The Godfather’s Sinful Night

Avannah Sanchez's POV “Oh my, Avannah! You’re so skinny! You look like a skeleton! Such a waste of your beauty, girl!” my friend Yvonne exclaimed. At twelve years old, I looked more like a ten-year-old because of how thin I was. I ate properly—just not enough. My mother had to stretch whatever money my father earned from driving a tricycle. There were four of us siblings, and I was the eldest. The others were still very young; two of them were still drinking milk. Life was hard, and we were barely getting by. It was a good thing my mother had undergone a tubal ligation, so there wouldn’t be any more mouths to feed. “Don’t worry,” I said with a smile. “Once I grow up a bit, I’ll gain weight. You know we’re struggling, right? We just make do with whatever my dad brings home. That’s why I don’t eat much. What matters is that we still have breakfast, lunch, and dinner—even if it isn’t much.” She sighed softly. “Don’t worry. When I get rich, I’ll help you. We’ll eat all the delicious food we want. We’re not rich either, you know. It’s just me and my sibling, and my dad’s earnings from driving a jeepney are only enough for us to survive day by day.” “Don’t worry,” I said with a giggle. “We’ll get rich too. The day will come when we can buy everything we want.” “That’s right! We will get rich!” she said, raising her hand for a high-five. A few moments later, a familiar voice called out my name. When I turned around, I saw my godfather, Raider—kind, warm, and undeniably handsome. “Hi, Godfather! Why?” I asked cheerfully. “Where’s your dad?” he asked. “He’s out driving the tricycle. He won’t be home until later tonight, around ten,” I replied. He nodded. “I see. I was hoping to invite him over tomorrow—it’s my mom’s birthday. Tell him to come, alright? I’ll be expecting him.” “Okay, Godfather! I’ll tell him when he gets home!” He smiled widely and gently patted my head. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and took out several thousand pesos. He placed the money into my hand. “This is for you,” he said. “Make sure you buy plenty of food, alright? You’re too skinny, Avannah—it’s not good. I’ll be going now. Just don’t forget to tell your dad, okay?” My eyes widened as I stared at the money in my hand. It was the first time I had ever held such a large amount. Raider always gave me money whenever he visited, but this—this was no joke. I knew it was a significant amount. “O-okay, Godfather! Thank you very much!” I shouted as he drove away. He waved at me before disappearing down the road. I clutched the money tightly in my hand. “Wow! Your Raider is super generous!” Yvonne exclaimed, her eyes wide. “That’s a lot of money, Avannah! You can buy so much food with that!” “Yeah! Okay, Yvonne, I’ll go home first and give this to Mama!” I said quickly before dashing off. Yvonne’s house was only a few doors away from ours, so I reached home in no time. Still out of breath, I leaned against the door for a moment before running to Mama. “Mama! Raider gave me this money,” I said breathlessly. “He said it’s for buying food. He was looking for Papa, too. He said to invite Papa to their house tomorrow because it’s his mommy’s birthday!” Mama’s eyes widened as she took the money from my hand. She counted it carefully, then looked at me in disbelief. “Ten thousand pesos?” she exclaimed. “That’s a huge amount!” I nodded slowly. “Even I was surprised. He said I’m too thin, so he told me to buy food.” “Alright,” Mama said after a moment. “Get dressed. Help me get your siblings ready—we’re going out. We’ll buy plenty of food, my child.” She lifted my youngest sibling, who was only two years old, onto her hip. That day, Mama bought more food than we ever had at once. She stocked up on milk and diapers, making sure we wouldn’t run out anytime soon. When Papa came home that evening, he froze at the sight of groceries piled high in our small house. “Ma? Why is there so much food?” he asked. “Did you go grocery shopping? Where did the money come from?” “From Avannah’s godfather, Raider,” Mama replied. “He stopped by earlier looking for you. He said it’s his mommy’s birthday tomorrow. You should go.” “He said he’s expecting you, Papa,” I added. Papa took a deep breath and rubbed his temple. “Raider has always been there for me,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “It’s like he knows exactly when I’m at my lowest—and that’s when he shows up. I owe him so much. He’s a billionaire now, yet he never once looked down on me or stepped on my dignity. He’s been there for me from the very beginning.” Mama stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him. “That’s why, among all your friends, he’s the real one. Even when you had nothing, he never left you. Unlike the others who forgot you once they rose in life.” I watched them quietly. My thoughts drifted to Raider, and in that moment, I promised myself that one day, I would repay his kindness. The next day, Papa’s wealthy sister, Aunt Elen, arrived. She was one of the few relatives who helped us—our generous aunt. Unlike Papa’s other siblings, who belittled him because he was the only poor one among them. I had just come inside the house from playing with Yvonne when Mama and Aunt Elen turned to look at me. Mama walked over and gently held my hands. “Child…” she began softly. “Your Aunt Elen wants you to stay with her for a while. So she won’t be alone there. You know her husband is gone, and she doesn’t have children. She gets lonely…” Aunt Elen stepped forward. “I’ll provide everything you need, Avannah,” she said kindly. “I’ll send you to school. When you graduate and get a good job, you can help your family.” I looked at Mama, my chest tightening. “It’s okay with me if you stay with your aunt for now,” Mama said gently. “With her, you can study properly. You won’t have to stop school like now. So if you agree, my child… stay with her for the meantime.” I looked at Aunt Elen, then back at Mama. The thought of being away from my family made my chest ache. But I also thought of what Aunt Elen said—that if I finished my studies, I could help my family. I could help Mama send my siblings to school. “Alright, Mama,” I said with a small smile. “I agree… so I can help our family someday.” Mama pulled me into a tight hug, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed softly. “Don’t worry, my dear. You can visit us when you don’t have school so we can still see each other. Take care of yourself and always obey your aunt.” I nodded quickly. “Yes, Mama. I’ll behave,” I said before looking at Aunt Elen, who smiled warmly at me.