Every Beast Needs A Beauty

I'm carrying mom's old luggage that she only bequeathed to me. After I leave home I will look for a job. I also prepared myself for never going back home. "Sunny, this five hundred pesos is all I can give you." Auntie said while blowing out the cigarette smoke. "Thank you, Auntie." I said while accepting the money that her husband immediately grabbed. "What is it? Why are you giving that girl such a large amount of money?" Uncle looked at me while crumpling the five hundred he grabbed from my hand. I swallowed and realized that the money was not on my hand anymore. Now that uncle doesn't want to give it, it's unlikely that I will get it. "Auntie, thank you-" "Just leave, Sunny! You're just a burden here!" Uncle shouted at me. Auntie looked at me with shame and pity as I bowed. If it was a normal day, I would have answered uncle. If it was just a normal day, I would have been able to fight uncle. It's just not a normal day. This is the day I leave the house I grew up in. Here are the memories of me and mom. Even if it is full of bitter memories, I will never forget the beautiful and simple memories it brings. "Oh, Sunny! I'm sorry" Auntie said crying. "If only I could let you live here-" "Mom! Auntie is gone now. Let Sunny go!" My cousin Patricia shouted. "No! It's okay, Auntie! I still have some money here. Go ahead. I'm leaving!" I said. Auntie nodded and finished the cigarette. "Be careful, Sunny." There was a hint of regret in her voice. I smiled, nodded, and turned my back on her. I stepped onto our slightly muddy path. Every time it rains, it turns white. It rained earlier so the road is like this today. I can see every bit of mud sticking to my old shoes. I'll wash it when I find a place to stay. For now, I'm going to fit my one thousand pesos into finding a job and a place to stay. I rode a jeepney to go to a few places where I could apply for a job. I saw in the newspaper those shops that needed different jobs. I knocked on an office. According to the newspaper I read, they said they needed a secretary. Unfortunately, I can only apply for secretary. I only finished high school and my subjects were computer related. Being a secretary or even a saleslady in a ticketing office is just right for what I studied. The security guard looked at me. He stares at my muddy shoes and my clothes, I immediately fix the tangles. "What do you need, miss?" He grinned at me. I spread the newspaper in front of him. "I saw in this newspaper that you need a-" I was already cut off by a girl in a mini skirt and with an I.D at that ticketing office. She was chewing bubble gum and looked at me. "There's no hiring here, miss. Can you just go to the club?" "Uhm? But it was said here to-" "Miss, I said, nothing. Yesterday we got one so you can go to the club! Go ahead and don't get dirty on our tiles here!" The woman slammed the door of the ticketing office. I sighed and looked at myself. Maybe I'll just wash my shoes and change into more formal clothes. I searched for public CR. I put up with the stench inside just to make myself feel better. I took off my t-shirt and changed into a blouse that was uncomfortable but formal. I also changed my pants to better ones and those without mud. If I can't find a job by three o'clock in the afternoon, I will look for a place to stay tonight. But what if I can't find a place to stay? Shall I find a park? In Luneta? Where can I sleep? I shook my head and thought I had a one thousand pesos. I can find a place to stay. Maybe someone will let me sleep, an apartment or an Inn for 300 pesos or 500 pesos? I continued to look for work. I've tried fast food chains that always direct me to a big company. This is my third Jollibee branch of the day. The manager always talks to me while pointing to the big building in the distance. "Miss, we don't have any hiring here right now. The best thing is, you apply to the Del Fierro Group of Companies because there is mass hiring there right now. There is even a job fair!" The manager. I stared at the rooftop of that huge building in the distance. It was high and I felt that I would not be accepted there. "Will they accept a High School graduate?" "They're looking for a high school graduate!" I winced at what the gay manager said. I don't know if that's true or he's just flattering me so I can get away from them. However, I just nodded. I have no choice. "Thank you very much." I said and looked at the people eating the crispy fried chicken. I swallowed hard and realized that it was early and I hadn't had breakfast and lunch yet. I looked up at the menu of that fast food chain to see how much people were eating here. In the end I just decided to leave there. I bought Sky Flakes from the vendor outside and started walking to the building that the Managers had been telling me I was passing by. I eat while walking. And even though I eat, my stomach still grumbles. You can do it, Sunny! When I have a job I will eat a lot! That is my promise to myself. Before reaching that building, my attention was immediately drawn to another fast food chain that said it needed crew. I took the paper posted on their door and went straight inside. The smell of fried chicken wafted inside. My stomach growled even more. I tried not to peek at the plates of the people eating there and went straight inside. "Is your manager here?" I asked the crew who looked irritated. "Inside." He said while pointing to a door that said: Authorized Person Only. I walked inside that door and immediately presented my resume. I'm watching the Manager on the cellphone. "S... Okay. Got it!" That male manager. He glanced at me twice and it was as if he had seen a ghost. He immediately put down his cellphone. "What can I do for you, miss?" he asked. I washed the paper that was posted earlier on their door. "I saw it outside." He took my resume. "Because... I already have four fast food chains. I already have experience in fast food-" "There is no hiring here." He said after looking at my resume. "Really? Well, it's posted outside?" He grabbed the paper I was carrying and tore it in front of me. "Not here. Only at Del Fierro!" He said. I nodded. "Okay." I turned around but I couldn't stop rolling my eyes. I can see they need a crew. Suddenly no one is hiring? I'm really unlucky today! It's two o'clock and I still promised myself that by three o'clock I will look for a place to stay. This Del Fierro is the last shot. If I can't find it, I'll just continue again tomorrow. I looked up at the huge building in front of me. There is a big Job Fair poster on the first floor. There are a lot of people and I feel like I can find a job here! My long hair blew out because of the force of the wind. I dropped my luggage to grab my hair before I walked inside the building. The security guard checked my bag but I couldn't be bothered because of the work that was waiting for me inside. "Here's the I.D, miss. Are you here for the job fair?" The guard asked. "Yes!" "Why only now? We're probably going to run out of slots right now" I turned pale at what the guard said. He may be right. I watched people leave and were happy because they got a job. "Oh my God! We're officemates!" Squealed by a woman in a mini skirt in corporate attire. "Yes! I can't believe this! This is my dream job!" Another woman in corporate attire. I swallowed and looked at the door where the job fair was. I can already see every cubicle where an interview is taking place. I feel so out of place in this place. I looked at myself. Maybe the job for me is the janitress? I don't know but right now, I don't care. As long as I have a decent job, I'm fine. I pushed the door and got inside. It's quite noisy there and people are formal. I approached a woman with a paper that is given to everyone who applies there. "Are there still hiring for clerical jobs?" She hardly looked at me. "No more, miss." "Janitress?" I swallowed at once. She turned to me. She tilted her head and examined me carefully. "What's your name?" I swallowed at her sudden question. "Sunshine Aragon" The woman quickly called the man in the long sleeve and with the funny black ribbon. "Samuel!" The woman said firmly. Samuel looked at me. I watched as his gaze stopped at my chest. I quickly covered whatever he was looking at my chest. Instead of being shy, he raised a horrible look at me. "Isn't there a maintenance hire? Miss Sunshine Aragon is here. Take her to the maintenance department and see where she should be placed there." "Sure, ma'am." Samuel said. Yes. I know that I really am not for this job fair. I looked at each woman I interviewed. Maybe there's no need to interview the janitors. As long as you're willing to work, clean CR and whatever else, you're not sick, and you don't have hangovers, that's fine. I was stunned when Samuel stopped inside the maintenance office we entered. I saw only lockers there and no one inside. "Is the maintenance office here?" I asked as Samuel watched me. I looked at him and I could see where his eyes were. It's on my chest. He was sweating profusely. I could see the sweat on his forehead as he licked his lips. "Sir Samuel, are you here?" I destroy what he is doing. He stepped closer to me. And since I know these kinds of actions well, I also know what the consequences are. So before anything happened, I kicked the most unique part of his body, causing him to scream in pain and bend down. I bit my lip and pushed open the heavy door. I entered the big hall again where the job fair was. My tears flowed from the realization that I had nowhere to go today. That's the last one. Tomorrow again. I'm going to look for a place to stay. And whatever my sin was and why I was punished like this, I don't know anymore. "Sir, I want to go out!" I begged while hugging my luggage. "Why are you running? What's your problem? Did you steal?" The guard. "Samuel!" The woman's scream made me even more nervous. "No!" I answered the guard. Guards came to surround me. I looked at the door where Samuel was coming out crying a little. "I didn't steal! s**t!" "Why are you running like that?" Another security guard yelled at me while pointing a baton at my bag. I shook my head as I pointed at Samuel. "What's going on here?" A cold voice asked. A voice that made the rioting guards quiet because of what happened to me. I heard a men's laughter behind him. The man behind him fixed his hair while looking at me. The other is playing with his lips. "Mr. Del Fierro, I'm sorry for the trouble." That woman who called Samuel earlier. The man in front of me nodded and looked at me. His expression was dark but you couldn't deny that he was too handsome to stand in front of me. His aura screams authority. His face is clean and the only thing darkening it is his furrowed brows. "What's going on here, Samuel?" The man. His gaze never left me. "I kicked him because he was looking at my chest." I closed my eyes to what I said. I will answer. Rather than being mistaken for a thief, I will admit what I did. I'm not ashamed of it. The two men behind him burst into laughter. A smile also appeared on the face of the man in front of me. I closed my suddenly dropped jaw. "Is that so?" He asked me playfully before looking at Samuel. He whispered something to the security guard and looked behind me before turning back to me. "I heard you want to be a janitress, Miss Aragon?" He raised an eyebrow. I looked at the security guards accompanying Samuel somewhere. My chest pounded. Is this it? Will I be replaced by that Samuel? "Yes!" I smiled at my answer. He snorted as if my reaction was funny. "I'm sorry. There's no hiring right now." He said and put resume in the trash. My eyes widened at what he said. "Rage!" A man with long hair shouted. "Don't talk to me, Brandon." Mr. Del Fierro emphatically said while walking away from me. The other man laughs while the long haired man looks at me. The security guards surrounding me left. I knelt in front of the trash can. I opened it and started looking for my resume. He's evil. So evil. Can you just give me the resume back? Why should it be thrown in the trash? I pulled my hair out when I realized the fact that I still didn't have a job and a place to stay until now. It's four o'clock in the afternoon and it will be dark in a few hours. It looks like my dream of sleeping in Luneta is about to come true.