Ten Days in Paradise

Day Three

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Like my first two mornings in Casa Del Rey, I woke up to the sparkling rays of the tropical sunshine and to the musical tunes of nature. I woke up quite late that day, around eight, but I felt refreshed and my body seemed reenergized after a tiring but enjoyable island hopping the other day.

A few minutes later, after I did my morning rituals, I went down to the cafeteria hoping I would find Mike there.

I did not. There was no one there except Dale, who was at the counter.

Dale smiled at me when I approached him. "Are you taking your breakfast now, Ma'am?" he asked. His English was good except for his rather Asian accent.

"Yes, I will," I replied to him.

"And what will you be having?"

I looked at the large menu at the side of the counter and made my choice. "Just the pancakes, eggs, and of course, cappuccino."

"And how do you like your eggs? Scrambled or sunny side up?"

"Sunny side up. Not well done but not too raw."

Dale kept on smiling as he took down my order on a piece of paper. "Okay, Ma'am," he said afterwards. "Breakfast will be served in a few minutes. And of course, your cappuccino will be served in a flash, just like you always like it."

I actually liked his smile. "Thank you."

He was about to walked through the door that led to the kitchen, but he stopped when he noticed that I was not moving from the counter. "Would you like to pick a table?" he said. "Maybe the one by the window?"

"Can I stay here at the bar?" I asked.

He nodded and smiled again. "Of course, Ma'am." Then he proceeded to the kitchen.

"Thank you."

A few minutes later, the food was served.

And Dale served it himself. "Anything else, Ma'am? Would you like a morning dessert?"

"No thanks," I replied. "I think this will do. But can you sit down with me for a while? I would like to ask you some things."

He sat down in front of me. "About what, Ma'am?"

I couldn't help but smile just with the thought of it. "About Mike."

His reaction was cool. He smiled, nodded several times, and he had that beautiful glow in his eyes. "Oh. Kuya Mike. What about him?"

I fidgeted a little because of excitement. "Is he a good boss?"

Dale's answer was all positive. "He's the best, Ma'am. No one could be better."

But I wanted to know more. "How come?"

"Well, he pays me well, for one. And we get a lot of benefits working for him."

"Benefits like?"

"Like education. He was the one who sent me to college. He paid for everything. And when my mom was hospitalized, he was the one who paid the bill."

I was impressed. "Wow..."

"And he's really a good man. He's kind to everyone, even to the people of this town. And in some other areas of Zambales too."

I went straight to the point. "Is he married?"

Dale stared at me speechless for a few seconds, and then he chuckled. "I knew you're gonna ask that," he said.

I chuckled too. "Well, is he?"

He sighed. "He's divorced."

I couldn't believe what he said. "At twenty nine?"