A few years later.
Beep! Beep! Honk! Honk... the sound of the busy street and the enormous number of people walking, some in a rush to get home and others on their night shift duty. It was 7:45 p.m., and the busy lights of the city were starting to shine in a small sari-sari store located in General Maxilom Ave., in a slum area of Cebu City. Caleb was already drinking his fifth bottle of beer. "What an early start for you to be drunk, Caleb," says Tonio, his colleague. "Well, you know, life is short, so let's make it shorter," he snickered while chugging the last drop of his fifth bottle of beer. ' One more please, Te Belen, he muttered in a sluggish tone, "Hick! Just add it to my tab for this month". " Oh! Good Lord, Caleb, your tab has been too much for this month now." "You're too young to be drunk like this; God have mercy on you, young child," she added while looking at the drunk Caleb. "Don't worry about me, Te Belen, I'll pay you once I get paid at the construction site; you know we've been getting a bigger project next month," he added with a little smirk on his face while facing the little window of the sari sari store. "Caleb, son, I have nothing against you since you're not behind on your payments... It's just that you've been drinking almost every day, and you know God didn't want his children to go haywire," she said while looking at Caleb, who was now puffing some cigarettes in his mouth. "There's no such thing as God, Te Belen..." He stopped puffing his cigarette and was now looking seriously at her. "You know... if... God if may exist, he should not be called upon, as he is worthless, he said with hatred in his voice while throwing the cigarette but then stomping on it, and then he continued, "I'll just go now, Te Belen, thank you for tonight!" He added and slowly walked away from the sari store, leaving Te Belen shaking his head as he looked at the fading image of Caleb. "What a poor boy, Lord forgives him for he doesn't know what he's doing," she was looking at him not with disbelief but with pity, and she just thought to herself... "One day God will save you from this misery, son."
Caleb was now a grown man, many years passed by with nothing to support him; He had stopped going to school. No more remnants of the Fuentez family, the house that was once a lively place, now became a house filled with an eerie facade. Rats crawling upon each side of it, cockroaches lurking in every corner of the house. Caleb never cared about it, he just walks passing by those insects and proceed to his room where his messy bed is located. Pillows full of stain, blankets that was white now almost brownish black. The foul odor coming from his whole house; no one would think someone is living there. It looks like it's been abandoned for many years. Well, Caleb once cared for this place, it was a memoire of hope, but with such events in his life. It just reminds him of such demise he ever felt. A house that is a symbol of home was now for him is only a place where his whole being was killed. The scenes of such traumatic memories play within Caleb's
mind while staring at the ceiling, those memories that still haunts him up to these days as it keeps on playing and piercing his lonely self. " Ma... Pa... " He sobbed while putting his palm on his eyes...tears began to fall onto his cheeks." I... I miss you" he whispered whimpering as he began to crumble upon the thought of his dead parents. " How I wish I should die with you " " I... I just don't know how I can live right now without you..." Caleb... who was brave as seen by many, was like puppy who kept on whimpering in the small room which is a safe haven from him. A room where the true nature of Caleb seen, a fragile man with angst and grief deep within.... then slowly Caleb fall into a deep slumber... He felt at peace while closing his puffed eyes from crying... thinking that tomorrow is another day...
A week had passed since then, and Caleb continued with his everyday life. Working as a construction worker in the city of Cebu, he just started his week normally despite the past few days when he had been breaking down. It was a hot morning, and he was carrying the sack of cement to the mixer. He just whistled, thinking that the wind would ease the heat he felt. As he continued his job, one of his colleagues, Berto, approached him and said, "Hey, Caleb! It's noon already; come! Well, eat our lunch now," he said while tapping Caleb's shoulder... "Sure, Kuya Berto, I'll come right after with you," he said while piling the empty sack of cement. "I'll just finish this one in a few," he added. But Berto just exclaimed, "Caleb, don't push yourself too much. you know, the day still has a long way ahead. "Come, or else I'll kick you in the ass! you little child ! " Berto said while chuckling, "Caleb did nothing but follow his Kuya Berto, shaking his head as he walked to the carenderia with him... It was only with his Kuya Berto that he felt at ease and knew that he was still human. Berto was one of those who brought him back to his feet while Caleb was in demise. "Caleb, your Ate Nanette asked if you would like to come with us this Sunday to Simala?" Berto asked him while eating their lunch. "Where is that?" he added, asking his Kuya Berto, "What?! You have no idea where Simala is?"Berto asked in disbelief as his eyes widened, thinking as if it were a rare place in Cebu. "Simala, Caleb! It's one of the famous shrines of Cebu, Caleb! good lord! " He asked Caleb in disbelief; he couldn't believe what he had heard. " Well. There's no reason for you to say no! okay " Berto added as he told Caleb, Remember, you can't say no to your Aunt Nanette." Berto just chuckled while eating his pinakbet. Berto and Nanette were two of Caleb's closest friends since the deaths of his parents. They became his brother and sister, helping him whenever he's in need, and with that, Caleb, who can't say no to his aunt, just nodded in approval even though he knows that's one of the places he hates the most.
