"WHO is this person with you in the picture, Mico? Is she your girlfriend?" Franco asked, his brow furrowing as he held the picture of his friend with a girl by his side.
"Girlfriend? I don't have a girlfriend, and I don't want one! Who is she? Let me see," Franco inquired.
"You've said a lot, so who is this person beside you in the picture?" Franco continued.
"Oh, that's my sister, Ate Claire," Mico said, winking at his friend.
"Seriously? Why does she not look like you at all? You don't resemble each other!" Franco questioned.
"She really is my sister!" Mico insisted.
"So you have a sibling. I'd like to meet her in person," Franco expressed.
"And for what reason, huh? And why are you smiling like that?" Franco asked, curious about his friend's smile.
"Nothing!" Franco replied, scratching his head in response to his friend's teasing smile.
"Unbelievable! It's the first time I've seen you interested in a girl, Franco, and it's my sister, no less," Mico said, unable to contain his smile.
"There's nothing miraculous about it. I'm just a homebody and a student, I don't have time to pursue any girl," Franco explained.
"It's quite obvious. I've noticed that you don't have many friends," Mico observed.
"You don't need a lot of friends. Having just one is enough for me, and it's true," Franco replied.
"But, Franco, my sister is older than me by a few years..." Mico trailed off.
"I just want to be friends with her, Mico. There's nothing wrong with that," Franco interrupted his friend before he could say more.
"Ate Claire, do you still have any money there? I don't have fare for tomorrow," Mico asked.
"I just gave you some yesterday. Did you spend it all already? I told you to save it because that's your allowance for the whole week, Mico. What's wrong? We need to be frugal too," Claire lectured her brother as she prepared their homemade snacks and fruits.
"Well, Ate, I didn't spend it. Mom took the money you gave. I couldn't do anything about it, you know Mom. If she wants something, she'll take it. If I don't give it to her, I'll probably get beaten up again. So, sorry, Ate," Mico explained sadly.
They only had each other. Their father left them before Mico was even born. Claire took on the responsibility of caring for her brother because their mother was too busy gambling and only focused on herself. Occasionally, they received secret help from their relatives.
Claire let out a sigh. Their mother had done this to them many times before.
"Alright, help me out here so we can finish quickly. Come with me to the market so you'll have some money for tomorrow," Claire said.
"Okay, I'll bring my project with me so you can help me too, Ate," Mico replied.
This was their daily life. They worked hard to meet their daily needs because they couldn't rely on anyone else.
"Claire, can I borrow a hundred from you? I'll pay you back," Mildred whispered to her daughter when she visited her at the market.
"I haven't sold anything yet, Mom. I just started," Claire replied softly.
"Are you saying no? Why are you being stingy? Do you have something to brag about? Remember this, you're just my child! So you have no right to deny me! Give me your bag so I can see if you really don't have any money!" Mildred shouted at her daughter and forcefully took her sling bag where Claire kept her earnings.
Claire couldn't do anything, feeling embarrassed by her mother's scandalous behavior.
Mildred ignored the stares of onlookers. Some whispered to each other, while others pitied Claire. But Mildred didn't care. She checked all the pockets of Claire's bag and found only eighty pesos in loose change.
"What's the point of selling if this is all you earned?" Mildred grumbled, then looked at Claire from head to toe with a scowl.
"Inay, I just started selling..." Claire couldn't finish her sentence as her mother slapped her hard.
"And you dare to answer back? You're a disrespectful child!" Mildred scolded.
"Stop it, Mildred!" an older woman reprimanded Mildred just as she was about to slap Claire again. "Your child is working hard, and you're embarrassing her. You should be the one helping your child, but you're doing nothing but causing trouble for her! What kind of mother are you?" the woman scolded Mildred with a long lecture. She almost shouted because of what she witnessed.
Some people approached to reprimand Mildred as well.
"You have no right to tell us off! You have no right to interfere in what I do to my child!"
"Hey, Mildred! Even if she's your child, we have the right to criticize you because you're going crazy and your behavior is terrible!"
"Aling Toyang, please let it go," Claire pleaded.
"Damn it!" Mildred threw Claire's sling bag and stormed off.
The whispers and pity continued among the onlookers.
"Claire, we see your efforts, dear. That's why we believe that one day your life will improve," Aling Toyang said when Mildred left. She had a stall next to Claire's.
"But if Mildred is with her, oh no! Don't expect anything good, Toyang!" Aling Pasing, who owned the slipper store across from them, commented.
"If I were you, Claire, I'd leave your mother. She's just a hindrance to your future. With the way God created the world, she's a troublemaker," Aling Toyang advised.
"Maybe you should work in Manila. Who knows, that's where your luck might be. You're hardworking and trustworthy," Aling Pasing suggested.
"Or better yet, accept the suitor, Dexter. He's well-off and can provide for you. He can take care of you," Lomeng, who had been listening in on their conversation, chimed in.
"That's something you should never do, my dear. Don't rely on someone else just to have a better life," Aling Pasing warned.
"Oh, Lomeng, don't compare Claire to yourself. She's a smart young lady, so don't give her that kind of advice. Especially since Dexter's father is a womanizer," Aling Toyang defended herself.
"It doesn't mean that just because Dexter's father is a womanizer, Dexter is one too. You're too judgmental, Pasita," Lomeng defended herself.
"Alright, let's stop here, mothers. We don't want things to escalate," Claire intervened, trying to calm the situation.
"Don't worry, dear. This is just how we friends are. Maybe you're not used to us anymore," Aling Lomeng said, and the two elderly women agreed.
After some time, customers started to arrive. Claire sold vegetables and snacks, Aling Toyang had a stall for second-hand clothes, Aling Pasing sold slippers, and Aling Lomeng had a snack store. They each had different products, so they didn't compete for customers.
By three o'clock in the afternoon, sales had slowed down as customers became scarce.
All of a sudden, the elderly friends turned their heads towards a familiar face approaching.
"Claire, I think Dexter is coming to see you," Aling Pasing whispered.
Claire looked in the direction that Aling Pasing nodded.
Dexter greeted Claire with a sweet smile and handed her a bouquet of red roses.
"Hi Claire," he greeted her, extending the flowers towards her.
"Oh, Dexter, what are you doing here?"
"I came to visit you." Dexter gave Claire a sweet smile.