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Something 16
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2024-10-29 19:42:56I KNOW WHAT I did to Basha was not a big deal, but it was not exactly good as well. That was the very reason why I was still standing outside their sari-sari store this late in the evening. I figured that I really owe her an apology for my words earlier this morning.
“What are you doing here?” she sourly asked me right away.
“I haven’t said anything yet,” I complained. “But why are so mad already?”
She just rolled her eyes and began ignoring me. She pretended to arrange the items into their respective shelves just to completely ignore me.
“Okay, I’ve said something you didn’t like earlier, so… I’m sorry.”
She did not answer me and just proceeded to what she was doing. She was obviously mad and did not want to listen to me. I honestly do not like feeling stupid while asking forgiveness in front of others. I stopped immediately when I observed that my apol
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Something Only We Know Something Only We Know
Something Only We KnowSebastian ‘Baste’ Paner was a jock of hotel services and master of client pampering, especially for rich old women. When his best friend who was running a dating agency enlisted his help to fulfill a dying woman's wish, the greedy Baste accepted the offer right away. Who wouldn't be anyway if you're bound to inherit a massive land in the province after her death? However, it wasn't as easy as Baste had initially thought.“When I called and told your orphanage that I want a family, I didn't mean I need a husband. I need a child,” clarified 61-year-old Valentina Geronimo who mistakenly dialed the agency instead of the orphanage.By the way, it's not a love story. It's something more profound than that. It's... something only we know._______________________________________I will be writing this story in honor of my late grandmother, Valentina. The setti
Something Only We Know Nothing 01
“I-I'm scared of dying...” Ms. Young's voice cracked upon her confession, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.The seventy-year-old matriarch of the Young Family from the real-estate business had once again visited our hotel to avail my service. It's not a secret that I'm quite a star among widowed, old maiden, and all sorts of female guests who were senior citizens. I'm in charge of them in terms of pampering, listening, and comforting.Let's be frank, I'm no saint. I also do stuff most people would find odd and erroneous. I don't care as long as these females give me all that I deserve for rendering them my service.I placed the cup of chamomile tea, one of my absolute favorites because it's good for soothing stress, atop the small round table wherein Mrs. Young and I was sitting face to face. She was a heavy smoker and thus was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. The illness was starting to take its
Something Only We Know Nothing 02
MY ENTIRE RIDE going to the client's province was smooth. I can really say that the place was mesmerizing. The road I was driving was nestled in between two wide pineapple plantations and afoot the mountain. I even stopped in the middle to enjoy the scenic view and breathe the fresh air it offered.It was very different from the city. In here, there's no traffic under the scorching heat of the sun. The air was cold and refreshing, and you can feel like you're the king of the world by just driving all alone on the empty road of this beautiful place.The route was taking me uphill wherein the weather got even gloomier. It was near afternoon but I can still notice some fogs. I pulled over at the side when my phone's battery went empty. I was just using an app to take me to my destination, the Pitong Gatang. Now that my phone was down, I have to ask those residents I spotted at the nearby flower farm. I rolled down my window a
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MAY 04, 197x“We should go to the plaza later tonight to join the baile. I've heard there will be a lot of city boys coming since it's already summer vacation!” Nenita, Valentina's cousin, told her excitedly.The teenage Valen sat beside her as they both sought rest inside a small nipa hut after harvesting unhusked rice under the drastic heat of the sun for the whole day. She removed her straw hat and used that to fan herself.“As if they would notice us.”Nenita teasingly elbowed her. “Come on, Valen. We're not going to find boyfriends. We're just making friends.” She then chuckled.“But I don't want to make friends with them. Tatay told me they're very lazy. They don't even know how to plow the rice fields,” she argued and Nenita laughed heartily.“You'll not be able t
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VALENTINA LET ME stay in the attic of her bungalow house. Apart from the fact that it was getting late and the drive back to the city will be surely exhausting, she had no choice but to accept me since she cannot pay for the breach of contract. Her farms were struggling at the moment, and she had to save everything she can to bring their production back to normal.I was really expecting that her attic would look messy and dusty, but I was completely wrong. It was well-maintained with proper lighting and a normal-sized bed that honestly looked comfortable beside a big trunk that served as its bedside table. The weary I didn’t know I have been keeping the whole day emanated the moment my back made contact with the bedsheets.“God, I am so tired…” I whispered then proceeded to cover my eyes with my right forearm.Just when I was about to doze off, I heard a knock on the door.“Have you eaten, young man?”
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197xVALENTINA WAS BUSY feeding their pigs and piglets in their den when her cousin Nenita arrived that day.“Psst…” Nenita called, attracting her attention.Valen paid no heed to her cousin. She just continued feeding their farm animals. She knew very well what her cousin was up to. She did not come with her yesternight at the baile. She did not like being surrounded by city people, especially that Johnny Geronimo. After their introduction the other night, she would only nod or simply answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to their conversation.“Johnny was looking for you last night,” Nenita continued, teasing her.“So?”“My God, Valen! He obviously likes you!”Valen stopped whatever she was doing to look at her cousin. Nenita was shrieking in romantic excitement while she just stared at her unimpressed.&
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AFTER THE HARVEST, Valentina summoned me together with Bart to come towards her. She wanted us to take the vegetables to the public market using the old pickup truck.“I can use my car,” I said, offering my Mercedes-Benz to ride it instead of their old vehicle.“You are riding the pickup truck for your training because you will proxy Bart in delivering our produce when he is unavailable.”“But your vehicle is too old, and it looks like it’s going break in just a single bump!” I complained.Valentina just stared at me blankly. Funny but that was enough to shut up me. I pursed my lips and just marched my way towards their old pickup truck. I caught Bart snickered on his side, so I darted him a glare before getting inside the vehicle. He checked the vegetables first at the back if they were fastened securely before he followed me inside.Bart rolled down the window on his side to listen to Val
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197xAFTER FINISHING ALL the works in their flower farm for that day, Valentina hurried to meet Johnny on a gazebo near the plaza where he told her that he will be waiting for her to teach her. She did not know yet what waited for her in the gazebo. She was even kind of worried that it took her so long to get there. The sun was already setting down and the skies were slowly turning hazy. It was almost evening when she arrived at their meeting place.Her steps slowed down when she spotted him on the gazebo, still sitting on the floor while reading a book with his eyeglasses on. Valen could not help but stare at him in silent awe. He looked even more intelligent with his looks today. It was something that made her even more conscious about herself and somewhat insecure of the privilege the man possessed that she did not. The light in the gazebo switched on because it was already night. Johnny reacted instinctively
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Something Only We Know Something 16
I KNOW WHAT I did to Basha was not a big deal, but it was not exactly good as well. That was the very reason why I was still standing outside their sari-sari store this late in the evening. I figured that I really owe her an apology for my words earlier this morning.“What are you doing here?” she sourly asked me right away.“I haven’t said anything yet,” I complained. “But why are so mad already?”She just rolled her eyes and began ignoring me. She pretended to arrange the items into their respective shelves just to completely ignore me.“Okay, I’ve said something you didn’t like earlier, so… I’m sorry.”She did not answer me and just proceeded to what she was doing. She was obviously mad and did not want to listen to me. I honestly do not like feeling stupid while asking forgiveness in front of others. I stopped immediately when I observed that my apol
Something Only We Know Something 15
197xTHE DAWN WAS just breaking but Valentina was already all set for the day. She will be joining her Uncle Juan in bringing the vegetables, pineapples, and flowers they harvested to the public market down the town. She was already inside their pickup truck when she spotted Nenita half-walking and half-running towards her and her father Fernando. Her Uncle Juan was not with Nenita when she neared them.“Uncle, tatay cannot come today. His back was still hurting so bad he couldn’t get up,” Nenita informed her Uncle Fernando about her father’s condition.Valen immediately got out of the shotgun seat of the pickup truck because she knew that there was no one else who knew how to drive the vehicle except her Uncle Juan. They have no substitute for him or had not yet found the right one to proxy him for this job. Frida, Fernando’s wife, and Valentina’s mother smiled and caressed the worri
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TrustTHE DAY AT the farm ended with me having done only a little. My fellow farmers were good enough not to rebuke me for the minimal works I have made. The sun was already setting down when Valentina and I began walking our way home in silence.“I’m sorry…” I began.She threw me a sideway glance, but she did not stop walking.“What are you apologizing for?”“The works I have done were terrible, and they were much lesser than the other farmers. I’m really sorry…” I sincerely apologized again and lowered my head in shame.It was really a shame because it seemed to appear that I was just all talk and never had proven my claims and promises through my actions. That was the very goal of why I was here and why I stayed here. I have to be worthy of what I will be having. I wanted it to become one of my hard-earned triumphs.
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197xTHE SUN KISSED the hills as the skies turned bleak, hinting the end of that specific day for the people of the Pitong Gatang. Valentina was busy finishing their farm work for that day when she noticed through her peripherals that Nenita and Johnny were talking in whispers in a corner. It had been weeks since the guy began helping them in the farm. She overheard her cousin asking Johnny once why he was doing it and if he had no other work in the city. He just said that he was still on a vacation, so he figured that it would be nice and best to spend it by helping them.Valen finished whatever she was doing when she heard Nenita laugh as she pushed Johnny in her direction. She carried the basket full of eggplants they harvested for the day and began walking, but even before she can get away, Johnny already stood in front of her and smiled at her warmly.“Let me carry it.”“I can handle it,&rd
Something Only We Know Something 12
TrustI SET MY alarm for today, but Valentina was faster than lighting in waking me up. She did not wait for me to join her in walking down the stairs. She just left right after knocking at my bedroom door and telling me to wake up. I followed suit to the dining area where breakfast was already served and prepared. My lips slightly parted in surprise as she sat on her seat. I walked towards her and stood just beside her seat.“I remember telling you last night that it will be me who’s going to cook breakfast for us.”“And I also remember you telling me that you do not know how to cook,” she retorted before sipping on her coffee.“You… remember that? I mean, I was just surprised because that small detail remained in your mind. I know you’re going through some sort of, you know, memory loss.”“Just sit down and eat. We have a lot of work to d
Something Only We Know Nothing 11
197xJOHNNY STAYED IN Pitong Gatang for that whole summer. The only family member left for him was his grandmother. He spent most of his time taking care of her and visiting and helping Valen on the farm which greatly surprised the woman when she saw him approaching one morning. He was dressed like their usual clothes for farming — a long sleeves polo, comfortable pants, a pair of humble footwear, and a straw hat.“What are you doing here…” she asked him in disbelief as she kept staring at his smiling face.“Let me help you.”“What do you know about farming?”“I studied horticulture and agriculture for four years because I always remember you.”Valen had to look away after hearing that. She felt overwhelmed that he did not really forget about her within those years that they were apart, but she was also kind of jealous. She knew that Johnn
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I RETREATED TO where Basha and Aunt Anita was and helped them in cleaning up the table. Bart and Uncle Bert went with Valen and the other farmers to work on the farms. I was kind of worried for Valen because she was not getting any younger and she was sick. She had to rest for all I know and retire. She had to take care of her health and condition, too.I saw Basha carry a pile of empty dishes. She could hardly take them with both of her hands, so I left my post in wiping the table to walk towards her to help her.“Let me carry it,” I told her.She just frowned at me and kept the pile away from me.“I can do it,” she replied, sounding serious and unwelcoming.“You could hardly carry it. Just let me do it.” I insisted and tried snatching them from her.She was also persistent to keep the pile of dishes away from me, so we ended up just pulling and pushing, almost scrambling for it. She groa
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197xFOUR YEARS, IT had been four years since Valentina last saw Johnny. He said he will be coming back when school was over, but four school years had passed yet no Johnny came back. In the second year, Valen stopped writing and sending him letters. She just lost her hope in him and in his palabra de honor.She wanted to blame him and be mad at him but she could not because she also questioned who she was in his life and how much she meant to him for him to meet his promise and come back. He was not obliged to do anything with her in the first place. He was an intelligent city boy while she was just a simple girl from the province. They lived very different lives, and they were like worlds apart. She could not blame him if she was that easy to forget. She was just hurt, but she had to keep it to herself and just keep going.After their farm works and before the day ended, she decided to go visit the gazebo. She used to
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THE PEOPLE OF Pitong Gatang were already gathered at the huge table outside the Soriano Family’s house and sari-sari store. There was also food atop the table. I was surprised because I did not expect their breakfast to be this way like they were having a feast minus the delicious and expensive foods.“Kuya Bart!”The moment my eyes met with Basha’s, she glared at me brazenly for a reason I do not even know. She looked away when I furrowed my brows and just busied herself with helping the people in further preparing the table. Guess, she was simply harboring some bad blood for me. I did not come here to please her, though, so I did not care at all. I came here for business and for my big bright future.“Baste! It’s good that you’re here. Can I ask you a favor?” asked Aunt Anita while carrying two huge plates of fried rice.I helped her carry one and then I placed it on the already full table
