There was nothing I could do but to adhere to mama's unreasonable wishes, just to say that I have honored my father and mother, one of the things she and papa did not forget to remind us every day. The idea actually made me want to throw up. What am I, a drag queen? And would the god we were taught to worship want me to be the person mama was grooming me to become? Maybe she needed to review the Bible. Going against God’s handiwork will surely earn her negative points in heaven.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNSYX6HdTj
After checking on my sister-in-law, I joined the women in preparing food for my brothers, who were building Ben’s house. Mama was out because she had to go to school.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8b9CDDEnn
There were still a few months to go before they complete the house. But my "delusion" of working with the "real" boys in the family must immediately come to an end. Mama made it clear that the next time she learned about me doing manly things, she would, you know, hit me with the infamous slipper.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GeFjRHYee
The women were already gathered in a makeshift hut to cook. At that time, some of Naya's relatives also joined in the making of that extensive project, most of them preparing food for the laborers.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWhcZdShyX
And there I saw a familiar face—the bridesmaid at the wedding Joe was telling me about. Her dark hair gathered in a pigtail, her face flashed the sweetest smile to every person she met, and her bright, smooth fingers worked masterfully on the leafy greens.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIXJOp0cly
My heart pounded wildly at the knowledge of her presence. Who would have thought I would see her at an event like this? Maybe mama's warnings were a blessing after all.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzxxzjpe5c
From time to time, my eyes would move toward the makeshift hut just to watch her, careful not to let mama's "eyes" see what I was doing. I wish this time the sun wouldn't set without me knowing her name, but timidity crept into my system faster than the speed of light, so I just gave in to the contentment of watching her from a distance.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAiGbuNw18
A sudden warmth on my left side snapped me back to reality. Was it Joe again?330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHbInxZ05B
When I turned my head in that direction, it was not Joe who sat beside me but Ben, his crossed arms resting on his knees. He was looking at me with a knowing smile on his face.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdyWZnd5gv
"Hey kuya," I greeted. "Tired of working already? You need a reliever?"330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokKRk1YrZ4
So there was a part of me that still refused to quit my dream.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVKmjpGd9t
"Me, tired? Nah, I'm strong as a bull," he said, flexing his lean bicep. "I just had a water break, but I'll be back in a few minutes."330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUJCEHiXj4
I nodded. "Nice."330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEltUjkMha
And in my head, I was wishing that happened to everyone.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8lRg8x7Hq
"What about you, Jude? Your eyes are beaming today. Saw a dude you like?" He joked, making me shoot him a wide-eyed glare. "Just kidding. You just look a bit different today, like your eyes are going somewhere."330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcHm1DqFYR
Oh. Was I that obvious?330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPF3qo88ybV
"Really?" I asked.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtemaQdG0B2
"Yeah. You've been eyeing that girl from the first time she’s been here," his mouth pointed exactly to the girl I was looking at, and because I tensed at the truth of his words, one of my hands immediately covered his mouth.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVhZl0X6DR
"Can’t you be discreet about that, kuya?" I hissed while my cheeks grew warm. "It's embarrassing."330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfNFtb8jH1
"Aha!” he exclaimed, clapping his fingers, “So that's why you’re blushing!"330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaXcWwkoks
I suddenly felt the need to get a mirror. Then I turned my head to see if mama's minions of 'marites' were lurking around. Good thing the area was clear.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1r1ShdNt8I
"No, I am not," I denied, but my treacherous lips could not stop themselves from smiling.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58Rk58iG86
"Your mouth is a walking contradiction, tol. You like the girl?"330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRY43u7n2w
I quickly put my forefinger over my lips. "Ssshhh! Keep it down!"330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMd4fBMKRa
"She's pretty," he said casually. I wondered how his wife might react if she heard him compliment another woman like that. “But you seem to be prettier than her. People might mistake you as BFFs, you know?"330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFUyLlhIK2
"Do you ever shut up?" I hissed again.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8RDPKxBrX
He threw his hands in the air, "Alright, alright, I'll stop."330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJmBFR22xh
But he moved closer to my ear and whispered, "But you like her right? Admit it..."330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAllZvJQTQ2
He gave me a pair of teasing eyes. This man would literally not stop at anything just to get the answer he wanted.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhHoYIjUNk
I sighed. "Alright, alright, I do. So?"330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZ6FFdGtid
"So? What are you sitting here for, man? Go ahead, get her!"330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uaakHkN49
My brow arched. "That quick? I don't even know her name."330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsnAOAAzIQ
"That's why God gave us the gift of curiosity. Now go, talk to her!" He gave my back a gentle push, but I stumbled on the ground like a sack of potatoes.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UBi9OmW7H
I pushed myself up and faced him.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYBnYjN7w9
"Don't do this to me, man, I can't talk to her on my own. Not when I look like this," my fingers went from the butterfly clip above my ear down to the oversized tee and short shorts that I was wearing.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosoJwT0m2I
He cackled.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJpe13gsO3
"You know you can always change out of that thing, right?" he said, smiling from ear to ear.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsEk59m2oU
To my surprise, he grabbed the shining pin from my hair, making me wince in pain. 330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6TN4U0pN3
"Go get her, man, or you'll regret it," he continued.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiMyUqEoBZ
My brows furrowed while I scratched the back of my neck.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvI3z4LpUWZ
"Really? You won't come and help me out?" I whined.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjC6eazMyZY
Something hard hit my head so I cried aloud in pain. I looked down and saw a coconut shell cut in half. Then I turned my head in the direction where it came from and saw Lev, holding the other half while smirking at me. Beside him were the other brothers: Dan, Simon, and Asher. What in the world is this, Davao Death Squad?330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20i2zamp2y
"Come on, Judy, man up!” said Lev, smirking. "We're watching you."330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtu2mthSv1w
Even them?! Now things are getting more complicated. But the good thing about it was, I got the support of my brothers in this.
Thinking mama might get back from work and see me trying to court a girl, I pretended to half-run with my hands fluttering in the air and hips swaying toward the makeshift hut, pushing in the back of my mind how Lev and the gang would react upon seeing me.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwkGPWQJeO
I was panting heavily when I reached the hut. The young lady glanced at me curiously, and the sight of it added more strength to the pounding in my chest. She stopped paring the raw papayas.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUZiUOZae5
"Hi, ate, are you okay? What happened to you?" she asked, concern evident in her pretty face.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFstmTU5ni
Much as I wanted to be offended at the way she addressed me, her soft, sweet voice melted away all the irritations that threatened to bubble up inside.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnwv80XTjM
"Those boys," I answered and pointed to my brothers who were talking on the other side. "They're picking on me."330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJgdiIS0UF
Then I remembered that strong hit at the back of my head.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJyQaDWEE5
"Ouch!" I cried, my hand rose to the part hit by the coconut shell. It was half-pretend. My head literally hurt. Damn Lev.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0b17J46RGp
The girl approached me and her soft hand landed on my shoulder. If I shuddered under her touch, it's good she never paid attention.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpptuFsCmBY
"What happened to you?" she asked.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgQIEvl6bW
"One of them hit me on the head. It really hurts..." my face contorted in pain.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKXgoQPakw
The frown on her face reflected genuine concern. Seeing her like that filled my stomach with fluttering butterflies.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBU5HRtMzFI
"Come, sit down, I'll take care of it," she said and guided me on the wooden bench under the shade of the tree while her warm fingers tried to locate the painful part on my head.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNLVHWl6Tp
Taking advantage of the fact that the girl was not seeing my face, I looked at the spot where I left my brothers to see their reaction. True to their words, they really were watching, and they seemed to approve of it because I saw them cheering from where they were before going back to work.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJLCbweWTD
"Oh look," the girl said, "You're bleeding!"330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIVOu4wPaC
Lev must have hit me so hard. But with the girl’s warm body close to mine, I could tell it was all worth it.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBQM9UJF8g
She took out a clean handkerchief from her pocket and used it to stop the bleeding on my head.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ783bPIt9Fe
When she finished attending to my wound, I turned to look at her and flashed a smile of gratitude.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvIWQ0mi6w
"Thank you so much..." I said as if waiting for her to give her name.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1dV4NBkZ2
She gave me a smile that said she knew exactly what I was thinking.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmIPZPX31N
"Ester."
