“MER! We have practice tomorrow at the drama club. Maybe you can make us a snack for tomorrow? Please!” Shanaia said tenderly to Meredith while she was still clinging to her.They had just finished lunch and decided to rest for awhile at their hangout place while waiting for their next class.“Sure! What do you want me to make for your snack tomorrow?”Shanaia think for a moment. “Ahm. . . Let me think. . . Sandwiches!”She smiled. “Okay! That’s the easiest thing to do. I can make you three kinds of sandwishes if you want.“Really? What flavor are you going to make?"“She’ll probably make egg sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches and chicken sandwiches!” Marylex’s answered.She quickly shook her head. “Nah! The sandwiches you mentioned are too common so I’ll make something else since Shanaia requested it, it should be unique and special.”“Really? What is it?” Shanaia asked excitedly with a shinning eyes.“I will make a special clubhouse, tamago sando and monte cristo sandwiches!”He
BARBARA stopped when she recognized that voice. She wanted to ignore it but her body seemed to have a life of its own and looked at it. And just like that, the blood rose to her head when she saw the person who was the reason why some people told her that she lacked a mother’s care. “Y-you grew up b-beautifully,” Rebecca said with trembling lips and was about to approach her when Barbara took a step back. Like Barbara, the tears of the woman formed in her eyes. She shook her head upon seeing it. For her, it wasn’t praised. She just said that because she wanted to flatter her, but she won’t buy it. She examined her from head to toe and she could tell that her appearance was far from what she expected. She’s not wearing any make-up. Even her clothes looks simple. For Barbara, she looks poor. ‘What happened to her? Isn’t she elope with a wealthy man before?’ She composed herself and show that she wasn’t affected by her presence. “Do I know you?” she asked. She wanted to leave, but
“HOW is the procedure going?” Barbara asked the owner of the salon when she returned. “We’re almost finished. Is that for him?” he asked, looking at the numerous paper bags she was carrying. Barbara handed him the paper bags. “Make sure it’s worth what I paid you, okay?” “I’m sure you’ll be amazed when you see Clayton’s major transformation,” he said excitedly. She just shook her head and read the magazines in the waiting room to distract herself. After a minute, the owner emerged, accompanied by an unfamiliar muscular young man. But she wasn’t paying attention. She looked behind the unfamiliar man. When she didn’t see Clayton, she raised one of her brows. “Where has he gone? I thought you were almost done?” “What you’re looking for, Miss Barbara, is right in front of you,” the owner said, causing her to look back at the unfamiliar man in front of her. She didn’t believe he was concealing a lovely face. She didn’t even know who he was in a first glance. The man in jologs and lo
“IS THERE something on my face?” Randall asked Meredith when he noticed the shock on her face when she saw him.Meredith was taken aback when he saw Randall’s new appearance. His long hair has been cut short. She can clearly see the big changes in its appearance. Aside from that, she recalled the similarity between the events in her vision earlier and what had happened to Randall. Is it just a coincidence, or is Randall the man she’s been looking for all these years?“Mer? Are you alright?” he asked again, causing her to return to her trance. “N-nothing. I just remembered that I needed to go to the supermarket,” she reason out.“Okay!” Then he started the engine.“Hey! Why did you buy so many loaves of bread?” he asked when they arrived at the supermarket. He followed her inside because he needed toiletries as well.“Shanaia asked me to make snacks for the drama club’s practice tomorrow.”Randall nodded. “Yeah. Everyone is getting ready for the school fair.”“Hey! What are you d
“MER! Is that what I requested from you the other day?” Shanaia asked Meredith when she arrived at the drama club.Meredith handed over the two paper bags that contained the sandwiches she had promised her friend. “The entire cooking club worked together to complete everything on time.”Shanaia looked around at her companions who were assisting her in carrying the two plastic bags. “Thanks for helping my friend!”Her companion smiled at Shanaia. “It’s a small thing!”“What smell is that? Is that what I smell delicious, Shanaia?” Shanaia’s co-member asked as she began to distribute the snacks to them.Shanaia turned to introduce her to everyone in the drama club. “Yup! And my friend here from Cooking Club made those sandwiches just for us, so don’t be shy about getting one for yourself, okay?” She proudly introduced.“What’s this commotion all about?” asked by the drama club President, Luke.Shanaia put her arms around her to reintroduce her. “Ahm. . . Hi, Pres! I’d like you to meet my
THREE DAYS later, Meredith doesn’t see Randall coming to school. She texted him numerous times, but he never responded to her texts or phone calls. He had missed many of their lessons, so she decided to pay him and Don Warrick a visit in the mansion. She was waiting at the bus stop when Randall called.“Hello! What happened to you? You haven't shown up to school in three days!” she asked.She heard him cough on the other line. “A-are you sick?” she asked worriedly.“My body temperature is thirty-eight point three,” he replied.Her eyes widened. “Hey! Are you completely insane? Your fever is extremely high! Are you still in the mansion? I’m on my way there.”“No! I’m in my condo. I don’t want Granpa to get infected so please, come see me right away. I’ll just send you the address.” “Okay.” And she cut the line.Five seconds later she received a message from him. The bus arrived on time so she was able to travel immediately. When she got down in front of her condo building, she went
WHEN Shanaia’s 18th birthday came, Meredith decided to go to Marylex’s house after their class so she could get ready and have someone accompany her to the venue. “So how do I look?” Marylex asked Meredith when they put on their gowns. Meredith nodded. “You look stunning in that gown. Marylex was wearing a dark blue gown while she was wearing a dark blue cocktail dress that reached the upper part of her knees. She smiled. “I know right!” Marylex looked at her as well. “You look more beautiful now that I didn’t recognize you.” Meredith looked in the full-length mirror for the last time and noticed that she looked different. Even she had trouble recognizing herself. “Let’s go?” “Hmm! For sure, Shania has been waiting for us.” Then Marylex’s driver sent them immediately to the venue. The venue was held in a five-star hotel. The party began as soon as they found their seats. And it begins with the introduction of Shanaia’s parents and siblings, followed by the grand entrance
“TON-TON, you have a visitor,” Clayton’s aunt said as she walked into his room.He sat up from his bed. “But I’m not expecting anyone.”He was about to cover his body with a blanket when his unexpected visitor entered. “B-Barbara?”She couldn’t believe that the person he was trying to avoid was standing right in front of him. Because he appears to have gone insane after she told him she likes him.“I’m going to leave you here. If you need anything, just give me a call, okay?” Barbara nodded. “Okay, thank you!”“How do you feel? I heard you’re sick,” she asked after the lady had left.“And did you find out that I was sick?”“You hadn’t come to school for two days so I asked Leendon about you. He said you were sick so I called you on the telephone and your Aunt was the one I spoke to.”She placed a basket full of different fruits on the bed side-table. “I bought you some fruit. Do you want me to peel an apple for you?”He shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”Barbara nodded then sat on th
“I’M SORRY, Randz, but I can’t marry you,” she replied and runaway.Even their friends, relatives, and guests were taken aback by Meredith’s response.“W-why can’t you marry me?”Meredith is deafeningly silent, unable to face him.“Answer me, please! Give me an acceptable reason why you can’t marry me!” Randall yelled, couldn’t accept the fact that he was rejected.Meredith took a deep breath, trying to hold back her tears and face him. “Because you don’t really love me.” Meredith’s emotions were mixed as fear dominated her heart. It seems that her dream about the red thread that Randall cut in her dream came back to her vision.“Mer, that’s not true! I do love you! Can’t you feel it?!” Randall said as his tears escaped his eyes.She sobbed and shook her head. “Y-you’re only saying that because of Barbara and Clayton’s red thread that is connects us.”Her mother and Rebecca covered their mouths at what she said. Even their friends looked at each other, couldn’t believe that she had b
“MEREDITH?” Ranier was taken aback as Meredith and Editha entered their house. He couldn’t believe that he would see them so soon. He thought that it would be difficult for him to talk to them again. “Where is he?” Meredith asked, worriedly. “He’s inside his room.” Meredith was on her way to Randall's room when she became stunned and closed her eyes. Barbara’s soul appeared in her body once more. She opened her eyes after a few seconds and turned to face Ranier. “Brother! F-forgive me. It’s all my fault. If it wasn’t for me, the people around me wouldn’t have been hurt. I deeply regret being weak and selfish back then. Ranier hugged her back. “Shhh... It’s okay, Barb. I know how you feel. But, please, help and guide my son, your nephew, to be strong. Don’t let him take his own life. I was so damn hurt by losing you then that I can’t bear it if I lose my son as well.” She released herself from his embrace and nodded. “Don’t worry, brother. I will fix everything I was left behind.
“SISTER MARIA!” Editha said as she hugged tightly the nun she considered her real mother. Sister Maria hugged her back. “Oh! Thank God! You’ve finally come! I have waited so long for your visit.” Editha let go of the hug. “I’m sorry, there’s so much happened in the past years. The nun smiled as she looked next at Meredith. “Is she your daughter?” Editha nodded and introduced her only child. “Hi, Sister Maria. Glad to see you,” Meredith said as she took Sister Maria’s right hand and gently struck it to her forehead as a show of respect of every young Filipino for the elderly.” “It was nice to finally meet you, Meredith. You grew up beautifully. You look exactly like your mother,” she complimented. She looked at her mother for a moment then thanked her. “Let’s go inside. I’m sure the other nuns would be pleased to meet you as well.” They were then escorted inside the orphanage. “Was it you, Mom?” Meredith inquired as Sister Maria gave her a photo of her mother when she was young
AFTER their conversation at the Condo unit of Barbara and Clayton, Randall went home to the mansion with his family. They were currently resting in the living room when they suddenly heard a noise outside.“Walter! What is going on out there?” Don Warrick asked.“Mrs. Ebelte is currently causing a commotion outside. She wishes to speak with you.”They all exchanged glances..“Don Martial! Get the hell out of there! Face me!” Editha yelled at the top of her lungs.Randall appeared at the gate shortly.“Mom!”“Where’s your grandfather?! I want to talk to him!”The adults, including his father, rushed after him.“Relax, Mrs. Ebelte. And with all due respect, Ma’am, don't cause a commotion here,” Ranier remarked.Editha was about to approach General Marcial when Randall grabbed her arms.“You, ruthless man! How dare you manipulate our lives, huh?! You are not even satisfied with what you did before! My brother died because of you, and then you’re going to mess with my daughter too? Leave
“WHERE are we? Why did you bring me here? Who’s unit is this? Don’t tell me you’ve moved out of your condo?” Meredith asked Randall when he took her to an unfamiliar condo.But Meredith’s guess was wrong. That unit is the place where Barbara and Clayton’s dark past happened.“Don’t you remember this place?” he asked back.She looked throughout the entire condo. “Y-yeah. This place is quite familiar to me, but how did you know that this was the place?” He held both of her hands. “I told you before that I know the whole truth, didn't I?”She nodded. “However, I also told you that it doesn’t matter what happened in the past if we know it will only affect our marriage.”Randall closed his eyes. “But my conscience won’t let me sleep anymore! Especially you! As long as you dodge the truth, your dreams will keep hunting you. I also want this to end so we can start anew.” “I-I don’t understand what were you saying. Our relationship is getting stronger so why did you suddenly say it so that
“LET’S GO?” John Person said when he picked up Shanaia in her room.Shanaia didn’t respond but she handed him her bag. After that, he clasped their hands but stopped when he noticed that missing in her hand.“Where’s your ring?” he asked.Shanaia looked at her ring finger. “Oh, maybe I left it in my bathroom when I took a shower this morning,” she excused.She actually meant not to wear it anymore. She put it back in its case. She feels like it’s useless.“Is that so?”“Hmm.” John Person didn’t ask any more questions until they reached his car in the BSU parking lot.NIGHT came and Shanaia just finished taking a shower. She was about to close the lampshade and ready to sleep when her eyes caught the goggles she had ordered for JP who arrived yesterday. She took it, removed the cover, and looked at it.She was debating with herself whether to give it to him or not. But in the end, the latter prevails so she put the goggles back in the box. She will just give it to him tomorrow.One ho
“WHAT are you doing, Shan? Don’t tell me you’re going to order something online again.” Meredith asked when they reached their room at BSU.“It’s not for me this time, okay? I’m just turning the favor because I realized that I haven’t given him a single one yet.”“As far as I remember, there’s still five months until his birthday.”“I know! But that’s not the case. He still gives me gifts even when there is no occasion. I just want to return what he does for me. Just help me, okay? So any idea what thing your cousin wants to have for a long time?”Meredith thinks for a moment. “Well, I'm not sure what kind of gift he wants, but if you're going to give him a gift, it should be something he can use all the time. But knowing my cousin, he will accept whatever you give him, wholeheartedly.”“Okay! Now I have an idea. Thanks, Mer! ”Until something stole Shanaia’s attention, a black no leaking anti-fog UV protection swimming goggles with free protection case worth thirty thousand pesos.WH
“LEX, can we talk?” Marylex stopped when she saw the woman that made her not to trust Typhoon again. “M-Maureen?” She looked at her friends. They nodded in agreement to what Maureen’s wanted, that’s why she come with her so they could talk alone. When they arrived at the cafe near BSU, she opened up to her. “Did you and Phoon fight?” she asked. She nodded. “He doesn’t even want to tell me why he had to leave me just to see you.” “It’s not that he doesn’t want to. I told him not to tell anyone about what was happening to me that day.” She frowned. “What do you mean?” “First and foremost, I don’t want you to think that I met you today because he requested me to. I’m here in front of you because I don’t want you to mistrust him solely because of me, therefore I’d want to share my side because it saddens me as well every time I see him sad.” She nodded, indicating that she was ready to listen. “I called him that day because my boyfriend and I had fought,” she explained. “Phoon
“PHOON...” Marylex wakes up Typhoon for the nth time. “You have to wake up so you can change your clothes,” she added. He groaned. “Hmm...” “You have to wake up,” she whispered. “L-Lexi?” he said weakly with a raspy voice. “Can you sit up slowly?” “I-is that really you?” She nodded. “H-how did you know that—” “Edward told me that you’re sick.” Despite his situation, he tried to smile at her. “T-thank you for coming here—” “Shhh... Don’t force yourself to speak. Just do what I say, okay?” He nodded that’s why she quickly help him to sit down and lean his back on the pillow she placed on the headboard. “I’ll change your shirt first, okay?” she asked permission. When he nodded, she slowly removed his shirt. And when she was done, she looked at his newly washed boxer shorts. She wondered if she would also change his pants or not. “L-let me change my pants,” Typhoon said as he grabbed the shorts. “A-are you sure you can change your pa—” She didn’t finish what she wanted to