Ciara silently followed behind him. She stared at him with hope. She stared without blinking; afraid he would be gone if she did. After walking for a few minutes, she did consider the situation more carefully. She was a bit reckless, deciding within a short amount of time. She should have thought more. What are his intentions? Why would he help her? Was he expecting something in return? Would he . . .? She stopped her trail of thoughts, shook her head and caught up with him. Maybe now that she has a place to stay, it would be easier for her to get a few jobs. She mentally took stock of her clothes. Maybe she can wash her laundry tonight, at his place. Then, tomorrow . . . She stopped when he did, waiting for the street light to change. Tomorrow, she will be better suited to apply here and there. There are numerous places she hasn’t gone to yet.
They reached his place within five minutes. As he said, it was small. He did say he only uses it as a place to sleep. There’s a bed on one corner, a couch on another, a small dining table near a sink, a mini kitchen and the bathroom. She’s glad to see the bathroom. She might have exhaled in relief at seeing it, Renzo glanced at her.
“You can take the couch. Put your things anywhere. That drawer over there is empty.” He pointed to a shelf near the couch. The place is neat. There’s not much. No television. No computer. She did see a small fridge, an electric stove, a microwave, and mostly kitchen stuff.
“Can I do my laundry?” She bravely asked.
“Sure. There’s a line outside, that’s the back.” He pointed to a sliding door across the entrance. Ciara timidly brought her bags to the couch, checked the outside of the sliding door and caught her breath. The yard was beautiful. It seemed someone tended to the plants and flowers.
Renzo noticed her reaction, mesmerized by the garden outside.
“The landlady is retired. She’s next door. She likes maintaining the garden.” He explained as he walked over to his closet, pulled his shirt off, and rummaged for a clean shirt.
Ciara caught her breath again when she turned to look at him. She averted her gaze immediately. He was just changing his clothes, she told herself. Don’t think about anything else.
“What’s your plan?” Renzo asked as he changed. As he turned, he realized he should have done so in the bathroom. He looked at the shorts he’s holding. Bathroom, it is. He cleared his throat. Should he apologize? Maybe not. That would just make things awkward.
“I’ll see if I can get a job tomorrow.” Ciara didn’t elaborate. She does not know him well. Maybe he was not the type to listen to too much information. She knew most men do not like talkative women. Her mom’s boyfriend always wears an annoyed look when her mom nags. Her mother’s friends usually talk about their men being that way, too.
“Have you worked before?” He sat on his bed, watching her.
“Yes. I’ve been working since last year. Just odd jobs.”
They stared at each other for a while.
“Why don’t you take a seat?” Renzo suggested.
She’s just standing there near the door. She immediately sat on the sofa when he asked. Well, at least she’s not completely hopeless if she knew how to work.
“I’m Renzo. What’s your name?”
“Ciara. Ciara Cabral.” She looked up to stare him. His voice was gentle, and he sounded genuinely concerned. No hint of mocking. He was not belittling her.
After a minute of silence, Renzo opened the drawer on his bedside. He looked for his spare key. He walked over when he got it.
“Here. I’m usually not home. If you’re going out tomorrow, you can use this when you come back.”
Ciara was surprised to receive the key. He was really allowing her to stay at his place? She looked around again. It was a nice place, despite being small. She would love a place like this.
“Thank you.” She felt her gratitude is lacking, though. But she didn’t want to promise anything yet. Maybe tomorrow, when things get a little better, she can promise to contribute something. She looked around again. Maybe she can buy groceries, prepare their food, and some other necessities. She doubts she can afford rent. Maybe if she’s able to get several jobs, she can share some money for rent. She waited for him to mention it, but he got inside the bathroom already. She didn’t even notice when he moved. She heard the shower and she felt relaxed. She wanted a shower, too. She opened her bag to sort her clothes. She opened the drawer he mentioned and stacked her belongings in there. She felt like crying. This was too good after her days on the streets. She wiped her tears and suppressed her emotions. She’s not going to cry anymore. She’s not going to act pitifully in front of a stranger. She didn’t need to burden him.
When he came out, he noticed her on the corner. He looked around his little kitchen. Is she still hungry? He considered the fact that she’d been homeless for a week. She would have scrimped, even on food. He recalled the way she ate the sandwich earlier.
He moved towards the fridge. He didn’t remember what he stocked the kitchen with. Eggs. Some pieces of vegetables. Cans of beer. Pitchers of water. He pulled open the overhead cabinets. There were a few packages of instant noodles and coffee. Some biscuits. He pulled out two pans to fry eggs and cook the noodles.
Ciara watched in silence. Should she offer to cook? She was hesitant to speak up. Maybe he liked to do things on his own. But what if he expected her to do the chores? She gathered some courage to speak with him.
“Should I cook?” She moved closer and saw him preparing the eggs and noodles. He spared her a glance.
“Why don’t you clean up first? Don’t you want a shower?” He asked before turning back to what he’s doing. He started frying the eggs.
“Are you sure?” Ciara tried again. She’s already encroaching on his space; she should at least do something for him.
“Quite sure. Go on, then. We’ll eat when you’re done.”
Her eyes widened at his words. They’re going to eat? She looked at the food he’s making. She could feel her stomach grumble. She’s still hungry. Ciara moved quickly. He would be done in minutes and she didn’t want him to wait. She took her clothes and went to the bathroom. She almost cried under the shower. It felt so good and refreshing.
When she came out, he has already set the table.
“Have a seat.”
“Thank you.” Ciara resolved to do the dishes afterwards.
“I don’t normally stock on food.” Renzo stated. She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she remained silent.
He pushed the bowls and plates in her direction, which she took to mean she should take some. The warm soup of the noodles warmed her body. It tasted great to her. She has more appreciation for things and food. Not that she didn’t have before.
“I used to live on the streets, too. It was hard, isn’t it?” He asked as he watched her eat. Ciara glanced at him as she ate, her eyes are asking, “You did?” She couldn’t voice it out, though. She tried to chew the noodles quickly. Renzo chuckled. He looked charming.
“Eat slowly.” He pushed a glass of water towards her.
“About two years. Sometimes I’m able to sleep at shelters, though.” He continued and Ciara listened attentively. It must be his reason for helping her. He knew what it’s like.
“How old were you?” Ciara managed to ask.
“Seventeen. I’m twenty-two now.”
“I’m sixteen.” Ciara replied. His expression turned grim as he looked at her. Does he have a problem with her age? Ciara wondered.
Renzo didn’t think she’d be that young. Well, he was seventeen when it happened to him, but still . . .
He thought it won’t be kind to ask her about the details. It doesn’t matter to him anyway. She did mention earlier that her mom chased her out. That must have been hard on her and it must have hurt.
They ate in silence. Ciara did ready herself. After about a minute when he finished eating, she stood up to do the dishes. Renzo watched her with wonder.
“You’ve got initiative.” He commented.
“It’s the least I can do.” She replied as she cleaned up.
He exhaled before getting up.
“I’ll rest first, then. Feel at home. I don’t have a washer, but I’ve got basins under the sink, if you’ll do your laundry.”
“Thank you. I appreciate everything.” Ciara turned to him as she expressed her gratitude. He nodded in her direction before walking over to his bed.
As silently as she could, so as not to bother his rest, Ciara cleaned up the kitchen. Afterwards, she figured out how to go about her laundry. When she was done, she sat on the couch. There were a couple of pillows on it. She inhaled deeply, savoring her good situation. She grinned as she positioned the pillows on both ends. She has a place to sleep, and oh, it was comfortable. She looked forward to a really good night sleep. She turned to look at Renzo. The man was sleeping on his side and she took the time to stare at him. It won’t be an understatement to say he was her hero. She previously did an essay about hero worship for a class homework. She could understand the concept better now.She went near the door to turn off the light and made her way back to the couch. There was a lamp near his bed, but she didn’t think it would be appropriate to turn it on. Maybe he doesn’t want it. She laid on her back and stared at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but it wouldn’
When she got home, she immediately prepared to cook. As the stew was boiling, she skipped to her drawer and looked for her little notebook and a pen. She turned to the last page she has written on. She was keeping track of her money. She kept subtracting from it this last week. She grinned as she added something today.Then, she heard the door being opened. She stood up to greet him.As Renzo opened the door, he caught a delicious smell permeating the air. With the lights on, he knew Ciara’s home.“Did you cook?” He sounded surprised.Ciara saw the package he’s holding. “Yes. You brought food?”She suddenly felt awkward. And before she could feel embarrassed, he grinned at her.He put what he brought on the table, “Let’s have a celebration. I’m guessing something good happened.” He went over to look at her stew.“Looks good.”“Thanks. I got a job today.” She immediately pulled plates to serve the food he brought. Roasted chicken and roasted potatoes.“Wow. You’re fast.” He praised her
“I heard you have a girl at your house.”As soon as Renzo arrived at the bar, his friend Todd asked that question. He raised an eyebrow. Are they keeping track of what goes on in his house now?“I came by this morning.” His other friend, Kyle, explained to him.He sighed. Nothing’s secret with these guys.“Just someone I’m helping out. She’s off-limits.” He gave them a side-eye for good measure. These guys string women along and leave them for whatever reason.“She looked very young. Cousin?” Kyle asked, as he nodded.“Something like that.” He figured it would be difficult to explain if he said she’s a complete stranger. These guys are nosy.“I thought you finally have a girlfriend. How long has it been?” Todd asked as he received a fresh glass of beer, passing another onto him.He only grunted as a reply. He didn’t need to be reminded of that history. All along he wasn’t looking for a relationship, much less one based on “love”, as they put it. Three years ago, he did meet someone. S
The truth was . . . she didn’t know much about him. They have only known each other for a short time. Their interaction was limited. Ciara’s not sure if he’s the same with other people. Who knew if he’s simply hiding his negative traits from her? People like to pretend these days, no?She has this fear, that she would eventually discover something she doesn’t like. That maybe he’s the same as her mom’s boyfriend. Or her father, who couldn’t even be bothered by her existence. She has seen enough. She’s afraid he would turn out to be manipulative or abusive. Would she be able to leave his place at the first sign of anything toxic? She hoped the answer is yes.So far, she has no reason to believe he’s anything but what he’s showing her. She shouldn’t worry too much, especially when it’s practically baseless.One night, he came home drunk and he took his shirt off before going to bed. Ciara was startled, her heart beating erratically, but she recovered quickly when it became clear he’s al
No one would be able to discount Renzo’s hard work. Everyone who hired him for his services could tell you that he always does a good job and he’d been kind, polite, respectful, friendly… overall, a really good worker. No matter the personality of his boss, he’s amicable to anyone. He remained in contact with a lot of people who would possibly hire him again for infrequent jobs or projects. He gets a call or two in a week. He never runs out of jobs to do. But as majority of establishments do not hire for regular employment people like him who lack the educational qualifications . . . there’s the thorn in Renzo’s life. He had to make do.Sometimes, people would say he’s too nice. When he’s let go by a business, he wouldn’t say anything. He would accept it calmly. As he saw it, no matter what he said, no matter how hard he worked, he won’t be able to produce a diploma. So why does he still work hard? Recommendations. They do seek him out when they have a friend who’s starting a new busi
It wasn’t long before Ciara saved enough money for her own things. She worked hard. She’s taking inspiration from Renzo’s diligence. There were a few mishaps with customers, but they were eventually settled. Some people do really act so entitled and privileged. She hoped not to meet more of them in the future.As for her interactions with Renzo, it hasn’t changed much. Except when she started attending night classes. She would rush home to cook and eat dinner hurriedly, before going to school. She considered getting the modules but figured she would learn more with actual classes. Whenever she returned home, Renzo’s already.She only got to eat dinner together with him on weekends. Sometimes, he would have a gig or two in a month. Given the limited time they’re together, she normally initiates conversations with him. Their topics mostly cover her schooling and her hunt for a scholarship, as well as their respective jobs, if anything interesting happened.When she finally graduated, Re
“No, no. There’s no one. I wouldn’t even entertain it if a guy actually showed interest. I doubt I would even notice. I would like to focus on my work and building my savings. I don’t have time to date.” Shit. Her statements were like a double-edged sword. She has someone she likes and she’s saying all these to him. What in the world? How would he get a clue?“I mean, dating isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You just have to be careful when choosing whom to go out with. When you go out on dates, make sure the places you go to have a lot of people. And always tell someone where you are, just in case something happens.” His lecture continued and she began to look exasperated.“Really, I won’t be dating anyone anytime soon. I swear!” She even raised her right hand and promised him.“You can’t be sure. You might find someone you like. I’m just giving your reminders, just in case.”“I already have someone I like.” She ended up muttering. She froze before covering her mouth with her hands. Shi
On her birthday, Renzo did come home early.She wore the red sexy lingerie, underneath a stylish casual coat. It’s nothing over the top.She prepared a few dishes that they both liked and Renzo got her the cake. He also gave her a gift. This time, a bracelet. It would go well with her watch.She’s allowed to drink now, too, so she got a can of beer for herself. If it’s true that it helps in removing inhibitions, she needed that. After a few gulps, she decided that she’ll do it.Renzo watched as she had her internal struggle. He was amused at first, not knowing what’s going on in her mind.She bit her lower lip as she stood up. She moved around the table, standing beside his seat. When Renzo reached for a can of beer, she immediately removed her coat.Renzo was stunned for a few seconds before he started choking on the beer. He coughed very badly and it took a while to stop. Ciara handed him napkins. Renzo avoided looking at her body.“What are you doing? Wear your coat.” He couldn’t d