"Pa, please forgive me, this is my fault. Please forgive me because you died because of me. I'm leaving home because I might be killed by Aunt Susan out of anger. Pa, thank you for your love and care for me. I will never forget the happy days we spent together and the wonderful memories we created as a family. Thank you, I love you," she said through tears.
She stood up, walked away, and glanced back, imagining her father smiling at her.
She went back to the house to retrieve a photo of her father, but Susan and Chona shunned her and threw her belongings outside the gate. She pleaded with the guard, but he couldn't do anything due to Susan's orders.
Jenny wandered the streets of Manila for a few days until her father's money, given to her for daily expenses, ran out.
One day, exhausted from walking, she sat outside a restaurant. She felt tired and dizzy until she suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness.
Jenny woke up in the hospital with an elderly woman beside her, arranging her blanket.
"How are you, dear?" the old lady beside her asked.
"What happened?" Jenny asked the woman.
She sat up and fixed herself. "What happened?"
"You passed out while sitting on the street, probably because you were hungry and tired. Where did you come from, and where are your parents?" the woman asked.
"I don't have anywhere to go because my father just passed away, and I can't go back home because they blame me for my father's death," Jenny sadly replied to the woman.
"Is that so... Would you like to eat first before we talk?" the woman offered.
They left the hospital and headed to a restaurant where Jenny recounted the entire story of how she ended up in her current situation. The woman felt sorry for her and offered her a deal.
"You can live with me. I live alone, and I have no children. My relatives are far away. I can even put you through school," the woman happily proposed to Jenny.
"Really?" Jenny exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, I've been thinking of adopting someone so I won't be alone. However, the orphanage is far, and I can't travel that distance," the woman explained.
After a long conversation, Jenny agreed to the woman's offer. She noticed that the woman was sincere, so she accepted. She also wanted to help the woman with household chores.
When they arrived at the woman's house, Jenny found it beautiful and reminiscent of her own home. She was fascinated by the numerous trees surrounding the area.
"Grandma, your house is so beautiful," Jenny expressed in awe.
"My house is old like me. My husband was still alive when we built this. He passed away early because of his illness. Come in," the woman said as she opened the door to her house, revealing many paintings on the walls.
"Wow, these paintings are beautiful, Grandma," Jenny approached a photo of a child with a father.
The elderly person enrolled her in a private school, where she poured all her diligence into her studies. One day, she was shocked to see her former sister, Chona, with some girls and she quickly hid behind a post to avoid being seen. However, fate had a different plan, and she unexpectedly ran into Chona and dropped her books.
"Oh my God! The killer is here!" Chona loudly exclaimed, causing everyone to be surprised and shocked by her words. The students gathered around Jenny.
"Yes, she's a killer. Do you know that she used to be my sister because she was adopted by Mom and Dad? But because of her, Dad died, and I didn't even get to tell him that I love him. Because Dad died in an accident because of that girl. And now, here you are, studying here just to be with us and compete with me again," Chona shouted at Jenny.
"But Papa died in an accident, I'm not at fault for what happened," Jenny replied.
"And you still have the nerve to answer back!" Chona said, grabbing Jenny by the head and pulling her hair.
"Enough of that!"
They all stopped when a woman shouted, and it was their instructor.
"Go to the guidance office right now!" she yelled at the two.
[PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE]
"What's wrong with you? It's just the beginning of the month, and this is already happening in school? Tomorrow I need to talk to your parents, and make sure they come for a meeting. Do you understand?" the principal said.
"Yes, ma'am," the two responded to the guidance counselor.
Upon leaving the room, Chona immediately spoke up, "So, who will you bring, since your neighbors, haha."
She joked with Jenny as they both exited.
When Jenny returned home, she prepared dinner quietly, causing her grandmother to wonder why she was silent.
"Is there a problem, dear?" she asked.
"N-no, grandma, I was just told that I need to talk to you in the guidance office tomorrow," Jenny replied.
"Why, did you do something wrong?" her grandmother inquired.
"No, grandma, it's just that I found out Chona was also studying there. She's my former sister. She got angry and still blames me for the death of Dad. So, I couldn't take it and spoke to her, which led to her pulling my hair... I'm sorry, grandma," Jenny explained while holding back tears.
"That audacious child, to blame herself and not my grandchild. You should treat her right, whether she's adopted or not. You should be treating her well, especially considering everything she's been through. If you think about it, your situation as a mother and daughter is more pitiful, for until now, you still haven't accepted the death of your husband. You should have shown your love to him before, not just cry when it's already too late," the elderly woman scolded Susan.
"You old woman!" Susan retorted.
Another teacher intervened and the counselor spoke. "That's enough, make sure this doesn't happen again. For the sake of other students and our school. Jenny and Chona, do you understand? Any personal issues may be kept private, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am," the two responded.