ALEXANDER

Chapter 3

ANOTHER FLASHBACK ...

“You’re making me insane, moya milaya.” his deep voice resonates through my whole being.

His lips are now in the crook of my neck. His friends are just looking at us from time to time, but mostly they have their own conversation. And once they glance at us, some are shaking their heads while grinning.

“Don’t look at them moya printsesa.”

He then tilts my chin up to look at him.

My heart is pounding so hard now that our lips our so close to each other.

Oh, god! My knees are so weak.

I couldn’t think straight. I feel like I am drawn into his charm. I don’t know what has in him I find difficult to resist.

The corner of his lips arcs and his eyes bore into mine as well. All I can do is to look back at him. I can't find any words to say either. My mind totally blocks me from saying anything.

“What is your name, moya milaya?”

His breath is fanning on my lips. I can even smell the liquor that he just drank.

‘Moya Milaya...’

“Kring! Kring!”

The sounds of my alarm clock instantly wake me up.

Stretching my arms as I groan out of habit, every time I wake up. I let the alarm goes on for a few seconds before tapping it off.

Anj hates it every time I let my alarm rings longer while I’m already wide awake. Me and her are sharing one bed and one room since we only rent a studio type of apartment and we just did a bit of renovation to look like we have a bit of privacy between us.

This is actually Anj’s rented apartment. Out of pity, she had offered me to share with her rather than me looking for a place to stay that I highly doubted I could find less expensive apartment even at this time. This isn’t a rural place where I can get a cheap apartment. Our house is very far from my work, and Anj’s apartment is the closest.

After done with all the things I always do in the morning, from taking a shower to having breakfast, I quickly do a rain check of my uniform. My extra uniform does not fit me anymore. I have been using the other one for two years and I didn’t get the chance to buy a new pair. I am on a tight-thrift since the accident happened in my family. And this uniform was from my former workmate.

Being a breadwinner, I need to do everything for my family to make ends meet. Though I am finding it difficult to do so. One thing I thought could help me was to get another job. That’s where StarVIP came in. Luck was probably with me that time as I didn’t get a hard time getting the job as their server.

My first job is my first bittersweet experience. I am still working there and it’s a restaurant called THE FOOD DELIGHT. That’s also where I am going right now. I’ve been working there for two years. I got promoted to be a cashier from being a janitress.

Janitress was the only position available that time. I applied to several companies but I failed. Then I saw they were hiring as a Janitress, so without even thinking more about it, I submitted my resume. I was so desperate to get a job that time. So glad that my instinct didn't fail me as I'm already working there as a cashier.

“Hey, good morning.” Anj looks exhausted.

“Good morning. Did you get home last night?”

I didn’t see her in the bed or in the kitchen when I woke up.

“No... Ugh! It’s a long story... And I’ll tell it to you once you get home.” She looks perturb at the latter part of her sentence.

“Okay. I better get going now. You know I hate getting late.” Told her while putting my shoes on.

“Yep. See you.”

At the restaurant...

“Oh, sorry! Oh, Hi! Good morning.” says Wyatt, who I bump into at the personnel door. I am going in and he’s going out when we collide.

“Oh, hi.. sorry, didn’t see you coming.”

“Hahaha! You’re fine. So did I.”

“Yeah... anyway, I’m going inside now.”

“Sure.”

After I place my bag in the locker, I head to the treasury station where I borrow some funds I can use for the first hour of my shift. Then head to my counter station. The funds that us cahiers lend from the treasury station should be returned by the end of shift as well. We also cater four different methods of payment, through E-wallet, Credit Cards, Debit Cards and Cash. Of course, we don’t do cheques.

This restaurant has another branch in Queens which is near to my other job, the StarVIP.

“Hi, good morning.” A warm greeting to my favorite customer, who is my constant first customer every morning, Pipa.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” She smiles back at me and hands me her card for payment. She already got her order.

Pipa is nice to me. She gives me gifts during Christmas and on my birthdays. She has done it in two consecutive years already. She once told me she’s seeing me as her youngest daughter who died because of leukemia.

“Going to your office after?” I ask.

“Nah, I have to meet my husband first. He’s just nearby, though.”

“Oh, alright...” I give her back her card after she signed. “And here’s your card.”

Hour goes by and customers are keep coming. Weekends are busy day since most people have no work to mind.

Changing the status of my counter into ON LUNCH as it’s already my lunch break. There are still counter stations available since we do shifting schedules.

“Heading for lunch?” asks Wyatt. He’s also going out.

“Yeah.”

“How about we go to lunch together? I saw a newly opened buffet store nearby. And it’s less expensive.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

True to what he says, the buffet store is cheap compared to where I always take my lunch.

“Consider this as not my first to eat here.” I told him after swallowing the food.

“Haha! Well, I assure you, this wouldn't be my last either. Wow! Their food is great, too.”

“Yeah...”

The Food Delight will not consider this store as their competitor because they serve different cuisines. Probably more on friendly competition if other people would insist on comparing the two.

Suddenly, my phone rings. Excusing myself as I take my phone out of my bag while walking away from our table. The restaurant is loud, so I need to get a quiet place.

Unregistered number? Wondering who’s calling.

“Hello?”

“Hi. Cassidy, it’s me. Hugo.”

Oh! Well, I didn't have his personal number.

“Oh! Hi boss. What’s up?”

“Are you at work right now?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I see. Uhm, when are you going out?”

‘I’m actually outside.’ I thought. But of course, that’s not what he meant.

“Later at three, sir. What is this all about, by the way?” I am curious about his call. He rarely calls his employees unless it’s really important.

“Let’s just talk once you go to work later. Don’t be late. Okay?”

“Huh? Oh... okay. But sir, did you just call me to remind me that?”

Weirdo. I thought again.

He chuckles. “Of course, not. I thought you’ll be out in an hour so we can meet. I have something to talk about. But, I guess let's just talk about tonight.

“That must be important. I won’t be late.”

“Okay. Bye.”

Wyatt asks me about the call since I somewhat take longer from going back.

“It’s about my other job.”

“Why? Did you get in trouble there?”

“I hope not. My boss didn’t exactly tell me the reason. He just reminded me not to be late.”

“I see.”

We then continue eating and head back to the store twenty minutes before our lunch break ends.

“By the way, did you hear about the lack of staffs in the other branch?” asks Wyatt.

We’re at the locker area taking a rest as we slump on the carpeted floor.

“No. Why? What about it?”

“Our manager will choose some of us here to be transferred there.

“Hmm.. who would they be?”

“I don’t know. She doesn’t announce it yet. Maybe tomorrow." Wyatt lays down on the floor.

It would be great if I'll be included. It would be more convenient for me as I don’t have to travel an hour to get to the StarVIP.

“Alright, lunch is over. Let’s go back to work.”

“Yeah, work, work, work.”

After two more hours and my shift is over.

My phone alarm also rings showing a label of ‘VISITING HOUR.

As soon as I get out of the restaurant, I hail a cab going to the hospital. Normally, it would only take half an hour to get to the hospital and today is a proof.

“Cassidy-“.

“Mom, don’t be so stubborn.”

“I should be the one telling you that. You don’t have to come here after your work. You need to take care of your health, too. We can face time each other. You don’t need to come over and check on me.”

Taking a sigh before I hold her hand. She and my two brothers are the only family left in me. My dad instantly died in the accident. Lucky for mom but sadly, she’s here again, in the hospital.

“Mom, most of the time I call you, you’re sleeping. Just let me see you once I get the chance to. Besides, I'm happy doing this."

Charles is currently outside. The doctor asked him to buy the prescription. He and my other brother, Brix, take turn on taking care of our mother.

Our parents got into a car accident when they were on their way home from a business trip three years ago. My dad was dead on the spot and my mom had undergone multiple surgery.

The surgery costed us a lot of money, even our savings had been used. Until my parents’ company went bankrupt. We became broke.

I was in my fourth year of college when it happened while my brothers were newly graduated in highschool. I had to stop and took full responsibility as the breadwinner.

My mom was on and off in the hospital. After several operations, she finally got home. But still under monitoring, as she can’t do anything on her own. The accident had left major damage in her brain and limped half of her body. It was just two months ago that her condition had gotten worse again. The doctors had another findings. They found out a malignant tumor in her pancreas which spread uncontrollaby. A month after the findings, her body shrunk that she looked older than her age.

My heart aches for her every time I visit. But I had to be tough and show them we can get through this whatever life catapult us.