“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. She stuck to him and made her intentions clear. He ignored her most of the time, until one day, he could no longer ignore her.
He thought it was a wonderful experience. He was happy and feeling blissful. He thought it would last. It didn’t. She found someone else and left him. She even threw it in his face, the things that he lacked and couldn’t give her. It's not as if he wasn't trying.
Who was it who pursued who? He wouldn’t have given her any attention if she wasn’t persistent in chasing him. It was one of the worst decisions he has ever made in his life. She wasn’t contented with him and his status, even running away with his savings. He actually thought they’ll be spending the rest of their lives together. He gave her everything that he had, access to everything that he owned, who knew she would turn out like that?
He chugged down the beer given to him. His friends knew exactly what has gone through his mind. Those bad memories.
“Well, at least she’s not your girlfriend. But why can’t she be my girlfriend? Kyle said she’s pretty.” Todd continued.
Renzo glared at him. “No.”
In his mind, Ciara’s too good for Todd, not to mention she’s too young. The kid’s just starting over and optimistic about it. He didn’t want her to get sidetracked or heartbroken. Most importantly, not by his friends. Todd’s a reliable friend, but he’s not confident in his ability to commit to a woman. Regardless of his own horrible experience, he’s not discouraging his friends from trying to find their own happiness. If a woman could actually give that to a man, that is. Personally, he thought happiness should be found within one’s self. There’s no need for another person to do it for you.
Kyle has his own experiences, nothing as bad as his, but . . . the guy’s only interested in casual flings these days. Between these two people, Kyle is more mature than Todd.
“So, what jobs do you have for me?” He finally asked, the reason why they’re meeting.
“You’re always about business. Chill out for a few more minutes, man.” Todd commented, reaching into some finger food.
“Well, there’s a new night club three streets down. Old one closed down, new owner. You might want to check it. Soon.” Kyle replied, knowing he’s not usually patient about these things. Renzo could be patient in a lot of things, but not waiting for information.
He nodded as he tried to remember the old one. There’s another night gig he’s looking at, but this one might pay better.
Back home, Ciara ate dinner alone. She should really get a basic phone as soon as possible. She was worried about Renzo, but she’s also aware that he sometimes work at night. He didn’t mention anything earlier today, though. She tried not to worry, but she can’t help it.
She tossed and turned in the couch. It’s almost midnight. She’s exhausted. She worked two jobs today. She cleaned an apartment unit, and it’s gonna be a weekly job. The parents are office workers who are usually busy while the kids are all grade school students. They didn’t have the time to clean up. And they wanted to rest during weekends. It was a huge house, with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, but they were generous with the pay. She was almost late to her afternoon job. And she was already exhausted at that point. She tried hard not to be sloppy, though. She should be more strategic about it next week. Maybe she can show up much earlier in the morning.
The next day, she stayed at home in the morning. She slept in as she’s too tired from the previous day. She didn’t even notice if Renzo came home or what. Maybe he did. He ate the food she set aside for his dinner. She exhaled in relief. Well, at least he’s alright.
At the restaurant, she made a few friends. The other staff. There’s Melissa on the counter, and Amanda, another waitress. They were teenagers like her. Unlike her, though, they’re still attending school. She almost envied them. She wasn’t able to finish her senior year. Well, at least she’s earning. She did share some things about herself to them, but not everything.
As most girls do, who are single, they check out some of their attractive customers and talk about them when the guys are gone, or when they’re on their break. Ciara would sometimes roll her eyes at them. They tease her about it, knowing she already has someone she likes. Obviously. Otherwise, she would be squealing with them.
“Okay, quick. Tell us about this guy that has you ruffled. Is he more attractive than all the guys we checked out?”
Ciara frowned. Well, she wasn’t checking anyone out, so she’s not sure if Renzo is indeed more attractive than the other men. She remained silent as the two pestered her.
“You gotta introduce him to us. Is he your boyfriend?” Amanda persisted.
She felt uncomfortable at that point. He’s not her boyfriend.
“Well, no. He’s just someone I like. I admire him. It’s not like there’s a mutual feeling or anything. It’s completely one-sided.” She decided to be honest about it, and there’s actually something good about talking it out. She felt unrestricted. Before, she has no one to talk to. Though she does talk to Renzo, as her usual, she doesn’t talk about everything to him. She just can’t.
This is one topic she can’t be talking with him. But she has to talk about it with someone else, or she’ll go crazy with her thoughts.
“Oh, does he have a girlfriend?” Amanda continued to probe. She’s a bit of a gossip, but not the toxic kind.
Ciara chuckled at her expression, “No. I don’t think so. I didn’t see him with anyone.”
Unlike Amanda, Melissa’s more tamed. She mostly listens. Ciara exchanged a look with her.
“Have you confessed? Maybe he’ll like you. Most guys start liking someone that way. They just need assurance that the girl likes them.”
It’s at this point that Melissa made a noise of complaint. Ciara and Amanda turned to look at her.
“That’s just bullshit. That guy is not worth it. You should find a guy who likes you before you tell him you like him.”
They both stared and mulled it over. She’s not wrong, but…
“Are there guys like that these days? Most guys no longer confess first. There are more girls than boys in this planet. They know they’re in demand. They can have their pick of choices.” Amanda’s explanation has a ring of truth in it, but it still sounded absurd, so Ciara laughed lightly.
“I’m content with my unrequited crush. I’m still young, anyway. I’m not looking for a relationship.” Ciara said, then thought that she would have a hard time trusting a man, given her experiences.
Well, there’s one man.
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
It was a sad experience and Ciara would admit that she felt a little heartbroken. The rejection was very clear. Renzo himself was surprised she has feelings for him. And he still treated her like a kid. That much was obvious. Well, she could still grow up and show him she’s no longer a child.Over the course of the next few years, their dynamics at home didn’t change much. Once in a while, like every other month, Ciara would tease him and express her feelings again, saying things like “I like you” or “I love you” but Renzo has never taken them seriously. He thought it’s just an expression of her gratitude or something. She’s being sweet. The other notable change is that Ciara’s choices in clothing are more… how do you say it? They fit her more and accentuate her body shape. Initially, she was feeling awkward with it but she eventually felt that the fit was actually comfortable. Renzo did notice the change but he didn’t comment on it. He’d seen other girls wearing such clothes anyway.
She was being playful. Sometimes she would kiss his cheek at the most random times. He’d never associated it with anything. Just Ciara being a sweet person. He never noticed nor cared how others perceived their closeness. Sure, she confessed before and she often told him she liked him, but he never took her seriously.“So, she’s an adult already. Are you sure you still won’t allow me to become her boyfriend?” Todd asked and he narrowed his eyes on him.“Who?”“Man, are you pretending? You live with her. Haven’t you seen how she’s hot as hell? Haven’t you seen how many guys are salivating just looking at her? I’m sure a lot of them already fucked her in their minds.”Renzo saw red. “What the fuck? Watch your words.” He almost went to grab Todd’s collar.Kyle watched from the side. “You do know how much Renzo cares for her. Why do you still have to talk about her that way? Show some respect.”“But man, are you really not going to give me a chance? I could give her a good time.”That’s i
“Hi, you’re here.” Ciara greeted him as he showed up where she worked. She did like celebrating his birthdays together and she’d been looking forward to this day. She’s both excited and nervous. She got him a gift, but it still isn’t much. It’s only an ordinary laptop. She’s in no doubt he would lend it to her if she asked, but no . . . she doesn’t plan on doing that. Some things are easier done on a laptop than on a phone. She left the gift at home, though.“Quick, this way. I’ll have your cake ready.” She pulled him into a booth and went to prepare their dinner. She’s supposed to clock out in fifteen minutes.“You really didn’t have to.” He stated when she returned with some dishes for them.“Don’t be like that. It’s a celebration.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek.“Happy birthday! Wait, I’ll get your cake.”Somehow, today felt different. I mean, she usually gives him random kisses on the cheeks, but her doing it publicly today is a first. Okay, let’s suppose it’s only because it’