Chapter 7
2109 Words
Grey looked at his two old friends and smiled.
"I just came back from the mountain," he said. "I was looking for food... and things I could sell."
Jericho and Lyjohn stared at him.
"You?" Jericho said, pointing at him.
"Looking for food and trying to earn money?"
The two burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"Good one, Grey!"
Grey simply smiled and waited for them to finish.
"You know what?" he said calmly. "Sooner or later, I'll need your help."
The laughter gradually died down.
"I'm planning to change."
"I want to give my family a better life."
He looked at both of them.
"And I think it's time the two of you do the same."
"We're not kids anymore."
"It's time we started acting like real men."
Jericho and Lyjohn exchanged glances.
"Are you feeling okay?" Jericho asked. "You sound like a completely different person."
Grey shook his head.
"No."
"Nothing has changed."
"I just realized I've wasted enough of my life."
"Every day was the same."
"Drinking."
"Wandering around."
"Avoiding work."
He lowered his eyes.
"I'm a husband."
"I'm supposed to provide for my family."
"But instead..."
"My wife is the one working herself to exhaustion."
He looked back at them.
"Isn't that something we should be ashamed of as men?"
Silence.
Neither Jericho nor Lyjohn answered.
For the first time...
The words struck their hearts.
Jericho thought about his wife daisy and their young son.
Every day, his wife worked from morning until evening while he spent his time drinking with friends.
Lyjohn lowered his head.
His wife had already abandoned him because of his laziness.
Now he and his eight-year-old son depended entirely on his aging parents.
For the first time in years...
Both men felt ashamed.
Lyjohn finally broke the silence.
"So..."
"What's your plan?"
Grey smiled.
"I'll let you know when I need your help."
"I have a few things I need to prepare first."
As the two men turned to leave, something caught their attention.
Jericho looked around Grey's yard.
"...Wait."
"You cleaned all this?"
The overgrown weeds that had covered the property for years were gone.
The yard looked neat and spacious.
Even the house seemed cleaner than before.
Lyjohn rubbed his eyes.
"Weren't these weeds taller than us just yesterday?"
Grey only smiled.
"I had some free time."
Neither of them knew what to say.
Something about Grey felt...
Different.
After seeing them out, Grey walked back toward the front of his house.
Just then, he saw three familiar figures approaching.
Laura.
Milo.
And little May.
The three had just returned from the fields.
Laura's clothes were stained with dirt, and beads of sweat covered her forehead.
The moment her eyes landed on Grey, disappointment filled her expression.
*So... he spent the day with Jericho and Lyjohn after all.*
She assumed they had been drinking together as usual.
Milo stepped protectively in front of his mother.
His eyes were filled with hostility as he looked at his father.
Little May quietly hid behind Laura's leg.
Fear could be seen in her small eyes.
She was afraid.
Afraid that her father had come home drunk again.
Afraid that he would shout.
Or worse...
That he would hurt them again.
Seeing the fear in his daughter's eyes, Grey felt a sharp pain in his chest.
He realized that earning money alone would never be enough.
If he truly wanted this family back...
He first had to prove that the monster they feared...
...was gone forever.
Grey smiled warmly
"You're all back."
He walked toward them.
"Come inside."
"I've prepared dinner."
Laura looked at him suspiciously.
Neither she nor the children moved.
After a brief silence, she nodded.
"...Let's go."
The three followed him into the yard.
The moment they stepped through the entrance, they all froze.
The tall weeds that had covered the yard for years were gone.
The ground had been cleared.
The entire yard looked neat and spacious.
Laura secretly glanced at Harris.
*What is he planning?*
She carefully set the basket down from her back before reaching for her children's hands.
Instinctively, she held them close as they walked toward the house.
When they stepped inside...
They froze once again.
The house was spotless.
The floor had been swept.
The cobwebs were gone.
The furniture had been wiped clean.
Even the kitchen looked organized.
Little May's eyes sparkled.
"Wow!"
"Our house is so clean!"
She looked around excitedly.
"Mom..."
"Is this really our home?"
Laura was speechless.
Her gaze slowly shifted toward Grey.
"What happened here?"
Grey smiled awkwardly.
"After I came down from the mountain, I still had some time."
"So I cleaned the house..."
"And the yard."
Laura frowned.
"Since when did you become interested in cleaning?"
Her voice was filled with doubt.
Before marrying Grey, Laura had always loved keeping everything neat and tidy.
But after becoming his wife...
She spent every day working in the fields.
When she returned home, she still had to cook, fetch water, wash clothes, and take care of the children.
By the time everything was finished...
She barely had enough strength left to sleep.
Cleaning the house had become a luxury she could no longer afford.
This was the first time Grey had ever taken the initiative to clean.
Grey met her eyes.
"Like I told you last night..."
"I'm going to change."
"From now on..."
"Our lives will be different."
"I'll work hard for this family."
Laura remained silent.
She wanted to believe him.
She really did.
But promises...
He had made them too many times before.
Each one had ended in disappointment.
She could no longer allow herself to hope.
Without another word, Grey smiled gently.
"You should wash up first."
"I've already prepared the water."
"You only need to bathe."
Laura blinked.
"...Prepared the water?"
She immediately walked toward the bathing area outside.
The moment she arrived, she stopped in her tracks.
Every container was completely full.
Buckets.
Clay jars.
Water basins.
All filled with fresh spring water.
For a long moment, she simply stared.
Normally, after returning from the fields, her work wasn't over.
She still had to walk three minutes to the spring...
Then make several trips back and forth carrying heavy buckets of water before she could even start cooking dinner.
Today...
Everything had already been prepared.
A complicated emotion filled her heart.
*Has he... really changed?*
She quickly shook her head.
"No."
"I can't think like that."
"It hurts too much to hope..."
"Only to be disappointed again."
Taking a deep breath, she called to the children.
"Milo."
"May."
"Come here."
"I'll help you wash."
The two children hurried over.
As Laura gently poured water over them, May looked around curiously.
"Mom..."
"Do we still have to fetch water every day?"
Laura gently shook her head.
"Not today."
"Your father already did it."
Milo quietly checked the water containers for himself.
To his surprise...
They were all full.
He looked back toward the house with a confused expression.
"Mom..."
"Why is Dad being nice today?"
"He even cleaned our house."
Before Laura could answer, Milo spoke again, his voice low enough that only the three of them could hear.
"May..."
"Don't trust him so easily."
"He might just be pretending."
"What if he's only trying to make us believe him..."
"So he can sell us again?"
Little May's little body trembled.
She instinctively grabbed her mother's hand.
Fear returned to her innocent eyes.
Laura's expression darkened.
"Milo."
She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't say that in front of your sister."
"She'll get scared."
Milo lowered his head.
"...I'm sorry."
Laura softly stroked his hair.
"I know you're only trying to protect us."
She forced a small smile despite the ache in her heart.
"Come on."
"Let's finish bathing."
*****
After changing into clean clothes, Laura and the children slowly walked back toward the house.
Before they even reached the door, a rich aroma drifted through the air.
The smell stopped all three of them in their tracks.
"...Meat?"
Milo sniffed the air.
"It smells so good..."
Little May's little stomach growled.
She unconsciously swallowed.
"It's making me hungry..."
The three hurried inside.
There, they found Grey placing several dishes on the table.
In the center was a steaming pot of pork adobo, its savory sauce glistening under the warm light of the oil lamp. Beside it was a bowl of freshly cooked rice, and another bowl filled with vegetable soup
Grey looked up and smiled.
"Come."
"Let's have dinner while it's still hot."
Laura and the children slowly approached the table.
The moment they saw the food before them...
All three froze.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
Meat.
Real meat.
Not just a few tiny pieces mixed into vegetables...
There was enough for everyone.
Laura couldn't even remember the last time they had eaten pork.
Milo stared silently at the steaming dish.
Little May's eyes sparkled.
"Mom..."
"Is... is that really meat?"
Laura nodded absentmindedly.
"I think so..."
Her eyes slowly shifted toward Grey.
"Where did you get all of this?"
Grey had expected the question.
"I sold some fruits I gathered from the mountain."
"On the way back, I met a traveling merchant."
"He bought them for a good price."
"After that, I stopped by Uncle Lito's store."
"I paid our debt..."
"And bought food for us."
Laura frowned slightly.
"You paid our debt?"
Grey nodded.
"It's all settled."
"I don't owe him anything anymore."
Laura remained silent.
She didn't know whether to believe him.
But one thing was certain...
The food on the table was real.
The smell filling the house was real.
For the first time in years...
Their dinner wasn't just enough to survive.
It was a proper meal.
Grey looked at his family with a gentle smile.
"What are you waiting for?"
"The food won't taste as good if it gets cold."
No one reached for their bowl.
They simply stared at him.
Still unable to believe that this moment was real.
"Milo. May."
"You can eat now," Laura said softly.
Only then did the two children pick up their spoons.
Even so, neither of them reached for the meat.
They hesitated, glancing nervously at Grey from time to time.
Years of fear had become a habit.
They were afraid that if they took too much, he would suddenly yell at them or snatch the food away.
Grey noticed their hesitation.
Without saying a word, he picked up the serving ladle and scooped generous portions of pork adobo into each of their bowls.
Then he served Laura as well.
The three stared at their bowls in disbelief.
There was so much meat.
In the past, Grey would eat all the meat himself, leaving only vegetable soup for them.
This was the first time he had willingly given them the best portion.
Grey smiled gently.
"Go ahead."
"Eat while it's still hot."
May couldn't hold herself back any longer.
She scooped up a piece of pork and took a bite.
Her eyes instantly lit up.
"Mmm!"
"It's so delicious!"
She looked at Grey with sparkling eyes.
"Dad!"
"What is this?"
Grey chuckled.
"It's called pork adobo."
"Pork... adobo?"
The children repeated the unfamiliar name.
Neither of them had ever eaten anything like it before.
Even Laura had never seen meat cooked this way.
Curious, she picked up a piece with her spoon and slowly took a bite.
The moment the flavors melted in her mouth...
Her eyes widened.
The pork was incredibly tender.
The sauce was rich, savory, slightly tangy, and perfectly balanced with the aroma of garlic and spices.
It was unlike anything she had ever tasted.
*This... is delicious.*
She stared silently at the dish.
Milo noticed his mother's reaction.
Slowly, he took a bite as well.
The moment he chewed...
He froze.
His eyes widened in surprise.
"...It's really good."
It was the best meal he could remember eating.
Laura looked at Grey, still unable to hide her surprise.
"Did..."
"Did you cook this?"
Grey nodded with a smile.
"Yes."
"I made it."
A moment of silence followed.
Then he looked at all three of them.
"From now on..."
"I'll cook for all of you whenever I can."
"I'll make sure our table is always filled with good food."
Little May's eyes sparkled even brighter.
"Really?"
Grey smiled warmly.
"Really."
The little girl giggled happily before taking another big bite of her adobo.
Watching his daughter eat so happily, Grey felt a warmth spread through his heart.
It wasn't because he had cooked a good meal.
It was because, for the first time since arriving in this world...
He had seen his daughter smile.
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