Hideaway

?Chapter 1 ? "Be aware. Most of the people who sneak into this Bayle are minors. We can't let the Bayle be full of drunk teenagers," an aged man tapped my shoulder. As a grown man, I am so grateful that my mother raised me in the most conservative way. I grow up with a full grip of discipline to myself. I don't have vices since mom wouldn't want me to have one. Sometimes, I do drink but not to the point where I will lose all of my consciousness like a wasted teenager in search for freedom. “I'm glad you accepted the offer, Sir. ” the wrinkles of his eyes was visible the moment he smiled, ”You have a...nice position as a Royal Knight, am I right?" “I guess so,” I chuckled. Because of what I said, the old man laughed as if he find it so amusing. “Humble, ain't you? We all know that you're one of the three Royal Generals in this kingdom. I bet you have a good amount of wealth under your sleeves. ” he stared at me as the visible smoke of cigarette left his lips. I distanced myself when I smelled the strong scent of tobacco, “Shall we start?" and firmed my voice while roaming my eyes around the Bayle area. For now, all of the guards are still outside of the fence since the Bayle had just began. Most people who come in this Bayle are women with their girl friends. Men also come in groups if they don't have their partners with them. Bayle is a filipino version of a ball. It is sometimes held when there's a fiesta or a celebration inside the community. “Ter,” the old man who accompanied me called a younger boy from the crowd, "You and Sir Rohann should guard from the inside. Make sure there are no teenagers. Got it? I'll take the outside shift for now. " “You dirty old man! I know how you want to welcome all of the pretty ladies in this room!" “I'm already old, son. All I can do is watch these pretty ladies. ” the old man laughed louder. While listening to what he said, I felt bad for his wife. He's married and definitely had a lot of kids. Well, I don't know. He might meant it as a joke but still, that was insulting. The way he just expressed how much he love to watch these young ladies is disgusting. All I can do is hope that he won't be committing a******y any time soon. We walked away and as we distance came between us, I flinched back to the old guy. What a horny old man with his big smiles. I can't help but just shook my head in disappointment. “Did you just resigned from your job to become a...I don't know—a Tanod?" A Tanod is a guard inside a small community called Baranggay. They are trained but not in the same way as how the knights and justice departments were professionally pursued. But yes, I respect these people. Their salaries are low but still, they provide security and a safe environment for everyone. I bet they're even way more effective than the cops. “No, I did not," I told him and took a seat from one of the vacant tables. “If that's it, then why are you doing this kind of job then? I mean, for someone as noble as you. Don't you think that this is low from your league?" he curiously asked. "Any form of occupation is noble. And no, having a job like this doesn't change anything at all. Its all the same." I glanced at the women who were giggling and looking at us. “Where?" one of the women asked. I'm pretty sure that they're trying to flirt at the young lad who is with me. “The one in white?" “No, not him! Not the ugly one, the younger one!" A server came to our table and placed some bottles of whiskey. I took one bottle and poured it on my throat. The world is bitter than this beer. No matter how successful, how rich, how you have everything else. If you're ugly, you're still ugly. People will still look at you so lowly. This is what we call the Beauty Privilege. Its the one privilege that I will never have. Why? I'm not handsome. I do look like my Father and I have the eyes of my beloved mother. But still, the birth mark that covers almost half of my left face is what makes me look horrible. Its what scares children. “Uh, I"ll just go...” Ter left. My eyes did not left him until he arrived at the table where the group of noisy women are. Moments later, the Bayle started. The band on the stage are in tune. And of course, the women are enjoying everything since the vocalist is a freaking demigod-looking man. I guess, as a man, this is my insecurity. Its not just women who are doomed to have insecurities in their bodies and faces, men can also have some. There's no problem with being ugly actually. I have no problem with that if only I was an ordinary person. But I am not. I am a Maharlican which means I have the riyal blood in my veins. I am also the Visayan Royal General of the Kingdom. Everyone respected me. But they only respect me because I have wealth and power. If I have none of them, I'm pretty sure that I have been the center of bullying. They might not directly told me about my flaws. Yet I still know. I know how energy, how respect, how approach can never lie. They might not told me about it but I felt it. The music was becoming louder every passing minutes. Women and men paired themselves in the center of the Bayle circle and slow danced. Things like this makes me feel out of place. No matter what I do, nobody will ever gonna pair with me. And I have to suck this up because I'm a man. And a man doesn't have to cry about his insecurities, about how much he feel jealous of almost everything. The stigma can never change. I guess, being masculine requires a sacrifice. And that sacrifice includes living in silent agony. “Oi, its you, brother! " I looked up to the person who approached my table. The lights were dimmed. Only the fairy lights are left in its normal bright ,giving a romantic scenery of the whole Bayle. And the small yellow bulbs gives enough light for me to be able to recognize faces. “Nicholas,” we both shook hands, "Its nice to see you around here." “How are you, man? Its been so long since the last time I saw around the area. Since when did you came home? ” he tapped my arm as the woman with him smiled. "Just last week. ” He laughed, "I can't believe it! We have not seen each other for 15 years!" “The place has gotten me off pretty good. A lot of things change in this area, huh,” ningisi usab ko sa babaye na kuyog niya. “A lot did. This is my fiance, by the way. Gwen, this is Rohann. He's my childhood bestfriend.” “Hi," I nodded at her when she greeted me just to acknowledge her presence. "You're finally getting married. I'm happy for you." “Well, you know. I'm getting old. How about you? I bet you already had a wife,", he grinned. “Ah, sadly, no." “I don't believe you. Anyways, we'll be off for now . Let's catch up later on. My fiance is stressed out already. See you around, Ron!" he paved his way out of the fence. How lucky of my old friends to be blessed with beautiful women in their lives. Actually, I am so pressured by my parents demanding me to marry already. I do want to settle down. But the problem is, with whom? It'd be so okay to marry an ordinary woman. She can be a commoner for all I care. As long as she'll respect and accept me, everything will be alright. As the Bayle continued, I felt like I have drunk a lot of whiskey already. Someone screamed. As a reflex, I immediately stood from my table and hit one of the bottles with my arm. It was about to fall into the floor but luckily, I was fast enough to catch it. I roamed my eyes around the Bayle to ensure everyone's safety. I wonder who screamed and what really happened. As I further observed, everyone was captivated by a woman who just entered the fence. I bet she's famous to be stared by everyone like this. The old man from the gate approached him with a smile. She gave him a warm laugh and moved to a group of people who called her. Sighing, I looked back the vocalist from the stage. This is my job so I have to be really careful about doing things. No natter how much I tried to focus my gaze on the crowd, my eyes always linger its way back to her. She's beautiful, no wonder why she's famous. I am so out of her league right now. The way she just stood in there with an elegant poise is stepping on the heck out of my ego. Her eyes batted and sparked fireflies under the hanging yellow bulbs on the ceiling. She isn't the fairest woman in this room but she outshines all the other women's skin color stigma. Her skin is dark, not too dark but I bet they'll be glowing like gold under the sun. If only I can plead to heaven to be as beautiful as her. In that way, she'll be able to see me. But I can't. She left the group of women and passed by my table. Not even a glance from her divine eyes dropped on me. She approached the group of guys, greeted each of them with a smile and talked. Her friendly gestures towards the guys are making some of the girls around to whisper and gossip. I pulled my attention away from her. Hours passed and more people came. When I heard a loud giggle from someone on the back, I couldn't help but flinch. The moment I flinched to check, our eyes met. She smiled at me before continuing the conversation with her friends. Damn it. I was about to stand from my seat when someone took a seat in front of me. It was her. “Hi,” her weak eyes settled on the bottle of whiskey in front of us. “Hello,” I dropped my butt back to my seat. “You don't look like you live around here," I can hear the slight tone of alcohol in her veins. So she's been drinking? “Tanod,” I answered. She raised an eyebrow, "Tanod? Are you sure?” “Why?" She tilted her head, "Nothing. You don't look like one though. But you do look familiar." I sighed, "Is there anything I can do for you? You left your friends." “Friends?” she scoffed, "I don't have one though. They're just my...hm... connections." Oh, okay. “How am I going to say this? Um, they only befriend me because they need me. And so I was to them. Minus the friendship. All I need is the benefits they can give me. Can't trust anyone." “If you can't trust anyone, then why are you telling me this?" “Its because I just want to?" she smirked. “Hmm.” the only reply I can give. “I'm Farra,” she stretched her hand “… Farranur Sultana.” “Muslim? ” she shook her head. “I have a muslim name since my grandparents are muslims. But my parents are christians. But duh, its all the same thing. ” she laughed. “What do you mean?” I know that was a straightforward question. “I mean nothing. Its just that, does religion even matter at all? ” “Ah, okay.” I watched her pour the bitter whiskey in her mouth. I was in shock. Honestly, I've never seen a woman who has drank whiskey this...I don't know? Good? "What? You've never seen a woman drink before? ” she rolled her eyes at me.