The Silken Crown

CHAPTER 4

Dolores returned home with a smile on her face. "That old lady wouldn't notice, would she?" she reasoned, knowing in her heart that her scheme had a possibility of failing. But what does an elderly lady know about her deception? All she had to do was follow the process and she'd have her hair. Dolores went to the market the next day and bought wax to bring with her. They walked to Min's backyard and started waxing her hair.

Ligaya felt the excruciating pain that she can't help but scream in agony. After few hours of suffering that felt like eternity, Dolores handed the 300 Piloncitos with the page of the newspaper.

Dolores cheerfully marched in Joy as she approached the elderly lady. But when she arrived, she was greeted with a scream. "You broke the rules! You are doomed forever!" How could the old lady have known? Only she and Ligaya were aware of it. Everything did not go according to plan. The elderly lady slammed the door in Dolores's face. But she begged them to let her in, and it didn't take long for the woman to calm down. "Break her heart and take the hair, as I said, this hair is useless," the woman muttered as she flung the hair into the fire.

"I spent 300 Piloncitos on that," Dolores complained.

"And that's what you get for being such a fool."

"He's the key," the old woman said as she handed over a piece of paper with a portrait of a man on it.

Dolores examined the given paper, which appeared to be familiar. She might have seen a similar expression previously. Oh yes! When Dolores first met her, she was with a boy. It had to be Alejandro. Dolores headed straight to Ligaya's house. She was hoping to get at least half of the piloncitos back. When she arrived, though, all she saw was the man in the portrait.

"May I see Ligaya?" she said nervously. But all she got was a shrug from him.

Dolores twirled her hair and asked for some of his time to talk about Ligaya. Then Alejandro offered her a cup of tea.

Dolores couldn't help but notice his manly yet gentle demeanor when they sat down. His eyes were dark brown, just like hers, and when illuminated by the sun, they become Hazel brown. His hair was frizzy and unkempt. Exactly like hers. She can't help but be impressed by how she can see herself in the reflection of his eyes, which are peering directly into her soul.

It was a long awkward silence of peering into each other's eyes.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

Meanwhile....

Ligaya, on the other hand, wore her mother's wig. She pretended to be an elderly woman dressed in heavy clothing. She wanted to surprise her mother, so she sneaked out of the house and left her with a letter stating that she will be gone for a month or more to travel and find her father, who had abandoned them for another woman a long time ago. No one, not even those reading a news report about them, recognized Ligaya with her disguise and face.

Ligaya took a while to find her way. She also left a note about her journey for Alejandro. She walked from one street to the next, looking for the so-called doctor. Finally, she came to a small door with the note "plastic surgery" written on it. She knocked and stepped inside, which appeared to be a disaster. Papers are spilled all over the ground. The tables were piled high with paper napkins smeared in what seemed to be dirt. Spider webs were covering the ceiling. Clothes were strewn everywhere, from tables to chairs. "Hello?" she called.

A man appeared unexpectedly from one of the doorways. "Lady, are you here for plastic surgery?" inquired the man. "You know, I could see why and I can fix that for you," he chuckled, motioning for Ligaya to take a seat on one of the seats. He straightened the table and placed a pillow and some rags on it. He said, "Here you go." Ligaya approached the man gently and seated on the bed.

The man grinned from ear to ear as she handed him the 300 Piloncitos. The operation began. He took out a little tool and started cutting on her face. Ligaya closed her eyes and all she could feel was anguish; tears welled up in her eyes as she sobbed and her hands were bound in her bed. It had been a long and agonizing hour. Then she became numb, and everything went black.

She eventually found herself lying on the bed with her entire face covered in garments. Every time she moved, she felt pain in her entire face. She exited the room on her own. However, before she went, the doctor waved and handed her a mirror.

She went out and went to an abandoned house nearby. She hid herself there and decided to stay there for the night. When midnight came, she felt hungry. With only 100 Piloncitos she bought from her savings; she was unsure if she were to eat anything. It would take at least 3 months for her normal hair to grow and for her to sell yarns again. When morning came, she went to another village. She walked day and night until she reached an unfamiliar place. She found herself another abandoned "bahay-kubo" where she chose to stay for the entire months she needed to heal.

When morning came, she went to the closest local market to buy yarns and began sewing dolls. She would sell the dolls at the same market, earning very little money to spend on her daily necessities. This went on for months. In three months, Ligaya's hair has grown slightly. Her surgical scars have also healed.

She examined herself in the mirror, gradually revealing her face. At first, she didn't recognize herself. The horrible drooping cheeks with skin tags the size of a piloncitos coin in each of her cheeks vanished. Her brow creases had also vanished. Her large nose had become pointed and little. Her pale, large lips had shrunk and turned rosy. The same as celebrities in the news. Such as those seen in paintings. She can't stop admiring herself. For the first time, she no longer feels disgusted when she looks in the mirror. It radiated warmth, hope, and admiration.

She then returned home, still dressed in the thick dark garments she had worn when she left.