Ciara stared at the door with trepidation. Is someone trying to break in? She reached out and ensured the locks are in place. She grabbed the phone and readied herself to dial the police. She thought of Renzo, realizing how scared she was in that moment. She hoped she was just hearing things and no one was outside. Her eyes constricted when she heard a cough. Please, no. She pleaded in her mind. Just go away. “Ciara? It’s me. Can you open the door?” Renzo decided there’s no other way to do it.But she frowned. Is she still hearing things? That voice sounded a lot like her boyfriend’s.“Renzo?” She called out without moving an inch. Her hand gripped the phone. She should call him to check if it’s really him outside. But why would he be outside? He didn’t say he’s coming. He was scheduled for next week.Was she dreaming? Was she missing him too much that her mind came up with this scenario? He’ll be home soon enough.“It’s me. Open the door.” He replied in a low tone, not wanting to wa
The next day, he quickly asked Ciara if she wanted to take a morning-after pill. Her reaction was similar to his. Her eyes widened in shock.“Go and get one!” She shooed him away so early in the morning after consuming hot coffee. He doesn’t mind, though. He leisurely walked, meeting people he knew and exchanging greetings with them.For the remainder of the day, he was mostly resting. At night, they spent another passionate union. He was feeling very relaxed up until Ranz’s first birthday. He and the boys were busy arranging tables and chairs in the garden. The landlady was kind enough to watch over the kid as Ciara prepared some of the food. The rest were simply ordered, like the cake and the dessert.Overall, it was a meaningful celebration. They made sure Ranz was the center of it, meeting all his friendly aunts and uncles. He got plenty of gifts, too. They all had fun and the kid was surprisingly very active. He only felt tired a cou
They got the house and they moved in a month later. Aside from their family, they both became busy with their respective things. He remained focused on his job, whereas she began studying for her degree. It’s been a long while since she last held a book and read for hours. When she attended her classes, she was nervous to meet her professors and classmates. They kept asking her why she chose the flexible learning delivery. She had to explain she has a child at home. They didn’t say much after that. College students are infinitely more mature than high school students. Well, there were few but most were focused on learning. She was afraid she’ll get bullied for being old, but no. They were actually respectful to her. They treated her as an older sister. That made things easier for Ciara.The first semester was difficult to navigate but she managed to adapt halfway through. She continued to be supportive of Renzo. That guy was clearly pressured at work so she
He took a deep breath as he held her hand. “Alright. Is that what you need? Would that make you feel better?”“Hmm.” She nodded before scrunching up her face.“What’s wrong?”“I’m not being silly, am I?” She didn’t really feel good about this situation, but she also needed to let him know. She felt burdened by it.“You’re not. I’ll see if I can get a leave. We’ll do it, then.”She seemed to be relieved upon hearing his statement.“But I still want you to indulge yourself a bit. Let’s go out for dinner tomorrow. Then, we’ll go shopping next weekend.”“Don’t be wasteful. We really have to save as much as we can. We have a kid we need to send to college!”His lip twitched before he let out a chuckle. “We have plenty of time to prepare for that. He’s barely two years old.”
They didn’t rush it, though. Ciara knew now that he truly meant to make her his wife. She was reassured. And so, her being the thrifty person that she was, they scheduled it on Ranz’s second birthday.“Shouldn’t you want a different anniversary date? Or are you afraid I would forget our wedding anniversary?”Ciara chuckled, “There’s no point celebrating two different dates when we can celebrate them on the same day.”“But think about it, when Ranz’s older, he would wonder why his parents are nowhere to be seen after his birthday party.”She laughed even more at his insinuation. “I didn’t think about that.”“It’s a pity your birthday already passed.”“I think I’m selfish. I purposely wanted separate celebrations for my birthdate and our anniversary.”“Is that right?” He finally came to the bed after sendin
She’s starving. She’s trying to save as much money as she can. She knew this would happen, but she was not expecting it to happen this soon.Ciara Cabral was kicked out by her mother when she turned sixteen. Now, she’s homeless. She thought she has more time. She thought they would at least wait until her eighteenth birthday before throwing her out on the streets. Oh, how could she be so wrong? She was caught off-guard. She was unprepared.She sniffed as she looked up at the dark sky. She was done crying. She shouldn’t waste more of her tears. Sighing, she looked around, making sure there was no threat around. She blew her warm breath on her hands, trying to keep herself from feeling the coldness of the night. Maybe she should start moving, the exercise would help increase her temperature but . . . she was too weak from thirst and hunger. It has been a week since her mother chased her out. Her mother packed her bags and told her to leave. She wasn’t expecting them to prepare a birthda
Ciara silently followed behind him. She stared at him with hope. She stared without blinking; afraid he would be gone if she did. After walking for a few minutes, she did consider the situation more carefully. She was a bit reckless, deciding within a short amount of time. She should have thought more. What are his intentions? Why would he help her? Was he expecting something in return? Would he . . .? She stopped her trail of thoughts, shook her head and caught up with him. Maybe now that she has a place to stay, it would be easier for her to get a few jobs. She mentally took stock of her clothes. Maybe she can wash her laundry tonight, at his place. Then, tomorrow . . . She stopped when he did, waiting for the street light to change. Tomorrow, she will be better suited to apply here and there. There are numerous places she hasn’t gone to yet.They reached his place within five minutes. As he said, it was small. He did say he only uses it as a place to sleep. There’s a bed on one cor
As silently as she could, so as not to bother his rest, Ciara cleaned up the kitchen. Afterwards, she figured out how to go about her laundry. When she was done, she sat on the couch. There were a couple of pillows on it. She inhaled deeply, savoring her good situation. She grinned as she positioned the pillows on both ends. She has a place to sleep, and oh, it was comfortable. She looked forward to a really good night sleep. She turned to look at Renzo. The man was sleeping on his side and she took the time to stare at him. It won’t be an understatement to say he was her hero. She previously did an essay about hero worship for a class homework. She could understand the concept better now.She went near the door to turn off the light and made her way back to the couch. There was a lamp near his bed, but she didn’t think it would be appropriate to turn it on. Maybe he doesn’t want it. She laid on her back and stared at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but it wouldn’