Always Around

Chapter Six

Roxanne

"Hey, you don't know anything! Stay out of it!"

As I came to my senses, I heard Drew shouting to a man towering over me. This tall guy stood between my best friend, who was on the sidewalk, and me sitting weakly on a bench.

"I will not believe it until this woman confirms what you say," the man said. His back was towards me, and judging from what little I could see, he seemed to be in a defensive position. What is happening?

Without turning to me, the man asked, "are you awake, Ma'am?"

"Yes, what's going on?" I answered with all the strength I could muster.

"This guy was shaking you as you were muttering something and collapsing somewhat. He claims he needs to take you out of the city, to take you away from your family. Is this guy threatening you?" The man was talking to me while still keeping his eyes on Drew.

"It's true! You just misinterpreted things!" Drew answered, fear, anger, and desperation evident in his voice. "She's my friend! Her brother trusted me to take her away for a while, away from their family issues."

"Maybe she should face her issues instead of collapsing here with a man in the middle of the night," the man retorted.

"You don't get it, man! Please stay out of it! I'm trying to protect her, too!" Drew pleaded to my unexpected 'protector.'

"Ma'am, can you confirm his statements? I will not leave until you do. Do you need help?"

Help, do I need help? Not the kind this man was thinking, for sure. But do I need to go home and face my estranged mother again after Kuya (Brother) and I blatantly denied her? Do I need to confront Papa, who was practically giving us away to our mother despite our wishes to stay?

"Do you think I need help, Sir?" I weakly asked the stranger. I knew this was stupid. I mean, what would he know? He didn't even know that the threat he was seeing, Drew, was the only constant in my world at this moment.

"I think you need to wake up. You're out in a sketchy time in an unfamiliar place. Wake up, assess your situation, and line up your priorities. Now. Do you know this person, or do I need to call the police?"

Wake up, huh. In all honestly, I didn't want to wake up.

Assess my situation. My father couldn't take care of us anymore, so he's given us to our estranged mother.

Line up my priorities. This bit was probably the hardest one to do. All I've ever known to do was take care of Papa, then take care of my studies to have enough money and support. Was there a reason why I did all these aside from survival?

"Ma'am! Answer!" The man urged me to respond, worry sprouting from his cold and protective exterior.

"I... I need to go home."

"Can I trust this man to take you home?" the tall guy asked.

"Y-yes, he's my friend," I managed to answer.

The guy heard this and sighed loudly. "If you're sure." He released his defensive stance and stood aside, letting Drew run to me. Without a glance, he cleared his throat and talked to Drew.

"You heard Madame. She wants to go home. Let her solve her problems if you're her friend. And don't stay out this late." With this, the man started to walk away.

As soon as he was inside the cafe, Drew sighed and held my hands.

"That guy was weird and scary," he said.

"No, that guy was nice," I responded. It's unusual for a person to jump in to aid strangers these days. His words though highly unlikely intended to provoke my thoughts on my family, inevitably did.

"Are you sure you want to go home? I can take you to that vacation house we have in Zambales! The one we've always wanted to visit! You can stay there until school resumes!" Drew urged. He really doesn't want me to face my parents now, does he?

"No, Drew. That guy was right. I need to solve my own problems," I said, slowly regaining energy.

"Don't listen to a stranger, Rox. Please. I know you. You'll break down again. I'll take you to them, just not tonight. You're shocked enough already. Please, just let me take you, please let me take care of you." Drew was begging at this point. Maybe I should...

"No, Drew. I'll be fine."

What are my priorities? Papa, Kuya. They were all I cared about up to this moment. They're the reason why I want money and good grades.

Does this mean I should accept Mother's offer, so Papa won't have to work until his back breaks? So Kuya can attend a better school?

Wake up, Roxanne. Wake up. Nothing is about you. This is not about you.

I asked Drew to take me back home, and though he's a hundred percent against this, he eventually agreed. We waited for his car, drove in silence, and arrived at the front of my house. He was holding my hand the entire time, his face visually shaken by what's been happening tonight.

Before I got out of Drew's car, he pulled me closer. A bit too close for comfort.

"Promise me, when this... whatever plan you have fails, you will come to me. Promise me you will tell me, Roxy." Drew looked me straight in the eyes. My heart broke. We have been through a lot, and this guy means so much to me. I do not deserve to be someone that can disturb his peace. He doesn't deserve this kind of stress.

"Drew, I will be fine. We'll be jamming somewhere days after this, for sure." I tried to ease the tension that brewed in him with a hug and a pat on his head. I knew these weren't enough, but there wasn't much I could offer at the time.

As his car drove off, I tried to summon my remaining strength to enter our home. Is this the best move? I don't know, but maybe it's the right one.

For Papa.

For Kuya.

I opened the front door and found Papa, Kuya, and Mother sitting around the coffee table. Kuya looked at me with bewildered eyes. I bet he didn't think I'd go against him and Drew. Papa looked dejected, his eyes and nose red. Mother, the curse of this family, stood from her seat smiling.

I cleared my throat. Here's to hoping I had enough voice to say this straight.

"We're going with Mother, but everyone will follow my conditions."

Gladwell

"Are you sure about this?" Prof Rye asked me as I zipped up my jacket at the side of the podium.

"Yes, Prof!" I answered as they gave me their Saint Adelaide cap. "I'm quite excited about this, Prof!"

I was. Not the part of speaking in front of many people, of course. Just the part where I got to test Prof's tip. "Trust the audience," they said. So I took all the courage I had to sign up as a performer at the open mic and chose a selection with heart-melting themes and difficult-to-understand language - How Do I Love Thee by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

"You know I'm always your supporter, son. If this is one way for you to gain confidence, I'm all for it. What's with covering your face, though?" Prof asked despite helping me smooth out my outfit.

"I just want to perform to confirm something, Prof. I don't want to be known for this," I explained.

"I'm not sure I understand, but I will cheer you on with Raven. Signal to us if you need anything. Proud of you!" Prof Rye stated as they fixed my hat and patted my head before heading back to our table. I could also see Vinny watching from the kitchen window.

When audio guy Ryan finally introduced me, there was a split second when I wanted to back out... but the view of Prof Rye waving his hands and Raven standing and shouting at the side made me want to push through to the end. Vinny also stopped cooking in the kitchen to poke her head out the order window again.

After adjusting the mic to my height, I took a deep breath and counted down from five...

I can do this. Trust the audience.

Four...

Trust the material.

Three...

Trust my storytelling.

Two...

Trust my friends.

One.

"Good evening. Please forgive me if my performance will be lacking. I am not a professional speaker."

A flash, a sharp static noise, and it were over.

Applause. A couple of teary faces. Loads of loud cheers.

All I could do was bow as much as I could until I was with Prof and Ven again.

"Ahhhh! You were amazing! I'm so proud of you! Is this what it feels to be a dad?!" Raven shouted as he jumped at me and slung his arm on my right shoulder. I couldn't answer, but I didn't need to. My happiness was hard to miss with the overjoyed expression on my face.

Prof was all smiles as well as they stood up and took their cap to rough up my hair. "You were exceptional!" they said, the loudest they've ever spoken.

As the applause died and we settled back to our seats, I looked around the kind, supportive audience in this small building. For a moment, I wondered how the world would be if it was full of the same energy and positivity this one establishment had tonight.

As the next performer started, Prof turned to me and asked, "Did you get your answer?"

"Yes. Yes, I did."

The rest of the night roared with the most beautiful, validating, cheers I have ever heard in my life, and I would probably refer to this night as the true beginning of my storytelling career.

After the show, the cafe's patrons left with full ears and full tummies. They probably could not sleep after this night, with the overflow of coffee throughout the event. We hung out with Vinny after closing and went home around 4 A.M. My parents were already on their flight out of the country.

Best. Night. Ever.

Also, there was this intense encounter with a guy and a girl outside the cafe. I thought the girl was being abused by a boyfriend. I was wrong, it was just a guy trying to wake up his friend. The guy actually looked worried about his collapsed friend. I hope the girl got home safely.