ONE

I kicked a flower pot into our alley that I had passed around the corner. I'm not sure why my blood boils when I see flowers, particularly when they're about to bloom. They were like little twits taunting and smiling at me. If no one had noticed me earlier, I would have plucked up all the petals from the pot, destroying them and preventing them from blooming again. To be honest, I'm not only annoyed by flowers but by stuffed toys as well.

We recently moved to Sta. Teresita, after my father sold the house we used to live in. This location is in favour of his workplace and the school where my sister Janel attends. They also acquired a great location for Mum's bubble tea business because it's right in front of the plaza.

We've just been here a week, but Mum and Dad have already made friends. And what I hate is some of Mum's friends enjoy flowers as much as she does.

I'm on my way home from a book signing. Oh, before I forget, allow me to introduce myself. I am Mia Romero—a writer. I don't use a pen name, and I'm not trying to brag, but my works are well-known, and my readers love me. Almost every book that my publisher releases is always sold out and gets reprinted.

I was near our house when I noticed Janel conversing with a man. If my memory serves me well, this is the man who frequently visits Mang Kanor's store to drink with his friends. I also hear many rumours about him and how arrogant he is in Sta. Teresita.

What happened next caught me off guard, so I moved swiftly to be closer to them. I saw him holding my sister's hand. 

I'm not going to let him bully my sister. Even if he's a giant man, his arrogance won't work on me!

"Hey!" I shouted as I approached them and grabbed my sister's hand. 

"What are you doing to my sister?" I enragedly asked the man as I clutched Janel's hand. 

He's insane! Out of all the people he could have chosen, why did he decide to bully my sister?

"S-sis..." Janel merely gazed at me for a moment before turning to face the man.

"Hey, how thick is that face of yours to have the audacity to touch my sister, huh?" I asked, frowning. 

But he only gave me a silly smile and a smirking sneer while shaking his head. 

"What did this jerk do to you?" I asked Janel.

"Actually, Sis—"

"It's okay, I understand," I said, interrupting her. "Don't say anything else because I know you're still stunned. Hays! It was fortunate that I arrived, because who knows what more he did to you. Let's go home. Don't be frightened of bullies, especially if you're right." 

I pulled her and then turned to face the man again. “The next time you bully my sister, I will not hesitate to report you to the authorities. Keep that in mind. Not everyone here in Sta. Teresita is terrified of you because I am not!" I said fiercely as I turned away from him.

"Insane", I heard him say so, and I turned to him again because I didn't seem to like what he said. "What did you say?" I asked angrily to clarify what I heard.

"I said you're insane." Then he shook his head and turned his back on me without letting me speak and then walked away.

‘Oh and he actually repeated it in front of me…’

"What a crackhead," I murmured, resuming my grip on my sister's hand. She, on the other hand, disregarded me and refused to let me hold her. 

"Tss, let's go," she said as she walked away, shaking her head. 

When I returned my gaze to the man, all I saw was his back as he walked away.

'He is truly arrogant. Even his stride demonstrates his arrogance. '

When we came home, I went straight to Dad to tell him what I had seen. I found him sitting in the living room, reading the newspaper, with Janel's two cats on his lap.

"Dad", I called him. "I saw Janel getting bullied on the street by an arrogant man who frequently goes to Mang Kanor's store," I complained. 

Reluctantly, not in the literal sense. Let's just say I'm used to turning up like that since they always see me as a cold person.

He gave Janel her kitties while looking at me. Dad looked as if he wasn't sure whether to believe it or not, and he looked at Janel right away. "Is that true, Janel?" He asked her to confirm what I had said.

'Does he think I'm lying, and he doesn't believe me?’

"No, Dad," Janel answered, as she played with her two kitties. 

I was taken aback by her response because I could see the man holding her hand. Was she scared of him, or was he threatening her not to tell us the truth?

"Hey, what are you saying? Don't lie, Janel, I even saw that man holding your hand," I irritatedly told her.

"He touched me, Sis, but not because he was bullying me. He held me to see whether I had any scars. Because I stumbled and fell on the road, Sis. He assisted me in getting up. And that's why you saw him holding my hand, right, Mingming?" She even talked to her cat.

I'm going to kick those cats; she'll see.

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Dad expressed his dissatisfaction with me. I also noticed Janel, who was shaking her head as well. Was it still my fault that she didn't give me a thorough explanation earlier?

“You know, Sis, the more joyful and positive the stories you write, the more negative you are in real life. You always get the impression wrong. You always looked at anyone as an enemy. We will never be surprised if we become one of your foes in the future. Isn't that correct, Mingming?" Janel said.

I will poison her cats; I swear.

I rolled my eyes 360-degrees before going upstairs and ignoring them. Was it my fault if I saw the scene that way? Was it thus equally my fault if I overheard in this area that 'that man is a bad boy'?

When I opened the bedroom door, I was surprised by a bouquet of flowers put in a vase next to the television. There are the glinting flowers again. Because of my shame in front of Dad and Janel, they were like dwarfs beaming and laughing at me.

"Mum!"