Chaos in the Cavity of Peace (Love in Mendiola Series #1)

Chapter 34

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Warning: R-18. This chapter is intended for a mature audience and is not suitable for children. Strong Parental Guidance is highly advised.

Please read responsibly and skip if you must.

KEECIA

"Oh, pogi! Ang aga mo ata ngayon, ah?"

We were halfway to my house when suddenly, an elderly man caught our attention. He had just come out of the house beside mine. I think he's their employee, judging by the black overall uniform while carrying a metal bucket in his hand. If I were to guess, siguro mga nasa fifties na siya.

I stopped walking and turned in the direction he was looking. Kumunot ang noo ko nang matantong si Caine pala ang tinatawag niya.

Caine smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Magandang umaga ho, mang Ben..."

Mang Ben?

Confused, I looked between them. "Magkakilala kayo?"

"Ay, sino naman pong hindi nakaka-kilala riyan kay Caine?" masiglang sagot ni mang Ben. "Eh, sikat na sikat ho yan dito sa buong village. Bukod kasi sa ka-gwapuhan ay napaka-sipag pa. Kaya nga sobrang swerte niyo ho riyan, ma'am. Sulit na sulit ang bayad ninyo dahil wala atang araw na hindi yan nagta-trabaho..."

Mang Ben's voice faded as I looked at Caine with curiosity. I have no idea what Mang Ben is talking about. Anong ibig sabihin niyang swerte ako kay Caine? Binabayaran ko siya... for what? At higit sa lahat, bakit siya kilala rito sa buong village?

Meanwhile, Caine had this guilty look on his face. Ni hindi niya magawang tumingin pabalik sa akin. Iwas na iwas siya, halatang-halata na may ginawang kababalaghan.

"Tignan niyo nga ho, oh," pagpatuloy ni mang Ben habang tinuturo ang bahay ko. "Ang ganda na tignan, diba, ma'am? Berdeng-berde ang mga halaman at sagana sa bulaklak ang inyong front yard," proud niyang sabi saka kumindat kay Caine. "Dahil yan kay pogi..."

My mouth formed a small 'o' when I finally understood what he was saying, then I squinted at Caine.

So, he was indeed the mastermind behind it all. I never really bothered investigating who transformed my front yard because I already had a suspicion that he was involved. Wala namang ibang makakaisip gawin yan eh, siya lang.

Don't get me wrong, I still despise him. But do I hate what he did to my house? Absolutely not. I'm not going to lie, coming home to this kind of house exterior after a long day at work really relieves my stress. I mean, maganda naman na talaga yung bahay ko, pero mas napa-ganda lalo ngayon na may mga halaman na na naka-palibot. It's a sight to behold every time I pull my car into the driveway, especially at night when the lights automatically illuminate. I get oddly sentimental. I can't explain why, maybe it's an adulting thing, but I've come to appreciate these things more. It really makes me realize how far I've come. This house is the very first fruit of my hard work, so it's become my guilty pleasure.