1st of Spring - The Damsel, The Prince, and The Knight (P1)

“Anak? Selena? Haliika dali!”

Selena went out from her brother’s room. “Nay, bakit?”

“Halika, anak. Tignan mo ‘to. Dali!” Her mother said as she handed the letter to Selena.

“May sulat ka galing sa Wynnford. Buksan mo na.” Her mother’s excitement was written all over her face.

Selena's forehead creased. “Wynnford? Bakit naman po nila ako padadalhan ng sulat?”

“Kaya nga buksan mo na para malaman na natin,” she encouraged.

She carefully opened the envelope. She pulled out the letter and read its contents.

Dear Miss Manansala,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been granted a scholarship to attend college at Wynnford University - School of Business Administration. All expenses all throughout your college years were paid. You will also be receiving a monthly allowance during your college.

Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment for your studies, and things you need upon moving into the school dormitory.

We couldn’t be more excited and proud to welcome you at WUSBA.

Congratulations!

Yours sincerely,

Adeline Esquivel

Director of Admissions

Selena stared at the letter, rereading what was written.

“Scholar ka!” Her mother gripped her shoulders. “Delfin! Halika dito, dali! May magandang balita!”

“Ano ba ‘yun, Tanya? Rinig na rinig ‘yung sigaw mo hanggang sa kabilang kanto,” Delfin said as he entered the house.

“Scholar ang anak natin sa Wynnford!” Tanya replied.

“Talaga? Naku, ngayon palang, proud na proud na ako sayo, anak.” He hugged Selena’s shoulder. “Oh? Eh, bakit parang ‘di ka naman yata masaya, anak?”

She bit her lip. “Kasi, ‘tay, sabi dito, kailangan kong tumira dun sa dorm ng school. Pa’no kayo ni nanay dito?”

“Hay ‘sus naman ‘tong batang ‘to. Para namang napakalayo ng Maynila. Isang bus lang naman ang sasakyan mo. Wala pang dalawang oras ang byahe kapag walang trapik,” Tanya reminded her.

“O’nga naman. Saka, pwede ka naman umuwi dito kapag weekend. O kaya pag bakasyon nyo,” Delfin added.

“Pero ‘tay, ‘nay. Pa’no ‘yung pag-aalaga kay Niel? ‘Pag kailangan n’ya ng kasama sa ospital?”

“Anak, kaya na namin ‘yun ng nanay mo. ‘Wag mo na kaming alalahanin.”

Tanya held her hand. “Ayos lang kami dito, anak. Basta ikaw, tuparin mo ang mga pangarap mo.”

She smiled at her mother.

“Isa lang ang pakiusap ko. ‘Wag ka muna magbo-boyfriend habang nag-aaral ka, ha?”

An alarm buzzed and her eyes opened. She looked at her phone. Her break was over. She wondered why she suddenly dreamt about it. She dismissed the thought and fixed herself.

She stretched her arms and walked out of the break room. She tapped her workmate’s shoulder, telling him it’s his turn to take a break. She polished the floor and wiped off the coffee stains on the tables.

It's five in the morning. The coffee shop was quiet and empty, not one soul grabbing his or her breakfast before heading to school or work. Seeming like no one's gonna come in for a while, she walked behind the counter. She massaged her temples, and stifled a yawn. She stretched her arms and neck.

Kaya ko ‘to. Konti pa. She motivated herself. She then started typing a report of today's work. She's so engrossed in what she's doing that didn't notice someone walked up to her.

"Selena." A voice called her. 

Selena looked behind her shoulder and found her manager. "Miss Jean." She smiled and turned back to the computer.

Jean placed a hand on Selena's shoulder. "Ba’t nandito ka pa? May klase ka pa 'di ba?" she asked, looking at what Selena was doing. 

"Tinatapos ko na lang po 'tong ginagawa ko," she answered without removing her eyes from the screen, and continued drumming her fingers on the keyboard.

Jean tapped her shoulder and smiled. "Pabayaan mo na 'yan. Ako na'ng bahala d'yan." She tapped it again twice. "Sige na. Baka ma-late ka pa." 

Selena looked at Jean with her mouth agape. She couldn’t believe her manager would do the work for her. "Eh pero, Miss Jean. Pa--"

"'Wag nang makulit," Jean interrupted. She firmly pushed Selena which made her stand. "Ako na'ng bahala, okay?" She assured her with a smile. 

Selena smiled back. "Thank you, Miss Jean," she answered, then excitedly ran inside the dressing room.

She quickly changed from her work clothes to her school uniform. She grabbed her bag and books from her locker. As she was walking out the back door, she could hear Annie, her senior at work, shouting at a janitor, perhaps pouring her frustrations at the poor guy.

She bit her lip. Guilt crept into her heart, but it’s not as if she asked to be dismissed early. Her manager insisted that she may go. She’d make sure to come earlier on her next shift. She sighed. She locked the back door, checked it twice or thrice to see if it’s really locked, and then left for school.

Selena had classes every day at 8 am but she has work from 10 pm to 6 am. She's studying at Wynnford University - School of Business Administration, an elite school in the city of Manila. People say that you belong to the upper-class if you're studying there because those who go there are sons and daughters of owners of large corporations, of politicians, or models and artists. In short, only rich people could afford to pay the tuition in that school. 

Unless, they're the same as Selena. She wouldn't be in there if she wasn't a scholar. Someone sponsored her studies and her stay in an all-ladies dormitory near the campus. He also provided Selena a weekly allowance for her food and other needs. She didn’t spend her money that much. She saved up her money and decided to work so she could help her family with their expenses, especially with her brother’s medical needs. 

The cafe was a few blocks away from Wynnford. The way to her school was a quiet road, with few cars passing by. There were trees planted on the roadside, giving the air a fresh, clean scent. As Selena reached the school gate, she bumped into her friends, Lucy, Kringle, and Sharmaine.

Someone tapped her back. "Huy, Selena! Ano ba? Kanina ka pa naming tinatawag." Kringle said, slowing down from running. 

"Sorry, 'di ko kayo napansin,” Selena said. Several thoughts were running through her head – her work, her studies, her brother, their family expenses. It’s endless.

"Okay ka lang? Mukhang pagod na pagod ka ah," Kringle asked as the four of them started walking, her face showing concern. 

"Pagod nga 'di ba? Malamang na okay nga lang s’ya,” Lucy said with sarcasm and rolled her eyes.

Kringle ignored Lucy. "Kumain ka na ba? Dinalhan kita ng sandwich." She took out a packed sandwich from her bag and handed it to Selena. 

She hesitated for a moment, but took the sandwich anyway. "Thank you. Okay lang ako. 'Wag na kayong mag-alala."

"That must be over fatigue you are experiencing. You either lack Iron or sleep. All you need is rest or some vitamins." Sharmaine explained, nodding with satisfaction. 

Kringle scratched her head, Selena stifled a laugh, while Lucy shook her head in disbelief.

“Ay, kumusta pala si Daniel?” Kringle asked, changing the subject, but obviously concerned. 

Selena sighed. “Sabi ni nanay, sinugod na naman daw sa ospital n’ung isang gabi. Nahirapan daw huminga.” She smiled a little. “Pero, okay na s’ya. Nakauwi na sila ng bahay,” she assured them. 

The hospital bills weighed on her mind. Their debt had been piling up. She couldn’t think of a way to pay all of that. 

“Ang mahal pa naman magpaospital. Pa’no ‘yung naging gastos n’yo?” Sharmaine asked, voicing out Selena’s concern. 

Selena bit her lip. Her mother did not mention anything about the bills, but she knew they borrowed from someone again. 

Lucy raised her brows. “Bakit ‘di ka kaya manghingi ng tulong sa sponsor mo? Baka pumayag sila na pati medical expenses ni Niel, sagutin nila,” she suggested. 

Selena shook her head and waved her hands. “Naku. ‘Di ko gagawin ‘yun. Sobra sobrang tulong na binibigay nila sa’kin para makapag-aral dito. Abuso na kung pati gastos ni Niel, hihingin ko pa sa kanila.”

“‘Wag ka mag-alala. Mababayaran n’yo rin ‘yung utang n’yo. ‘Pag nakatapos na tayo tapos nakapagtayo ka na ng business, yayaman ka na. Pramis, madali lang.” Kringle grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

Lucy slapped her on the head. “Gan’un lang ba kadali ‘yon? Palibhasa kasi puro ka lang laro sa negosyo n’yo, e.” 

Kringle caressed her head. “E’di pautangin ko na lang pera si Selena ngayon para makabayad na sila ng utang,” she declared.

“Pera mo ba ‘yon? Pera ‘yun ng magulang mo.” Lucy glared at Kringle.

Sharmaine stopped them. “Ano ba, huy! Ang aga-aga pa, nag-aaway na naman kayo.”

Selena smiled. She’s grateful she had friends like them.

They were walking in a slow pace until the school bell rang. Kringle looked at her watch. "Hala, 5 minutes na lang. Takbo! Mahuli, panget!" 

Kringle, Lucy and Sharmaine started running upstairs. Selena was left behind. She was still walking.

"Kahit kelan 'di ako magiging panget!" Lucy shouted. 

"Teka lang! Ayokong maging panget eh." Sharmaine shouted too, left behind by the two.

Selena leaned on the wall while going upstairs. She felt her head spinning and her vision blurring. She supported her weight with her hand as she climbed more steps but she could barely see the way. She could just hear other students running upstairs. The next thing she knew, all she could see was black.

---

A crowd formed as they saw a girl fainted and fell from the stairs. Good thing, someone caught her before she hit her head. The guy looked at the girl with worry in his face.

"Selena? Selena!" He called, tapping Selena's face lightly. He carried Selena in his arms and rushed to the infirmary. He was catching his breath when he opened the door. "Miss Lei," he called, breathing with his mouth.

Miss Lei was writing something when he called her. "Mr. Fontanilla. Bihira kang mapadpad dito."

She slowly lifted her head and gasped when she saw the unconscious Selena. She quickly attended to him. "Can you tell me what happened to her?"

He walked inside and put Selena on the bed carefully. 

Ms. Lei put the stethoscope on Selena's chest, checking her breathing pattern and heartbeat. 

"Paakyat po s’ya ng hagdan n'ung bigla na lang s'yang matumba," he answered calmly, but with a hint of concern in his tone.

Ms. Lei nodded. "She's okay now," she said, removing the stethoscope from her ears. She looked at him. "She fainted because of restlessness and fatigue."

He bowed slightly. "Thanks." He turned away and took a step towards the door.

"Hindi mo man lang ba ipapatingin 'yang kamay mo?" The doctor asked. 

He stopped but didn't turn back. "Hindi naman po gaanong masakit. Okay lang ako."

"Are you sure?" she asked, reaching for his hand. 

He winced.

She sighed. "Sit down. It won't take long. Don't worry." 

Ms. Lei motioned for him to sit. He followed. She took bandages and tape from the first aid kit and started treating his wrist. 

"You know, you shouldn't hide things like this. It will only get worse if you keep it for yourself," she said with a chuckle. 

He frowned. He didn't understand what was amusing about that statement. He waited for her to say something more but she just worked silently. "Okay. Done. You may go to class now." She smiled at him.

He checked his bandaged wrist and murmured, "Thanks," then went outside the infirmary. As he walked to his classroom, he took a glance at the infirmary.

Will she really be fine? He thought. He faced his way again and walked a little faster. He's late for his class. But he's sure his professor wouldn't get angry at him.