New Place, New Face
"Candice!!", a loud voice woke Candice up in her deep sleep.
'I slept too long...', yawned and stretched herself. 'I never expected that Yaya's place's too far. It's like I've traveled to the US.
"Give me a minute Yaya! Will just freshen up.", she responded to her Yaya before she calls her again.
She then hurriedly went to the bathroom and washed her face, brushed her teeth and combed her hair. 'Oh, no. Does it mean I have to keep my moisturizers away?', she thought. 'Oh, never mind. No one will come to my room anyway. I don't have friends here. After she freshens up, when went down and found her Yaya waiting for her for breakfast.
"How was your sleep?", her Yaya Annie asked.
"It was good. "I wouldn't have woken up if you hadn't called me.", she answered with a smile. "Yaya, can you take me to the city later? I want to be familiar with the place. And can we use public transport?"
"Sure. But first, please don't call me Yaya or your "drama" will not work. Call me Aunt Annie.", Her Yaya said.
"But..."
"No but.. You should."
"Ok."
"Ok, what?"
"Ok, Aunt Annie."
"Great!"
After breakfast, her Aunt Annie asked her to go grab her bag and wear pants instead of shorts. She was confused and her Aunt laughed. "Goodness. I don't have a relative as gorgeous as you. They're pretty but you are different. That's why."
"Or they might think you have got a child while working far away." She teased her Yaya.
"Haha! You bet."
"Ok Aunt Annie. "I will now get ready." She walked away and suddenly turned around. "Aunt Annie, please stop calling me Candice. "Just call me Andrea. "I feel like you are scolding me when you are calling me Candice." She laughed.
"OK got it. Now, go and hurry."
After 10 minutes, she marches towards her Yaya Annie.
"Great. You are now moving fast."
"Haha! I always move fast."
They went out of the house and walked for about 5 minutes to the bus station. It's a nice day, and she felt the fresh breeze of the wind. There were a few people queuing up, and she noticed a group of young lads looking at her. Her Yaya followed her gaze, and smiled.
"You've got some admirers.", her yaya whispered.
"Aunt Annie!..", she exclaimed.
"What's wrong. That's a good thing."
Her Aunt Annie stopped teasing her when the bus arrived. She hopped on the bus and one of the lads offered her a seat.
"Thank you." and she pulled her Yaya to sit in the vacated seat."Sit, Aunt Annie. It's thanks to this young man." She said.
"Thank you." Anni replied.
When they arrived the city, she immediately asked her Yaya Annie to go to the coffee shop. She missed her Frappucino. He was only rushing to reach the counter and was not really minding where she was walking. So she slipped as she didn't see the sign. The floor was wet and is slippery. So she slipped and landed in someone's arms.
"Andreaaaa!", exclaimed her Yaya Annie.
While she wasn't able to figure out what came out of her mount because of shock, she ended up embracing the person to gain her balance. "Oh, shit." she exclaimed when she feels like she is going to fall.
"Don't move much. Calm down. You won't fall.", said the person.
And some of the lads there were all laughing, with a teasing look. Without letting go of the person who caught her, she looked at the faces of the 4 lads and noticed those were the lads who had been on the bus earlier.
Annie came closer to her and assisted her so she could stand.
"Thanks Aunt Annie."
Annie didn't look at her, but turned to the man who caught her and said thanks. The man didn't say a word. He just nodded to her Yaya. The group went to the corner table and she and her Yaya grab the menu and went outside.
"This is such a lovely place Aunt Annie. I can smell the fresh air from where we live."
"Haha! How can you say the air is from our place?"
"Can't you?" and she sniled.
"No.. " said Annie with a smile.
"Aunt, this is what I want. Shall I call on the waiter?"
"Sure."
She called for a waiter and waited for a bit. When the waiter came, he said, they can choose anything they like. Someone already paid for it.
"No, we will pay. I don't even know who paid for it."
"Tita, it's not good to say no to a blessing."
"Can you at least say thanks to the person who paid for it?"
Then they placed their order. They were about to finish their beverages when she received a tissue with some numbers in it.
"Is that a mobile number?" he Aunt asked.
"In not sure." so she just put it inside her bag.
"Aunt I have so many things to buy. Will it be okay?"
"Sure as long as we can carry them."
'Oh, yeah. We don't have a car here.' Andrea thought. 'We are not living a good life here. But it's fun.' She mumbled.
"Did you say anything?"
"No, I didn't."
After having coffee, they started roaming around, visiting shop to get the things in her list. One last thing and she is done.
"Aunt, is there any fig jam here?"
"Yes. If you like, we can drop by the store where I found it last time."
"Thank you! I missed it."
After a few minutes, they queued up in the counter.
"Aunt Annie, this is the first time," she said. The first time she went with Yaya Annie to a grocery store without pushing 2 carts. "This is interesting."
Annie just laughed. Andrea is like an innocent child. Happy and contented with simple things.
"Aunt, let's go home. I want a toast for a snack. Come on."
They hurried to catch the bus, leaving in 5 minutes.
"Aunt, why is it that I still feel I'm being watched?"
"Because you are a new face here. You are unfamiliar with the people, so you are new to this place, thus you are not used to the place yet. And maybe people."
"Well.. Anyway, can we drop by the small market along the way? I saw some people selling peanuts. Boiled peanuts, right?"
"Uhum.."
"Great"
Reaching the place, she noticed a group of kids playing marbles.
She approached them, and one of the kids gave her a marble.
"You wanna play?"
She looked at her Yaya.
"It's okay go ahead if you want to play"
"But I don't know how to play this."
"Kids teach this young lady here, okay?"
And the kids happily said yes.
She had a few tries before she was able to hit a marble.
'This is fun.', she murmured. "alirght. Thank you kids! For teaching me."
So she bought ice candy and gave some to the kids.
The kids were so happy.
Not far away, Ivan was sitting with his classmates when he noticed her getting off of the bus. 'She is simple yet, she has that class', Ivan thought.
"Are you still here?", one of his friends noticed him. "Are you struck?" joked his friend.
"Actually, no. She seems to be hiding something."
"You and your wild imagination again."
"She must not be from here."
"Shall I ask?" Andress said and ran.
Ivan just shrugged it off. "Up to you." And he stood up and left. 'She is pretty.'
