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Lara released a deep sigh as she gazed at the tombstone of her departed mother, Edna. It had been over a year since her mother passed away due to a heart ailment, yet even now, she couldn’t fully come to terms with the fact that she was gone.

Edna became pregnant at a very young age. According to her mother’s story when she was still alive, she used to work as a waitress in a bar. That’s where she met her father, one of her customers. Lara asked her mother about her father’s name, but her mother replied that with the many patrons she had back then, it was impossible to pinpoint which one of them was her father.

Despite it all, she never harbored any resentment towards her mother. She couldn’t find it in her heart to feel that way because the truth was, she loved her mother dearly. Until now, her mother remained the driving force behind all her efforts.

At the age of two, her mother was still working at that nightclub. She didn’t leave because she hoped her father would come back for her. But things took a different turn. Instead of her father returning, her mother Edna met her stepfather Rodolfo, known locally as Ompong. He made a living as a taxi driver and had a house he inherited from his parents.

In short, her mother and her “Papa Ompong” got together. He was kind and treated her as his own child. But, as the saying goes, nobody’s perfect, and that applied to Papa Ompong as well. He tended to gamble; that was his vice. Cigarettes and alcohol came along with that too. Over the past few months, since her mother’s passing, she noticed a gradual change in his behavior.

His temper flared easily, and he often scolded and yelled at her.

“I-I don’t know what to do with Papa anymore, Mom. It’s like he’s channeling all his time and attention into gambling because he’s grieving your loss,” she couldn’t help but express her frustration at her mother’s very spot.

It was true, after all. She held a deep love for the man she recognized as her father. And it hurt her to see him seemingly losing hope in life.

“I wish there was a way I could help him rise from this slump,” she continued. “I need to leave now, Mom. I still have to go to work,” she bid her farewell before finally leaving that place.

“Come on, join us. We’re only going to do this once, and besides, it won’t cost you anything because Boss is covering everything!” Cynthia, her fellow sales clerk, exclaimed with giddy excitement.

“Oh, I can’t. My father is alone at home. You know he hasn’t fully recovered from Mom’s loss, so he’s always sad. I really feel sorry for him; I don’t know what to do,” she replied, halting her attempt to apply lipstick and sighing.

“Oh come on, there you go again, overthinking the problem. It would be better if you could join us, but if you can’t, I’m sure Boss Randy will understand,” her friend sympathetically replied and smiled at her.

Lara nodded and continued fixing herself in front of the mirror. She worked as a sales lady in that boutique. She had been with the company for quite a while and was lucky enough to be regularized, so she considered herself fortunate. Why wouldn’t she, considering how tough life was and how difficult it was to find a job in today’s times? She was truly lucky to have been regularized even if she hadn’t finished her Business Management course.

That was because of her mother’s illness, which forced her to work right away to contribute something for her father, Papa Ompong, even if it was just for Edna’s medication.

“But I’m also impressed with your dad; imagine how deeply he loved? It’s just a shame they separated so early. It would have been better if they grew old together with Tita Edna,” Cynthia commented again, causing a pang of sadness in Lara’s heart.

“Oh, don’t make me feel sad now. Come on, let’s go before we get scolded by Miss Monet,” she quipped.

She was referring to their Branch Manager. She wasn’t exactly unfriendly, but she had a strict demeanor, which Lara found normal and appropriate.

The mall had just opened, so there weren’t many people around yet. Their routine at this time involved cleaning and arranging the displays, accompanied by inventory-taking. Their boutique’s clothing collection was quite impressive. In fact, their boutique was well-known throughout the Philippines, and many celebrities were regular customers. That’s why she was elated when she was given a permanent position there. In truth, she planned to continue her education. It was Miss Monet’s advice to her, as having a degree would leave no excuse for the Human Resources department to not promote her.

“Alright, I’ll just wait here,” Joaquin said, slightly exasperated, as he watched his girlfriend Lucille walk away.

He wasn’t sure what got into her, as it wasn’t usual for Lucille to invite him shopping on a weekday, especially knowing how busy he was running their business. They had been dating for a little over two months now, and he could say that things were still going fine. However, he knew he would eventually grow tired of this routine. He would start making excuses and might even provoke the girl until she decided to break up with him out of annoyance.

He sighed again at the thought.

Lucille was undeniably beautiful, and that wasn’t surprising considering she was a former beauty queen. Her breathtaking beauty and alluring physique were mesmerizing. As he watched her walk towards her favorite boutique, he couldn’t help but admire her graceful steps, especially with those long, perfect legs accentuated by the red high heels she was wearing.

Lucille wasn’t the first woman in his life to possess the qualities he saw in her now. Many women had come and gone in his life. He had dated beauty queens, famous actresses, and models. Maybe that’s why he no longer felt the excitement. Perhaps everything had become mundane or normal for him.

He was lost in his thoughts when his attention was drawn to a saleslady assisting Lucille. She was slightly shorter than his girlfriend, probably due to her flat black shoes in contrast to Lucille’s high heels. The woman had a tiny waist, and her red uniform hugged her figure beautifully, emphasizing every curve of her body.

She was gorgeous and alluring, even from behind. He wanted to see her face out of curiosity, but he suppressed that urge when his phone rang in his pants pocket. Checking his phone, he realized it was an important client. He answered the call and walked a bit away from the noisy area. They weren’t understanding each other well due to the noise, so it was a bit challenging.

Just as he ended the call with the client, Lucille approached him. He glanced at the spot where the woman he saw earlier was standing. She wasn’t there anymore, replaced by someone else. Maybe she went to the restroom or had a meal? He chuckled to himself. He was more affected by that woman than he cared to admit. After all, she did have an attractive back, but he hadn’t even seen her face from the side.

“What happened? Why didn’t you buy anything?” he asked.

Lucille then took hold of his arm. “I didn’t find anything I liked. They mentioned that their new designs will be in next week, so I informed them I’ll come back,” she explained.

Joaquin nodded. “Alright, I need to get back to the office,” he said to Lucille, who simply gave him a slight nod in return.