All I Need

Present Day.

It was quarter past five, Carrie is hurrying up to go straight to the supermarket, she failed to grab the black pitted olives that she will need for her casserole to be served at a birthday dinner tonight.

She drove all the way from her 1st restaurant bar at the posh uphill village overlooking the Sunrise bay. A few afternoon joggers, mostly her upscale neighbors and after office health buffs and her usual diners waved their hands to her while she passed by on her gleaming red 2017 BMW. She should have opted for her black Toyota Hilux and not this one, she thought. Aside from the attention grabbing color and stature of the car, it shouts who the owner is by it's (3Carrie3) plate at the front and rear view of the car.

If only she didn't spent a mornight at her bar and drank with her good friend Rafe till she finished off the half bottle of Patron XO coffee all by herself after her Bacardi and coke with her best gayfriend. She would have done buying the forgotten ingredients this morning. She shouldn't ever drank that hard.

She managed to stand on her own two feet. Of course she's so grateful for a part of her fortune came from the inheritance from her grandparent's house in the city that was sold to a Japanese and Filipina couple. They paid the millions in cold cash.

She was able to buy a three-bedroom house at the upscale village after owning three restaurant and bars in the province and 4 food stall franchises that she was able to put up at the two big malls and two supermarkets. Her water station is going well too with the help of her father who manages it at the downtown district altogether with the laundry and drycleaning center and car wash. She's indeed successful and must be happy now that she has fulfilled her dreams. But, is she really happy now?, she thought and asked herself.

"Mom, I can't go home after the school closes. I have to take double time to finish the school project. My teacher gave me few more days to finish it before second semester starts.", Jake told her over the phone.

"Hey, wait! don't hung up yet, I'll be next. I'll just pay the cashier."

"Mom, gotta go! call you later. Chemistry' s about to start. Bye!", she wasn't even able to protest when Jake ended the call.

She really must understand Jake. He's on his junior high now at the most prestigious school in the region and two to three hour drive from her place. He's consistent honor in grade school and grabbed the opportunity to be accepted at the Jesuit-run school in full scholarship, allowances and free board and lodging but in one condition, to not go out of the country for a minimum of five years after college so he can render his services to his countrymen first. Not bad for her, cause she really didn't want Jake to migrate to the states and to stay with his father.

Dang! she forgot to fetch Jude, her youngest who is now in the intermediate level. Jude's into Friday after-school basketball clinic and she has to fetch him there whenever her assistant Joy is out on another duty. She almost forgot that Joy is covering up for Jane, the manager in her 3rd restaurant bar who called to inform her she can't report to work because of the viral disease that has got her too last week.

She is really stressed-out about everything. If only "he" didn't appear even on her wildest dreams.

She fetched Jude and pulled to a drive-thru because his growing kid complained of hunger pangs and cramps from skipping lunch cause she has forgotten that Jude wants what she cooks for lunch and not the school food. He waited for her at school but she was still fast asleep at lunch today. It added to her over pouring guilt.

It's been nine years. She's now technically single. Randolph, her husband for seventeen years is now a US immigrant and married to a Fil-am. They are already in good terms with each other. More like best friends now than before when they were still together and always fight like cats and dogs.