Chapter 4
1242 Words
I noticed someone was always watching me from my tree house, so when the agency called, I immediately left that house. Well, not totally left, I guess, because I’ll still go back there—my memories are there,. The agency already had all the details about where I was going, so that was fine, and apparently I’d be watching a kid. A rich one, too, so at least while I’m working I’ll be able to save up.
“Manong, thank you po.” I said as I handed my fare to the driver.
“Good luck, inday.”
I just smiled at Manong—he’s such a chatterbox, haha.
When I finally saw the house I’d be staying at, I was stunned. Just the outside alone was already massive. I rang the doorbell right away.
“Hello po.” I greeted as an old woman in uniform opened the door.
“You’re from the agency? Maxine, right?” she asked, smiling.
“Yes po.”
“Come in first. Why didn’t the agency send someone with you?”
“There was an emergency po, so I came alone.”
The moment the door opened, my jaw dropped. So beautiful. So big. So pristine.
“The one you’ll be watching is Doña Margaritha’s grandson. He’s only 12 years old, but he’s very picky with his nannies—you’re the seventeenth one. I hope you’ll be the last.”
I just smiled and listened to her.
“His parents died when he was six, and he still can’t accept that he’s an orphan. That’s why we need a nanny who’s always smiling, so he might catch it.”
I laughed at what she said. “You’re exaggerating, po.”
“Manang.”
“Just call me Manang.”
“Okay, Manang, hehe.”
“This is your room.”
I was amazed by how spacious it was—probably two and a half times bigger than my tree house. Well, they’re rich, after all.
“It’s just the two of us here.”
“Okay Manang. I’ll just go change po.”
She handed me a purple uniform and I immediately grinned—purple’s my favorite, HAHA.
“Maxine, come here. I’ll introduce you to Doña and her grandson. You’ll be staying with us.” Manang called me, and I got excited.
“Doña Marga, the new nanny for Nathan is here.”
I got nervous when she stared at me. The Doña looked strict, so she was kind of intimidating.
“Hello po.” I greeted, then looked at the boy sitting on the sofa.
“This is my grandson. He’s the one you’ll be watching. Take him to his room—you can introduce yourself to him there. Take good care of my one and only grandson.”
I nodded and approached the boy, but he ran up the stairs.
“Slowly lang.” I said gently, then followed him.
When I opened his door, I was shocked—he threw his toys at me. I went straight to him.
“Nathan, that’s bad. Do you know that bratty kids don’t end up happy?”
“I don’t care.” He said angrily.
I let him calm down first because he was raging like Angry Birds earlier.
“Are you done being grumpy? Come on, let’s play.”
“What game? You want hide and seek?”
“No.” He said without hesitation. “That’s a cheap game.”
“No it’s not. I used to play that at the orphanage.”
He just rolled his eyes. Hmm, should I try chatting with him instead?
“How old are you?”
“12.”
“You know, you’re lucky.” I said, looking at him. He looked back at me, and I could really see the loneliness in his eyes. “Because you still have a grandma left. Me? When I was 6 years old, my mommy and daddy left me.”
He just stared at me like he had a lot of questions in his head, but I kept going—this is how I made friends at the orphanage before.
“Where did they go?”
“They died.”
“Ohh.” He was shocked by what I said.
“It’s okay, that’s just how it is. You should be thankful you got to be with them for a long time. Some kids lose their parents when they’re only a few months old. At the orphanage, there was a 10-month-old baby who was dropped off because there was no one to raise him and his sibling. At least he had an older sibling to take care of him.”
I stopped talking when he opened his mouth, like he was about to say something.
“I wish I had an older sibling.”
“You can call me Ate, you know. I’ll show you what it’s like to have a sibling.”
“How? We’re not even related.”
“It’s not about blood when you love a sibling or a person. It’s about what’s in here, in your heart.” I pointed to his chest. “I can tell you’re holding in some pain, so share it with me and I’ll help you.”
“Really?” he repeated.
“Yes. Can you bring back the time when they were still alive?”
“That’s the one thing I can’t do, but I can be a mom and dad to you to take care of you, because that’s what a nanny is. Some kids are even closer to their nannies than their parents, because it’s not about blood—it’s about heart and soul, love and respect.”
He just stared at me, stunned, so I let him think for a bit.
“Leave me alone, please.”
I was surprised by his tone, but I let him be.
“I’ll leave you alone for now, ha. Rest up.” I said, then left his room.
“Oh, where’s your charge?” Manang immediately asked me.
“He’s resting po.” She just nodded in response.
“Oh, Doña Marga is calling for you. She wants you to buy something at the mall.”
I immediately went to Doña Marga’s office.
“I want you to buy a remote control toy for Nathan.” she said right away while I was still at the doorway.
“Ah, okay po, Doña Marga.”
She gave me money for it, so I hurried to the mall. I was excited going in when suddenly, gunshots rang out right outside the mall.
I quickly ran inside and hid because I knew that sound. The sound of guns. People started running toward the exit, which just caused more chaos, while I stayed hidden at the side, peeking out. I guess I’m not scared anymore because I’m used to it. Used to it because of the bar.
The shooting stopped, but I still didn’t come out because they might come back. A few minutes passed and it seemed okay, so I went out. I’ll just buy from a different mall instead.
As I was leaving the mall, I noticed a man hiding behind his car door, covered in blood. I looked around first to make sure no one was there.
As I got closer to him, I could finally see his face clearly.
It was him. The man who calls me Cara Mia.
- Writer
