“LONG TIME NO SEE”

It was almost dark when Mia arrived in Manila. If she hadn’t been stuck in traffic, she might not have reached her destination this late. 

Standing outside the old house, Mia remained still, silently gazing at it. 

A long time had passed, yet she still felt a small pang in her heart as she looked up at the large house before her. 

Finally, Mia moved and pushed open the rusty gate. She knew that by tomorrow, many of her neighbors would be asking why she had suddenly returned and what had happened to her. 

A bitter smile formed on her lips. 

With how she looked, maybe no one would even ask. Maybe they would just talk about her behind her back. 

That’s right. 

Because ever since her mother, Nanay Rosita, got sick, and she was forced to make desperate choices to afford her treatment, not a single person around her had truly understood—except for the old woman who had now passed away. 

Mia took out a key and unlocked the large front door of the old house. 

Naturally, it was dusty and filled with cobwebs. But since she had left all the furniture covered with white cloths, she knew she wouldn’t have too much trouble cleaning the antique pieces inside. 

She would clean tomorrow. For now, she just needed to set up a place to sleep—she badly needed rest. Only now did she start to feel the exhaustion, along with the soreness in her body from the bruises she had gotten after being beaten by the man who was now her ex-partner. 

She lit a candle and began preparing her sleeping space. 

By tomorrow, she needed to go to the electric company. Moving around in the dark was difficult, especially since she was alone. After that, she would start looking for a job. She needed to earn money, even if it was just for herself. The money that Aling Ising had given her would eventually run out, and it would be even harder if she waited until then to act. 

*****

The next day, as she expected, Mia was bombarded with countless questions and whispers from her neighbors. 

But since she was naturally quiet, she chose to just smile at them instead of answering. 

She went to Mrs. Ramos's store to buy her breakfast for the day—coffee and biscuits. 

That would be enough to fill her stomach. She needed to be frugal, especially since she hadn’t found a job yet. In truth, she was planning to go to Pegasus later. 

It was the nightclub where she had previously worked as a waitress. 

She hoped that even after all this time, the owner would still recognize her. She wanted to work there, even if it was just washing dishes or serving customers—just like before. But not in the way others assumed. She had only ever been a waitress. And the only man she had ever been with was Bernie. In fact, he was the only one she had ever given herself to. 

Since work at Pegasus was at night, she also asked Mrs. Ramos if she knew of anyone looking for a house cleaner or laundry worker so she could be recommended. 

She could clean houses and do laundry in the morning, especially on her day off from the club. 

Mrs. Ramos had asked her some questions, and in her desire to get help, Mia decided to tell her the truth—what had really happened to her and why she had returned to Manila after such a long time. 

By the afternoon, Mia had finished running errands and taking care of everything she needed. Fortunately, she had been lucky enough to be rehired by the club owner, Rosanna. Remembering their conversation brought a smile to Mia’s face. 

"Is that so? You really have been through a lot. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a job. Didn’t I tell you when you left that you could always come back here whenever you wanted? You’re like a daughter to me," Rosanna had said, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. 

"Stop crying now. Just stay here with us. Even though some people love to gossip and judge, in the end, they will still help you because they’ve seen how you grew up. We won’t abandon you, just don’t go back to that demon of a man!" added Ate Dahlia, who was now the club manager. 

"What do you want to do? Can you be a waitress again? Same rules as before—no one can table you unless you want to," Rosanna continued in her calm tone. 

Mia nodded and took a tissue from the box to wipe her tears. "Yes, Ate, same as before," she answered, finally managing a smile. 

*****

A week later, here she was again. She was slowly getting used to living alone. 

As she had decided, she didn’t turn on her cellphone until she got a new SIM card. 

Once she had one, the first thing she did was call the number Aling Ising had given her to assure the old woman that she was okay. She also took the chance to thank her for everything she had done. Because if it weren’t for her, Mia would probably still be with Bernie, waiting for him to come home. 

As far as she knew, Bernie was supposed to be out of town for two weeks. 

And she also knew that the woman he had gotten pregnant was with him—if that "out of town trip" was even real. That was the cause of their argument, which eventually led to him hurting her again—physically. 

Mia quickly shook her head to erase those thoughts from her mind. 

In the week she had spent here, she could say that she was slowly forgetting Bernie. Maybe she would fully move on once she started working at Pegasus. 

Rosanna had told her to wait until the bruises on her body, arms, and face healed before she could start working. And Mia understood why. She knew that in that line of work, it was important to always look presentable to the customers. 

"It’s good you stopped by, dear. I have some great news for you," Mrs. Ramos said one evening when Mia went to buy rice and two pieces of salted eggs with tomatoes. 

"What is it?" Mia asked. 

From the expression on the woman’s face, it seemed like good news indeed, making her feel excited. 

"I found you a house to clean. Do you remember Erik, your former classmate who lived in the house with the green gate?" Mrs. Ramos began. 

Mia was immediately taken aback. "Erik?" she repeated. 

Mrs. Ramos nodded. "He just got here. It’s a shame you missed him. He was here earlier buying coffee. I don’t think he’s asleep yet, so you should go see him. Since tomorrow is Sunday, he might want you to start cleaning and doing his laundry then. You wouldn’t want to miss out on the extra income," the older woman advised. 

Mia realized that Mrs. Ramos was right. 

If Erik wanted his house cleaned and his laundry done by tomorrow, it would be a good way for her to earn money while waiting for her bruises to heal. 

"Alright, I’ll go see him now," she said, taking her change before crossing the street toward Erik’s house. 

That was when Mia felt an unfamiliar emotion swell in her chest. 

Erik—her first love, her first dance, and her last dance in high school. This would be their first time seeing each other again since he had left for Canada with his family just days after graduation. 

Standing in front of the green gate, Mia pressed the doorbell. 

It didn’t take long before she heard the wooden door of the house open. Then came the sound of footsteps approaching. Until finally, the gate swung open, revealing an incredibly handsome man she had not seen in so many years. 

"Mia?" he asked in surprise, his gaze fixed on her face. 

A hesitant smile formed on Mia’s lips. "Long time no see," she replied.