What if the saints of old walked among us today-would we honor their triumphs, or whisper about their secrets?
Zarinna knows the weight of hidden truths. Once devoted, now marked by choices she cannot undo, she carries shame like a shadow she cannot...
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"Come on, Casey, get in the car!" Zarinna heard her uncle call from the driver's seat.
"We're going to be late, Manang!" Elsa added.
The young lady came running from the door as soon as she heard her father's voice, hurriedly slipping her ID lanyard around her neck.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Casey panted. "I forgot to put some of my things inside my bag." She jumped into the van and pulled the door shut. "Good morning, Manang 'Rinna!" she chimed to her cousin.
"Good morning, dear," Zarinna replied with a gentle smile, looking appreciatively at the fair young girl behind her.
"So, are you ladies ready for your first day?" Dennis asked, shifting slightly as the engine rumbled to life. At the question, Zarinna felt her heart begin to quicken.
"Yeah!" Casey exclaimed. "I'm excited to see who my classmates will be."
"I just hope Sir Greg opens the Arts Club this year," Elsa murmured, head lowered. "I really want to try it."
Zarinna noticed her uncle nodding as he listened to his daughters, a soft smile forming on his lips as the vehicle moved forward. She herself remained quiet—choosing not to speak of the nervousness pressing against her chest.
Oh God, be with me today... she prayed, briefly closing her eyes, waiting for peace to rise within her.
The ride lasted about fifteen minutes. When they drew near the school grounds, the sight of students in matching uniforms told her they had arrived.
"Come on, ladies, off you go," Dennis encouraged, smiling as Casey and Elsa slid the van door open and stepped down. He then looked toward Zarinna.
"Go on, kaanakan. You will do great today." He assured, his voice warm.
"Iyaman, Uncle..." she breathed in Applai, her expression soft with gratitude. She stepped out of the van.
"Bye, Daddy!" the two girls chorused, waving as the van drove away.
Zarinna turned toward the school gate—a large green-painted steel entrance where children passed in steady waves, some glancing curiously at her. They must be wondering why there's someone new, she thought.
"Let's go, Manang?" Casey asked. Zarinna nodded and walked with them through the gate, observing the surroundings. Golden shrubs lined the pathway, and gumamela blossoms grew freely along the grass.
"We'll go look for our classrooms now, Manang," Casey said. "We'll see you later."
"All right, dearies. I'll see you later. Take care." She watched them disappear into the crowd and lifted her gaze upward.
Oh Lord, I entrust this day to You. May Your will be done.
"Good morning!"
The voice broke through her wandering thoughts. Zarinna turned, her pulse giving a tiny jolt. A man—somewhere in his fifties, perhaps—was walking toward her with an easy, familiar kind of warmth.
