Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“WHAT are you doing here? Who invited you here?” Erish greeted Eunice in a high-pitched tone. She was making her see that she was not welcome there. She was outside the gate with Gladys but her "sister" did not even bother to yell at her.

“I told her to come home,” said the voice at the back of Erish.

“Mama!” Erish said angrily after facing their mother. “You invited her to my wedding?”

“What’s wrong with that? She is your sister so she is automatically invited,” said her mom then she walked towards her. She hugged her tightly. Eunice hugged her mother warmly too.

“I missed you, ‘ma,” Eunice said while smiling after her mother let her go. Her mother didn’t change a bit in the span of five years that they were not seeing each other. She was still beautiful and her body figure didn’t change. “You’re still sexy, huh?”

“Stop flattering me,” she said, smiling. She looked really happy and Eunice felt the same. Even though she did not want to go back to that place, she was still happy to see her foster parents again.

Erish walked out when their mother hugged her again. She was not shocked knowing that she didn’t want to see her anyway. That was not new at all. “Ma, this is Gladys, my friend.” She introduced her friend to her mother. “Glads, my mama.”

“Good morning, ma’am.” Gladys greeted her mother respectfully.

“Just call me Tita Anita, Gladys,” her mom fondly replied. “Let’s go inside. Your father will be very happy to see you, Eunice.”

Eunice could not explain the coldness of her feet as they entered the yard of their house. It was as if all that had happened in the past came back to her. She immediately remembered when she was crying in that yard because Neil and Erish had betrayed her.

She closed her eyes tightly to forget that memory. Not right and not good. The two were getting married, she wanted to free her heart from pain. The pain that she thought was gone. It will continue to keep coming back when she returns to the place where that painful memory took place.

"Eunice, is that you?" her dad asked her. Like her mother, he did not change anything in the slightest except that he was now wearing glasses. "You are so beautiful, hija." He hugged her tightly and kissed her on the forehead. She wanted to cry because she remembered that her dad often did that when she was still living there. After the kiss on the forehead hw will say… "I love you so much, baby."

“Hey, dad! You’re making me cry,” she said with tears in her eyes but her father just hugged her. She smiled as she watched her mother wipe away her tears. “I love you so much, papa and mama. I'm sorry I didn't show up for a long time, huh?” she said guiltily while still hugging her father.

“I understand that, hija. I know what you’re going through. You don’t need to explain anything.”

“Just a second, ‘pa,” she said then let go from her father’s embrace. “You said I am beautiful now. Does that mean that I’m not beautiful before?”

Laughing, her dad messed up her hair. "I mean you look better now," he said then guided her to the dinner table with Gladys.

While they were eating, her parents kept telling her stories about the events in their village. “Do you know what Rejoice is doing, huh? I think he had like twenty boyfriends. Pareng Romeo is already angry with his son,” her mother laughed. Tito Romeo was Rejoice’s father.

“And Pareng Arnulfo got married again,” her father told her. Eunice became quiet instantly. Tito Arnulfo was Neil’s father. “I’m sorry, hija. It seems like you don’t like what I’ve said.”

“No, papa. Don’t think that way. And who is that girl that Tito Arnulfo married?” she asked then tried her best to smile.

“Her name is Isabella. She is Arnulfo’s first love. Oh, love really moves in mysterious ways,” her father said, smiling.

First love… she remembered something upon hearing those words. Her first love, Neil.

“I swear I will never trade you for anyone! You’ll be the first and the last woman that I will ever love.”

“Stop showering me with your promises, Neil. I don’t want to get hurt when you break all those promises,” Eunice said then pout her lips. They were holding hands while walking in the shore and watching the sunset.

“I will never break my promise, Eunice. I will never love anyone except you. After I saved enough for our future, I will ask your parents for your hand. We will have a happy family, healthy children and a simple life here in Alfonso.”

They had many good dreams and all of that was destroyed when he cheated on her. She took a deep breath. Why did she remember those things now?

“Eunice, are you okay? You look tired from your trip. Do you want to rest first?” her mother asked her.

“Take them to their room first, Anita. We will talk to our daughter later,” said her father.

When Gladys and Eunice arrived in the room that they will be occupying temporarily, her mother left them immediately. "Erish and I used to have the same room but because it was awkward if I stayed there, let's settle for this little room first," she told Gladys.

“Hey, this room is not small. This will be enough for the two of us. One more thing, it is better to be here than to be in a room with your evil sister. I really can’t believe her! Are you sure she is your parent’s daughter?” Gladys commented while arranging her belongings in a small cabinet.

"She was spoiled by Lola Paula," she said, shaking her head. “Lola Paula is papa’s mother and she also lives here. Later you may meet her too. The way Erish treats me is the same as her grandmother. I really do not know why they are so hard on me. They really made me feel like I am an excess baggage in this family.”

“That's why your sister acts like that. And then she is the one who wants to beat you up after he teases your boyfriend?” Gladys still complained.

“Leave that alone, let's ignore them. If we keep on minding them, it will be messy. That's what I am trying to avoid so I don't come home but because I miss my parents so much, I will put up with them. We won't be here for long anyway.”

“Well, you’re right. Good that you are kind, friend. If that was me, no matter how smart I was, I could really smash that damn face of her.”

Laughing, she threw a pillow at Gladys. “I know you can't do that. If you were Anne, I think you can.”

AT five in the afternoon, Eunice went to the beach. She had many beautiful and happy memories with Neil there. She did not even know why she went there. It was as if someone had pushed her to visit that place again.

She sat and played with the sand with her fingers. The memory of Neil and her as their name was written on the sand returned to her memory. She smiled bitterly. "Forever, huh?" she asked herself sarcastically.

“Miss, are you okay?”

Eunice straightened her back when she heard a voice. She turned behind her and then looked up because a very tall man was standing behind her. His hair a bit long for a man and he possessed a very beautiful pair of eyes. He looked familiar to her but she could not remember where she saw him.

“I'm sorry, huh? It was as if you were talking to someone so I approached you. I'm Billy,” he introduced himself. "You look familiar," he said.

“You too, you looked familiar,” she replied. She stood up and shook her pants. She stared at the man intently and tried to remember where she had seen him. “Eunice. My name is Eunice Santos,” she introduced himself. It might remind him of where he saw her.

"Billy Cernades," he said then reached out his hand. Hesitantly, she accepted it but she immediately withdrew her hand. "You may have seen me in some TV interviews," he said with a smile.

"Are you an actor?" she asked him. It was not impossible because of his appearance. "Or commercial model?" With his height, model-like figure and toothpaste commercial-smile, she would not be surprised if he will say that he was an actor. She also thought that his race was not purely Filipino because his hair was not black. If he didn’t speak Tagalog a while ago, Eunice will think that he was a foreigner.

“No,” Billy answered smiling. “I’m working at DYA 8.”

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. “Right! You are the CEO of DYA 8! I saw your interview.”

“Yeah. That’s me. Nice to meet you, Eunice,” he said, still smiling.

He was more handsome in person. The television did not give justice to his handsomeness. When she saw him at the screen, she didn’t find him attractive though he was good looking. But now that he was in front of her, she just wanted to gape at his beauty.

“You said I’m familiar?” she unbelievably asked. She doesn’t think that they have met even once before. How can she with one place with this bigtime of a guy?

“Yeah, I remembered you already. When you ponytailed your hair and if you remove your thin make up, I am sure you are the woman in the photo my brother is hiding.”

"Your brother?" she was still confused by what Billy was saying.

“Yeah, my stepbrother. I saw you in one of Neil’s photographs,” he replied. The smile on his face was still there.

Even without a mirror in front of her, she knew the expression on her face had disappeared. Of all the people who could approach her on that beach, why did it have to be Neil's stepbrother?

“Tell your stepbrother to burn all my pictures. He shouldn’t be keeping those,” she annoyingly said then turned her back on him.

"Hey, why are you angry with me too?" Billy stopped her.

"Because you are annoying," she said then faced the man again. "I was enjoying my alone time here then you reminded me of that Neil."

“Okay, sorry. I didn’t know that you haven’t moved on yet,” he said with both hands raised in the air as a sign of surrender.

“Who haven’t moved on yet? I have moved on for a long time from your shameless brother! After all that he did to me, I will not move on? I'm not that stupid, am I?” she overreacted.

“Easy, easy. I am sorry again. I don’t want to fight with you,” he said.

“You are really annoying.”

“Okay, let us not talk about Neil.”

“I am going home,” she dismissed him.

“Already?”

“I don’t have anything to do here.” She walked away from Billy.

“Can we be friends?” Billy shouted for her to hear him.

“Maybe next time! When you are no longer related to that stupid Neil!” she also shouted but did not look back at the man. She walked straight home.

"ALAALA, alaala, alaala…" Rejoice sang. Alaala means memories. It was late at night when Eunice and Rejoice met because according to her gay friend, he allegedly visited his sick boyfriend at the hospital. And since they met, Rejoice has not stopped singing in the karaoke. Earlier, Gladys laughed hard at Rejoice because the latter was tone-deaf but he still did not want to stop. “Every day I am waiting for you, carrying those unfulfilled dream. Every memory of you comes back. I will never forget the moments… ”

“Rejoice, stop it! Have mercy on our ears!” she begged her friend. Finally, he let go of the microphone. "Oh, my God, thank you!"

Gladys kept on laughing; she was very fond of Rodolfo aka Rejoice. "You are such a kill joy, Eunice," said Rejoice and then stared at her. He looked annoyed.

“Because we can no longer talk properly because of your crying, I mean singing. Did you ask me to be here to punish my ears?” she teased him.

“You are such a cruel person,” Rejoice told Eunice. “We haven’t seen each other for a long time and you’re treating me like this,” he added dramatically.

"That doesn't work for me anymore, Rejoice," she said laughing. "Wait, why didn't you tell me that the CEO of DYA 8—" she stopped. She took a deep breath before continuing what she was saying. "Why didn’t you tell me that the CEO of DYA 8 is Neil’s stepbrother?"

“What?!” Gladys was more than shocked. She has forgotten to tell Gladys about Billy Cernades because she was too distracted by Rejoice’s singing voice.

"I know you don't want to hear any news related to your ex-boyfriend so I didn't tell you," Rejoice replied indifferently.

“You saw him here? Was he super handsome in person?” Gladys asked excitedly.

“Not that much,” Eunice lied.

“What are you saying? Billy is not handsome; he is super handsome!” insisted Rejoice. “It's a pity and I can't approach him because it's embarrassing. He was very rich and I don’t think that he will even look at me.” Here he went with drama again.

“Stop it, Rejoice. He doesn’t look snobbish. In fact, when I saw him earlier, he was just wearing a simple t-shirt and board shorts.”

“Of course, he can be seen on TV so the locals are still a bit uncomfortable with him. He is also not here often, just visiting. He doesn’t talk to us too, he is always there on the verandah of Mang Arnulfo’s house, displaying his good looks for his audience. Even his villain stepbrother is not close to him.”

“What are you saying? He is not snobbish. In fact, he just talked to me a while ago at the shore,” Eunice told her friend.

“Really, girl? Are you close? Introduce me to him,” Rejoice said excitingly.

“Rejoice is right, Eunice. Introduce us to him,” Gladys agreed.

“Hey, Gladys, have a shame. How can you cheat to your super handsome boyfriend?” she lectured her friend.

“Who is cheating? I just want to know more celebrity. Sammy Aguinaldo is the only celebrity I know personally,” Gladys defended herself. Sammy Aguinaldo was one of the most sought-after actors in the country today and he was Charmaine’s boyfriend. Charmaine was a border at Alba’s Residences too, where Eunice and Gladys lived.

“Sammy? As in Sammy Aguinaldo?” Rejoice asked with sparkling eyes.

“Yes. He was our friend’s boyfriend,” she replied.

“Really? How about you let me live with you in that boarding house? It looks like living there is fun,” Rejoice said, thrilled.

“You are not allowed to live there, only girls are allowed,” Eunice said honestly.

“Why? I am also a girl!” Rejoice replied with one of her eyebrows raising.

“Next time, Rejoice, when you get yourself some ovaries. Until then, Miss Alba will not allow you to live in her boarding house” Eunice jokingly said. Eunice and Gladys laughed side by side but Rejoice just smirked at them.