Chapter 3

         In the four months Minerva had been pregnant, she had never been astonished as now. Her heartbeat wasn’t as fast as today. And her internal screaming was not as loud as this moment.

         Being a cashier made her meet random people and met former colleagues. But, the fact that a rich and handsome man like this lad was in front of her was pretty much unexpected.

         The man looked her in the eye as well. She’s now wholly quivering on the inside.     And Minerva, whose eyes seem to have a life on its own, glared back at the handsome man.

         “A hundred and fifty bucks.”

         The man just handed her two hundred bucks and grabbed the groceries. He then strolls away without even turning back. Minerva was about to call him when the next customer demanded to be next as he was in a rush. Minerva just kept the change and went on with her cashier job for the rest of the day.

***

         Her job was utterly tiring; perhaps that was just because of her pregnancy. She was walking towards the bank when her heart suddenly beat fast, as if she was very nervous.

         But Minerva wasn’t nervous or even anxious. Why would her heart beat fast where in fact she had done nothing wrong?

         Unless…    

          “I’m sorry Miss Minerva.”

         The voice of the accountant sent Minerva into a hole of misery; plunging her into extreme sadness.

         Derrick’s account, their joint account, had nothing left but a 100$—no more and no less.

         Yet, before Derrick even passed away, he had been boasting to her that they had already accumulated and saved $100k. Where would the rest of the money go? It couldn’t be possible that the money just vanished into thin air upon Derrick’s death where in fact this is Minerva’s first time visiting the bank after a couple of months...

         “May I see the receipts of Derrick’s withdrawal?”

         “Sure Miss. Wait for a while and I’ll get the copy of the receipts of Derrick ‘s withdrawal.”

         She watched the accountant go to the tiny office and took care of her request.

         Minerva now knows why her heart is beating fast. In fact, it had pumped faster now as she began to be nervous.

         ‘Derrick has no mistress. Where would he spend his money?’

         She thought as she scanned her memories when she suddenly remembered the time that she saw Derrick in one of the casinos as she had been accompanying Mariella at that time in the hotel.

         “Look Minerva! Isn’t that your baby boy?”

         Minerva looked at the person Mariella was pointing at. It was Derrick, playing cards with a bunch of voluptuous women on the table whose clothes were an inch away to being naked.

         Her attention drew back to the present as the accountant bought her the receipts.

         “These are all the recipes I’ve acquired so far, Miss.”

         Minerva received the receipts courteously and carefully scanned those. All have their common denominator—it pertains to gambling, casinos, horse racing, and so much more.

         She was holding her tears so they would not slide down from her face. Her emotions are rumbling along with the kicking of her child. It seems the life in her womb happens to be dismayed and disappointed as hers. Minerva was a soft girl, and crying was as rampant to her compared to other people.

         “Are you okay, Miss?” The accountant asked her as she began to sob quietly. Only the waters from her eyes seems to wipe away the make-up from her beautiful face.

         She nodded and grabbed her scarlet handkerchief. How could Derrick hide these from her? From them?

         Minerva couldn’t hold it—couldn’t endure it further. She straightened her back and spoke the words that were the primary reason for her visit to the bank.

         “I would like to apply for a loan.”

         To her surprise, the accountant’s expressions shifted.

         “I’m sorry, Miss but it’s the policy of the bank that you must have at least paid half of your previous debts before acquiring a new loan.”

         “Debts? What debts?” Minerva became even more perplexed.

         The accountant showed her what she meant. She forgot that she was pregnant, she even forgot to breathe. The amount of their debts—Derrick’s debts—were almost twice the value of a Ferrari. Two million dollars is too much money to gamble in a lifetime for an ordinary citizen like her.

         ‘Where the hell had Derrick been gambling?’ That was the very first question her mind asked. She couldn’t discern whether she’ll be angry, embarrassed, sorrowful, or hopeless. Probably all of those, and every negative emotion she could think of.

         “Would you please excuse me?”

         Before she could hear the accountant’s answer, she already sprinted towards the nearby comfort room and wept. 

She wept as if her eyes hadn’t cried for a time. She wept as if to release every emotion that had long been encaged in her chest, in her heart. She had wept for…for Derrick hasn’t always been truthful towards her and to her baby, to them.

         Before she could pull herself together, a voice of a man startled her and made her halt her venting. He knocked at the bathroom stall once, twice.

         “Are you okay?”

         Silence was the only thing that the man heard answering back.

         ‘Who is it?’ Minerva thought. The voice was husky and masculine. It sounded like she had never heard that voice before. It seems that it belongs to a professional, to a well-off man.

         “Hello? Are you okay?” The man reiterated.

         Minerva seized her scarlet handkerchief and wiped away her tears and all the liquids that messed up her face.

         She opened the door, making the man gape. Yet, she too was gaping. 

It was the handsome man from the restaurant again.

         But this time, he was wearing a white sleeveless, probably his undergarment that lies beneath his gray tuxedo that was being held by his right hand.

         “Sorry…” That was all the handsome man said. His stubble seems to form a smile as a form of apology and to hide his awkwardness. He turned around, facing his back to Minerva, while clothing himself with the tuxedo.

         Minerva looked at herself and forgot to close her buttons. Her chest and cleavage were actually unsheathed, making her frown and embarrassed.

         “Sorry,” Minerva just reiterated his apology.

         Suddenly, the accountant earlier barged inside the comfort room. Barged into the very minute that the man was wearing his tuxedo and Minerva was buttoning her blouse and fixing herself, giving the accountant a notion that the two somehow did “it” inside the comfort room.

         “Uhmm…” The accountant broke the silence with the two people still looking at her, both frozen the moment she entered the comfort room.

         “Are you okay?” She turned her head towards Minerva whose apparel were wrinkled and a bit messy. Her hair and face were both messy as well, making the accountant supposedly think that the two somewhat had drilled each other in the midst of this narrow and small comfort room.

         Minerva just smiled and nodded. Without saying anything, she strolls out of the scene, making the female accountant just stare at the handsome man as his hair was also a bit messy.

         “Di the two of you—”

         “No.”

         She just nodded as she stared at the door to where Minerva Miller just exited.