Feeling Tired from the day's hard work, Haziel unclothe himself and sets off to the bathroom for a cold shower. Feeling reluctant, he approaches the dining room, going through dishes to satisfy his hunger. After several to and fro around the dishes, he heads to the bathroom, enters, takes off his boxer short to shower.
"Who's there!" Shouts Haziel from the bathroom as he hears a knock on the metal gate outside.
He waits for some few seconds, but no answer.
Feeling concerned, he wraps his towel around his waist to check from the window at the entrance of the corridor leading to the bathroom.
He is suspicious though because, for some days now, people have been coming in and out of the house to check on their clothes since Britty, his sister was arranging for her wedding.
"Who's there!" He asks again, thinking who might be at the gate.
"It's me!" A lady answers tiredly as he opens the bathroom door.
"Wow! What a voice." He whispers to himself while approaching the window.
From the window, he sees three ladies. "Hello!" He voices out.
"Hi!" The lady in the red on his left answers.
Peeping through the dusty window, he sees one of the ladies exceptionally beautiful.
Recalling where he might have met her, he began to feel shy and exasperated. Not knowing what to do, he asks, "how may I help you?"
"We're here to see your sister." The beautiful lady answers.
Immediately she answers, he recalls who she is.
She is his sister's friend. A lady his sister freely speaks of. Even wishing she was her sister. The first time he saw her was at a construction site where they met as volunteers. The second, was at a sign language class. But they never talked to each other.
Haziel had all the while admired her even before he could hear her voice. Understandably, speaking to her at this point and having the first time opportunity to know her personally was a breakthrough.
"Never heard her voice. It's so catchy." He thought.
Still wondering what to do, he asks,
"Y-Your n-name." Whilst struggling for words.
" I'm Dove." She answers.
"A minute." He voices back.
"Britty...! Britty...! Britty...!" Pooking his voice out to reach his sister but without success.
Britty, far from being reached leaves him feeling confused and agitated.
He's half naked wandering in the corridor and thinking what to do next.
"How do I go out there?" He asks himself. He whispers again to himself, " I'm half naked, they'll see me." as he was wandering in the corridor, leaving the ladies outside at the mercy of the hot scorching sun.
Not having the courage, he looks up and says,
" Give me courage." So silent that not even the swiftest ear can hear.
At long last, he lights his guts up and feeling indifferent, he steps out the door and approaches the metal gate.
"Come in." He reaches out to them after opening that old noisy metal gate with his eyes and face partially downward.
"Thank you." Dove smiles though feeling indifferent, tired and sweaty walking the dusty road through the day's scorching sun. All the while, she was thinking, " Who's this guy? He's so moody. He doesn't even smile."
" Is he a psychopath or something?" She keeps thinking.
"You may have a seat while I get her for you." He says while taking them to their seats.
As soon as they make it to the seats, they open their bags, grab a tissue paper and wipes off the sweat.
Leaving them in the porch, he goes in to get his sister.
He enters the living room yelling and walking harriedly towards Britty's bedroom.
"Britty...! Britty...! Britty...! Britty...!"
"What is it?" Haziel's mom, a special occasional seamstress asks.
"Some ladies are here to see Britty". He answers back, turns around and walks to the center of the living room. "They're three." He adds.
"They've been here before." His mom anticipates. "Just let them in." She stresses.
"I will, just be patient." Haziel sighs.
"They're here to check on their clothes for your sister's wedding." She continues.
Haziel goes to his room, grabs a shirt to cover his chest and gets back to his mom.
Haziel's mom, putting the fabrics in her hands together, she winds her old Singer Sewing Machine and whispers to Haziel, " won't you show some hospitality?" She sighs
"Mmmmmmm." Haziel squeezes his mouth and sighs back.
Mommy hits him lightly on the tummy as he gets closer to her and says, " shame on you son."
"But why, mom?" Haziel answers quickly.
" You need to pay for their visit." She counteracts.
Haziel quickly grasps the sense behind paying for their visit and walks back to the Porch. This time in shirt.
"You may come in please." He addresses them while holding to the door. " My mom will be waiting for you inside." "Okay, thank you." Dove and Haziel speaks at the same time.
"Oh, sorry." Haziel gives an indifferent shrug.
"We will go in but, we want to cool down first." Dove comments.
" But will you care to some water?" Haziel asks while making eye contact with Dove.
"No, we're okay!" She smiles back.
"Okay then, the door is open whenever you're ready."
He replies as he turns back to go take his bath.
By the time he returns, they're already inside checking if their clothes fit.
Haziel goes to his bedroom, dress up, picks up his backpack and makes it back to the living room.
"Goodbye mom." As he makes it to the door.
Haziel, for sometime now has been spending the night as a voluntary security guard with some other colleagues to watch over some expensive visual and audio machines used at their convention grounds.
"Goodbye son. Take care, please." His mom replies missing him already.
Haziel senses that and says," It will just be overnight. You will see me tomorrow."
She reforms, "Okay! I Love You son," and smiles.
"I Love You too, Mom." And shuts the door.
He immediately reopens the door and says,
" Goodbye!" to all of them.
"Bye." They say. Then he shuts the door.