HERA
"I know the history of the Benjamins and the first born are always men, this is miracle."
"A miracle baby? Or the cause of the downfall of the Benjamin?" An old man ask then laugh.
"The first born of each generation of the Benjamins are wise men, they keep the Benjamin name stick on top. I wonder if it happens the same thing since the fourth generation first born is a girl."
"Maybe, the only thing can save her is to marry a wise rich man."
Iilan lang 'yan sa naririnig niya n'ong bata pa siya. She'd heard worst. At a very young age of six, she starts understanding the words of older people. They talk in front of her while smiling as if she didn't understand what they're talking about. She knew, but she just doesn't care.
But what upsets her is her mom crying every after event as they went home. Her cold eyes just watch her on her mom on his Daddy's arm weeping.
"Hera don't deserve to hear those words. Hindi niya kasalanan na pinanganak siyang babae." Her mother cried.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. If only I wasn't a Benjamin, Hera won't experience this. It's hard for me, too..." Pag-aalo ng ama niya sa ina.
"Why Mommy is crying?" Little Hover asked lowly.
Magkatabi silang nakahiga na magkapatid. Their parents thought they were already asleep.
"Because I'm a girl." She answered bitterly.
The time she step inside Hiraeth, she felt pressured. She have to learn martial arts, to be a princess-like, to sharpened her knowledge and know all about business.
Even the elders won't tell her, she knew that they're trying to put everything to her. They're also afraid that the Benjamin will decline on her generation. She entered Hiraeth not just to be a fine lady but to fight and lead like a man.
Fight and lead like a man? Why? Can't a woman fight and lead? Without being compared to a man because they can really do it? Discriminating the capability of the women seems to be up to these days, she thought it was just in the history.
"H-how much?" The thirteen year old Hera asked nervously the old guy who's selling dirty ice cream.
It's Tuesday afternoon. She can go out because of her three day break in Hiraeth where she can go home to her family. Compared to her cousins, they have one week break in a month while she has only three days. It's because she have to train hard, so that when she reach 18, she can rock the business world and prove everyone wrong.
"Sampu, little miss." Sagot nito.
She look at the money on her hand. It's one thousand. She has no coins and she doubt that Manong has a change for this. It's too big.
"Wala kang pera? Tumakas ka lang ba sa inyo?" Usisa ng Manong at lumingon-lingon sa paligid na mukhang hinahanap ang pamilya niya.
And Manong can't find any because she just escaped from home. She's just really curious what dirty ice cream taste like because he heard from her male cousins it taste nice. And Hover also taste it, too!
Mas lalo siyang kinabahan dahil baka isumbong siya nito. Of course, she can easily escape but what if Manong recognize her parents and call them---
