"Sir Marcelo...this is my payment for the kitchen utensils," Yohan said when they arrived at the waiting shed. Yohan had been very thankful to his uncle, and he hoped he would accept the money. And he did, despite several refusals.
"Yohan, my son. You need to learn how to forgive. Your sister committed a mistake, but she is still your sister, whom you cared deeply for," Sir Marcelo said, patting him on the shoulder, adding to his burden.
Yva noticed a new motorcycle parked near the waiting shed where she used the space for her vehicle. It appeared to be quite modern and cool. It cannot be Gamaliel's because he is frightened of riding a motorcycle, so it belongs to Yohan. Nice. She looked around Yohan's house and noticed the sign that he was home. The kitchen lights were turned on, the door was slightly open, and a chair with a mug on top was outside. When Yohan moved in, the house came alive again. Yva had cleaned it countless times, but it remained dull despite her efforts. Of course, some of it would never look alive; a child, someone's daughter, was buried near the house. That modest white tomb is a painful memory for the family, which is why they decided to rent the house and leave it in her care. The surrounding lemon trees were also a pleasant memory for the family, since it was told they were planted by their children. Yva hoped the small girl wouldn't be too playful with Yohan.
Yohan parked her motorcycle and noticed a familiar elderly woman in the waiting shed. He can't just ignore her because she waved at him, asking him to come to her. He hadn't seen her in weeks, so he was surprised to see her here again, especially since she seemed to have irritated Yva. That was the only time he heard her speak in a forceful tone, particularly in front of an elderly person. Yva has courage, or perhaps she simply has the rights.
"Could you please bring this sack of rice to Yva's place?" Lola Lita eagerly requested
"Of course"
Of course, Yohan could have declined and waited for Gamaliel, but it was too late. The old lady seemed nice when she asked Yohan, but with each step they travel, she becomes more bitter. She can't stop talking about other people's mistakes and her great-daughter. Yohan was among those she judged a failure since he appeared to have given up on himself. Yohan is on the overweight range. Lola Lita would even comment on how strange his breath sounded and how his shirt was soaked in sweat after only a few feet. Yohan had to struggle with the weight of his load, the heaviness of his body, and the never-ending stairs while listening to Lola Lita's unrelatable anecdotes about her daughter.
"You can just put it down here," Yva said when she noticed Yohan holding a sack of grains.
But Yohan went straight inside the kitchen and placed the sack of rice at the kitchen door. He was sweating profusely and breathing rapidly even after sitting for a time, so Yva offered him water, but it didn't stop his perspiration. He had not rested at all, but when he heard Yva's commanding voice again, he jumped up immediately. He was too exhausted to get involved in whatever happened between the two females, so he casually jogged down the endless steps.
Yohan stared as the lights from Yva's house danced with the darkness that engulfed his home. Yva's place will always be a mystery to him because it is located on a hill and is the only house on that hill. The house overlooks his property, the creek, the waiting shed, and even the road. He had been there several times before, but it wasn't until now that he knew Yva's kitchen could transform. He had only entered the kitchen after the lights and windows had been opened. So he was taken aback earlier when he was faced with darkness as he carried the sack of rice towards the kitchen door. The house's patio was the most interesting to him because it was where stories were typically established.
The patio had been the most pleasant feature of the house because it could function as a kitchen or living area. On the other hand, the living room appeared to have never been used; the sofa retained its vibrant tone, unaffected by time or humans, the television set was covered, the glass table unscratched, and the empty walls provided the ideal contrast to the patio, where human presence had faded the paints of the wooden chairs and the flooring had been smoothened by several footprints that welcomed perhaps hundreds of people. The oh-so-enduring stairs were witnesses after several changes.
That's the kind of house that he saw and nothing else for now.
"Lola Lita, make a decision right now. If you don't want your precious daughter to accompany your deceased grandchild."
"But could you please make sure that it is not talked about?" Lola Lita begged, knowing it was impossible but she couldn't let it happen. She worked hard, and her daughter worked even harder to ensure that their family received proper respect. She would not allow a single conversation to spread throughout their neighborhood. It might happen to anyone, but not to her or her daughter.
"We will do it discreetly; you can be certain of that. But you don't want your church members to know about this? Gamalial expressed concern.
"I want to, but I am concerned about what they will say about me. Lola Lita cried. "No one knows about this except me, my daughter, and then the three of you."
"So what?" People had been saying awful things about us, but nothing happened. What you're doing is simply making your child better," Yva comforted, knowing it was true.
Their line of work or calling is not for everyone; it is only for the most desperate.
Uncle Juan had already arrived at Lola Lita's house and was thoroughly inspecting everything. He and Gamaliel had been working secretly at Lita's request. The tiny tomb is now finished and located in a clean place. This is kind of his forte; it's not intended to be a niche because it's a terrible thing, but sadly, many individuals engage in this behavior, whether intentionally or not. Unfortunately for humans, unrecognized, flushed, or buried dead babies will always seek to contact their moms.
Diana, Lita's daughter, had been feeling badly for several weeks and physicians in London were unable to determine what was wrong with her. Her illness is already harming her profession as a nurse. Diana revealed how her back had been bothering her. She believes that's natural because it only appears during the rainy season in the Philippines. She felt like she had been lying on a wet bed. Her back is usually cold, and she mourned when she realized that her baby might be cold too. Uncle Juan discovered the burial site of the deceased baby and the miscarried infant. It was directly by the pool of rainwater.
It was directly at the post of the house. It was buried in a hurry because no one was meant to know, but it now needs to be known. Diana regretted everything because she was desperate. She was young and disappointed, and her mother was getting older and unhappy about her daughter's condition, so she had to do it. There are only two of them in their family, which would had been three if the baby had not been killed. And now the baby wants to be with Mama; she's been clinging to her and crying for lullabies every night. The situation is overwhelming. Diana had understated her nightmare to avoid worrying her mother.
"Her name is Angel; call her Angel," Diana muttered. Her voice remains hoarse and weak from wailing. Yva pushed her to be strong since who would care for her mother if she chose to follow her daughter?
"Whatever happens, do not follow her. "Talk to her, but never, ever follow her lead," Yva severely warned Diana.
"Baby Angel, we will now relocate your body to a more pleasant home. We are here to rescue you, so please let go of your mother right now," Uncle Juan said as they slowly removed a cellophane bag containing the decaying baby from the exposed hole.
Gamaliel, like everyone else, was heartbroken when he discovered what happened. The two ladies of this family were simply too afraid to be despised or humiliated, so they kept it a secret. Gamaliel, on the other hand, had to imagine the circumstance they were in in order to avoid being spiteful. Diana had already planned to travel abroad when she discovered she was pregnant without the child's father.
Her mother, Lola Lita, had recently sold her late husband's inherited estate to send their daughter overseas. Fortunately, and tragically, Lola had learned of Diana's pregnancy but was too late because her daughter had already buried her deceased grandchild. Diana had little choice except to travel abroad or risk losing their remaining possessions.
Diana sighed and relaxed immediately after feeling a hug, this time a nice hug. She heard nothing. Then she cried.
Yva looked at Lola Lita with annoyance when she initially came to ask for help, but today she sees her with sympathy and compassion. Yva couldn't understand why they would kill a baby after hearing its heartbeat. It's bad enough that an unborn baby is purposely killed, but burying it without acknowledgement and in a wet and unpleasant setting is enough for the dead to return and complain. She was saddened for the infants who died in their mother's womb, and she was afraid since she would frequently hear unheard baby cries wherever she went.
Respect. We all wanted to be respected while we were still living and so with the dead. They want respect.