CHAPTER ONE

"Harris, you can go home now because your shift is over," Mr. Baker said to me while he was at the counter, counting the money. I looked at my watch and it was already 9:00 pm. I finished cleaning first before taking my things to the counter to go home. While arranging my things. Mr. Baker approached me. He handed me a small brown envelope.

"That's your salary for today," he said with his sweetest smile. I accepted it and then smiled at him in response. I walked out of his bakery and then started counting the money I received today.

"300 pesos for this long day. I hope the money I'm struggling with will help me finish school," I said to myself hopefully.

I am alone in life. I have no family nor friends. I don’t know where my real Mom is. They said she was a pr*stitute and that she had just given birth to me while my father was the CEO of a famous company here in the Philippines. He knew me but he did not want to consider me his child. He also doesn't support me financially as if he is not my blood relative. At first, he took care of me. But, there is a condition. To take care of my brother. He and his legal wife's son. I didn't stay there long either because they always abused me. I left their house and now I am alone. I would even prefer my life now to being in their place and tortured me everyday.

As I walk in the middle of the night. I felt the rain falling on my head. I looked up at the dark sky. It was raining so I quickly used my bag as my umbrella and then ran quickly to take shelter in the waiting shed. When I got to the waiting shed I looked at the woman who was also looking at me. We are both wet a bit and we both also used our bags as umbrellas over our heads. I was amazed at her innocent and beautiful face. She was like an angel in front of me. When I realized what I was doing, I averted my eyes in embarrassment.

We waited for about an hour and a half before the rain stopped. When the rain stopped. I waited for her to leave before I went home. I'm fine because I'm a man while she's not because she's a woman. It's dangerous for her to go home alone like this. I could even feel her look at me before she walked away.

I just watched her disappear into the dark before going home to where I was staying.

I hope we meet again.

*

The days passed and the vacation was over. Our class has already started so I have prepared myself. Fortunately, I have a job this summer vacation. But now, I can do my shift at night because I'm going to school every morning.

I hope I can afford my expenses every day. I am a scholar at a famous and wealthy school here in the Philippines. I don't even know why I got in here even though I don't have enough money. I only have one investment. And that’s my brain and talent.

"Girl! He's handsome, oh. Look. Gosh!"

"Does he have a girlfriend?"

"I hope not."

"I like him. I mean, crush." These are the words I always hear from the women who see me every time I enter this school.

I can't deny that I'm a good-looking and smart person. But, I am not rich like them. Maybe they will avoid me when they found out. Anyways, I don't even care about them. I stopped walking when I came across a woman. And when I confirmed it I saw the woman I met in the waiting shed a few days ago. She's laughing with her friends. Maybe they are talking about girl's stuff.

My heart skips a beat as she slowly turns to me and our eyes met. She seemed to have magnetized my eyes to her beautiful face because I couldn't take it off right away even though she knows that I'm staring at her.

I averted my eyes as if nothing had happened and then continued walking. I look like a f*ol if I continue to stare at her. Maybe she doesn't even want to know me. I stopped walking when suddenly something came up to my mind. We go to the same school so that means I will always see her.

This is probably what they call love at first sight. Looks like I’m going to work on it every day.

I keep on smiling while starting the first day of my class. This would be the happiest feeling ever. This is my first time having a crush on someone. When the three subjects were over, its time for our lunch. I grabbed my bag and then headed straight to the rooftop. I don’t eat in the cafeteria because the foods there are too expensive.

I pulled out the hamburger that Mr. Baker had given me this morning.

I started eating it at the same time reading a book about business topics.

"Hey! What are you doing here alone?" I heard an angelic voice from behind me. I didn’t know who it was so I looked at it and was slightly surprised to see the woman I have a crush on and I didn’t know her name.

Sh*t! We first saw each other at the waiting shed. We also met a while ago and now we meet again. Is it every day?

"Hey! Are you okay?" she asked and waved her two hands in front of my face. She looks cute when she did that.

"Ah, yes. What are you doing here?" I asked her. She should be in the cafeteria right now. "Nothing. I just don't want to eat because I'm still full," she replied. I didn't know what to say because I might stutter but she spoke again.

"You? Why are you eating here alone? Did you have that for lunch? Only hamburger?" she asked me a lot of questions. I was embarrassed when she said that this was my only lunch. It makes me feel like I'm also poor in food. I was about to speak but she spoke again. She was very talkative yet funny and interesting.

"Are you reading a book? Business book? Wow, you're really smart like what they said," she said in amazement while smiling. I also smiled at her back in response. But, that smile also faded because of what she said next. "Maybe you're reading that because you're the heir to your company?" she said still smiling but I just had a serious face.

"Ah, sorry. I'm so noisy. I even disturbed your reading and lunch," she said in the shy tone of her speech.

"No, it's okay," I replied shortly to her. "Ahm, yeah, maybe see you again next time. I have something to do right now," she said then wave her right hand as a sign of goodbye.

I was about to speak but she turned around and quickly walked away from me.

See me again next time?

What does she mean? I finished my lunch and read a book before going to my next class. After class, I went to the bakery for the night shift. Even at night, we can still sell. This is just my life so I have no friends, relatives acquaintances. I would rather work and study than going party outside.

I started working. No one at the school knew I was a working student. They also don't go here because this bakery is not that famous. I'm sure they choose fancy bread over cheap bread. I'm not saying that Mr. Baker's bread is cheap. My point is, no one rich goes to his bakery. "What are you thinking, Mr. Apprentice?" Mr. Baker broke the silence in me. I looked at him and smiled. I was displaying the bread while he was counting the money on the counter.

"I'm just wondering why do rich people don't go to a small bakery like this?" I asked him. "Their assignment every day is to spend millions of pesos in just one day," he replied with a wink.

"That's what you think?" I said while smiling at him.

"Yes, maybe." He's not sure of his answer.

"Hahaha, maybe it is true, but for me. The fancy bread is just like your bread. If there is Spanish bread, there would be a fancy Spanish bread too, but the thing is.

"The riches people always purchase fancy Spanish bread because the store is famous and they don't think if the bread cost a million pesos. They just want to belong to the group that they belonged," I said, explaining my opinion.

"It's the same situation to the poor person like me. I would rather buy cheap things and foods than those expensive ones because I don't have enough money to spend," I added.

"Very well said, Mr. Apprentice. Someday I will see you built a lot of branches of the bakery in the world," he said and we both laughed at each other. We continued to work when the customer entered his shop.

Mr. Baker is an old man. He is just like me, he doesn't have family nor friends. All he has is a bakery and an apprentice like me.

I stopped displaying the loaves of bread when I think about my future. Maybe I am just like him. I will build my own business and live alone until I die.

"Don't do the same thing with me. Socialize with everyone and find a girlfriend so you can have a life partner. Build your own family and have dozens of kids," Mr. Baker entered into my thoughts again. I smiled at him. He can always read my mind.

"I already have a life partner," I replied to him while organizing the bread.

"And who is it?" He asked, curiously.

"You," I said and I saw him freeze but I didn't pay attention at all.

"You are the one that I asked money for when I worked so hard. You are like a grandfather to me. I wish I am in your bloodline so I am the successor of your bakery," I said and joked to him with my last sentence. And then, we both laughed at each other.

"You are so funny, kid," he said.

After finishing my work. We closed the bakery shop and went home. I opened the door of my apartment and click the switch to open the lights.

My room looks like me, it's empty.

I count the money that Mr. Baker gave me. And I was shocked because instead of 300 pesos it was 2,500 pesos and there was a note inside the brown envelope and it says. . .

My Apprentice,

Thank you for making me laugh. I hope these 2,500 pesos would help your studies.

Mr. Baker.