My Cinderella Man

CHAPTER THREE

Raven remained standing in front of the bed, his fists clenched and his whole body blocking Veniece while the loud knocks on the door continued. Holding her breath, Veniece held her stomach, with every hit on the door feeling as though it struck her directly in the chest. Raven walked slowly toward the door, carefully reached for the old lock, and opened it with caution.

"Who is that?" Raven asked seriously, ready to punch if it happened to be the Chairman's men.

But as the door opened, bodyguards in formal barong suits did not appear. An old woman with a handkerchief tied around her head and her hands on her hips stood there — Aling Marta, the landlord of their rented apartment. Veniece took a deep breath on the sofa upon recognizing her face, while Raven lowered his hands and scratched his head.

"Well, Raven! I thought you were going to pay an advance for next month? I have been waiting for you in front of my store for a long time!" Aling Marta snapped, holding a list. "I am sorry if I disturbed your sleep, but I need to handle the payment now because I have to buy medicine tomorrow morning."

"Oh, Aling Marta, I am truly very sorry," Raven answered politely as he quickly grabbed his old wallet from the top of the cabinet. "I forgot the time. Here it is, exactly three thousand pesos for this month."

Aling Marta took the money, counted it quickly, and nodded.

"Alright, I am sorry too for disturbing you. Take care."

After getting the money, she finally left, and Raven closed the door.

Raven turned to Veniece, who was currently wiping cold sweat from her forehead. The man walked over and sat beside her.

"I’m sorry, Veniece. Did you get really nervous? It was just our landlord."

"I thought... I thought Papa's men had found us," Veniece answered softly as she leaned against Raven's chest. "But even if we are having a hard time now, I am thankful that you are the one with me. I don’t know what would happen to me if I were here all alone."

"I will never leave you, Veniece. We will help each other," Raven answered as he kissed the top of his wife's head.

The next morning, Raven woke up early to fulfill his promise. He put on an old sleeveless shirt, faded jeans, and brought a small towel. He walked toward the big rice warehouse near the market, where he had seen the sign looking for laborers. The warehouse was owned by a fat man named Mang Tomas, who was currently holding a clipboard while shouting at the workers.

"Good morning, Mang Tomas. I would like to apply as a laborer," Raven said courageously as he approached his desk.

Mang Tomas looked him up and down, observed his large arms, and nodded.

"You look strong. Alright, write your name here, as well as the last school you finished for my records."

Raven looked down shyly and played with his fingers.

"Ah... Mang Tomas, I don’t know how to write. I’m actually illiterate. I never attended school, not even for a single day, but I can assure you that I will do everything! Just please hire me! I… I can carry any number of sacks."

Mang Tomas stopped and suddenly burst out laughing, causing the other laborers to look over at their spot.

"Are you serious? You never attended school? That only means, you can’t read nor write? You must be stupid then! You sure you can’t even write your own name?"

Raven looked down even more out of shame. He was used to being called foolish and stupid by his stepfather and the maids at the mansion, but it felt more painful to hear it from another person while you were trying to work hard for your family. He thought of Veniece's face and the baby inside her womb, so he stood proud and did not leave.

"Alright then, you are hired!" Mang Tomas said while waving his hand. "I do not care if you have no brains, as long as you have arms and legs to carry the sacks here. I will pay you fifty centavos for every sack of rice. Start over there at the truck!"

Without wasting any time, Raven plunged into the work. Every sack of rice weighed fifty kilograms. He carried it on his shoulders and brought it inside the warehouse. The weather was very hot, and the dust from the rice sacks mixed with his thick sweat, causing severe itchiness and difficulty in breathing. But every time he felt the heavy weight, he thought of Veniece's need for milk, vitamins, and her upcoming childbirth.

A few hours passed, and even the old laborers were becoming impressed by the strength of Raven's stamina. He barely stopped carrying, as if some kind of machine was running his body.

While Raven was busy working, Veniece at the apartment was trying to clean up slowly. Even though she had a hard time because of her big stomach, she forced herself to cook lunch for the two of them. She was worried about Raven because she knew it was not easy to enter that kind of physical labor, especially for a man who knew nothing else but to follow orders inside a mansion.

"I hope he is safe there," Veniece whispered to herself as she put the lid on the pot.

It was already three o'clock in the afternoon. The sun's heat was at its most intense level, and the heat inside the sheet-metal warehouse was almost unbearable. Raven was currently carrying his one-hundredth sack of rice. His legs were starting to shake, his arms were red from the intense friction, and his breathing had become very raspy.

"Just a little more... for Veniece... for the baby," Raven whispered to himself as he forced his steps toward the side of the truck.

But in the middle of his steps, Raven suddenly felt the surroundings spin severely. The noise of the market and the shouts of his fellow laborers suddenly faded, as if he had been brought underwater. His vision began to blur, and the colors around him were slowly replaced by darkness. Because of extreme exhaustion, hunger, and dehydration, his knees could no longer support the weight of the rice sack.

The sack crashed to the floor, and along with it, Raven's body slowly collapsed onto the concrete.

But before his mind completely lost consciousness and his entire vision went totally dark, Raven saw one last image in the distance. Outside the warehouse gate, under the shade of a large tree, a tall man in a black suit was standing. He was wearing black shades, had his arms crossed, and was watching seriously, looking straight at where Raven was. His posture was familiar, and his aura was full of power — a shadow from the past that seemed to be quietly following every step of his life.

Before Raven could even know who that man was, his body completely ran out of strength, and darkness totally took over his consciousness.