The Ancient Warrior

Goodbye Vanag

It was a month after the incident with Gula. The kids have forgotten about it already. They were back to their old hobbies and life must go on after that. All they cared for at the moment was their studies and doing good in school. Emery was in 7th grade. Ernestine's in her 5th grade while Evander was in his 2nd grade. In the morning, Evangeline would wake up early to cook breakfast for the entire family and would ready her two girl's food for school. She would prepare their lunch in their own lunch boxes, put water or juice in their tumblers and prepare the table for them to share breakfast together.

While she readies the table and the food, Emery and Ernestine would take a bath and would dress in their school uniform. During those early times, Evan would still at the master's bedroom still asleep from which he shares with their mother since he was still very young to have a room for his own. He would just soon wake up when Evangeline herself would wake him up for breakfast. But that morning was different, Evan just came down from the bedroom toward the kitchen all by himself.

"Good morning!" Evan greeted his Mother and two sisters. Beaming at them with his two front teeth missing. 

All of them stopped from what they were doing and turned their heads at the kitchen's threshold. "Good morning!" they all replied in chorus. All of them were smiling.

"Well, well, well. What a very nice surprise. Our little man here is doing a task like a big man already." Evangeline said. She came near to Evan, meeting him halfway.

Evan giggled and put his tiny arms around his mother's neck.

"I'm a big boy Mama." Evan boasted. Pointing himself with his thumb from which he was thumbsucking a little while ago.

"Big boys don't let their Mama carry them like what you are doing." Ernestine teased. She was the one who always teases her younger brother.

"I'm a big boy now, right Ate Em?" Evan said seeking a comrade.

"Of course you are. Nessy is the one being a baby." Emery joined the teasing. It's Evan and her against Ernestine.

"Oh, I'm still a baby..."Ernestine said and made a face that made them all laugh.

The kids began to eat. It was 6:30 in the morning and supposed the girls must reach the school before 7 o'clock for the flag ceremony. The school was just a walking distance and the two girls would reach their school in time for the Flag ceremony.

The kids went off to school at quarter to seven o'clock. They kissed their mother and brother on the cheeks and bid goodbye.

"Oops, it sees you later, we mean.." Emery smiled and waved.

There were a lot of their neighbor's kids who went to the same school with her girls, and they also walked toward the school with her girls as well.

"Hi, Eve!" A woman's voice called out from behind.

Evangeline turned her head to see who it was. It was their next-door neighbor named Grace Sarael. She was a small woman only standing four feet flat. She was in her early fifties and her haircut was like Dora the Explorer plus the floral headband, from the television from which Nessy always watches.

"Hi, Manang Grace." She greeted her.

"How are you feeling, Eve?" Grace asked. Her worried lines were visible and genuine.

"I'm fine, Manang Grace. Thank you for asking." She replied with a smile.

"Don't mind me asking, but is Oscar kept on giving you support? I mean, you have no job but you seemed very well with it. I mean with all the expenses from the hospital and all. You must've been getting an extra allowance from your ex-husband." Grace said. She was acting hesitant but she was really crossing the line between private matters over public matters. She was a nosy neighbor.