It was very early in the morning when Arianna and Tommy woke up to pick vegetables and fruits from their garden at the back of the house to sell.The day seemed no different from past days except Tommy now worked beside her… somber, quiet, and very focused.Tommy was the one who actually started selling fresh produce from their garden, but he hadn't done this for a while now. The money they earned was enough for food but could not completely provide for his needs in school and their mother's regular medicine prescriptions, and it frustrated him.He said it was too slow a job to earn money, and he started trying to find odd jobs from other farmers or commercial establishments in town who would let him work before or after school, even though he was just fourteen.Unfortunately, their mother had to be confined for a mild stroke and this really scared both of them. That was when he told her he would quit school. They were paying in installments for the hospital bill already, and though sh

Late that afternoon, Tommy came home with enough fish to feed them for two days, and good news.“Ate! Mama! The chairman told me I can work in the fishery or in the paddy field starting tomorrow! He also told me I can start learning to drive the jeepney just inside the hacienda in case they needed a hand in transporting anything from anywhere inside here. I have a job!”They roasted enough fish for their supper and cooked the rest in herbs and spices. They had a very enjoyable dinner and after the dishes were done, their mother asked them to stay with her for a bit in the living room as she read from her Bible aloud for them and prayed to thank the Lord for their blessings before she went to bed. Tommy remained in the small living room to read one of his school books. She, on the other hand, checked to make sure every window was closed and the doors in the front and back were locked before maybe reading a book of her own. Her friends often would bring her their books once they were d

A week later, Arianna came up to the house from town to do groceries after she had sold their morning vegetables. She found three sacks of rice laying down by the side of the front door, leaning against the wall.She stared at them, thinking she was imagining them.She was holding in her hand 3 kilos of rice inside a bag she just bought from their earnings that morning, and she was just think-ing about when they would be able to again afford to buy a sack as she walked towards the house with her two pitiful bags of groceries.What is going on? She couldn't think of anything that would bring three sacks of rice into their house!She immediately looked for her mother. She didn't even call for her, thinking she would excite her for nothing just in case those sacks weren’t even theirs. She found her in the kitchen stacking up grocery items on their shelves that had never looked that full. She was speechless and a statue until her mother turned towards her with a beaming face.“Anak! What

One month later, a new benefit was given to the workers.It was a health check-up for everyone conducted at the health center. And for the first time, it was mandatory.A mobile laboratory arrived for lab tests. The Quirozes wanted to make sure that everyone was in good health so if anyone turned out to be otherwise, they could then be treated early.Urine and stool samples were taken. The stool test became a source of puns for everyone.It took a few days to finish checking up on all tenants since there were older ones who took their sweet time to visit the center.But when Arianna received the result of her exams, something caught her attention.She'd had a pregnancy test? It was a pregnancy test—clear in the wording. And the result was negative.She already knew she wasn't pregnant. She got her period in time. In fact, she had been horrified to see the first spots of blood in her underwear because it didn't even occur to her during the whole confusing period since that night that s

Ruel was back the next day.He was with a different companion. It took a moment of argument before their mother invited him in because Tommy had reverted back to his three-year-old self, and he was told to stay in his room until the visitors had left.Ruel basically repeated what he said last night when she told him again that she wasn't ready to accept suitors. He would visit her every time he was on his provincial vacation. And that he was not ready to give up.“Your mother doesn't even know you're coming here,” she said.“I told her last night.”“What did she say?” she asked, a bit surprised.“She said she respects who I chose to like and pursue.”“She isn't happy.” That wasn't even a guess. Yna knew.“Mom doesn't interfere in my personal life.”She didn't reply. There was something else. She was in an elimination contest with him and a bunch of other students almost twelve years ago for a provincial meet type of contest. Each public school was given a chance to send a candidate p