Narrator:
Masyado na ngang sibilisado ang pamumuhay ng mga tao sa panahon ngayon. Halos teknolohiya na nga ang nagpapatakbo ng kani-kanilang pang-araw-araw na pamumuhay. Marami pa rin ang mga taong patuloy na dumaranas ng kahirapan. Samantalang ang mga tao sa siyudad ay nahihirapan sa kung paano nila gagastahin ang kanilang mga naglalakihang kwarta. Ang mga taong ang alam lamang ay ang pagtuunan ng pansin kung paano pa ito papalawakin at pagyayabungin. Sabi nila, ito raw ay para sa kanilang pamilya, sa kinabukasan ng mga anak at susunod pang henerasyon sa kanila.
Isa na nga rito ang pamilyang Domingo-Concepcion. Mga pawang anak ng mga pinakamayayaman sa bansa. Mga pamilyang nagmamay-ari ng mga magagarbong hotel at paliparan hindi lamang sa Pilipinas kundi pati na rin sa ibang bansa sa Europa. Si Quen David Domingo Concepcion, ang kaisa-isang anak nina Mr. Samuel at Mrs. Juliana, tagapagmana nang lahat ng negosyong ito. Namulat siya sa karangyaang natamo ng mga magulang ngunit lumaking may magandang pag-uugali at natatanging kagandahang-loob sa tulong ng kanyang tagapag-alaga. Salat sa pag-aaruga at atensyon ng kanyang mga magulang, lumaki at yumabong ang batang ito sa pangangalaga ng kanyang yaya. Ngunit nang pumanaw ito, nag-iba ang lahat sa kanya.
Quen:
“Tick tock! Tick tock!” And there my alarm clock goes ringing.
It’s already six in the morning. But I’m already awake. I’m busy fixing my beddings all by myself in this penthouse when the alarm clock rings. I’m used to waking up early. I shut the alarm clock down and go on with what I am doing. Then my phone rings. It’s Mrs. Juliana, my mother who’s calling. This happens every day. My mom calls every morning since I left our mansion and lives all alone, all by myself. She makes sure that her only son is doing well.
“Hi, mom! Good morning!” I say.
“Hello baby, how are you? Have you eaten your breakfast? Are your clothes ready for your today’s event? Ahm! By the way honey, where are you going today?” My mom replies.
I answer her back. “Mom, I’m fine. I’m going to eat breakfast when you called up. My clothes are ready, mom! I’m having my enrolment today.”
“Oh, I’m sorry baby! I forgot. So, you take care. I love you son! You know it. Your dad loves you too. Got to go honey, your dad’s waiting on the car! Bye!” And there, she hangs up.
Yes! I’m having my enrolment today for the second semester of my third year in college. I’m taking up Business Administration Major in Marketing in Ateneo de Manila University. I can enrol through online but I’m used to this. I prefer going to school personally, doing what others do. But I do not talk to people that much. Maybe because of my childhood days. I can still remember, I used to play with my Yaya Rosie all the time. Yes, Yaya Rosie has been there for me all the time. She’s my nanny, my playmate and my best friend. After all, my parents are too busy with our businesses, that they have no time for me. What’s left with me are their hi’s, hello’s, good morning’s and good evening’s plus the goodbyes! That’s why Yaya Rosie was my greatest confidant, although my cousins would be there to make a visit, played with me at times, and went on again. Unlike Yaya Rosie who still stayed. She’d be there when I wake up. She’s there to lead me to the dining room for me to eat my breakfast all alone. She’d feed me that time and when I’m done, we’d go to my room again for me to take a bath. Yaya Rosie would let me first play for few moments, and then she’d begin my warm bath. We would play teacher-student for me to learn. I was only three years old that time but I got to learn a lot of songs through the help of my nanny. At seven o’clock, I should’ve eaten dinner. After an hour, I should be in bed. And there would be Yaya Rosie telling me stories for me to sleep. But before it, she would ensure that I already had my milk. And this whole thing happened until I had my private teacher. Yes! I was one of the home schooled kids that time. I did know why. It’s because of my mother. She’s afraid of the things that might happen to me. And there, she hired a private teacher, Ms. Cathy Jones. At first, I was afraid of her because of how she looked. But it changed when I heard her soft voice. She’d been a great teacher. She taught me well, that I understood every lesson she had with me. But when I finished the sixth grade, my father decided to let me go to the school. This had been a great issue between my parents. Still, my mother’s terrified of what might happen to me with a lot of people whom I exactly didn’t know. Yet my father desired me to live a normal life. He wanted me to meet new people, to have friends with my age. And my father’s a father! He won the argument. There, I went to a private, non-sectarian school, which was ruled by a nun. It was the Saint Mary’s Academy. At first, I wanted to cry. I was like lost. Oh no, not like lost. I was really lost. Like a kitten who tried to find his mother on the streets with a lot of strangers, dangerous vehicles and all other risky things. I felt indifferent. I was scared. That time, I understood my mom. But my father trusted me that I could do it. I could survive the environment. During my second year, I had friends. But I was still the one who talked briefly. I could say, I was still the Quen years ago, yet the slightly improved one. What’s different was that my classmates noticed me! That time, I got the chance to be nominated as the class president. Although I wanted it, I refused. I didn’t want the whole class to suffer under my position. I knew I could lead, but I didn’t know how. That’s why Julia won. She’s a great girl, an intelligent one and I knew she could handle the entire class. The third year came and it was so different. There were these girls who sent me letters. A lot of “I love you’s” were written there. I didn’t know what to react. It was my first time to experience these things in my whole life. Then I tried to talk to my nanny. But when I got home that day I had the letters, I saw my Yaya Rosie lying on the floor, having her eyes closed, not breathing at all. She was surrounded by all the other maids, the guards and the other helpers in the house. My heart started to beat unusual. I ran to her. I knew what’s happening. I knew she’s dead. She’s gone. Tears wanted to fall down yet even a single drop couldn’t reach out. They brought her body to the hospital. I was there, left with the other maids. Sitting on my bed, I cried. I didn’t know what life was without my nanny. I cried the whole night until I fell asleep. I was awakened with a hug. It was from my mom. She asked me if I was alright and I answered that I was fine, though inside, I was broke. She told me that Yaya Rosie died from a heart attack. Nobody wanted it. And I must understand what happened. There, I broke down. My mother hugged me for a moment until I got calmed. She understood me. I felt it. Then, my father entered my room. I ran to him. He hugged and kissed me. But after a while, he told my mother that they needed to go. There! I felt the feeling again. I was a total loner. Then, I remembered the letters from those girls. Feeling the pain of losing someone, feeling the hurt of being alone, I crumpled all the letters. I threw them away. The next days, I came back to the Quen who used to the silent person. The girls who used to write me love letters had gone wild. They used to block my way going to the classrooms, gates and the weirdest thing was hindering my way to the comfort room. I got annoyed and told them that I had nothing to do with them. Others got mad at me but I didn’t care at all. But there’s Julia who never stopped. She told me what she felt for me in front of the whole class. I was embarrassed that moment. I didn’t know what to do. I ran outside the classroom and went home. I didn’t mind her at all. Then, graduation day came. I was with my driver and one of the maids during that time. It wasn’t a big deal after all. I was used to it. It happened every time. During the recognition and I topped the class, I usually received my medal with my nanny but when she died, it was my adviser who took the position. And there, I was the valedictorian of the class. I had a lot of awards but there were no sign of my parents’ appearance. I was used to this yet it still hurt me the most. I thought if I got the highest rank, my parents would be there. But I just assumed. It never happened. There, I went home not wearing any of the medals I received or holding a single trophy on my hand. My parents were on their business trip again. It wasn’t new to me after all. I went straight to my room, lied there and fell asleep. The next days, they arrived but still busy on the business. And there, after all those things that happened, I decided to leave our house. I packed my things and left a note. The helpers tried to stop me but they couldn’t. I went to this penthouse. Yes! It was more than two years ago when I moved here. This has been my comfort zone since then.
