Arranged Marriage

Chapter 3

"WHY aren't you opening the door for me?" Xian asked his sister with a serious face. "I think I heard you talking to someone here in your room, are you hiding something?" Xian still looked serious. He tucked his hands in the pocket of his slack pants.

"Am I hiding something?" Liza said and she laughed. "My friend and I were talking, but we only talked on the cellphone. You see, I'm the only one here in my room?" she even gestured inside her room.

Xian simply laughed as he walked around his sister's room and looked around.

"Are you sure?" Xian asked his sister doubtfully.

"Of course!" Liza answered quickly. She bit her lower lip.

The girl stepped closer to her bed and sat down, where Shan Shai was lying on her back and hiding under it.

Xian took something from inside his pants pocket.

"You said your friend was talking to you on the cellphone, so what am I holding?" Xian showed the cellphone he was holding, it belonged to his sister. He got it in the kitchen, sitting on the table as he passed by there to drink cold water.

Liza frowned and quickly thought of an excuse.

"I forgot to tell you, Xian, I already have two cellphones. Isn't it, your sister is social!" Liza answered in a lively voice.

Xian stepped closer to the bed so that he could peek under his sister's bed.

From her hiding place, Shan Shai saw her friend's older brother walking towards the bed where she was hiding.

"Oh, I'm dead!" Shan Shai closed her eyes as she whispered, it looks like Liza's older brother will be able to find her.

Liza immediately stood up to block her older brother. She even opened her arms.

"Hep! Hep!" Liza stopped her older brother. "Wait, why are you here, do you need anything?"

"I just want to give you your cellphone," Xian replied as he handed the cellphone to his sister.

Liza took it. "This is the only reason you came, thank you, Xian. All right, you can get out of my room now," she almost pushed her brother out of the room.

"Just a moment, I have something more to tell you. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"What are you going to tell me? Hurry up and I'll go to sleep!" Angela pretended to yawn.

"Ask the maids tomorrow," Xian said.

"Ask, about what?" Liza asked confused.

"Maybe they have a friend or family member who can work as a maid. My friend needs a maid in his house."

"Maid?" Liza repeated. She remembered Shai Shai.

Shan Shai was listening intently under the bed. The girl was happy with what she heard. It didn't seem like she had to walk down the street to go from house to house where there was a sign hanging outside the gate that said, 'wanted a maid.'

"Yes, you heard me right? my friend's maid went home to the province because her father was sick. It looks like it will be a long time before she returns to Manila, so he needs a new maid."

"Why are you looking for a maid for your friend?" Liza asked him.

"He's my friend, isn't he? I'm just helping him." Xian replied. He sat on the bed but was far away from his sister. "She can start tomorrow!"

"Right away?" Liza.

Xian nodded.

Shan Shai's eyes widened at what she heard, she wanted to clap for joy. This is the answer to her problem, she will work as a maid of Liza's older brother's friend.

"What does your friend look like?" Liza asked, just curious.

"Of course handsome, like your brother!" Xian replied proudly, pointing his index finger at himself.

Liza rolled her eyeballs at what her brother had said. "Is he kind?"

"He's kind, just a little serious when you look at him," Xian replied.

"Isn't that your friend rude? Doesn't he look like a -- you know what I mean,'" Liza didn't go on with whatever she was going to say.

Xian pinched one of Liza's ears. "Why do you ask so many questions, are you going to apply as a maid?"

"Of course not!" Liza answered quickly, rubbing her ear. "I'm just wondering. It's hard to trust, maybe that friend of yours will do something bad to his new maid, we can't tell,"

Xian stood up and faced his sister. "My friend is kind, I'm sure he won't be able to hurt his maid. I am positive that my friend will not be interested in a maid, he has a high standard when it comes to women."

Shan Shai raised an eyebrow at what she heard.

"All right, give me your friend's address. Tomorrow morning I'll bring the maid he needs to his house!"

"You haven't even talked to anyone who can work as a maid," Xian said.

"I'll take care of it Xian, just give me your friend's address and contact number."

"All right, just make sure that tomorrow before lunch you can take the maid to my friend's house,"

"I promise!" Liza replied.

Xian looked at Liza's face, he was positive something strange was going on with his sister. "Looks like something weird--"

"Give it to me, I might change my mind," Liza stopped what her brother would say.

"Okay, I'll give it to you!" Xian took his friend's calling card that he had hidden in the pocket of his polo shirt, with his friend's complete address written on it. He handed the card to his sister. "Here,"

"All right, I'll take care of the maid your friend needs," Liza said handing the little card from her brother.

"I'm going out now, tomorrow is Saturday my friend is at his house." As he walked closer to the door.

"No problem, Xian!"

Xian left Liza's room but suddenly peeked at the door again.

"What now?" Liza asked him.

"I'll just make sure you don't have anyone else in your room!" Xian replied.

Liza scratched her neck.

"I swear no Xian, go ahead and goodnight!" Liza stood up and closed the door on her brother.

"Just make sure!" Liza heard what Xian said but she ignored it. She locked the door to make sure he never went back to her room.

That's how close they are like siblings, they are often together because their parents are always out of town because of their business. Xian is kind and he's very protective of her, maybe that's how it is when the youngest is a girl.

Liza peeked under her bed to let Shan Shai out, but she signaled to her not to speak and her older brother might still be listening outside her room.

Liza wasn't wrong in what she said, because from outside the door of her room, Xian was there. But when he was sure that Liza was not talking to anyone in her room, Xian left to go to his room.

THE two friends sat on the side of the bed. Talked about the maid Liza's older brother's friend needed.

"Are you serious about your plan to hide from your family?" Liza asked Shan Shai.

"I'm positive!" She replied. "Do I still not want to? I'm going to have a job."

Liza frowned at what she said. "Looks like you're still having fun even though being a maid was your first job."

Shan Shai held her friend's hands.

"I'm not going to be a maid for the rest of my life. It's a pity that I finished my studies if I don't use it,"

"That's it!" Liza said quickly. "Why don't you apply for a good job instead of being a maid?"

"I'm out of time!" She replied. "Because I'm sure, when they find out that I ran away, my family will look for me right away. Just support me, Liza, please?"

She saw her friend sigh.

"What else can I do, you seem to be determined in your plan."

"Thank you, Liza!" She happily hugged her friend. "Did you get Xian's friend's address?"

Liza slipped out of her embrace.

"Here!" Liza handed over the small card she was holding. "I read on that card that my brother's friend still lives in a part of Manila, there's still a chance that your parents will find you right away,"

"I don't want to think about that first." Shan Shai replied. "The important thing is that I have a place to live temporarily."

"Let me remind you Shan Shai, you will not live in that house for free. You will work as a maid,"

"I can't forget that," she replied. "Tomorrow we'll leave early, I need to buy things to use to disguise."

"What disguise are you going to make?" Liza asked. She crossed her arms.

"I need to change my looks!" She replied with a smile. "If I have to look old or ugly I'll just hide my real face."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Liza burst out laughing because of what she said.

"What's so funny about that?" she asked her friend.

That was the only way she could think of so that no one would know her inside or outside the house where she would work.

"Why do you have to do that, if you're always in the house?" Asked Liza.

"You also said that my family might spread a picture of me, maybe even show it on TV and announce that I am a missing person." Shan Shai replied by gesturing with her hands.

"Because you're so pretty, we'll have a hard time making you ugly,"

"You can do that, I trust you, Liza." She smiled.

"Me?" Liza repeated, eyes widened. "You are that's too much,"

"You're just going to help, so do your best!" she winked at her friend.

Liza stared at the smiling Shan Shai. "Oh my gosh, can I still refuse? You should be thankful because I love you, even though I look like your maid!"

Shan Shai hugged her friend.

"Thank you very much, Liza, I will be very grateful for those you have helped me with. I will also repay you for all your kindness to me." She said seriously.

"Don't drama there, what's the use of our friendship if we don't help each other." Liza distanced herself from her. "Let's go to sleep, as long as you need something don't be shy to tell me. I'm always ready to help you."

She nodded, "thank you,"

They lay down on the bed and finally fell asleep.

WHILE at the Chiu family home.

Before heading to their room, Mabel passed by their youngest daughter's room.

Mabel knocked on the door but there was no answer from her daughter.

"Shan Shai, are you still awake?" Mabel knocked on the door again but her daughter still wouldn't let her open the door. She turned the doorknob and it wasn't locked.

Mabel finally opened the door, she peeked at her daughter. She was lying on the bed and her whole body was wrapped in a blanket, it looked like she was fast asleep.

Shekaina was on her way to her room when she noticed their mother outside her sister's room. Shekaina stepped closer to her mother as if their mother didn't notice her.

"Mom!" Shekaina called her mother's attention as she was about to enter her daughter's room.

Mabel stopped walking when she heard her eldest daughter's voice.

"Shekaina my daughter, I just peeked at your sister," said Mabel.

Shekaina approached her mother. "Are you going to talk to her?"

"Hopefully, but she's already asleep," Shin-Ma replied.