Beneath the Never-ending Facade

Chapter 04

Chapter Four

"Good morning po, Ma'am Amy and Sir Uno. Halina po't pumasok na kayo," Ate Cora, the lady who took care of me since I was a little girl, greeted us upon opening the door.

"A lovely morning to you, Yaya Cora," I smiled and greeted her back with a hug. 

"Good morning," Uno respectfully greeted her with a smile painted on his face.

Once we stepped foot into my grandmother's home, I immediately felt a sense of nostalgia. I was honestly curious why she wanted us to dine here rather than at the Gavilantes' home.

"Whew, this house is cozy," Uno commented. He looked satisfied. Well, considering that he has a background in real estate, he for sure knows what he likes in certain homes.

"Dito po," Yaya Cora led us to the living room. The natural light was evident since the curtains were open. "Nasa golf course po si Madam. Kung gusto niyo ho siyang puntahan, p'wede naman." She smiled and asked the helpers to give us something to quench our thirst.

"See, sinusundan talaga ako ng mga magazines mo." Uno reached to get the magazine placed on top of the coffee table.

I rolled my eyes and looked around the mansion. Not much has changed ever since I moved out. Some decorations were added as well, but other than that, nothing was new.

"Do you want to go sa golf course?" I asked Uno after sipping on my tea.

He did not bother to respond because he was too focused on the magazine. I snapped my fingers in front of him to get his attention.

"Hey!"

He rolled his eyes and put the magazine back on the table. He then stood up and drank the remaining tea on my cup. 

I went to the kitchen to take a look at my grandmother's teacup collection. Back then, we shared many things in common. We used to shop together, pouring all of our time into these little teacups.

"If I bought you a set of those, would you display them?"

I opened the door of the cabinet where the teacups were placed before responding to him. "Of course. You know how much I love tea,"

He smiled and closed the door when I was about to reach for one. "And I also know how clumsy you are." He tilted his head a little bit to the side to make asar.

Instead, I playfully rolled my eyes and went ahead to the backdoor. We had to ride an electric bicycle because walking in the hot sun to look for my grandmother in her huge backyard would be difficult.

"Mamita," I greeted her with a smile.

She removed her visor hat and welcomed me with an embrace. She then shifted her gaze to Uno, who was standing beside me while holding an umbrella to shield the us both from the sun's blinding rays.

"Good to see you, Richel." A small smile crept on her lips.

"It's a pleasure to have you invite me here, Ma'am. My family will be here soon as well," he was so well-spoken.

"You may go inside now. I will see you in a bit," Mamita probably did not want me bathing under the sun, so she let us go back in.

The cold air immediately hugged my skin the moment I stepped inside of her house again. "Do you want to go to my room?" I removed my sunglasses and put them inside my bag.

"Woah there, calm down." He raised both of his hands and took a step backward. He took it literally! I just wanted to look at my old room again. Ugh, this man.