Episode 1- Moving on
Sunday
Sunday is the day of the week which I hate the most when the day comes because it's time for household provisions and chores. I wake up earlier than 4 am to start the day, I take up some leftover bread and eat it with chocolate spread and Crabstick salad and list some things to buy in the fridge and my freezer beside it if there is anything to refill and shit.
Just note to me today: MORE LETTUCE.
After my exercise, I need to do general cleaning at the house then go to the laundry shop for my clothes and Linen I used last Friday when the gang was here.
Everything was fine though. The cold breeze in the morning, my body is itching for my daily workout routine, and also the dark skies because of the late sunrise but I hate the most on this day was the GENERAL CLEANING.
I'm alone in a 2-floor bungalow, 1st floor is enjoyable because half of the floor is the kitchen while the living room is open floor space, Dining and Comfort room on the side so it's a breeze cleaning it.
After I carry my mop and squeezer with water cleaning solution on the 2nd floor, I go back down to sweep the stairs, and here it comes my hated part, the four rooms. It takes more time to sweep using a broom than the 1st one because of the little spaces like under the bed, back of the cabinet, etc. and what is funny part is I don't have a vacuum cleaner that is used for only 2 months because it broke four months ago so I need to buy new and better one. I bought the third-hand last time, how cheapskate of me.
WHOO! I'm done and the time is past 9, I need to go to the laundry shop. I get my car keys at the garage and click it to turn on the car.
"Good Morning Jon! Is it the time of the day today?" Nidalee(the car) asks me with enthusiasm.
"Yeah, we need to go to the laundry shop; my clothes are piling up and also some linen too."
"Okay!" She was happy that we can roam again using her.
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Now that my things are at the laundry shop, it will be delivered in 2 days which is Tuesday, I got to roam around Nidalee because she likes it, got her tanked up at the gas station near the village for tomorrow, and go to the supermarket for my weekly groceries, I take a bath at my newly cleaned bathroom by yours truly.
The day is just starting and I'm so goddamn tired already, as I wear my plain white loose shirt, underwear, and yellow shirt, the gate's electronic bell was ringing meaning there is someone inside so I go to the gate speaker beside the door of my bedroom and said "Coming down, wait." in a flat tone. I don't know someone is coming today and the guards didn't call so it's someone in the village.
I open the door and see the person outside, that person is Tita Maribeth carrying some food on her both hands.
"Tita Mari!" I said to her as I open the gate and I saw Tito Emman in the driver sear in their car
"We just pass by to give you some takeout food; Emman said that this is your cleaning day today so here it is." Oh! Tito Emman remembers that I do general cleaning every Sunday.
"Thank you! I appreciate it. Do you want to come by since you're here; it's your first time to see my house." It's an eight-minute drive if you start at the village gate to my house so I know they visit me to give some food for me.
"I would like too but we have to go home since we are preparing the week for Christmas, you'll come right?"
"Yes, Maribelle is sure to make me spend Christmas with you guys."
"Okay! Its Maribelle's vacation leaves today until mid-January, she is sulky today though. Is there anything you know why she is like that?" as she gives the food to me.
"I don't know Tita, She's snubbing me yesterday too you know."
"That's interesting." She put her left hand on her cheeks while the right hand is crossing reaching her left shoulder.
"Let's talk about that later, Tito Emman's waiting for you at the car," I said while I wave to Tito Emman and he waves his hand too.
"Shoot! Goodbye then."
"Byebye! Thanks again!" I happily said to her
"Welcome!" as she goes to the car opening the passenger door beside Tito Emman's seat."
I Close the gate and look into the food they gave to me, six pieces of a fried chicken bucket! Ah, good lunch I might say.
I put the bucket in the dining table, and continue to put my groceries in the fridge before lunch so there will be no things are left off in the kitchen.
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There is no therapy today because the therapy center is closed every Sunday so Kyle asks me to Video call her online every Sunday to continue my therapy even though it's improvised exercises because of lack of equipment.
I have only a light dumbbell and a meter long aluminum safety bar beside the garage door with a whole-body mirror in the wall for my flexibility exercises to see myself if it's correct. The tasks that Kyle instructs me were harder than the things I do in the hospital because it is reliant on balancing the body as I am standing doing the improvised therapy.
"Kyle, is this a therapy?" I said to her
"Trust me it is, as you don't see it but it is equivalent to what we do on the hospital."
"Oh, man! I am now wishing we do my therapy in the hospital."
"Now you realize! It is so much easier if you have complete equipment and support apparatuses while doing therapy right?"
"Yeah, I appreciate it more now," I said as I am struggling right now.
"Don't worry; you'll be doing your therapy in the hospital."
"I'm relieved when you said that to ME." as I enduring the pain in my hips.
"Stop! It's almost 2 hours and a half; take a rest for 10 minutes then we will go for cooldown exercises."
"*exhales deeply* Finally, I got to the cooldown exercises. I never thought that I'll finish this."
"At least you're done now, do you have anything to do right now before Christmas?"
"I don't know as of yet, Dad talks about sending over a gaming capsule in my house on Tuesday."
"What? Your dad sending you a gaming capsule! Wait a minute, I'll assume that he send you the one that he made am I correct?"
"You got that right." I surely said to her.
"It will be a pain in your ass again just like the last time he sends you the CPU that is skipped inspection by the Customs. He sends something to like that to be your guinea pig; he gathers data for live testing." Her migraine is kicking in again when she talks about my Dad.
In the De Palma family, Dad always is the problematic one of the 3 siblings but he is the one soar to reach the greater heights of his dreams based on what my Mom said about him.
"Well, I don't have anything to say because Dad said it is handled by the PH air force so they can't intrude the jurisdiction of the package."
"That is the least he can do for you, but this time they will understand because it's Christmas gift to you. Thank you, December!"
"Oh! Is there any advice from you on what will I give to Maribelle?"
"Why are you asking me? You should be the one asking her about that, I'm not Maribelle. Just ask her, maybe slip it into the conversation then there you go." She said while I scratch on top of my head.
"Where will you spend Christmas Eve on Wednesday?"
"I will spend my Eve on Maribelle's home on that day."
"Oh, that's why you're asking me."
"Yea, I'll take at advice since you're not always wrong."
"Well the only thing I could think of is to be there, you being there is more important than those material gifts which she has it all."
"Maybe you're trying to say that the thought always counts?"
"You could think of that too, she doesn't have anything needed because she could immediately buy it." She is right, Maribelle is rich so material gifts are out of the question.
"I'll think about it or I should ask her before Wednesday," I said as I plan on what I will do.
Her face freezes like she forgot something to tell about me. "Yeah." But she shrugs it off.
Sounds like a plan then. "Do some cooldown exercises then we're done here." The next thing she said.
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Ate Kyle is still on the phone since I got finished my cooldown exercise when someone calls me on the telephone so I said to her to hold on for a minute and pick it up.
"Hello."
"Ser." Kuya Archie, The guy who is assigned today at the guardhouse right at the front gate of the village.
"Kuya Archie! Hello, why did you call?"
"Hi, there is a package from you Ser. Uh; they said that the package is from Jon Dominique De Palma."
"Oh, I know that. Dad said this to me, let him in. will you come too because I need help carrying the package."
"Okay sir, I'll come too."
I take my phone to stand in my room and arrange my phone to stand in the kitchen table facing the door.
"Oh, what's the commotion? Why are you facing me at your front door?"
"My dad's gift is coming right now as we speak, the guard called me that the package is at the village gate."
"What the hell? Just a day and few hours passed by and the package is here at the Philippines already, what Tito JD did to send that early."
"I guess I'll find out in a few minutes."
Few minutes passed by and I see the military truck outside of the gate, Kuya Archie is standing at the front gate forceful smile on his face.
"Hey!" I see Kuya Archie and beside him was a cadet holding some kind of document.
"Hello Ser, here is the package delivered by that military truck."
"Hello sir, we are assigned to send this package to you from Jon Dominique De Palma." The cadet said with the tag on his left chest which is his surname namely 'Matapang', all I can say is a great career choice for him though.
While I sign the papers pointed by the cadet, they put the gaming capsule inside the house but I told them if possible can they put in on my room on the 2nd floor. They agree so 20 minutes later and I gave them food (Sandwich and drinks) before they go, they appreciate the food and they leave immediately while Kuya Archie with them in the military truck, he is a former military officer back in the day before he became a security guard here so he's happy at the same time excited when he rides at the military truck.
"Bye Kuya Archie!"
"Goodbye Ser!" he said happily like a kid while a military truck accelerates.
I found Kyle is still on call and saw what happened. "A bunch of cadets delivers it to you! That's some VVIP shit right there."
"It's 4 of them actually but I know right, well at least they take care of the papers for DOC so I only signed it to confirm that I receive it."
"I think this is too much for me today, goodbye Jon."
"Bye, Ate Kyle."
I end the call and I text Dad online that I receive the gaming capsule earlier than expected.
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It's almost 7 pm when I check the gaming capsule at the room; I prepared my dinner first which is California Nori-makis then Dad called.
"Hello, Dad."
"Oh hey 'nak, you received the gaming capsule."
"Dad, I was about to check the gaming capsule if it's yours because it is too early getting here. Just a day passes by and it is here already."
"I think the military rush it too much because I pulled the Christmas gift trope so they got motivated too much that the PH Air Force understands it."
"You think so? I'm on the other side of the planet; I'll just double check if there is something wrong. It seems legit because the military personally delivers it."
"Being cautious is always eh?"
"Better be sure than doubt it later."
"True, Indeed."
We both checked the gaming capsule as Dad has the Checklist to where to look and find some shit if something is missing.
"Dad, how much you put in this research prototype?" I ask him.
"They calculate it by the finance department, it is only $72,000 if estimated."
"You dickhead, it's like a college project proposal in here." I get the phone and let him see the Graphics component with me. I know Dad is great about this things but the way he connects his Graphics Block in the component, you can tell even though you have basic knowledge of computer science that this is a mad scientist's college project by how the disorganized the wiring and cables even though it's 100 percent efficiently working.
Most of all, it is a 3.6 million peso (PHP) prototype. It's like a rush project in here.
"It's a prototype, as long as it's 100% working and efficient that's all it matters." I have no debate on that though.
"So based on the checklist, it's yours and all of the parts are properly intact," I said dismissively on what he said earlier.
"Yes, just to make sure to send me to live data when you're diving into the game. Get the black box and connect it on the PC and you will find the file there. Just use the encryption data app you used last time okay?"
"Copy, Dad. I'll take my dinner so goodbye then."
"Okay, bye. Hey wai-----"I end the call immediately, confused why he told me to wait. I leave my phone at my desk as I go down to take my dinner tonight and sleep at 8 pm.
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Maribelle calls me on Boom meeting using my laptop, she likes to talk on what our day went. I'm the first to tell on what's going on my day, I highlight the gaming capsule that my Dad send to me and let her see it since we're video calling to each other. She wants to visit me tomorrow to see it personally too.
While her day went smoothly since they preparing for Christmas Eve and this will be my first time to spend Christmas with them so Tita Mari is excited this week. She said that the capsule that I bought for her will be coming on Tuesday so we can dive in the GAIA on Saturday which the day it launches the Alpha stage of the official game.
Then I slip it in and ask. "Maribelle, I don't know what gifts do you want and mostly you have it so what do I give to you as a gift for Christmas?"
"Really!? You're telling me that! Where's the element of surprise if you ask me?"
I smiled silly to her. "I've been thinking about it for days on what will I give you because based on what I know about you, you can immediately buy it anyway." I reasoned to her but lie about that I have been thinking it for days which only realize it earlier in the day to Ate Kyle.
"You know what? You're right about that. *thinking* Just be here to spend Christmas with us, that's enough for a gift from me." She said while smiling sweetly at me.
"Okay then, I'll be sure I'm there so don't worry." Shaking my head on what she said to me, well if going there is enough for her then so be it.
We still talk about anything until we realize its 10 pm already. Before we bid goodbye, I ask her to come with me on the Black Jackals building tomorrow morning and she said no because she wants to sleep more since this weekend she starts her vacation leave so she will catch up all her lost sleep these past months.
Time is always quickly passing by when it comes to her or is it me?