Feeling lifeless and lazy while staring at my window here in our room at second floor. Then my phone rang and I grabbed it from my pocket to answer it.
“Hello.”
“Roma, where the hell are you? Why aren’t you in your room?” Caden asked from the other line.
I heaved a sigh. “I’m here at Cavite with my family.”
“What? Why are you there?”
I paused for a while before I answered. “My grandma’s funeral.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Condolence.”
“Why are you looking for me, anyway? Do you need something?”
“I wanna read your manga,” he answered.
“Oh, is that so? We’ll be coming back tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, okay. Bye.” Then he ended the call.
“Roma.”
I turned around and saw that it was my sister, Reine.
“We’re going to eat now.”
“Okay. I’ll follow,” I answered.
We’re currently in my aunt’s house in Dasmariñas, Cavite with my family to attend my grandma’s funeral. To be honest, I don’t want to come with them here but my father was so stubborn to bring me along.
Good thing, Michael also allowed him to bring me here.
Aside that I hate this place because it’s noisy and crowded here, I’m not actually close with my late grandma. After I heard the news that she has passed away, I was just surprised a little bit but I also felt nothing.
And when I saw her corpse lying inside the casket, I didn’t feel anything. I’m not sad nor happy. Angry? I don’t know either.
Before you judge me that I am a bad granddaughter, I just want to clarify that we’re not close. That she never treated us as her grandchildren.
After we had our lunch, I just sat here at the living room with my siblings. There’s a lot of people here right now because some of our relatives, their friends and neighbors also came here to attend.
I’m not really comfortable in crowded places so I’m just distracting myself here through playing any games in my phone.
“Roma.”
I turned my attention to my aunt who called me and tapped my shoulder.
“Can you buy a powdered strawberry juice drink outside?” she requested.
When she gave me the money, I had left no choice but to follow what she said. I stood up and quickly get off the house and went to the nearest mini store. But when I asked, they told me that it’s not available.
So, I walked again until the next store but it turns out that it’s also the same. Until I reached the next store, still nothing available!
“What the hell. It’s not available at the nearest stores? Why does it have to be a strawberry juice, anyway?” I complained.
I looked around and noticed that the place where I’m at wasn’t familiar to me. I think I got lost. My mind went panic after realizing that. Calm down, Roma. You can figure this out.
Even if I still don’t have any idea, I just continued walking. I just kept on passing through the street corners that I see. But I always end up at the same place! My landmark was that topless middle-aged man with a big belly who was a bystander there at the corner.
I heaved a sigh. What if I’ll just ask someone for help? I shook my head. No, I’m having a hard time to trust anyone here. I’m just new in this place so I don’t know anything about here. Why does my aunt choose me to do this anyway? I think she knows that this place was strange for me.
“Miss, excuse me?”
I turned around when I heard someone spoke.
“Looks like you’re lost,” he said.
I just wrinkled my forehead at him at gave him a suspicious look, then I continued walking. I don’t talk to strangers.
“Miss, wait up.”
I’m just ignoring that strange guy who kept on calling me. I just made my walk faster because if I’ll get irritated at him, I’m gonna punch him in the face.
In a glimpse, I realized that I’m already at the middle of a road and there’s a tricycle coming! I went panic so I haven’t moved quickly and just closed my eyes.
But then I suddenly felt that someone pulled me.
“You wanna die?”
After I pulled myself together, I opened my eyes and got shocked when I saw that it was that strange guy at my back!
“Let me go! Pervert!” I yelled.
He immediately let me go from clinging into my waist.
“Hey, I’m not a pervert,” his defense.
I just glared and rolled my eyes at him, then marched away. What the hell he was into by touching me like that?
“I saved you and yet you accused me for being a pervert?”
I wrinkled my forehead when I realized that he’s still following me.
I turned around. “Hey, why are you following me, huh? Are you a stalker?” I complained.
The guy chuckled. “Miss, even you’re pretty, I won’t stalk you. I’m not a stalker.”
I just rolled my eyes and continued walking.
“Wait!”
I sighed aggressively then I turned around again.
“What?!”
“This is the right way,” he said while pointing that street corner beside him.
I narrowed my eyes at him while thinking if I were to trust him.
“Trust me. I know,” he stated.
Whatever. I’ll just try, I guess. I can even protect myself if ever I faced some danger there. So, I decided to believe that guy and passed through that corner.
I saw that first mini store that I have been, and in front of it, I saw my siblings there.
“Miss, I’m Daniel, by the way. You?”
I was startled when I realized that he was still following me.
“None of your business,” I answered.
“Grumpy.”
“Roma!” my siblings called me when they saw me.
“Ah, so your name was Roma,” the guy commented.
I turned around and gave him a glare and rolled my eyes at him. After that, I continued walking to go to my siblings.
“Where have you been? It took you so long,” my sister blurted.
“You got lost, aren’t you?” Rayver asked then he laughed.
“Yep. I got lost and it was annoying,” I replied.
Then we came back inside the house. I suddenly remembered that guy named Daniel. How did he know that I’m lost and that’s the right way back here?
--
It was already the middle of the night and it was still a bit noisy around. Cities are really different from suburban places like where we live. In our place, it was already quiet and peaceful during these hours.
It feels hot in my place. I was being compressed by my siblings because we’re just sharing the same bed. I’m not used in having someone beside me in the bed.
It irritates me and I can’t sleep because of that so I decided to wake up and get off the bed. And when I looked at my siblings, I wondered how can they sleep in that situation?
I checked the clock and I saw that it was already past one in the morning. I just stared at the window again and saw the city light sparkling like Christmas lights. I breathed deeply as the wind blew on my face and hair.
I suddenly felt my phone vibrated in my pocket so I grabbed it to check.
Caden: Still up?
“Huh. This jerk was still awake?” I whispered to myself while staring at the screen.
Me: Yep.
Caden: Why?
Me: I can’t sleep. You know? Homesick. And you?
Caden: Nothing. I just woke up out of the blue and trying to sleep again. How about you?
Me: Oh, I guess I couldn’t sleep anymore. I think I’ll just get some sleep after going back home.
Caden: Okay. Anyway, I feel sleepy again. I’m going back to sleep. Good night, Roma.
I put my phone back to my pocket when my father called me.
“Roma.” Then he gave me something.
“Hard-boiled egg?”
He gave me a hard-boiled egg because it can help you feel better if you’re sleepless, according to him.
--
It was nine in the morning when we started to travel back home. I feel drowsy the whole journey, then the weather was very hot and the traffic was heavy. It made me feel restless and irritated the whole time.
After more than four hours of travel, we’re finally home. All of us went straight to our rooms and took a good sleep.
I let myself fall on my bed here in our house. “I really love being in my own room and bed.”
“You’re still not going back to the Morgenstern mansion?” my mom queried.
“I’m just going to rest for a while.”
After having a good sleep for hours, I saw that the sun was already setting and the sky was painted bright orange. Then Earl fetched me here to go back to the mansion.
While we’re on the way, I suddenly remembered something.
“Wait, Earl.”
“What is it, Miss Roma?”
“Let’s go to the bookstore first. I’m just going to buy something.”
“Okay, Miss.”
When we arrived at the bookstore and parked the car, I quickly get off the car and ran inside the store. First, I found where the erasers are, then I looked for the typewriting next.
After grabbing a bundle, I accidentally bumped into someone.
“Oh, sorry.”
I widened my eyes when I saw who it was.
“You?” we both asked.
“Oh. Hi, Miss Roma grumpy,” he greeted me with a smile.
“Daniel?”