When Back In Time

"NASAAN NA ba 'yong camisa de chino ko? (Where is my white shirt?)" Pepe 2 asked.

Esperanza' s eyes lifted opened in alert.

She sat up on her bed and looked at the door of her room.

She could hear outside Pepe 2's frustrated voice looking for his missing shirt.

Her eyes then set on her bed. She crawled on the left side of the bed and went to the edge. There, she let her head peeked down below the bed. Taking out the bedsheet and lifting it up, there she saw in the dim underneath the bed was the borrowed shirt and pants she used yesterday.

She didn't ask her savior's permission to wear his clothes nor to borrow it.

In jolt, she sat up on the bed while covering the underneath of the bed by draping the bedsheet. The door opened and he stormed in.

He asked, "Pasensya sa abala pero nakita mo ba ang aking damit?"

Esperanza looked at him and started, "Uhhh." She slowly shook her head.

ScartchingScratching Pepe 2 went outside while mumbling to himself in confusion.

As the door closed, Esperanza stood up and went to open the door. She peeked her head outside and saw him, still scratching and worried where did he misplaced shirt.

She closed it and looked at her bed.

"He must be going to meet a woman again. Should I give his shirt?" she asked herself, "Nah. I still need it tonight. And anyways, why he need to meet lots of women when he already has a wife. Such a womanizer he is. He is not even that.. that... handsome. Hmm."

She sat on her bed started biting her nails, which she recently developed as something started to bother her.

"He really looked someone I know but why I can't remember who?" she said and stopped biting her nails as she noticed she's doing it again. She laid down and stared at the canopy.

"And that god. Where the heck is he? It's been days since the last time I saw him. I still didn't finish my quest, why he didn't appear and tell me about my demise?"

Her eyebrows frowned. She heaved a sigh, "Why I feel like I miss that pain-in-the-ass and bossy god... Why, why, why when I need you, why won't you appear? I really could use a help here you useless god! I need your help to find my friend Pepe! All you do is scolding and threatening me. You don't even do something good to me. At least, for once in your godly time, help me once. Help me Bangun Bangun. Help me....Argh!"

She rose from lying on the bed in irritation.

That night, she continued her mission. She dressed up as a man and ventured outside in the cold street night. As usual, she stood far away from the house of Agustin, watching every windows and people coming in and out from his house.

The doctor named Agustin was a wealthy man. 'What a wealthy man like him doing by letting other people commanded him to kill me?' she thought to herself, 'I really don't get it.'

As what she observed, this man was no ordinary man from the middle class but in fact from a rich family. He had a lot of connections from the authorities like guardia civil that's why he could easily order them to chase her and Pepe while on their voyage.

She leaned on the tree where she stood near. She looked at the night sky. 'What should I do? Hmm... It's impossible to infiltrate that house of his that's always swarming with people. Is Pepe inside his house, held captive?'

She eyed the house. "No. Why would he held him captive when he can just send him to the authorities. Is Pepe in jail then?"

She closed her eyes and scratched her head. Thoughts keep swarming on her head. her like, 'Who ordered Agustin to kill me? Why? Where is Pepe? How can I get revenge on that foul man, that fake who' s acting like a good man? Pepe, gosh where are you? This is making me crazy! '

Her eyes snapped opened. She looked at her nail which she had bitten a second ago. 'Gosh, when will these unfortunate events in my life end?'

Four days straight, she had continued her spying for Agustin, tracing what's he doing, what time does he came at home, formulating on how to execute her schemes on him.

The next night, it was raining. A kalesa (calash) stopped in front of Agustin's house. Inside the house, a woman came wearing a long and beautiful dress and on her hand, she held an umbrella. She opened it and approached the kalesa (calash).

A man came out from the vehicle, Agustin, and drew closer to the woman.

A plan formed in Esperanza's head.

She came outside the shade of the tree, drenching herself from the rain.

Agustin and the woman walked towards their house.

Something made Agustin turned around.

He scanned the surroundings and looked at the lone tree not so far from his house.

There was no one there.

"Anong problema mahal ko?" his wife asked with worried eyes. (What's the problem, my love?)

She turned her head and gazed on the same spot where her husband was staring at.

He looked at her and shook his head. He told her it was nothing, as the two went inside their home.