Ephemeral|✓

Chapter 4

Chapter 4
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Olivia Denise Forbes
6:48 am

Olivia:

Hello din, hija! Salamat sa pag accept ng request ko. I was hoping if you could start today or tomorrow?

Sorry if you're being rushed, my schedule of work is a mess so I'm desperate to get a tutor. May mga paparating din na exams ang anak ko kaya hindi ko na siya maintindi.

Being a single parent can be stressing at times, hahahaha!
Seen 7:10 am

Azaleah:

Sorry for the late reply, ma'am! I can start today! No worries ^^ What time do you want me to come everyday po?

Olivia:

Thank you, hija! Siguro mga 3 o'clock ng hapon? My kid arrives at home every 2:30 in the afternoon kasi. Is that fine?

Azaleah:

Of course po. Thank you po ulit, ma'am!

Olivia:

Stop the formalities, hija. Call me tita na lang, hahaha! See you soon!

Azaleah:

Haha, sige po. See you din po, Tita! ^^
Seen

I smiled because of how kind she sounds as we text. I hope she's like this in person too.

Sinimulan ko nang gawin ang mga gawain ko ngayong umaga. Wala na kaming pasok magmula ngayon, kaya wala nang sagabal kung sakaling magtutor ako sa anak ni Ma'am Olivia. Hinihintay na lang namin ang graduation, which will be in a few weeks.

Matapos ng mga gawain ko, sinimulan ko nang kumuha ng gamit na siyang dadalhin ko papunta kina Ma'am Olivia. The good thing about that app is that the address they gave was verified, making it safe. Ang mga pwede lang din magrequest sa akin ay ang nasa area ko lang din.

When I learned about their address, I immediately got nervous. Nakatira sila sa Carolina Subdivision, isa sa mga pribadong subdivisions sa buong lugar. "So, they're rich 'rich', huh," puna ko at pinagpatuloy ang pagtingin sa iba pang detalye.

--

"Shit, I'm nervous. Are you for real right now, Azi?" tanong ko sa sarili habang nasa harap na ng bahay nila. Their house is, good damn, it's huge. It's a mansion! I started fidgeting, but still managed to ring the doorbell.

Rinig ko ang nagmamadaling takbo mula sa loob, at agad akong pinagbuksan ng gate ni Ma'am Olivia. "G-good afternoon po, Ma'am," bati ko. She smiled sweetly at me. "I told you to call me tita, sweetie," natatawa niyang tugon at tinapik ang balikat ko.

"So? Let's go!" sabik niyang pahayag at sinamahan ako papasok.

The inside of their house is really cool. It even got a huge chandelier, big paintings on the walls, and more classy interiors. It's my first time seeing a house like this in person!

"Phoenix, baby! Come here!" tawag ni Tita Olivia. Narinig ko ang pagtakbo ng isang maliit na bata na siyang may hawak pang bond paper at isang crayon. Malawak ang ngiti nitong yumakap sa ina na animo'y isang munting kuting. Wala sa sarili akong napangiti.

"Meet your tutor, baby. Say hi to her!" malambing na wika ni Tita Olivia. "Hello, Ate!" bahagyang nahihiya nitong bati sa akin. I felt my heart burst in me because of his cuteness. "Pakilala ka kay Ate, baby," dagdag ni Tita Olivia.

"I'm Phoenix.." mahina nitong saad. "Hi, Phoenix! I'm Ate Azi," pakilala ko rin sa kaniya gamit ang maliit kong boses. His face brightened, and his tiny hand waved at me, making me giggle.

Ipinakita sa akin ni Tita ang kwarto kung saan ko it-tutor si Phoenix. Mas malaki pa ang kwarto ng batang ito kaysa sa kwarto ko, grabe. Mabuti na lang at hindi si Phoenix katulad ng ibang bata na sa murang edad, nakatuon na kaagad sa gadgets.

Phoenix's room is full of his artworks. This kid clearly loves art. Mas magaling pa siya magdrawing kaysa sa akin noong elementary ako.

Bumalik na kami sa salas dahil magpapaalam na muna si Tita sa amin. May kailangan pa raw siyang puntahan. "Sige, I'll leave him to your hands now, Azaleah. No pressure, just tutor him. Alright? No need to be a nanny, that's not your job. I don't want you to get tired than ever. Hayaan mong ang panganay ko ang mag-alaga sa kaniya." Panganay? She's got an older child?

"Bye, baby. I love you, take care! Don't be silly, ha? Bye na, Phoenix." Humalik ito sa pisngi ng bata at niyakap ng mahigpit bago lumingon sa taas.

"Where the hell is my son? Anak! Bumaba ka rito!" Bahid ang pagkairita sa boses niya. "Yeah, Mom. Just a minute," malakas ng tugon ng kung sino mula sa taas.

"I'll be leaving now, Azaleah. My older son will be upstairs, so if you need anything, just call him. His name's⏤ oh, wait a minute." Nahinto siya sa pagsasalita nang biglang tumunog ang cellphone niya. Tumango ako at hinayaan siyang umalis.

Hinigit ako ni Phoenix papunta sa kwarto niya, dahilan upang mas lumawak ang ngiti ko. His small hand is currently tugging me, doing his best to make me walk towards his room. "Alright, Phoenix. I'm coming," natatawa kong usal at hinayaan siyang higitin ako patungo roon.

--

A couple of minutes passed, but it only felt like I was talking to this little baby for a few seconds. Teaching him was easy, his pick-up is surprisingly fast. Marami na agad kaming natapos ng halos isang oras.

Dahil nga marami na kaming nagawa, I decided to let him rest. Sigurado akong pagod na rin siya. To my surprise, this kid is also friendly. Hindi suplado.

"Rest ka na, Phoenix. Ang galing mo naman! You did a great job!" pagpapasaya ko sa kaniya. Gumana naman ito na siyang ikinapalakpak niya. "I want to sleep," bigla niyang sambit.

"S-sure, baby," I hesitantly replied and forced a smile. Shit. Magpapatulog na ba 'ko ng bata ngayon?

Napasinghap ako nang bigla itong tumabi sa akin at ihinilig ang ulo sa hita ko. This kid seriously is comfortable with me already. "You can sleep with your head on your pillow, baby. Baka mahirapan ka niyan," alala kong sabi. Umiling-iling ito at nanatiling nakapikit.

"I always sleep like this with Mommy," tanging usal niya at makalipas ang ilang minuto ay nakatulog na, his heavy breathing visible. "Whoa, didn't expect you to be that nice."

The sudden voice in the room almost made me jump. Mabuti na lang at napigilan ko ang sarili ko, kung hindi ay magigising ko pa si Phoenix.

There, leaning at the doorframe, was a guy with his arms crossed on his chest. He's looking at me with an amused smirk planted on his lips. "He only sleeps like that with people he's comfortable with." Pumasok ito sa loob at marahang hinaplos ang pisngi ng bata.

"I'll let him sleep on his pillow. You can go, you don't need to wait for him to wake up," bahagyang natatawa niyang usal at maingat na binuhat si Phoenix, na hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin nagigising.

"Oh, right," I awkwardly responded and let him get Phoenix. "You're his tutor, right? What's your name?" Hinarap ako nito habang nakapangalumbaba, nakatitig sa akin habang hinihintay ang sagot ko. My nervous self immediately got concerned of my face.

"I'm Azaleah," pakilala ko at tipid na ngumiti. He smirked and lent out his hand, offering a handshake. "Hey, Azi. I'm Ryder."

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