Antithetic's Tale

Chapter 20

I rolled my eyes as I passed. I will now go to Daldalita. Small and patched houses, broken roofs, children scattered on the streets, filthy people and ugly parts of the world.

"Ack!" I moaned softly when someone suddenly covered my mouth. The stench of his hand.

"Don't shout. I'll stab you!" He whispered to me. Will this man do the same thing they did to Daldalita?

      Even though I could afford to get away, I did not. I want to know what he will do so I can teach him a lesson. He took me to the dark side of the alley where there were no people.

     Is this the world Daldalita belongs to? Pwes, he's too pathetic.

"Give me your cellphone!" He shouted at me as if scaring me. If people were in front of him, they would probably be scared. But, I am in front of him so it is impossible for that to happen.

"I don't have that." I replied, I did not lie because I really do not have that. I don't even know how to use it.

"Wow! Wow! Mine if you don't want to stab me!" He shouted as he pressed the knife he was carrying around my neck. Why do the people here stink?

"I said I don't have any." I said bored. The pain hurts in the nose of his breath, the closer I get to him.

"Are you English and you don't have a cellphone ?!" He shouted again. Padiin padiin the burial of a knife in my neck. But it is still not bleeding.

"Is it necessary?" I have a weak answer.

"Oh hey! I have your money!" He shouted at me again. I pity him, he will just pick up the equipment there without carrying anything. By the way, when I come here, I should bring money.

"I didn't bring anything either." I told him. He even pressed the burial of the knife, I felt a little blood on my neck.

"You bastard! Liar! I said!" He shouted angrily.

"Why is it very important to humanity?" I asked him.

"Huh ?!" He asked in astonishment.

"The paper, I mean the money. It is just a plain paper. A plain paper that is made with leaves. The world is fighting for money, what is special there? I see nothing." I smiled in response. Imagine, what will happen to the world when the bill is lost? I think, they will all be dead.

"What are you saying there ?!" He shouted angrily, maybe he could not understand what I was saying.

"Money is nothing. A plain paper with nothing on it. Everything is nothing." I said. The knife was still dirty and I felt blood coming out of my neck. Down to my chest, I lost the urge to fight so I could not escape. Also, my neck hurts.

"The world is pitiful, fighting for a role. Is that paper worth everything?" I said again.

"Stitch--" We were both surprised when a tube quickly plunged closer to us. Fortunately, I was able to avoid it immediately, and because the man was holding me, he was able to avoid me.

"Hands off her, asshole." Zephyr said seriously. What is this man doing here?

"P * ta! Who are you ?!" The man is very angry.

"Her boyfriend." He replied that I was shocked. Boyfriend? When did he become my boyfriend?

"You're not my boyfriend." I refuse. The man let go of the knife so I touched my bleeding neck.

"What is that!" The man shouted and was about to run away from the two of us.

"Where are you going, bastard?" Zephyr stopped him from running. Zephyr grabbed the man's clothes and brought them closer to me. Fortunately, he did that, because I still want to do something with the man.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked the man. He looks twenty years older that us. Surely this man already has a family.

"I need money!" I was surprised when he suddenly cried. I do not know but I suddenly stroked his back.

"I do this so my family can have something to eat!" He shouted. Now I know, he's doing this for his family.

"I can't find a job because I only finished elementary school! They don't accept me because of that. Tell me ?! What should I do ?! This world is so greedy!" He shouted again. Yes, he's right, this world is very cruel.

"They say that poverty is not a barrier to education. Look * how are they going to make money ?! Their school projects ?! The tuition fees ?! How did that not become an obstacle ?!" He shouted. Zephyr just stared at the man as I stroked the man's back.

"What am I going to do ?! I have no other way to support my family but to do this!" He added that what he was saying was full of frustration.

"Zephyr, I have your wallet." I command Zephyr.

"Why do you still have me?" I smiled when he spoke Tagalog, he knew how.

"Can you just give it to me?" I command. He stared at me and snatched his wallet. He threw it at me, obviously against what I was doing.

"What's your perspectives about money?" I asked Zephyr.

"A plain paper." He answered seriously.

"Good, now I will give you the plain paper you are telling him." I said while laughing out loud. Zephyr's face was funny when I said that. This paper is very important that even Zephyr can't live without this.

"Manong?" I will ask his name.

"Agoy." He said softly.

    I grabbed money from Zephyr's wallet, you have a lot of different colored paper. I picked up three blue ones printed with '1000'.

"Manong Agoy, then accept that first." I told the man. He looked at me happily.

"My daughter! Thank you very much!" He said as he took the money.

"Just, stop doing that. He'll give you a job." I said while pointing to Zephyr and I laughed in his face again.

"Me again ?! Why did I even come here?" He said angrily. It's nice to hear his voice when he speaks Tagalog.

"It's embarrassing for me." Mang Agoy said. I smiled at him and looked at Zephyr again.

"Crazy, stupid girl. Be thankful that we still need some janitor." He said I smiled too much. He was not helpful, that was obvious to him. But look at what he is doing now. Even if I say I forced him and ordered him, he still does not have it if he follows me.

"Get my calling card on the side." He commanded me.

    I took a hard card.

"That's an ATM." He said so I returned.

"The black one." He said, I saw a black paper so I took it and gave it to Mang Agoy.

"Just call me, someone will fetch you tomorrow morning. You will be working as a janitor, is that fine with you?" Zephyr asked. His face was irritated when he said that.

"What is it, sister?" Mang Agoy asked. Maybe he doesn't understand English very well.

"Please call the number there. Someone will pick you up tomorrow morning. If it's okay for you to work as a janitor?" When I translate what Zephyr said. Mang Agoy replied happily "Oo naman iha!"

"Okay, we're leaving. Come on, Ris." Zephyr said, I smiled at Agoy first.

"Always be careful. Make sure you do your job." I said while still holding my neck to prevent its bleeding.

"My sister! Forgive me for the wound on your neck. I'm really sorry sister." He said he was obviously nervous because my hand had a lot of blood.

"What happened there?" Zephyr asked, it looks like he just noticed it. There was a look of concern on his face.

"That's nothing." My answer. It hurts a bit.

"Blood is all over your neck and will you answer me that it just doesn't exist?" He said to me a little annoyed.

"Mang Agoy, we have to go." He said once more than me away. I hated Mang Agoy.

"Look." He says. We stopped first. We are a bit far from Mang Agoy.

"Damn." He said softly as I removed my hand from my neck. Maybe the wound is big here.

"I don't have a handkerchief! Damn!" He yelled.

     I was surprised when he took off the polo he was wearing. He was wearing black and his body was scratched on it.

    He put his polo on my neck and held it to me.

"That man did that?" He asked as we walked fast.

"Yes." My answer.

"Damn him!" He was obviously very annoyed.

"Don't blame him, he just did that for his family." I told him. Maybe he will take back the work of mang Agoy.

     We have come a long way. I do not know where he will take me but I trust him.

      Suddenly we entered a gate. The house is big and beautiful.

"Your house?" I asked him.

"Yes." He gave a short answer. They are rich.

     We went inside the house. It is also beautiful inside.

"Come here, we will treat that." He says. There is no one in this house. Only the two of us.

"You don't have a helper?" I asked him.

"Only two. That rests." He says. Where are his parents?

"Your parents?" I asked him.

"I don't know where my dad is, you know business. My mom is dead." I was surprised by what he said. Is her mommy dead?

"Sorry." I said. He doesn't look sad about it but I want to apologize because I asked more.

"It's nothing. Let's go to my room." He says. Maybe that's where he'll treat me. If you ask me, I do not want a house like this. The house where Ion and I are staying now is better.

"My wallet?" He asked me. I felt like I was in my pocket. Where did I put that?

"Ah, I left you?" I hesitate to answer. Did I miss it?

"Shit." He said softly.

"Just a joke. This oh." I told him at the same time I gave him his wallet. He stared at me.

    I looked at a large painting. Painting by a man familiar to me. This painting looks new. Maybe this is Zephyr's dad, but why do I seem to have seen him before?

   We entered his room. He took medical supplies from my wound. He wiped it with a wet towel first. Equipped with what what I do not know.

"Where will you work for mang Agoy?" I asked him. I just want to know so that I can visit mang Agoy at his place of work.

"In Dad's company." He said as he put something on my neck.

"Where is that?" I asked again. He lifted my chin because he could not properly treat my wound.

"It's just a small branch of ours. You're close to here. The main company is miles away from here." He says. They are probably rich because his father owns a company.

"Come with me when we visit mang Agoy huh." I told him. I just want to see if mang Agoy is fine with his work. I don't know, I just want him to be fine.

"Okay."

"How much will he be paid there?" I asked again.

"How much is the janitor's salary?" He asked me again. I know how much the janitor's salary in this world is.

     I know what the janitor is doing, they are cleaning. I already saw Mreine when I was about to leave.

"I do not know." My answer.

"Since I've met him, I'll tell them to increase his salary." He says. He let go of my neck and returned the things he had used to its container.

"What is the name of your company?" I asked before we left their house. He stopped walking.

"It was named after my mom." He says.

"Oh, what's the name?" I will ask. We continued out of their gate. We stopped again and stared.

"Mreine."