“So! Who’s that girl, Robin?”
“Ah! Is she! She is the son of dad’s new business partner.”
“Really? Why are you so close?
“It’s not like that. It’s just respected because it’s ugly that I don’t pay attention to her. Wait, are you jealous?”
“Haha! Me? Jealous of that woman, you are very much assuming Robin as if I like you.”
“Why not?! Have you forgotten what happened to us at the bar, Abigail?
Abigail was silent. She thought Robin had forgotten those events. Suddenly, her face turned red. She was ashamed of herself for why she had done that to her cousin.
He said goodbye, leaving first. She would go to them. bathroom; she went there to relax and let go of her shame at what Robin had told her.
A few minutes later, she came back. She saw Robin talking to Althea again. Suddenly,, her pressure rose again, so she hurried towards the two of them.
“Hey! Woman, you’ve been flirting with my cousin before!” disgusted Abigail said.
“What?! What is your problem? I was just talking to Robin about business. Is there anything wrong with that?” Althea replied.
“Remember this, you don’t know, Robin. About his life and what he does.”
“Why?! What are you to him? Mother? That you know everything about him. You’re just a cousin, so I can talk to him because Robin is single.” Althea came back.
“Oh! Really? Is that what my cousin introduced to you?. Well, you are wrong because he is already married and has a child.” Abigail replied.
He didn’t want to embarrass Robin in case he was annoyed with the woman Althea.
“What do you mean?” Althea asked in astonishment.
“Abigail enough! Come home with us.”
Robin held Abigail tightly to take her to the parking lot. Abigail struggled.
“Let me go.”
“What did you do Abigail? You want to embarrass me with my dead partner’s daughter?.” Robin’s voice rose.
“I’m sorry, Robin. I didn’t intend to embarrass you. That I was just triggered by what she was telling me.”
“You should just let her go because nothing will happen if you hit her.”
Robin and Abigail had a bit of a fight. Robin drove Abigail to their house. And Robin went straight home to his parents’ house.
His mother asked him where he went, t but he did not answer. He went to their mini library to read a book.
He saw a book sticking out. He looked at it. When he opened the book, he saw a picture of his mom and Robert, who was his dad’s partner. He wondered why they were together with her mom. He saw his mother’s belly was big. He was very confused by what he saw.
He came out of their mini library and took the photo. He hid it, and he planned to have him investigate the photo he saw.
~~~~~
Monday, at the office of Alpha Private Company…
“Good morning everyone!” smiling Naneth’s greeting.
“Good morning Naneth! I hope you have a good day today!” said Sofia.
“Yes, Sofia! We just received good news.”
“What is that Naneth? Share with us haha!” said Bea.
“Haha! Later guys! Ah, yeah! I’m from the province and I went to a shop there to buy this souvenir. Oh! Choose what you want.” Said Naneth.
“Wow! The beauty of those Naneth. Thank you ha!
“Ui, what is that? Nothing for us boys yet?” said Roy.
“Ha! Sorry, I forgot! I only remember girls.” Naneth said, smiling.
“Naneth’s deception. She only likes girls.” Dan said.
“Good morning everyone!” smiling greeting from Gio.
“Good morning, sir Gio,” everyone greeted.
“Okay! Boys, come to my office and I will give you something.”
“Really sir Gio,” Dan replied.
“Yes! While your work has not yet begun.”
All the male staff of the company went and there Gio distributed the souvenirs he brought from the province.
“Sir! I just have a question?” said Roy.
“What’s that Roy?”
“Sir, are you and Naneth together? You both have souvenirs from the province.”
Dan turned to Roy, showing no to ask.
“Ah! Is that so? Maybe just a coincidence. Are they the same?” Gio replied.
“It looks the same, sir.”
Gio just laughed. And when they left, they started working.
~~~~~
Kyla and Dominic are already on the trip, they are close to San Remedios where Naneth was born. They arrived at the place and they asked about where the named Lora lived. The residents pointed out somewhere.
They went to the place; they knocked on the house, and a woman opened it carrying the little child.
“Yes! Do you need anything?”
“Ah! By the way, I’m Kyla, and Dominic is with me. Is your mother Mrs. Lora?”
“Ah! She is still in the market to buy our dish later. Come in first.” Said the woman. Lira seated her guests.
“Ah! The size of your child. How many months has that been?”
“She has been here for two months. He was very hyper, eh! Ah, I’m Lira, Lora’s daughter. Nice to meet you. You look familiar to me. Have we met before?” said Lira?
“Ah! Yes, I was with Robin when he came here with you to the hospital.”
“Ah! Yes, I remember. Are you Dominic? You had another one with you back then. What was his name?
“Ah! That was Gio, my friend, and co-worker. Son of the owner of the company we work for.” Dominic replied.
“Ah! I see. What are you up to, mom?”
“We just have an important question for her. What time is she going home?” Kyla asked.
“I do not know! But she left earlier, maybe she will go home too. Have a snack first.” Lira’s offer.
“Oh! No thanks Lira, can I look at the pictures hanging there?” Kyla asked.
“Of course,” Kyla went to the picture hanging on the wall.
That is a picture of three men. She faces one there. It was as if she had already seen that man.
“Lira, can I ask a question? Who are these men?”
“Ah! Is that so? Those are my father’s brothers. The one on the left side is their eldest brother, Deme. He is my father. That one in the middle was uncle Roel. He was the second of their siblings. He has a daughter, so he suddenly disappeared when auntie Martha gave birth to their first child. Also, the auntie herself disappeared a few months after she gave birth because of being depressed because her husband did not come home. The last one is Franco, the youngest of their siblings, but I haven’t seen him yet because I was young. Uncle left and ran away, my father said.” Lira’s story.
“Oh! So, your father is not the only child. Where is your father now? Why can’t we see him?”
Lira suddenly fell silent. She didn’t want to remember what happened to her father.
“Kyla! You may ask too much personally.” Said Dominic.
“Ah! Okay, my dad is dead. He was killed by my cousin.” Lira and I are brave.
“Who’s a cousin?” Kyla asked in astonishment. But Lira couldn’t answer that because the child suddenly cried just as Lora had arrived.
“Lira! I’m already here. I’m sorry I took so long. Oh! We have a visitor. I’m looking at you!
“Ah! Hello Auntie Lora. I am Dominic, who was with Robin before we visited the hospital.” Introduce Dominic.
“Ay! By the way, you took a trip. Who is she with you?”
Dominic and Kyla answered at the same time. “My co-worker,” Kyla said. “My girlfriend,” Dominic said. Kyla and Dominic looked at each other.
“Oh! What is it? Am I confused, working together and partnering like that?” Lora asked.
“Ah! It’s the same,” Dominic answered quickly, but Kyla didn’t say a word. She was annoyed by Dominic’s answer, but there was a little joy in her heart when Dominic told them to be partners.
“Ah! What are you up to?”
“We just wanted to ask you something important.” Said Dominic.
“Is that so? Let’s go to the one behind us. There is a garden there to keep the wind out.”
The three of them went there, and they started asking questions.
“Auntie Lora, do you know Naneth?”
“Ah! Yes, my niece is the daughter of my husband’s brother. Why did you ask?”
“Because we work together. Our boss ordered us to be in charge of surveying the background of the employees, but not just Naneth, almost everyone.” Kyla replied.
“Is that so?! Does Naneth know this?”
“No, because it’s confidential. That is why we were assigned. Please don’t tell Naneth.” Dominic explained.
“All right, is that important?”
“Yes Auntie Lora, our work needs a family background,” Kyla replied.
“Who are Naneth’s parents? I mean, what are their names?”
“Naneth recognizes me as her second mother because when she was young, she didn’t see her parents anymore. She grew up with me.” Lora replied.
“Ah! I see, but do you know the names of Naneth’s parents?”
“Roel and Martha are Naneth’s parents.”
Dominic and Kyla surprised them. Who could Roel be Lora was referring to?
“Roel?! Where is he now?” Kyla asked.
“That’s what we didn’t know because he suddenly disappeared when his boss took him. Martha still thought that he would go home when she gave birth in case he never came back so I also felt sorry for my sister-in-law because she was very depressed, left and we don’t know where she went until now still missing he is.” Lora’s story.
“Oh! Lira was right when she told us earlier.”
“Did she tell you a story?”
“Yes, because I saw the picture hung on your wall,” Kyla replied
“How about Franco? Where is he now?” Dominic asked.
“I also don’t know where he is now.” But when Lora saw Franco again, she didn’t just tell them.
“Oh! Is that so? Do you think Naneth’s parents are still alive?”
“Ah! I can’t say they are dead or alive because Naneth was over twenty-five years old a few years ago.” Lora replied.
“Oh! Okay, thanks for the information.”
“You’re welcome. Ah! Let’s have lunch first.”
“Is it okay?!” Dominic said, Kyla, turned to him. This shows that it is no longer embarrassing.
“Of course, go ahead and I’ll just cook our lunch here.”
Lora left, while Kyla and Dominic were talking.
“What do you think? We can get more evidence,” Kyla asked.
“We still need more in-depth evidence because something is still missing,” Dominic replied.
“I wonder, who is Roel that auntie Lora is referring to?
“Yes, Kyla, she has the same name as our boss, Gio’s father. But it is impossible that our boss and Roel referred to by auntie Lora are one.”
“So Dominic, I’m confused by what she said. But we know that soon.”
~~~~~
Amer went back to the province. He didn’t know why he preferred to go back and forth to that place. Many enter his memory about his past. But there were events he could not remember, so he tried to repeat them.
He went to a shop there in the province. He bought food, then he also went to a cafeteria there to eat.
“Sister, ask for an order of it and rice.” Said the man.
“You are Franco. You always eat here but you don’t pay. Your list is long.” That’s what Amer heard, the saleslady talking to the man. Who is Franco?
“Sister, you are serious. I will pay. I haven’t had time to ask my niece yet, maybe next week,” said Franco.
“Hey! I was told that a few times before, but nothing has happened in the past week and you haven’t paid yet.” The saleswoman said.
Amer approached. He talked to the saleslady and asked how much the man named Franco owed.
The saleswoman, who was already at one thousand five hundred pesos, answered him. So that the saleswoman would not make any more noise, she just paid.
“Hey! Franco, it looks like you have an angel now ah! Someone has already paid your debt.” The saleswoman shouted.
“Really! Who is that?”
The saleswoman pointed to the man sitting near the tree.
Will Franco and Amer meet?