"How did you enter this place?" She raised an eyebrow as she looked at me with full of doubt. "This is a highly secured place with a handprint scanner built in the dome's door, so spill your trick." She folded her arms as she waited for me to speak.
I looked away because her cleavage was too shaped when she crossed her arms. She wrapped her towel on her body too low.
Even though I hate women, I can't resist the nature of being a man getting conscious when seeing a woman's exposed skin.
I instead focused my attention on my study table and saw the sketchpad sitting there, so I walked over to it.
"Hey! Can't you hear me?! I'm asking you bitch!" she shouted in annoyance.
I took a marker and flipped the sketchpad pages, then on its blank page, I wrote something there.
"Look. If you don't have any plan to tell how the heck you managed to infiltrate this place, fine. I'll let you keep it to yourself, but instead, I'll make the police do their work and make you confess."
Even before she could call the police on her cellphone, I showed her what I had written.
[I'm Terry, the newly hired caretaker of this place. I suppose you weren't informed about the changes here so I apologize that I didn't introduce myself properly.]
Her forehead furrowed even more. "Why do you have to write that? Are you mute? And what changes? Where's manang Tonet? I need to talk to her." She's still suspicious of me.
I wrote again. [I have Traumatic mutism and manang Tonet has returned to their province. She hired me to take care of this dome.]
When she read what I wrote, she gradually calmed down and removed her folded arms. "So that's what happened." She nodded a few times." My bad. Sorry for calling you names. That was rude of me."
She quickly lowered her defense wall.
[I don't mind.]
Now that I managed to calm her down, I can now observe her features. I thought she's a foreigner with her blonde hair that seemed natural and milky white skin, but now that I'm staring at her, her features are Filipina. She also has a lot of piercings on both ears.
She removed the towel from her head and dried her long blonde hair using that while still looking at me. "But why did you lock your door when I was calling manang? You know you can just show yourself and let me know 'bout you, so was that really necessary? To inform you, I'm not keen on invading the personal space of others, but I barged in here in your room 'cause you acted suspiciously by hiding here without any proper introduction."
That made me blink a few times. Dang. I'm getting nervous again.
[In all honesty, I was scared of you because manang Tonet told me that you're scary when you get angry.] I just need a convincing excuse now.
I thought she would be annoyed at my reason, but she still laughed. "Well, that's kinda true, but I'm no monster. Just don't bother me with nonsensical stuff and never ignore me 'cause I really detest being ignored. Don't ever bring a man here to the dome 'cause you're both dead. You can rest your worry if you don't defy any of the three."
I nodded.
"But can I ask? Why are you wearing a skirt and scarf? Are you going out this late evening?"
I looked at myself, and I can say that I really looked weird. My creative reasoning worked again right away.
[I have a big scar on my neck that I don't want others to see so I'm wearing a scarf and I just want to wear this skirt. It's cute.] Tsk. My hand got tired of writing too many words, but I need to. Well, I'm pretending to be mute.
She just nodded even though she was obviously weirded with me. "Okay. Suit yourself. But recapping my rules since I'll stay here for a month. First, do your things, and I'll do mine. Next, when I ask or say anything, listen. And last but never ever the least, No. Guys. Allowed. Got that?"
I nodded, but I was actually annoyed inside when I found out that she will be staying here in the resthouse for a month.
"Good. I'm going back to the washroom, so do what you were doing." She was about to go out, so I could have finally breathed, but she turned to me again, so I held my breath again.
"Pardon, but what's your name again?" she asked.
I moved the page of the sketch pad and wrote there again. [Terry]
"Terry? Don't tell me, The Platipus is your last name? ... As in Terry The Platipus?"
I just looked at her, and for a few seconds, there was silence between us.
I didn't know if she was serious about suddenly pulling a joke? Or if it was really a joke in the first place.
"Just forget that." She awkwardly closed the door of my room.
It was there that I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I also sat on the floor because my knee had lost strength.
Seriously, I thought I'll get busted! Good thing, I still made my way and got through my disguise.
Now, I have to be extra careful, especially when I won't be the only one living here for a month.
I felt like my stomach was twisting. I was also sick at the thought of that, and my fists clenched.
I will put up with living in this house with a woman just so I can earn money. I've done too many things and endured just to graduate, so I won't let my trauma and anger for women ruin that.
~~~ * * * ~~~
After over a week ...
I thought the next days that will come in my life with that Hyacinth will be difficult because everyday I have to disguise myself as a woman, but it wasn't the case.
What actually happened was I went through so much harder, and I will go through more.
Looking back, I now regret deciding to sign up here.