Chapter 1

Her stomach was churning when she woke up the next morning. The sun was so bright and she can hear the sounds of the vehicles on the busy streets reminding her that she's no longer in the province where she lives for so many horrific years with her aunt and cousin who treated her so bad.

She stood up immediately and looked around the area where she slept last night. The beggars were no longer there. She had no idea where the beggars went after they woke up earlier.

"What should I do now?" Casey mumbled hopelessly. She started walking without having the idea where she would go next. She still has a money to buy her food, but it will never enough to support her for several days. She needs to find a job to earn money. She remembered the advice of the bus driver to her that she needs to find a place to stay in the meantime. She needs to look for a house. But she doesn't even know where she could find a house to live while looking for a job. While she's walking, a beggar approached her. She was surprised as she saw the beggar.

"Where are you from?" The beggar asked her. Casey sighed deeply.

"I came from the province," she answered. The beggar nodded. "Oh, really? Where province you came from?" She sighed again. "It's far away from here. Maybe you don't know where it is," she said, hastily.

"Okay. But where are you going, huh?" Casey shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know where I'm going..."

"W-what? You don't know where you're going? Why did you come here in the city if you don't know where you're going, huh? Are you kidding me?" The beggar answered.

"No, I'm not kidding you. I don't know where exactly I'm going. I left the house of my aunt because I can no longer take their bad treatment against me," I explained. She frowned. The beggar understands her.

"Well, I'm sorry," she said. "But what's your name?" The beggar asked her name.

"Casey," she said. "My name is Casey. How about you?" The beggar smiled before answering her.

"My name is Cora," she answered. "I was a poor beggar." Casey nodded. Cora is kind and she felt it.

"How old are you?" Casey asked. Cora answered her immediately.

"I'm twenty years old, Casey. How about you, huh? How old are you?" Casey sighed.

"I'm twenty years old. We're the same age, Cora," she said. Casey smiled. "Nice meeting you here."

"Yeah, nice meeting you too, Casey," Cora answered.

"Do you want to eat breakfast with me Cora?" Casey asked her. "I'm looking for a place to eat breakfast.'' Cora got happier as she heard her looking for a place to eat breakfast. She's starving and needs to eat breakfast.

"Of course, yes. I'll join you eating breakfast, Casey. You know I was starving and I want to eat breakfast so bad," Cora told her. "Thank God I'm gonna eat breakfast this morning. You're a blessing for me, Casey. I couldn't eat breakfast this morning without you." Cora caressed her churning stomach. Casey smiled at her.

"If you're not yet eating breakfast, we can eat now. I'm starving too. Where can we eat breakfast?" Casey answered.

"There," Cora said, pointing the direction where they can eat breakfast. "We can eat there. The food is not expensive there." Casey quickly nodded. "Okay. We can go there. Let's go and eat our breakfast."

They ordered food to eat. Cora speaks while they're eating their breakfast. "Do you have family members here in Manila, huh?" Cora asked her.

Casey stopped eating her food. She took a glass of water and drink it first before answering her question. They're not yet done asking each other about their lives.

"No. I have no family members here in Manila. It's my first time to be here and I was so amazed to see this place. I have no place to go. I rode a bus with no money in my pocket, but the bus driver gave me money. I decided to leave the province where I was born and forget the bad memories there. But fate brought me here in Manila and I have no idea what's waiting for me here," Casey explained. She was frowning as she said it to her new found friend Cora who nods quickly. "How about you, Cora? Do you still have family members here in Manila?" Cora sighed deeply.

"I still have family members here in Manila, but they didn't want me. My aunts and uncles are here. But since my parents died three years ago, they treated me so bad. And maybe we're having the same situation," Cora said, sadly.

"So that's the reason why you became a beggar because no one wants to accept you. Are you the only child of your parents?" Casey asked her. She bit her lower lip and looked very sad.

"No one will help me, so I decided to live my life alone. I'm a poor beggar. I wasn't the only child of our parents, I have a brother, but I don't know where he was right now. He's older than me. Maybe he doesn't want me to," she said.

Casey let out a deep sigh. "You know we're destined to meet each other because we're having the same situation. No one really accepts us. We're unlucky to be in this world," Casey replied. Cora nodded quickly.

"You're right, Casey. No one can accept us. For now we can be together," she said.

"Yeah. But we need to look for a home to stay. We can't sleep in the park. It's dangerous, right?" Casey insisted.

"I know. But we have no enough money to have a home to stay. Do you have money, huh? I don't have money to have a home to stay, so I decided to sleep in the park. It's my home for almost three years and nothing bad happens to me. This is the life we had," Cora answered. "We don't have a choice, Casey. We're unlucky living this cruel world." Casey felt sad when she realized she's totally homeless and penniless after she heard the answer of her new found friend Cora. She has no enough money.

"I don't have enough money," she said weakly. "But I'll start this afternoon to look for a job."

"Where did you sleep last night, huh?" Cora asked her.

"In the park," Casey said. "I slept in the park last night. I've experienced sleeping in the park, and it'll be more often. I'll try to look for a job. We need money to live, Cora. We can't be like this. We need to survive." Cora nodded and continued eating her food. She didn't speak to her again until they finished eating their breakfast. Casey paid the bills.

"Thank you so much again for your treat, Casey. I'll never forget it," Cora said, thanking her again. Casey smiled at her.

"You're always welcome, Cora. We're friends now and as long as I have money we can eat food," Casey replied. "I wish I could find a job soon. I promise I'll treat you to eat in a fancy restaurant. Have you experienced eating in a fancy restaurant?"

"Not yet," she said. "My parents couldn't afford to bring me in a fancy restaurant. It's expensive, right? We used to eat in a simple food eatery because we can afford it. How about you, Casey? Have you experienced it, huh?"

"Yes. I'd experienced it once when my mother was still alive in our province. But when she died, I have not experience it anymore until now. A lot has changed when she died. I felt my entire world has ended. It's been six years since she passed away, but I can't really move on. Years had passed and the pain still there. It's getting more painful losing her, Cora," Casey mumbled with pain in her eyes. She could still remember her beloved mother who died years ago. The pain of losing her beloved mother didn't disappear in her heart. It's still there, and it's getting more painful every day.

"I strongly agree with you, Casey. I felt it, too. You know losing someone we really love makes more painful every passing day. It's getting more painful, right? We thought when days, weeks and years passed, it'll be forgotten, and we can no longer feel the pain of losing them, but it was wrong. It's getting more painful every passing day. I think losing someone we really love is the kind of wound that can't never be healed by time or even years."

"You're right, Cora. We couldn't go back in time anymore. We lost them, but we'll never forget them. They'll be forever in our hearts," Casey answered.