Chapter 10

"Wait, is that an apple?" Vangie asked in amazement as she looked at the tree beside the house. She walked closer and was even more surprised when she realized she was right. "Wow! Apples don't grow in the Philippines, right? How?" she asked curiously.

Bert approached Vangie. "Yeah. But my mom didn’t give up. She planted it herself."

Vangie looked at Bert. "That’s amazing."

Bert smiled and removed Vangie’s helmet. "She’s been trying since I was a kid. Three years ago, she finally succeeded." He gently fixed her messy hair. "Come inside."

Vangie swallowed hard. The feeling of awkwardness returned. She avoided looking at Bert and just nodded. When he started walking toward the house, she followed, though she wished she could admire the beautiful view a little longer. But she was also feeling a bit sleepy.

When they entered, Vangie was even more impressed. The house was studio-type, so when Bert turned on the lights, she immediately saw the spacious living room connected to the kitchen. In the center of the living room was a large L-shaped sofa. Most of the furniture was in shades of brown—the sofa, the wallpaper, and even some of the other decorations.

Bert motioned for her to sit on the sofa. "Hold on, I’ll grab us something to drink," he said as he walked toward the kitchen.

Vangie looked around and noticed some framed photos on a cabinet near the flat-screen TV. Without thinking, she stood up and walked closer. The photos were of Lucia and her husband. There was also a child with them. She smiled when she realized it was Bert, recognizing him from an older photo. She picked it up and stared at it.

He was handsome, Vangie thought to herself. He barely changed from his younger years to now.

"Careful with all that staring—you might fall in love," Bert suddenly teased.

Vangie almost jumped. She quickly put the photo back and turned to face him. He was holding two cans of beer. She raised an eyebrow.

"As if," she replied with a hint of sass before sitting back down. Bert sat beside her and handed her an already opened beer.

"Want more?"

Vangie shook her head. "No thanks. I already feel dizzy from the two bottles earlier," she refused.

"Alright," Bert said as he took a sip of his beer and turned on the TV.

After a few moments of silence, Vangie spoke up. "So… you guys have a farm? I thought you only had a grocery store." She kept her eyes on the TV, not really understanding what was playing. The atmosphere suddenly felt a little tense, making her feel warm.

"Yeah. Actually, we have two. There’s another one near your village. This one has been here since I was a kid. It’s my favorite because I live here, and no one else comes in except me."

Vangie’s eyes widened. "Really? That means it’s yours?" she asked in surprise.

Bert nodded. "Yep."

"So that farm is yours… I used to pick fruits from there sometimes," Vangie admitted.

Bert turned to her. "Really? That’s fine. I’ll tell them to give you some regularly."

Vangie chuckled. "Come on, that’s embarrassing," she said.

"It’s no big deal. For you, it’s fine," Bert replied with a wink.

Vangie blushed and looked back at the TV.

"By the way, I overheard your conversation earlier," Bert suddenly said.

Vangie froze. She swallowed hard, feeling cold all of a sudden.

"Y-Yeah?" She wasn’t hiding the fact that she was separated from her husband. Bert knew that. But the way Marissa brought it up earlier was a bit embarrassing.

Bert sighed and leaned back on the sofa. "I love this place because it reminds me of my grandmother. Before I moved to Manila, I used to help her plant crops here." He paused for a moment. "She passed away while I was in Manila. I didn’t even get to come home. And… this was also where I used to spend time with my ex when we were still students."

Vangie looked at Bert from head to toe. "You were married?" she asked in shock.

Bert nodded and smiled. "Yeah, but we separated."

Vangie sat up straight and stared at the TV again. Bert had been courting her for months, but she had no idea he had been married before. It wasn’t surprising given his age, but she just never knew about his past. Maybe it was time to get to know him better. She took a deep breath.

"Why did you guys break up?" she asked.

Bert sighed. "She said she had no future with me, so she found someone else." He smiled bitterly.

Vangie felt a sharp pain in her chest upon hearing that. She hadn’t known Bert for long, but he seemed like a hardworking man. She suddenly felt sorry for him. Without thinking, she grabbed his beer and drank from it.

"Hey, take it easy, Vangie," Bert said, trying to stop her. She hadn’t even finished half of it yet.

Vangie ignored him and kept drinking. She almost gagged from the bitterness once she finished the whole can. "Whoa!" She felt like her soul had been sucked out.

Bert laughed. "Why did you chug it?"

Vangie shook her head as the dizziness hit her. "How could she say you had no future? What about your kids?" she asked instead of answering him.

Bert lowered his head. "We didn’t have kids." He sighed. "But I had trouble finding a job back then. Maybe that’s why she left. Adjusting to life in Manila was hard for me, but I did everything to give her a good life. She just couldn’t wait for me."

"S-So you never had kids?"

Bert nodded. "Nope. Maybe that’s another reason she left—because I couldn’t give her one." He smiled bitterly. "We were together for six years, but we never had a child. Guess I’m a failure."

Vangie looked away. "When my husband left me, so many thoughts ran through my head. I even started blaming myself. But when I saw my kids, I realized—no, there was nothing wrong with me. He just didn’t know how to be content." She smiled and turned to Bert, only to realize he was already staring at her. She quickly looked away again. "Just think of it that way—she wasn’t content, so she found someone else. Don’t blame yourself. She wasn’t the right person for you."

Bert suddenly felt lighter after hearing Vangie’s words. His admiration for her grew even more. He had to stop himself from pulling her into a hug—or even kissing her—because of how happy he felt.

"You’re still young, Bert. The right person will come for you," Vangie said with a smile. "But for me… I don’t know. I’m not even thinking about that anymore."

Vangie felt more at ease with Bert after learning about his past. She didn’t know why he shared that part of his life with her, but it helped her understand him better.

"Who said that?"

Vangie paused. "Huh?"

Bert smirked. "I think I’ve already found the right person. And she’s sitting right in front of me."

Vangie swallowed hard and looked away, trying to calm her racing heart.