Chapter 6 Early conflicts
1682 Words
Alexander evolved into becoming a responsible father to both his children. He enrolled them in private schools in the province. They must be lucky to have a father like Alexander. Somebody who is wealthy, powerful, wise, and a magnet of good luck. Their lives are enriched with everything they needed and everybody would have wanted. Lucio and Keila have their own nannies and drivers. They live in a mansion that looks like a museum or a palace. They always attract the attention of everyone in school because of their father's influence. Lucio, the youngest of the two children, was the crowd favorite, and that made Kelia feel insecure about her brother. Keila was two years older than Lucio.
"Keila, you should look after your brother. Alright? We will be in Manila for a couple of days," Therese said to her only daughter.
"Okay. I'll take care of it." She assured her mother and gave her a pleasant kiss.
"Thanks, Hon. Mom and I will be back soon," Alexander voiced out.
"No worries, Dad!" she replied.
They left at ten in the evening, and Reyes helped them drive to their destination. They had their family dinner before their flight.
It is already six in the morning when the siblings hurriedly jump off their bed. Today is Monday, and Lucio was expected to be in school early.
"Have you seen my tablet?" Lucio asked his sister.
He had been looking for it since last night, but he couldn't seem to find it. He was thinking he might have left it on the dining table, but it wasn't there.
"No," Keila answered vividly, with no interest in helping her brother look for the missing item.
"Urrrrgh! I can't recall where else I put it." He murmured, feeling annoyed.
Keila just shrugged and was getting ready to go to school.
"Are you sure?" he asked again, having suspicions that his sister might have seen it at a glance.
"No. Let's go!" she said in a hurry.
She stands by the main door, waiting for her brother to come out. However, Lucio is getting more agitated that he can't find his tablet.
"Are you sure you did not see my tablet?" he asked again.
"I am very sure. Now, can we go? The clock is ticking and I don't want to be late," she moaned.
"You know, I can't go without it. My activities were all there," he protested.
"Fine. If you do not want to go, and you want to look for it, then go ahead! I am going to school right now!" Keila replied.
She marched out of their main door and rode in the waiting car. Lucio shook his head and was left with no choice but to join his sister. Otherwise, he will be late for school.
"I thought you couldn't go without it," his sister wondered.
"I will just explain everything to Ms. Castillo and maybe redo my activities. I hope she will allow me," he said in a bad mood.
The mood sets the whole day. When he arrived in his classroom, Ms. Castillo was already standing in front of the class. He was late.
"Good morning, Ms. Castillo!" he greeted the old lady.
His teacher was an old maid, and she was the most famous terror teacher on the whole campus.
"Why were you late, Mr. Moreau?" she asked.
"I am sorry Miss! I looked for my tablet and I couldn't find it. I didn't know where I had lost it. All my activities were all there," he said in a very apologetic manner.
"It is your sole responsibility to take care of your belongings and make sure that your activities are kept safely, then what happened?" she chuckled sarcastically.
He bowed his head and didn't say anything. His teacher continued to babble her lecture. He tried to be calm and did not pay attention to everything she said. He stood still until she asked him to take one seat.
"Class, make sure that what happened today will not become your recurring habit. I will not tolerate it next time, understood? Mr. Moreau?" the teacher's final pitch.
"Yes Maam, I understood. Ms. Castillo, can I redo our activities? I know it was all my fault and I do not want my other group members to be liable for my mistakes. I am willing to take the consequences. Please give us another chance," he asked politely.
"That depends. Now, let us proceed to our next topic," the teacher replied.
He felt guilty and could not stand the look he was getting from his members. They feel bad and mad at him because of what happened. He sighed and promised to make it all up with them.
"Let me pay for lunch," he volunteered.
"Is that some kind of payment for missing the presentation today?" one of his members asked.
"No, I just wanted to make it up to you for the worst day I have caused you," he replied, feeling ashamed.
The member answered him angrily, "We can't accept your offer. You should look for your tablet or redo the activities alone. It is more important than treating us all for lunch."
They can't blame them. It is the first time that someone has gotten mad at him. They left him alone at the table.
It was an ordinary day for them to have their driver pick them up. It seems like Keila had fun at school because it took a while before she showed up at the school exit, where the waiting area is.
"How was your day?" Keila asked after barging into the car.
"Bad day ever. I feel guilty for losing my tablet on this very important day," he replied, feeling irritated.
He said Keila looked like the opposite of what he was feeling right now, and it made him more annoyed. It seems like she is happy and had a great day at school.
"How about you?" he questioned her.
"Great," she answered happily.
"I thought so," he said, sounding bitter.
Upon arrival, their nannies would take their belongings and bring them to their respective rooms.
"Hep hep, Selda! Can you look for my tablet, please? I haven't seen it since last night," he ordered one of the helpers.
"Sure do, young boss!" the helper said.
"Thank you, Selda. I hope to find it today," he shouted in response to the helper.
The helper nodded and left them with good snacks on the table. Keila is just sitting in front of him, looking comfortable while playing on her phone.
They are free to do anything they want. Both their parents are out of the province to attend to business in Manila. They have been too busy to take care of their siblings. However, the Moreau couple is obviously in favor of their son Lucio.
"I wish Mom and Dad were here. I just miss their company." He said to Keila, who is not hearing him because she is too busy playing.
"Young Boss, I have found your tablet," Selda announced while holding an item and handed him his tablet.
Keila's eyes rolled bigger and she stopped what she was doing. She pretended as if she was not noticing anything.
"Where did you find this?" he asked Selda.
This lifted his mood, and he even kissed Selda for saving him.
"Thank you so much. I thought I wouldn't be able to recover this," he exclaimed joyfully.
"You are very much welcome, Young Boss!" Selda replied.
"I said, where did you get this?" he asked again for the second time when he did not receive an answer from her the first time.
"I found it on the study table in your father's home office," Selda answered.
"Really? How did it get there? I thought I was holding this last night and left it on the dining table," he answered, trying to clarify things.
"I thought you knew that Keila put it in the home office. I wasn't aware you were looking for it, that you needed it today," Selda explained.
Upon hearing the helper's explanation, Lucio gazes at his sister, who is still in denial.
"Did you do it?" he questioned Keila, who was now looking puzzled and confused.
"What?" she asked, trying to be innocent.
He confronted her with so much anger. "Did you know that my members are all mad at me and Ms. Castillo almost killed me for wasting her time waiting for nothing? I was late trying to find this tablet and you refused to say that you knew where it was."
"Sorry. I was just kidding. I thought it wasn't that important," she explained.
"You know all along we worked hard for this, then you will just take it as a joke? I'm going to tell Daddy about this," he said.
"No no no! You will not tell Daddy and Mommy about this. It was just a joke. I am sorry!" she continued to plead and ask for forgiveness.
Lucio can't help but burst out, as his natural reaction to having his sister lie to him. He ignored her apologies while checking on the data saved on his tablet.
"Tell me what I can do to make it up to you." She begged.
Lucio did not answer and took the tablet with him. He felt anguish towards his sister for putting him in a very awkward situation. He was ashamed of what happened.
They are having their dinner facing each other, but he has no interest in talking to his sister. He still felt bad about what she did. The phone rang. Alexander was calling. Selda answered the phone and passed it over to Lucio. Whenever Alexander called, he would always look for Lucio first before talking to Keila.
He exploded and informed his dad about what happened. The evening ended too badly because Keila got scolded for what she had done to him. Since the beginning, Keila has been insecure about her younger brother. They always have misunderstandings, and at the end of the day, it was Keila who was put to blame.
- Writer
