10 Days to Forever

Part 1

Pluem Alonzo almost smiled as he closed the gate of his aunt's house. Almost. He looked around and breathed in the fresh, cold Baguio air. Maybe his mom was right after all. Maybe a change of scenery was what he needed at the moment.

His mom had forced him to live with his Aunt Mary in Baguio and finish his college education there after he was expelled from his previous school in Manila. He was caught beating up another student; for the third time in a month.

He briefly remembered the crazy roller coaster that was last year. His beloved grandmother died five months ago and it came as the last nail in the coffin of Pluem's positive outlook in life. Suddenly, everything was dark for him and he had nothing to look forward to anymore. His grandma was the only person who he felt truly loved him and he loved her back so dearly. After she was gone, Pluem felt like he was finally, permanently alone.

Of course, his mom Helena Alonzo was still alive but she was so absorbed in her own world that Pluem didn't really feel like he had a mother. He couldn't blame her though. After all the years of emotional and physical abuse his mom got from his father, he understood why his mom had become cold and numb. The worst thing is, Pluem was the spitting image of his father so every time his mom looked at him, she would be reminded of her abusive ex-husband.

Pluem knew that his mom tried her best to be a loving mother to him but the wounds were too fresh. The divorce was just 3 years ago and Pluem could still see the fear and hurt in his mom's eyes when she looks at him.

After the divorce, his mom had almost obsessively focused on her businesses and was rarely home. The only time she and Pluem got together was during family gatherings when Pluem's grandma would invite all of her kids to their home back in Quezon City.

"Ahh, grandma," Pluem whispered feeling a lump in his throat. He has always appreciated his grandma but he wasn't prepared for the huge loss her death would cause him. He barely noticed how distant his mother was because his grandma was always there for him. She was his only inspiration. In fact, the only reason why he wanted to finish his studies was so he could ask his grandma to walk with him in his graduation march.

He felt tears forming on his eyes so he shook his head and took a deep breath.

This was his new reality. He was alone. And he knew he better learn to live with it.

He leaned on a post in front of his aunt's house and lit a cigarette.

---

Chimon Reyes was excitedly walking home after a successful job interview. He will be working part-time at Cloud Beer, a bar and restaurant that was just 100 meters away from his house. It was convenient and would be a huge help for his expenses. This gig and the occasional gardening job at Ms. Alonzo's house would be enough to cover some of his school projects and personal expenses.

His grandma, retired teacher Rosa Reyes, was living on her pension and although it was more than enough to cover their living expenses every month, Chimon didn't have the guts to ask money from her for personal things.

The money that his dead parents left for him would probably be able to afford them both a pretty comfortable life but he and his grandma have agreed to only use the money for his tuition and monthly allowance. They both wanted to keep the rest of the money for future expenses.

Rosa wanted to save the money so Chimon can easily buy a house and start a business after graduating from university. Unknown to Chimon, Rosa has also saved a couple of millions in the bank from her years of working and selling of some land she inherited from her parents. She wanted to ensure a comfortable life for her grandson. She believed that after everything Chimon has gone through, he deserved a good life.

Meanwhile, Chimon secretly wanted to keep the money in case Rosa gets sick or in case of whatever emergency. He has also started a savings account of his own because he knew perfectly well that money was essential and he didn't want to be powerless in case his grandma needed anything.

They have both lived a very simple, frugal life especially after Chimon's parents died in a car crash a few years ago.

Despite his grandma's insistence, Chimon never bought anything brand new except for clothes. His phone was one of his bestfriend's Drake's old phones.

Drake actually wanted to give the phone to him for free. In fact, he wanted to buy Chimon a brand new phone but Chimon refused as expected and paid him the current market price for his old phone.

Even his laptop was an old one given to her by Ms. Alonzo, their rich neighbor who has made lots of money from writing best-selling novels. Of course, Chimon offered to pay for it but Ms. Alonzo refused. They have been neighbors for so long and she has watched Chimon grow so she felt like he was family.

---

After just a few minutes of smoking, Pluem got bored so he pressed the cigarette butt against the post he was leaning on and mindlessly threw it into a nearby trash bin. He then started walking back to his aunt's house.

So this is gonna be my home for the next few years, he thought.

"Hey sir, please pick that up." Pluem heard a guy shout at him. He turned around and saw a guy wearing a university uniform looking at him with judging eyes.

"What?" Pluem asked angrily.

"I saw you throw the cigarette butt into the trash bin but you missed. Please pick it up and dispose of it properly," the guy said with an authoritative tone.

"Mind your own business, will you?" Pluem shouted at him.

The guy looked at him with contempt and proceeded to pick up the cigarette butt and dropped it into the trash bin. After doing so, the guy looked directly into Pluem's eyes and said, "Sir, we're doing our best to keep our city clean not just for tourists like you but also for the citizens of this city who will suffer the effects of your irresponsible acts long after you've gone home to wherever place you came from."

Pluem wanted to argue with the guy. He wanted to tell him he tried to dispose the cigarette butt properly and that he wasn't just a tourist, but the guy had walked into the gate of the neighboring house without even looking back at him.

"Shit," Pluem cursed. He felt embarrassed. He was usually the one who would call out other people who didn't follow rules. He kicked the trash bin out of frustration and walked back into his aunt's house.---