"Andy? You scared me to death!" I yelled, sprinting the distance that separated us. Thick lumps of lime soil stuck into the soles of my slippers, making my movement slower.
Andy remained curling in a fetal position; his head rested on top of his knees. He didn't even lift his head to look at me. A block of weight seemed to run over my chest as I fixed my eyes on him, heightening the sense of panic that had been driving me crazy already.
"Andy, what's wrong? What has happened to you?" I mumbled as I scooped him up in my arms.
Tears of joy and relief started to stream down my face in seeing that he looked alright. He threw his tiny arms around me, releasing stifled sobs in the crook my neck.
"What's wrong?" I held him at arm's length, shaking him up. Not waiting for his answer, I lifted his shirt to check if there were bruises or wounds on his front and back.
"Andy, tell me!" I demanded, raising my voice to scare him a little. I was already dying to know what made him act that way. He had no idea how my mind blew off because of fear. He was my weakness, my everything--giving me the strength to hold on still and live. If something happened to him, I swore, I would hang myself on a tree!
"Nana, they're bad!" Andy finally opened his mouth to talk, though his voice waved halfway as he broke into a shrill but childish cry.
"Who's bad?" My voice quivered as I held the temptation to yell at him. Strings of fear started to engulf my senses again.
He broke free from my embrace and slid down from my arms. Facing the gate, he lifted his head, pointing a finger to the signage that used to be 'Hacienda del Fiero".
"Why is it, Blue Raven? Did dad tell the new owner to use the same name? Nana, you said, we don't own this place anymore!"
I regretted the moment I let Andy hear my rantings about Mr. Tan forcing dad to let him buy this property. Dad went home many times, complaining about those wealthy men persuading him to sell Hacienda del Fierro to them. One of them was the talk of the city, the young and handsome heir of the Tan Corporation, Mr. Richard Tan. His name started to surface in all the news portals when he won the Annual CEO Achiever's Award as the Business Model of the Year.
I recalled how my female classmates squealed in excitement when our college professor announced that Mr. Richard Tan, the so-called Mr. CEO of the year, would be the resource speaker of our upcoming Leadership Training Seminar. Since my hatred had already started when dad told me about his pestering on him, I made an excuse to decline the offer to send me as a delegate.
"Andy, I just realize that maybe, daddy has reasons why he sold this property. He loved this place so much that I don't think he would easily give up on his dream for this hacienda. And perhaps, he made a condition that he will only sell the property if the buyer names this place according to his plan."
Since a child's heart is always soft and forgiving, his eyes lit up, followed by a smile. We then went home, trudging the slightly-muddied path towards home. Looking at Andy as he hopped over tiny pools of rainwater that gathered in some areas along the way, I wished I could also have his forgiving spirit.
I got lost in my thoughts as I went back to my confusion about why dad left almost nothing for us. If all his properties were sold to Mr. Tan, where did his money go? What were his debts that even our old house and cars were pulled out as collaterals to his overdue loans? Why is his lawyer unable to trace any transaction except for those deed of sale?
"Nana, did you cook sunny-side up for me?" he blurted as our door burst open at his kick. I got so lost in my thoughts that I did not realize we reached home already.
"Of course!" I even wanted to fry more eggs to make him happier. I was glad nothing terrible had happened to him, even if I had almost gone mad because of fear.
He called me Nana. When he was still around ten months old, he could not pronounce Savannah very well. Yet, he kept calling me this way until he grew up that dad also addressed me in this name.
Hugging him to sleep after consuming three fried eggs and a bowl of rice, I got up when I saw his breathing steadied in a deep sleep. I strode towards the stockroom, opening up a tool cabinet. Finding quickly what I intended to grab, I pulled out from one of its compartments a bottle of acrylic spray paint.
Changing into a pair of black leggings and a black windbreaker, I climbed into my Yamaha YZF R6 600 that dad gave me as my graduation gift. The engine then roared to life, breaking the creepy silence of the night. Taking the unfenced shortcut across our yard, I zoomed into the heart of Hacienda del Fierro.
With a heavy heart, I stood in front of the fountain springing from a rocky backdrop. The lush shrubs covering the top and sides of the white, foaming cascades loomed like moving objects in the dark. Gazing into nature's beauty and listening to its tranquil sound as it clashed against the beds of boulders below, a pang of pain pressed into my heart. His words then played at the back of my mind, making me see those shining eyes again as he defined the full extent of his dream to me.
"Nana, someday soon, I will have this place developed into a mountain resort. Tall buildings, fantastic cars, tourists from all over the world will soon fill this place. There will be infinity pools in stunning landscapes, allowing swimmers to immerse themselves in the natural paradise. Delicious foods will be served under the sun, and the best wines will be readily available in the pool bars."
Getting the courage from the pain of hearing those words again, I climbed back into my motorbike and sped up through the winding road towards the main entrance. Once I turned off the ignition key, I jumped off from my vehicle and dashed toward the side of the gate. Placing my feet at the steel indentations and holding on to the concrete pole, I soon reached the top.
Looking up, I was then a few steps away from the signage. Placing one hand above the other around the body of the pole as my anchor grip, I then planted my soles one after another, pushing my body upward. Once my head leveled with the middle part of the signage, I pulled the spray paint from the pocket of my jacket.
Spraying the content of the paint on to the wide surface of the board, I drew the words that would surely flare up the nostrils of that arrogant CEO.
"You're a killer, Mr. Tan! Someday, I'll gonna pluck off your horns."