Kabanata XXXII
Cage This is not what I expected for a place I will live temporarily. It's not as luxurious as my condo. There are so many neighbors. Children and vehicles are loud and it could break my eardrum. The house Francis bought was small and modest but functional, tucked in a crowded, low-cost subdivision where neighbors lived so close they could hear each other's arguments through thin walls. The streets were narrow, lined with motorcycles and makeshift sari-sari stores, and the air carried the scent of fried food and exhaust. I stepped out of the car, eyes scanning the area with thinly veiled displeasure. Children ran barefoot on the pavement, their laughter mixing with the chatter of gossiping housewives. A group of men sat on plastic chairs outside the neighbor's gate, their eyes following
- Writer
