Chapter 5: All that Matters

Third Person's POV

The Figueroa couple had just seen John Dave for the first time and they were in a good mood. When Mrs. Figueroa let him enter their courtyard to give him their goods, in the evening the lady told her husband about the young man.

The couple decided to secretly have their private investigator to investigate the young scrap man's life. Not by interfering with his life but they just want to know everything about him.

Two days later, the couple received the results of the work from the private investigator. The couple read the result while their daughter Natalie was in her class.

The couple was devastated by their discovery of John Dave's life. Mrs. Figueroa burst into tears as she could not cope with the emotion and abundant tears came out of her eyes.

She was still sobbing as her husband hugged and stroked her back. She felt very sad that can’t paint how they felt bad about what they knew about the young man. In contrast to their daughter Natalie, they give everything to their daughter as if she were called," spoon fed."

Because of their discovery they just let go of the friendship of Natalie and John Dave. They see their daughter having fun talking to the young man every afternoon coming home from school.

The young man is not as bad, he did not steal anything from them but he even helped Natalie in the near collision. He is one of the young people that hopes for the country and is not a problem like most.

John Dave's parents were very lucky if they were still alive. But the opportunity was taken away that they died in an accident but nothing to do that it's already happened. He is very brave that he is able to live alone and not depend on others.

Just like this time John Dave was in a hurry to stuff his purchased goods into the sack to put in his cart. He went out early this morning and he bought a lot of: empty bottles, empty cans and magazines.

This afternoon he also bought a lot of goods and it seems that Natalie is turning into blessings in disguise. After talking to her earlier at their meeting outside the house, he becomes lively.

He was on his way home when he heard his stomach boiling. He first sat on the side of the road where he also parked his cart. He took out his hand towel and wiped his sweat.

After wiping his sweat, he stood up and pushed his cart to leave where he was. He was about to leave the subdivision when he was blocked by some young arsonists but lost weight and became malnourished.

He first stopped on the side of the road when the five thin, tall young men stopped in front of his cart. The thin five young men grinned at him.

"Beggar, we have your money,give it to us!" Shouted the one thin young man.

He was silent and motionless but his able eyes were focused on the movements of the thin youth in front of him. That means it's a hold-up.

"I don't have any money anymore because I've already bought the goods and as you can see I haven't sold them yet because the junk shop is closed at this time." He gave a long explanation.

It was really itchy that his hands were going to punch them and another thing is he was starving to death. If he hadn't eaten yet he was probably dizzy. He took a swallow to somehow wet his throat because he was also thirsty.

"You liar, if you don't want to give your money we will beat you."

"Let's beat that, no words yet!" One said then immediately followed and attacked him.

He was alert, before the blow landed on his face, the man who rushed at him was already twisted in pain because he twisted his hand and then pushed. The thin young man sat on the road because of the strong push.

He saw that his other comrades were surprised but they also recovered immediately. One of them rushed to step on him but he quickly backed away so that his foot landed on the handle of the cart.

The man screamed in pain because his middle was the first to hit the handle of the cart. John Dave wanted to laugh but he stopped. Three more of their companions rushed in but in a flash they were sitting on the cement road and their bodies were covered with pain.

He stretched his body and when he looked at the thin young men they were already running but it was obvious to them that they were having difficulty due to the pain in their body.

He pushed his cart again and he wanted to go to another junk shop if it was still open to sell goods. He was very grateful when it was still open as if he was the one waiting. Because he had a lot of goods, he also got paid a lot.

He passed his customer's cafeteria so he stopped first to buy a dish. The owner of the cafeteria smiled as he greeted him.

"I think we have a lot today, hijo." Said Minyang, the owner of the cafeteria.

"Oh, I will repurchase the dish." The young man answered politely.

"The hardworking young man is always blessed," Minyang added as they both laughed.

After he bought the dish he continued walking. He passed people on the side of the road who were doing different things. Most drink alcohol in conjunction with smoking cigarettes.

He walked fast to pass the people drinking on the side of the road. There are those who call him for a drink but he refuses them.

Arriving at his house he immediately arranged his cart to the side. Entering his home, he placed his purchased dish on the table and sifted the rice through a rice cooker.

He took off his t-shirt and sat down on the single couch in his living room. He took a deep breath and then exhaled in emptiness to release his tiredness which seemed to have reduced the tiredness of what he had done.

He first rested for thirty-minutes exactly when his cooked rice was finished. He took a bath and then he planned to eat. As usual he ate alone and he had been used to it before.

As he was eating he suddenly thought of Natalie, the young lady he longed to see every day.

Everything has been easier for him since she became his friend.

He could imagine her beautiful face, how sweet she smiled and her laughter when they talked outside the gate. He didn’t realize that he was slowly smiling and shaking.

When he woke up from daydreaming, he quickly finished what he was eating. He shrugged first and quickly moved to his bedroom. He wanted to review before bed.

For him it is important to always be ready for surprise quizzes so he always reviews before going to bed. After his review he lay down on his bed.

He didn't close his eyes first but he wanted to make up his mind for the young lady first. As time went on, he got closer to the young lady. She inspired him to continue the struggle of his life.

Suddenly he remembers his parents, their former life of luxury and business. When he was young, his parents once included him in their company, the Fermindoza Interior Design Company.

His father’s company was the well-known company in the whole city but his father fell ill so they had to sell the company and their other property for the operation and spend more while he healed.

His father underwent surgery and after two months was discharged from the hospital. They were on their way home when the accident happened and his parents and driver died on the spot. Because of what happened to his parents, grief and loneliness enveloped him.

His uncle Emiliano took care of everything, he was his mother's half-brother but he showed his care for him. This time he was stabilized.

He knew his parents were guiding him. He is very grateful because he has uncle Emiliano Villaverde who sometimes visits him here.

When his parents' death was over, his uncle wanted to take him to Tagaytay but he refused. His uncle did nothing but fix his small house into a studio type house. The reason is because their mansion and properties, even the company was lost, so he should stay in a small house because he refused to live in the condo unit that his uncle offered.

He feels so happy because of what his uncle did. He even gave her cash for a supplementary allowance and he happily accepted it. He has added to his investment being a scrap man and other things he will need in school.

It is no secret to his uncle that he trades in the mornings for scraps before going to school. His uncle did not object because of his explanations.

It has only been a week since his uncle returned home to Tagaytay because he is still taking care of their other businesses because his two sons are busy with work.