Love at the Nth Time

Simple Yet Notable

Chapter 51

An eco-bag was used to carry goods bought at the public market located 10 minutes away. Our town had a few small business shops, the houses were separated by about 6 meters, and a field of nothing but soil surrounded the area.

Chin up to see the two men working on another light post today in our street. Thinking Seth was behind the development of the shortages in our area. It gives me joy that she did this for me. Eyes altered at the tan man of height was around 5'8, leaning on the same car which stayed in the same place near the house a couple of days. He's busy with his phone while smoking. Curious of his unfamiliar presence in our street, my feet turned left, not following the same dirt road.

"Hi," I greeted him. He looked at me and nodded, smiling.

"Hello, Good Morning." He had a bob cut and small eyes.

"Are you new here? Are you looking for someone? Maybe I can help," I implied.

"Oh, I, I actually don't live here. I'm from the street, three blocks away, but I couldn't see any parking I could use. Am I, am I not allowed here?" I waved my hands and shook my head a little.

"It's okay. It's fine. You can park your car anywhere without blocking the doorway, and it would be better to ask the landlord so they could also check it from time to time," I suggested. He smiled and stared at me for seconds. I forced a smile, clueless of the reason, yet had no basis for questioning the odd stare.

"Ah, sorry. You're just so kind. Well, do you know who lived in this house?" He gazed at the wooden house with two floors and two Narra trees holding a hammock on the right side.

"It's ours." He laughed a little. It made me too. "You can park your car here. It's safe," I added, and sauntered away. He nodded.

"Thanks, let me treat you, some time!" I only looked at him as a response.

Michael carried the bag off me and worked his way around the kitchen. He might be just an 8-year-old kid, but he's good at cooking. Rocky and Carla usually played with their toys in the living area and watched television or sometimes ran around the house. Jonathan woke up at six every weekday to attend class, and it was the last week of their schooling for the year.

"Where's mom?" I asked as I helped Michael by cleaning the fish in the sink.

"She's washing the clothes of the neighbour," he replied with eyes on the garlic he was cutting into pieces. It was mom's sideline, aside from the manicure and pedicure service she offered here and there.

"And where's your older sister Shiela? Did she wash the clothes?"

"Don't expect any from her," he specified. I backed away a little as Jericho leaned on the sink and reached for a tupperware on the cupboard.

"Did you feed the animals, Jeric?" I questioned.

"Yeah, yeah, oy Mike, cook my food first, I've school," he ordered and strutted outside the backdoor.

Our usual routine. The home hadn't rested in silence. Kids of the family had their own matters they set their attention to. Father, we didn't talk much about him aside from Rocky and Carla asking his whereabouts every day he was away. Mom's regaining her strength to move forward as she started to work again. Carla ran to me, passing my phone, and told me someone was calling. Glancing at the fish getting cooked in the pan, I took the phone and answered,

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Miss Celine Miranda?" asked a woman.

"Yes."

"Ma'am, we're near to your house. Are you in there?"

"Um, yes, why? Who is this, by the way?" She's talking indistinctively to other people. "Hello?"

A mini-truck slowly stopped at the front yard door. I, and my siblings, took a gander at it, and we gazed at the woman who came. Stunned, it took me seconds before I reacted and approached her as she asked my name. I stood near the door and glanced at the two men who removed the bags of dry goods and cold meat. My eyes widened.

"What the- who ordered something this ridiculous, Michael??" I went frantic. The woman chuckled a little and showed me a paper to sign with a list of the goods on it.

"It's from Sir Seth Vinscon, ma'am." We watched the two men who waited for my permission and instructions on placing the bags. Rocky and Carla screamed in delight as they gawked over at the bags.

Closing my eyes to calm down, I let the goods stack in the house, and as the truck left, my restlessness yelled at the person behind it.

Seth laughed loudly, her response, "Do you need an extra fridge?" My mouth hung open, and it took seconds before I could think of what to say.

"Seth, this is too much. I, you see, mom-" Cut between my words as Carla pulled my arm to talk to her.

"Seth! Sister Seth! There's a lot of food!" She screamed, and Rocky as well, eating an apple.

"What would you tell sis Seth?" I probed.

"Thank you," Carla mumbled on the phone. Rocky shouted it too.

"Damn. I wanna see the kids again," said Seth lightly.

"Who gave these to you?? That lesbian? This is why you've been the talk around!" yelled Jericho, kicked a bag on the floor near the dining table, and scurried through the door.

"I, I'll speak with you later," I uttered and dropped the call.

Accepting these wouldn't be the same as happily accepting any that's been given without asking in return, since the family I had and the outsiders who had nothing to do, filled their time with gossip and side opinions.

Who wouldn't be curious about receiving these kinds of gestures if I'd been in the same situation once, and now it's almost the usual story with a twist.

*On Call... Sis

"Omg," she burst out in laughter, she added, "Seth moved crazily, huh." I sighed and scratched my forehead a little. I told Michael and the other kids not to touch the bags that the two lively youngest sibs hadn't opened.

"Tell mom, this is your doing," I entreated. She scoffed a bit.

"Mom won't believe it. That's a lot. Did I win the sweepstakes?" I groaned aloud. Sis Rose laughed again. Tongue-tied, nothing's coming out of my head what to reason out. The eldest sibling suggested telling the truth, yet somewhat, it's making me more anxious than inventing a reason to flee.

Michael didn't wear off the smile on his face, gleaming as he stored the goods in the fridge. A good problem with not having any more space was where he happily put the others in the empty kitchen cupboard. Handing him the boxes of cereals as he used a stool to reach the cabinet, we gazed at mom entering the house with a surprised and confused look. Carla ran to her and gave her an orange.

"Mom, Seth," Carla announced, lively, and jumped around. Mom eyed me.

"Who gave this food? T-that's too many," she mumbled in disbelief.

"Right, mom, the fridge is already full, and we still have boxes we didn't open. It's gonna be a merry merry Christmas and a happy new year," Michael jested. I chuckled as our eyes met.

"Was that the woman?" Mom probed in front of my face. I nodded and went on passing boxes of cookies to Mike.

"I didn't ask her. I was also surprised when the truck came, and I couldn't refuse it. The staff was already stowing them inside the house."

"Are you together already?" Seconds of silence. I shook my head. Mom nodded and walked into the bedroom. "I'll cook something delicious on Christmas, send her as regards. Reject her already, Celine. You already have Hu," her voice came out of the room.

"Whoa! It's true!! Aunt Marites saw loads of food coming into the house," announced Shiela delightfully, opened a box of cookies, and snatched a large bag of chips on the table. She tittered as she opened the fridge. "Merry Christmas, people!"

"Shiela, did you wash the clothes?? We're running out of clothes," I stated.

"Yeah, yeah, tomorrow. Is this from Bro Ryan? The Chinese?" she inquired and opened a box of milk. Michael tapped my shoulder. I handed him a couple of boxes. I took a deep breath inaudibly, arms wrapped around the medium box of goods inside as my heart turned heavier than the goods around me.

"It's from Seth," I corrected.

"What-" Mom interjected her daughter's unbelievable reaction as she asked her to come with her to the church, helped the place as they were decorating it for a small event which would be held on Christmas day.

"Ah, we can share our food too," I suggested, and mom nodded at me while she wore her outdoor slippers.

"We'll get spoiled food if we don't," she implied and left.

I smiled secretly. It went well.