Penny of Seven

CHAPTER 2: Halaman

Caleb's POV

(2)
——————

Living in this neighborhood is quite boring the way I left everything behind from US. It's all haunting me. From partying all night by Friday night, get chased by the cops when I tried shoplifting, counting remaining pennies inside my pocket—speaking of pennies? I remember the girl with her uneven make up. May utang pa pala ako.

I seated on a wooden bench near at the receiving area of a humble house, where I can clearly see an open door where the sun ray’s peeking.

“Caleb, why don't you play with your other cousins?” the woman in her so called blue 'daster', black straight hair, cute pointed nose and tanned summer skin asked me.

“Tiyang, no English 'di ba? S-Simula ngayon I'll try not to spea—I mean I'll try,” I can't even talk fluently in Tagalog. Geez, three months still no improvement!

“Sige, ikaw bahala. Basta kapag may plano ka, magsabi ka lang, okay?” she gracefully nodded and headed to the kitchen.

“Uhm.” I nodded. My tiyang Sabby never treated me as a newbie in this house. When I first came here, they all welcomed me, fully like I’ve been with them for years but I wasn't.

In this humble house, with these people and lastly, the temperature I used to live with.

I loosen my shirt and pull it over my head and eventually took it off. Damn, it's hot— I'm hot.

“Kuya Caleb, tingnan mo si Shasha pinipitas ang mga halaman,” an eight year old boy in his sleeveless and shorts came with complain.

I never understood what he just said. Just 'Shasha'. Psh! These kids are pissing me.

“Bakit? What's wrong with Shasha?”

“'Yung halamanan ni lola, pinipitas ni Shasha,” he once again explained with lips pouted.

“Halam—? What's wrong with halmanaman ni lola?”

“Kuya, bahala ka nga! Ang hirap mong kausap. Bahala ka!” He wiped his sweat irritably and went downstairs as the green facade welcomed him, wearing his pissed expression.

I decided to stood and went to where this little guy heading. I hanged my shirt on my shoulder and went downstairs through the house’s main entrance—topless.

The ambiance with shining green made my eyesight little blurry, my eyes squinting repeatedly but not intentionally.

A strange girl in white dress from outside barged in. Her hands on her waist like a sumo waiting for a fight, it didn't last when her furrowed eyes landed to mine. She even scanned my naked figure gently like a digital laser scanner, like my naked body is a foreigner in her eyes— well it is. I'm attractive by the way.

She cupped her mouth and cleared her throat where amazement for what she's seeing appeared on her eyes.

“W-Well, u-uhm. A-h, a-apo ka pala ni Lola Danny.” She fixed her posture after stuttering and she hides something from her back.

She calls my lola as hers? That sounds strange for someone like her to claim what isn't hers.

“Y-Yeah? What's—”

“Naalala mo pa ako?” she asked confidently, pointing herself with her index.

I smirked as I weigh my balance from my left and crossed arms. I looked above my shoulder and signaled Potpot, the little guy at my side with the water hose near beneath the wooden wall.

Boy's plan. He grinned and understood what I'm trying to tell him nonverbally.

“Of course I do.” I answered crossing my arms briskly while evil plan running through my mind.