* * *
I slowly parted the curtain of the bathtub and cautiously peeked my head in there.
I gasped when I saw a blonde-haired woman with an angelic face having a bubble bath in the tub. There are even lots of petals of red rose on it.
She had her AirPods in, and her eyes are closed, which I think, she is having a nap.
Who the—
Suddenly, a realization struck me that made me froze, and my eyes almost popped out from my eyes after recognizing who this stranger is.
She's Hyacinth! The only daughter of this rest house owner!
In my surprise, I immediately slid the curtain close, frightened that she might suddenly wake up and see me. Because of that, the curtain hooks made a loud sound then I heard her startled move in the water.
"Who's there?!" she asked, alarmed.
As if my life is on the line, I run out of the washroom as fast as Flash can.
Damn! I should never be caught! I only have my boxers on!
I immediately entered my room, then hurriedly closed the door and locked it while heavily panting from panic.
I heard the water pouring out on the floor from the washroom, and I know she got out of the tub to hunt me.
Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!
"Manang Tonet?" she called.
I did not know what to do, but I tried to think clearly despite my confusion to do what I had to do in this kind of emergency.
There, I hurriedly dressed as a woman.
"Manang Tonet! Why aren't you answering? Are you inside? Manang!" She started knocking on the door that made me more frantic.
"Come out, or I'm going to open this door with my master key." threatening, she said.
I even panicked more when I found out that she has a spare key to my room.
I am busy fixing my long wig when I heard how she's trying to open the door with her key.
My nervousness was lessened after I'm done changing into a woman's clothes, but I remembered my adam's apple, which was too evident on my neck, so I immediately took a scarf to cover it. I frantically wrapped it around my neck, and that's when the door of my room opened.
I immediately looked at that person with my widened eyes.
Hyacinth immediately peeked in here with a towel wrapped around her hair and another towel on her body.
I held my breath as she stared at me, and I met her gaze while my heart is pumping like crazy from anxiety.
Finally, she entered my room, and her forehead furrowed. Then, she placed her hand on her hip. "Who. Are. You?" she asked with every word emphasized.
I could answer nothing but just a smile.
Wait a moment...
How did I end up in this kind of situation?
Flash backward ... (1 month and 2 weeks before this happens)
~ ~ ~
"What's up, Lester? Have you found a job to apply for?" Gabriella walked over to my shoulder and looked at the screen of her laptop. There, she saw the available jobs that were displayed on the Jobstreet website I had researched.
She lent me this laptop so I could browse job offers online. Well, I got my own laptop, but I sent it for repair.
I frustratedly scratched my head. "Not so far. I saw some part-time offers, but they pay too cheap, which can't certainly afford my tuition. The others are full-time, so students like me aren't allowed."
"Is that so? When is your tuition due?" she asked, and I followed her by my gaze when she went to get the vacuum and started cleaning the floor. One thing about her, she's a clean freak, and she always keeps her area spotless.
"I still have 4 months before my graduation, and lots of expenses are waiting for me. Honestly, I only got three days left to stay in my boarded room before the landlady kicks me out. I was even fired from my part-time job since I was always late. They can no longer understand my hectic schedule as a working student."
Her tongue clicked with sympathy.
"Losing my scholarship, which I worked so hard for, is my biggest regret. If I hadn't neglected my studies, my expenses would not skyrocket this much." I was already losing hope.
"Stop pouting. You're starting to look like a duck." she teased me, but I know she just wants to lift up my spirit.
Yet still, I can't help but sigh with all my worries.
The sound of the vacuum stopped when she turned it off. "I told you over and over, I am ready to lend you the amount you need anytime. You can also stay here if you want to. You know, I'm just alone here since Mom's still in the province, and she'll be home in the next two months. I don't even let Lira visit here because I know how you loath that damn woman."
"Gab, I already told you too that you don't have to loan your savings to me since I know you are saving it to go abroad and travel."
"But it's honestly fine—"
"One more thing. I can't stay here with you alone. Our neighbors here are like a human CCTV. I can already imagine the gossips they will spread about us, considering how everyone knows that I'm not your real cousin." I looked back at the laptop screen and just stared at it.
I can feel the awkwardness covering our atmosphere due to what I've said.
"Daamn! Job hunting is really a pain in the neck!" I exclaimed while yawning just to change the subject.
There, she resumed cleaning the floor. "I totally agree. Look at me, it's been a year since I graduated, but here I am, still having a hard time landing a job. Honestly, just to share, there's this job offer that I tried to apply for in Tagaytay. I saw it in an ad poster on some place's wall, and I got curious since they offer almost 350 dollars in just a month! It's sort of suspicious since they didn't specify what kind of work they are offering on that ad, but still, I tried to check it myself. After the interview, I found out that what they need is a caretaker of some rest house or a gardener. Well, it's a great offer, but I did not take a Mass Communication course to be a gardener. No offense, but it's not what I want to sign up for."
I immediately turned to her, and my eyes widened with disbelief. "What?! A caretaker job with 350 dollars salary for a month?! And it's in Tagaytay?! It's half an hour's walk from my University!"
She blinked a few times, obviously, did not expect me to be this ecstatic. "A-Ah... Yes. I was also told that I'll be needing to stay there at that rest house so they can make sure that it's well taken care of, but my mom will definitely not allow me to stay in some unknown place all by myself."
I immediately stood up from my seat and took her free hand. "I will apply! I wholeheartedly want to take on that job! A gardener? Not a problem at all! If I work there, I will not have to worry about renting a place to live for four months. I will also be able to save my tuition and graduation expenses! "I was so thrilled. Finally! I got the answer to all of my problems!
I thought she will be overjoyed, considering I have finally found a great offer, but she looked hesitant. "A-ahhmm... How should I say this?..." She even glanced up at the ceiling.
"Why? What wrong?" My broad smile hasn't left my face even though I can sense that she got terrible news to spill.
"Lester, I know, that job will solve your problems... but actually, it's only open... for women."
That's when my smile slowly faded, then it was replaced by a frown. "Women? W-why only for women? If they need someone to take care of the garden, they should look for men, am I wrong?"
She sighed. "In fact, as per the current caretaker, the daughter of the deceased owner of that rest house might visit there. She mentioned that girl got some serious fussy attitude and loathes men. Further, she's also on a rebel mode to her Dad and got some monstrous personality. Well, that caretaker was too chatty, and she was the one who interviewed me, so she shared some gossips about the history of that place."
Slowly, I closed my eyes and breathed soundly. My burning hope earlier was utterly extinguished. "Man! What a letdown!" I went back to my chair with heavy footsteps and sat down again in front of her study table.
"My bad. I got you so pumped up without spilling the important information first. But did you not even wonder why I didn't even mention that stuff to you when I know you really need it?"
I just scratched my head again while unconsciously pouting. "I've been everywhere just to find a part-time job. I also accepted many research papers from various year levels, but the pay I got from doing those can only suffice my food expenses."
"How about a construction helper? I heard you can make a lot of money from that line of work. Also, they pay you daily."
I turned to her. "I already tried, but they rejected me. They assumed I can't handle such a job since I look like a woman with fair and flawless skin. As well as my slender body which they said would be a waste if that's the job I'm going to get into. It's not like, I wanted to be like this."
"They're right. You're definitely a flower boy. Without your adam's apple, you look more like a girl than I do. On top of that, your striking S Line is the best that is totally making me envious! If you just wear a long wig and voila! An innocent-looking woman with a porcelain... skin... " she slowly stopped and stared at me." Wait... Woman? "
She was really just staring; that made me feel uneasy even though I did not know what was running through her mind.
"Brilliant!" she suddenly exclaimed and hurried to her closet, then searched for whatever she needed there.
Here she goes again. "What are you planning, Gab?" Once she exclaims 'Brilliant,' she will undoubtedly do something silly.
"You said you need that work in Tagaytay? Then, your prettiest cousin will lend you a hand to get that job." she stopped searching violently in her closet and showed me what she found.
"What's that?" I even pointed to the unidentified object she was holding.
"A wig," she said casually, then laughed like a crazy person. "Now, let's qualify you for that job offer. Bwahahahahaha!"
To be continued...
Manang - This is one of how Filipinos address an older woman.
Tagaytay - A cold city in the Philippines.
Gabriella Lim - Lester's cousin, but they are not blood-related. She is the only woman Lester trusts.