's seven years older than me.I heard he works in the large Saavedra company, aside from their dairy business. They also have a construction company.Clara's cousin even got a job as an office clerk in the Saavedra construction company. It's true that they're kind because they can provide more than just work here on the hacienda. They can help with education until one finishes and then hire them in their company, just like Clara's cous
Chapter 2I looked around, but Marco still wasn't there! Shit! I quickly descended to catch my bra if the water had carried it away. Luckily, Marco hadn't arrived yet! I would have fainted if he saw me half-naked! Since I'm used to swimming, I was able to retrieve my bra."Damn it! That scared me!" I muttered to myself while holding my bra up. My breasts were fully exposed, but fortunately, I was the only person there."Wow, nice breasts. Round and big!" It felt like my soul left my body when I heard a unfamiliar voice coming from somewhere."Wow, nice breasts. Round and big!" Until now, I couldn't get his words out of my mind, and I still felt the intense heat on my face and ears from embarrassment!Who is that guy? I just saw him now, and it seems like he's not from here! He's too fair-skinned, as if he hasn't been under the sun! He even looks like he has foreign blood because of his height. He's taller than Marco and definitely not a local."W-who are you?!" My anxiety reached the
Chapter 3"G-g-good morning, ma'am." Even though I was still confused about what was happening, I tried to gather my thoughts to greet them properly and avoid being perceived as rude.But it's really hard to get over the fact that the guy who saw my boobs at the waterfall was the Señorito! And then, suddenly, the whole surroundings became dark.And there it was, I nodded because while I was alone in the house earlier, I had a moment to think. The gathering at the Saavedra's was for the arrival of the Señorito, and the guy at the waterfall earlier looked like a stranger! What if he was one of the Señorito's guests?What if they told the Señorito about what happened at the waterfall? It wouldn't just be embarrassing for me, but also for Mom and Dad. And what if the news spreads and becomes gossip? I didn't want to be the talk of the workers on the hacienda!"You're such a killjoy!" Clara immediately confronted me as soon as she saw me sitting in Julia's stable, watching the mother and d
Chapter 4"How was your first day with the Señorito, my child?" Mom asked me while we were having dinner. I swallowed my food and took a sip of water. I wanted to tell them that I didn't want to go back tomorrow! But I knew they would be surprised if I did that.I smiled to let them know that everything was fine, and then I started to share my day with them."It was okay, Mom. I just followed the Señorito and his friends all day, and if they needed anything, they would tell me.""That's good if they're nice to you, dear." If only they knew, Mom.Nice? I don't think they know the meaning of the word! Especially that girl, Miss Andi, who was constantly clinging to the Señorito like she was his girlfriend. Clara must have been mistaken when she said that the Señorito didn't have a girlfriend because on my first day with them, I witnessed all sorts of indecent behavior. It's a mess. Here's what happened..."Good morning, Selena. How are you?" The Señora greeted me, and I don't know why, b
Chapter 5"Oh, by the way, Marco, there's a bee house there. Can you accompany me to check it?" the Señora asked, and they disappeared in front of us, leaving the Señorito and me.I didn't know what to do or say when it was just the two of us and they left. So I decided to stand up from where I was and look at the floor.Urgh! It's too awkward! I'm not the only one working on the ranch. Why didn't they choose someone else? But if I think about it, Marco and I are the only young ones, and most of the others are older, like Mom and Dad, and there are more male workers here."Are you still thinking about yesterday?" I heard the Señorito speak after a few minutes. I slowly raised my head and looked at him. Our gazes met once again. I couldn't bring myself to look away because it felt like his eyes had some kind of magnet!He slowly walked closer to me, and I couldn't escape the scent of his intoxicating cologne! You know the feeling when you just want to embrace someone because they smell
Chapter 6"The gang is planning to go to the town fiesta tonight! They told me to bring you along once we're done here at the hacienda.""I can come; I just need to ask permission from my dad—" But before I could continue, she interrupted me."You've used that excuse too many times! I've lost count of how many times you've said it but never showed up! Lena never joins our outings!""But I'm worried that Mom will be concerned if I don't ask permission." We don't even have cellphones to message each other."I already mentioned it; I bumped into Aling Saling, and she agreed!" My eyes widened."Really?" I couldn't believe it and asked her again. She nodded in response."Yes, that's why you don't need to panic anymore. Aling Saling even said..." She mimicked my mom's voice. Sigh."Take care and don't stay out too late." That's what my mom often says when I'm going somewhere.Clara and I chatted for a while before deciding to return to the mansion to ask permission from the Señorito if I co
Chapter 7I don't know if it's just my imagination, but this feels like the longest ride to the town. As far as I remember, it only takes about twenty minutes to reach the town using Mang John's farm truck, but why does it feel so long now that we're riding the Señorito's luxurious car?"They said they're waiting near the fountain in the middle of the plaza," Clara whispered to me. I suddenly wondered if there was a parking lot for the Señorito."Where do you think the Señorito will park?" I quietly responded to her. "It's a fiesta in town, so the parking lots might be full. I don't really know where else the Señorito can park." When I looked ahead of us, Clara and I saw that the Señorito was busy looking for a parking space. From inside the window, I could see that the parking lots were indeed full. "Kia keeps messaging, asking where we are," Clara said again. "Tell her we're here, just looking for parking for the Señorito." Clara leaned closer to me, and she whispered, "They're gett
Chapter 8It was only then that I realized that we were still holding hands, but it wasn't just a casual hand-holding. We were doing the theme of holding hands while walking. My eyes widened, and my whole face grew warm with embarrassment!I quickly pulled my hand away from the Señorito's hand and distanced myself slightly from him, overwhelmed by embarrassment."I-I'm sorry, Señorito!" It was only now that I understood why our friends were looking at us that way."I-I was just excited to see you..." I averted my gaze from the Señorito and continued what I wanted to say."I didn't realize that I was already holding your hand, Señorito. I'm sorry." I stammered, and my eyes took on a more masculine look when the Señorito took his hand out of his pocket and gently patted my head.My lower lip trembled, and I felt my whole face grow even warmer with what the Señorito did, while he stared directly into my eyes.Urgh! What are these weird feelings I'm experiencing? Why am I only realizing t