She felt wronged when she saw the pile of staled vegetables. Grand Daddy was the first who saw it. He was sleeping near the makeshift storage room in front of the house. At three o'clock early in the morning, a foul smell went into his nostrils, waking him from slumber.
That instant, he heard a noise. He hastily got up from where he slept and saw two black-clothed men ran towards the mountain path. He did not follow them, for that path was treacherous—he could be ambushed. As he looked at the vegetables, all were already covered in acidic liquid.
They filed a complaint to the local police. Policemen were supposed to be making rounds to ensure peace and order for the whole occasion, but this happened.
Beauty got a headache just by looking at the waste. She felt really troubled.
'Why did they try to sabotage my storage? Who instigated this? What's their motive? Did I cause someone's downfall or loss of money since my booth probably got the most sales? ... This is really vexing and tiring.'
Grand Daddy and the helpers cleaned the whole area, and she was shunned from helping. With nothing else to do but wait, she sent Your Romeo an email. She just wanted someone to become her sounding board (a good listener). This became a habit. Your Romeo's position in her heart elevated; at present, he became a 'friend who's willing to listen to her'.
(Hey, are you awake? Someone played a prank on us. All the veggies I bought are now a pile of garbage. Acid was poured on them, and they're done. I wish I can chat with you by phone, so I won't wait on when you can reply. Boohoo, sob, sob. :((( )
Three minutes after, she got a reply. Excited, she opened it that instant.
(Sorry to hear what happened. It's good I'm awake now and saw your crying email. It was dripping wet with your tears. I can hardly read it. Don't cry too much. You can handle that. You're an intelligent girl. They're just vegetables. Just buy again. About chatting on the phone, I'm busy with work so can't easily talk to you. Emails for now. I'm going back to sleep now. Just got up for a short check and saw your mail.)
After sending that mail, Clarence informed his parents about what Beauty said.
As favor would have it, Fancy and Elegant Food Ltd. were one of the major sponsors of the government project. Actually, Clyde and Claire got used to hearing Beauty's name from Clarence's mouth by now. They already heard she lived in Camotes Island.
Knowing her place as one of the destinations, the couple personally went to see her. There, they saw her creative ways and got impressed. After Clarence's call, they felt pain for Beauty's sake and then disappointment with the local officials.
In one of the hotels' suites ...
"I believe this is sabotage. No questions about it. Based on Beauty's performance, someone got jealous or just wanted her to have a good loss like theirs who had crab mentality [1]." Clyde was in deep thought after reading Clarence's message.
"Who might be the mastermind?" asked Claire.
"I don't know. We can check with the local booth owners."
"They are just small-time earners, and they've been living with her grandparents for years. I don't think they would dare to do that?" added Claire.
"You're right. Paul, check on the hotels here. There are only three, so you and your men can easily spot the problems. What are their losses? Listen to grumbles and complains; you might get a clue. Get the names of the owners as well."
His men left right away at six o'clock in the morning.
After an hour, Paul came back.
"Sir Clyde, I heard that all three hotels had setbacks with their restaurants. They stocked up before this event, but only a few would eat inside the hotel. Most of the tourists went to the booths—most of all, at Miss Beauty's mini restaurant.
"Good job. Where's the list of names?"
"Here, Sir. I also heard one of the owners who told me personally that he is a relative of the mayor."
"Good, good. Then let's pay these people a visit, including the mayor himself. Before I forget, go to the police station and ask who was on patrol last night."
"Dear husband, aren't we going to tell Beauty about these culprits and file a lawsuit against them for compensation of her loss?"
"No, I don't like her to know we are helping her. Also, if we escalate this, it will mark a bad reputation to the foreign tourists. We will drastically plummet the festive mood. This tourism project will be affected greatly, and it would also be our loss as one of the main sponsors ... truthfully, my main motive is Beauty right now. I'm more interested in how she is going to overcome the situation."
His men easily found and made the culprits admitted their schemes and were detained. Thus, the other plans of those villains were thwarted. The hotel owners were freed, but they promised to compensate Beauty's loss—through the money that was sent anonymously to the Pascuals.
However, Clyde did not reveal it publicly. He warned the people involved to keep this whole thing a secret.
In the Pascual's house, Grand Daddy and Grand Mommy tried their best to help and encourage Beauty, but she was silent the whole time. She seemed not totally affected by the sabotage; but rather, she was deeply planning what to do in the coming days of the event. After pouring her heart out to Your Romeo, her mind was at ease and in full throttle.
"Grand Daddy, it was good we decided to store the meat with ice blocks and all spices in the underground chamber. Only the veggies were mainly affected. We can buy them in the market. If not enough, then I believe there are ways to counter this loss." Her eyes were brimming with confidence.
Did these people aim to stop her success? Then she would go for the huge commotion with no regrets. However, she had to think about this carefully. Also, deep inside hers and grandparent's hearts, without knowing the real perpetrator, they still believed in the local food booth owners. They were not enemies but ordinary friends and neighbors on the island, who wanted to earn by taking advantage of the occasion.
. . . . . .
Everyone invited were now in the village hall. Beauty stood up at the front.
"I welcome all of you here. Your presence made me thankful that my family is still being part of your hearts. Lately, I was so excited to showcase my creative ideas without thinking how it would affect the others ... most of all, you good people. I express my heartfelt apology for causing too much attention to myself, not realizing how it badly affected a lot of you."
She bowed to them without reservation. These people were innocent and could not bear to see Beauty bowing to them, so they made her stand straight right away.
An old lady, named Norma, reached out to her and said, "All of us actually felt bad for what happened to your stocks of food. To scheme against you and your grandparents didn't cross our minds at all, although we were slightly jealous of your income. As neighbors, we've been through thick and thin on this island together."
"We are a family here. In fact, if possible, we want to collaborate with you. Allow us to ride with your ideas. This will help us a lot. You know, the school year is opening soon. We badly need money for tuition fees for our children."
Thus, without further ado, the plan Beauty prepared was that all of them would gather their food and resources as one banquet. Beauty planned all the menu and setup. The accounting of expenditures and gains were given to a local accountant whose wife was one of the booth owners. Other job delegations were given to Grand Daddy. Seeing the whole thing laid in front of them, they were contented and glad to cooperate with her. Actually, they benefited more than being on their own.
On the fifth day, Friday early morning, a big board was placed in front of Beauty's booth:
___________________________________
Creative Filipino Banquet
Serving from breakfast to dinner
First Ever in Camotes Island
___________________________________
She named it so great that no one spoke. They only waited for the result, filled with anticipation.
Coincidentally at the same time, Clyde went out from their hotel room to jog a little. When he arrived at the booths' area, he forgot he was out there to exercise. Instead, he was astounded by what he saw. Only Beauty's booth had long tables for food. The others had different types of tables and chairs in it. It was as if the whole place became a huge beachfront restaurant.
He went to Beauty's area right away and understood the whole plan. Long tables were placed with a big flower bouquet at the middle. Large platters were seen on top, and a red carpet was underneath the table. A table at the side was full of big ceramic plates, local woven flat basket with a banana leaf on top, and tissue-covered spoons and forks.
It was almost seven in the morning when food slowly arrived, filling the platters with rice and 'puso', lots of cooked whole kennel of corn, corned beef bits stuffed in big, white, oven-roasted potatoes, steamed fish in egg rolls, poached eggs, fruit slices, and other native sweets. Customers could get their choice of drinks placed in another stall. Under a big acacia tree, men with musical instruments stood by, ready to play Filipino songs anytime.
Clyde got excited, seeing the whole arrangement that he brought Claire and his whole staff with him to eat breakfast there. Seeing his whole entourage's direction, other tourists in the hotel followed suit.
Slowly ... slowly, the whole food area was full of queuing people. There were six queues at the sides of three long tables full of food. The same sight with different dishes, like roasted pigs called 'lechon', was brought out for lunch and dinner.
The media, whether for television or newspaper, local and international alike, made news reports at such a sight. Headlines rushed in: Local People United, Creative Filipino Banquet at Camotes Island.
These happened for two days and a half. Ferry boats with buses left the ports of Camotes Island after lunchtime, carrying all the guests away, including Clyde and Claire. They were satisfied with this lady their son noticed.
[1] Crab mentality is a way of thinking best described by the phrase 'if I can't have it, neither can you'. The metaphor refers to a pattern of behavior noted in crabs when they are trapped in a bucket.