The next day, Vangie finally returned home. Bert hadn’t let her go the day before, and they had stayed at his house where they became intimate. Vangie couldn’t explain the joy she felt. Even though her body was sore, she didn’t mind. She immediately searched online to understand why she still felt pain after their first time together, even though she had already had five children. She discovered it was because she hadn’t had sex in a long time. When she and Fredo had separated, she hadn’t experienced that for years. She was amazed that this could happen.
She thought for a moment about what to do next. Her children didn’t know about Bert yet. They had no idea that she had someone courting her, and now she had agreed to it. She had spent her whole life focused on her children, and she worried they might be angry with her.
She h
"Bert?" Vangie called out, surprised. She was standing in front of her store, smiling widely."How much is the shopkeeper?" she joked.Vangie rolled her eyes. "I don’t know. Come in," she said, stepping out to open the gate. "Close it already—hey!" She quickly stepped back as Bert tried to kiss her. She glared at him."Why?""What’s wrong with you?" She glanced outside and relaxed when she saw the young people busy playing basketball. "We’re outside! Come inside!"
The woman gasped repeatedly, her hands tied to the headboard of the bed. A bathrobe was the only thing covering her body. She bit her lip as she watched the man who captured her receive a blowjob from a woman dressed in black leather lingerie, wearing a butterfly-shaped mask and high-heeled boots.Soon, the masked woman quickened her movements, making the man groan loudly as he reached his peak. Seeing this, the tied woman looked away, biting her lip to stifle her own sounds. A strange sensation built up in her lower stomach from what she had just witnessed.The masked woman then stood up and marched out of the room. The tied woman glanced back at the man—only to find him standing near her feet, completely naked, staring at her with desire.He slowly crawled onto the bed, and she instinctively pressed herself against the headboard to get away. But he grabbed her ankle, pulling her down, causing her bathrobe to slip, revealing her smooth, fair thighs.“S-Stop,” she pleaded when he plac
Evangeline frowned. Her brain seemed to lag at what the man in front of her had just said."They never told me we'd be delivering to someone so beautiful."She looked at him in confusion. She couldn't tell if he was being serious or just flattering her. His grin stretched almost to his ears, and the way he looked at her felt like he was teasing.She was no stranger to compliments. Even at forty-two, her heart-shaped face still held a natural beauty. Her shoulder-length haircut made her look even younger. People often told her she could outshine the younger women in their town. And she believed it—before she got pregnant with her ex-husband’s child, she had been the school's top beauty contestant.Even after giving birth to five children, she never gained weight. She never used beauty products, yet her tanned skin remained smooth.She swallowed hard and looked away, feeling a strange flutter in her chest. She was used to compliments, even ones that were just flattery. But for some reas
Sometimes in life, we think we’re already content—especially as we grow older and have a stable life. Often, all we wish for is to be happy. But as they say… life starts at forty.Ever since Vangie’s encounter with Bert, she couldn’t get him out of her mind. She found out he was Lucia’s son, which meant that even if she didn’t want him delivering to her store, his mother wouldn’t stop him. He had grown up in Manila and had only recently returned to Samar. She tried to ignore him whenever he delivered goods, even though he persistently tried to talk to her. His mother even asked her to just let it go and not pay him any attention.She was convinced he was a little slow in the head.That morning, Vangie went into the city to collect money sent by her children. The remittance center was only available there. Every month, her kids sent her an allowance, even though she constantly told them it wasn’t necessary. The money she earned from her store was more than enough.After getting the mon
It had been fifteen years since Vangie and her husband separated. She never thought she would have another man in her life. For all those years, she had been alone, except for her children. She let their father petition them to live abroad so they could have a better life. Even though she knew it meant being left alone in the Philippines, she accepted it. She didn’t want to take that opportunity away from them.It had also been fifteen years since she last felt her heart beat for someone. The feelings she had for Fredo never came back. From then until now, only her ex-husband had ever touched, hugged, or kissed her. She thought she was done with things like that.Until now…Bert was kissing her.Vangie froze in shock, unable to move. Her eyes widened when she opened them, but Bert’s remained shut as he savored their kiss. One of his arms held her basket, while the other wrapped around her waist. His other hand rested on the back of her head.She wanted to push him away, to slap or hit
Vangie felt like she was transported back in time as she rode on the back of Bert’s motorcycle. She was still shy around him, so she only held onto his shoulder. But before he started the engine, he grabbed her hands and wrapped them around his waist.“What are you doing?” Vangie asked, eyes wide. She felt awkward as her body pressed against his back.“It’s safer if you hold on here. Plus, you get free abs.”Vangie frowned and pinched Bert’s stomach, but to her surprise, it was rock hard. It was like grabbing a stone. Bert flinched slightly, pressing against her even more. She froze when her chest touched his back, making her pull away in embarrassment.“Y-You’re so full of nonsense,” she muttered.“Just hold on properly. You don’t believe me?”Vangie sighed and adjusted her grip. It had been a long time since she last rode a motorcycle, so she finally gave in and wrapped her arms around his waist. She swallowed hard when she caught a whiff of his masculine scent. Something inside her
Vangie tried to forget her conversation with Bert, but ever since then, he kept coming to her house. He never said much—just brought her food. Sometimes, he even helped her open her store. He was serious when he said he would court her.She tried to ignore him, but after his confession, something inside her seemed to come alive. She had to admit it—she was slowly starting to feel something for Bert.“So, this young guy is courting you?” Sheila asked again.Vangie paused from repacking cooking oil and looked at her friend. “Yes! How many times are you going to ask that?” she replied, annoyed.Sheila had asked her the same question five times. They were in Vangie’s store, repacking supplies like cooking oil into small plastic bags to sell for five or ten pesos each. Sheila always helped her with this task.They had been friends for over a decade, ever since Vangie was still studying and hadn’t married yet. That’s why she trusted Sheila enough to talk about Bert.Sheila suddenly squealed
Vangie woke up early to get ready. She and Sheila were going to a birthday party, so she decided to close her store for the day, even though she didn't plan to stay long. It was their godchild’s sixteenth birthday, the child of their former classmate, so many of their old classmates would be there. Vangie knew she might end up staying longer since it would be like a reunion.“Vangie! What’s taking you so long? Aren’t you ready yet?” Sheila called out. She had arrived at Vangie’s house at 7 AM, but it was already 8 AM, and Vangie was still busy. Sheila sighed and sat on the sofa to wait.“Almost done!” Vangie replied from her room upstairs. She stood in front of her mirror, putting on red lipstick and brushing her hair. She wore fitted jeans and a sleeveless floral blouse with buttons down the front, pairing it with white sandals. She let her hair down and, once satisfied with her look, headed downstairs.“Finally, you’re ready!” Sheila exclaimed, putting down her phone and standing up
"Bert?" Vangie called out, surprised. She was standing in front of her store, smiling widely."How much is the shopkeeper?" she joked.Vangie rolled her eyes. "I don’t know. Come in," she said, stepping out to open the gate. "Close it already—hey!" She quickly stepped back as Bert tried to kiss her. She glared at him."Why?""What’s wrong with you?" She glanced outside and relaxed when she saw the young people busy playing basketball. "We’re outside! Come inside!"
The next day, Vangie finally returned home. Bert hadn’t let her go the day before, and they had stayed at his house where they became intimate. Vangie couldn’t explain the joy she felt. Even though her body was sore, she didn’t mind. She immediately searched online to understand why she still felt pain after their first time together, even though she had already had five children. She discovered it was because she hadn’t had sex in a long time. When she and Fredo had separated, she hadn’t experienced that for years. She was amazed that this could happen.She thought for a moment about what to do next. Her children didn’t know about Bert yet. They had no idea that she had someone courting her, and now she had agreed to it. She had spent her whole life focused on her children, and she worried they might be angry with her.She h
Vangie woke up comfortably lying on a bed. She feels the soft bed she is lying on. She felt like she had just been in an intense chase because of the heaviness she felt. Her head felt like it was being split open. She groaned and tried to open his eyes. She was in a room and no longer on the rooftop.What happened?She took a deep breath and closed his eyes again. Only then did the events of last night come back to her memory. He opened his eyes again and sat up abruptly. He grimaced when he felt a pain in his lower body.Is that true? unbelievable, she asked himself. She only drank a little last night. But she felt extremely tired. He covered his mouth and stifled a scream.“We did it!" she said happily.
Vangie's can was almost crushed in her hand as she continued to respond to Bert's kisses. Her heart was racing. The breeze on the rooftop was cold, but she felt as if the whole surroundings had suddenly caught fire. It had been sixteen years since she last experienced being kissed by a man. She didn't even wish for it, and not once during her separation from Fredo did she experience it again. But she couldn't explain why she felt so excited about the possible outcome of their kiss. It was as if something had come alive inside her and was desperately trying to break free.It felt like Vangie was being electrified when she felt Bert's hands on her neck and back. There was a certain ticklish sensation that feeling gave her. Bert took the can he was holding. She no longer knew where Bert had placed it because she was just closing her eyes, trying to figure out how to respond properly to his kisses. She clung t
"Are you really not going to Manila anymore?" Vangie asked. She and Bert were on the rooftop, drinking alcohol. The sky was transitioning from light to dark, and the surroundings were slowly being enveloped by darkness. Vangie felt the cold, as her clothes didn't have sleeves. They were sitting side by side on a reclining chair, with a clear view of Bert’s vast farm.After eating, Vangie insisted on cleaning up. Bert didn’t want her to, but she was persistent, so he gave in.Bert shook his head after taking a sip from the can in his hand."No. I don't want to leave you here. This doesn’t happen often."Vangie raised an eyebrow. "Really?"Bert smiled and looked at Vangie. "Yes. You always give me the cold sho
Vangie probably felt that her mistake when she and her husband separated was not talking to him. Because of the deep pain she felt, she didn’t try to talk to him about fixing things. She didn’t beg him not to leave. She frowned. It wasn’t her and her children who Fredo left; it was just her. But maybe if she had done that, they wouldn’t have separated. She was very angry with Fredo. She couldn’t accept that he looked for someone else.Now that she knew Bert’s ex-partner wanted to get back together with him, who was she to stand in their way?Vangie sighed deeply and looked at Bert. He was staring at the ceiling as if he had a big problem."Well, what’s the big problem?" she commented.Bert sighed again and shook his head. "I didn’t agree," he said, looking at her.Vangie furrowed her brow and asked, "Why?""Would you accept your ex-husband back, even though he cheated on you?" Bert asked.Vangie’s eyes widened. She quickly looked away from him and stared at the turned-off TV. No one e
After talking to Vangie, she decided to ask about Bert. She spoke to Banjo and questioned him, as he had made a delivery that day without Bert. This gave her the chance to interview Banjo. They had just finished unloading her groceries and were standing by the gate. She offered them drinks."Yes, Ate. It's been almost five years," Banjo replied, taking a sip of his soda. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "That's why he's staying here, to forget. He kind of went off track."Vangie raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Are they married?" she asked. For her, it was difficult to get involved with someone who was still married, even if they were separated.Banjo thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think they're married."Vangie sighed in relief. That meant they were just living together. "Thank you. Sorry for the questions," she said.Banjo scratched his head. "It's fine, Ate. Thanks for the soda.""By the way, why isn't Bert here today?" Vangie asked, confused. Every deliver
"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.
Bert took Vangie to the side of Maricel’s house, where the guests' cars were parked.“I’ll just take a tricycle,” Vangie said. She had been feeling embarrassed ever since her friend’s earlier comment. She trusted Bert not to do anything inappropriate, but she still felt uncomfortable. It was as if her friend had stripped her down in front of him and served her up like a delicious meal.Bert shook his head. “I’ll take you home—”Vangie shot him a glare, making him stop mid-sentence. He laughed.“You’re so fun to tease. You look even prettier when you’re annoyed.”Vangie rolled her eyes. “I already told you, didn’t I? I’ll just take a tricycle,” she said, frustrated, and turned away. She couldn’t believe her friend had betrayed her like that. But before she could leave, Bert grabbed her arm.“You’re in a bad mood. Come on, I know exactly where to take you,” Bert said. “It’ll help you cool off.”Vangie was about to refuse, but Bert pulled her toward his motorcycle and put a helmet on her