42 - Puzzled

She had no choice but to follow her father. She shrugged as she walked into the kitchen and sat in a chair. What happened to Frahisto? Is it still there? Was he able to return to Manila? She was gasping for air. She overslept, and now she's sick with a high fever. She closed her eyes for a brief period, suffering as she became aware of the spinning in her surroundings.

"Hey!" Frahisto said, grabbing her by the hand.

It was only then that she realized she had fallen asleep on a chair with no backrest. "Frahisto?"

"It's me— Damn! You've got a fever. ”

When her body rose into the air, she could no longer resist. Frahisto carried her about as if she were a bride. It took large steps to return her to her room.

"Remain here. I'm going to get some medicine and food.”

She couldn't stop herself from nodding. She simply let the man out again, and when he returned, he had soup and medicine with him.

"I don't want to take my father's medicine... It tastes like a spicy, sour oil..."

He laughed at what she said and placed the food next to her gently. "Odessa, you may be stupidly innocent at times."

She laughed instead of getting offended. Frahisto sat her down and offered to assist her with her meal, but she politely declined. She was still capable of feeding herself.

"I apologize for last night..."

She takes a look at him. "Ha?" she asked, puzzled, "W-why are you sorry to me?" she asked, having only eaten two mouthfuls of food and not tasting anything in the soup. "I should, because I'm the one who—"

"No, it's entirely my fault. I should have just stated my occupation first. ”

She lowered the spoon and locked her gaze on Frahisto. She tries to read his expressions but retreats. She couldn't look into his eyes for very long. "What do you do for a living? Are you a cop?"

He gave her a sparse smile and told her to eat first before he spoke. Despite her sickness, she was eager to eat what he had brought. She was grateful, and the man didn't offer her any oil medicine because she might have cried at this point.

Frahisto simply asked her to res. He proposed that he prepare their lunch that day. If she hadn't just remembered that Frahisto was a married guy, she would have been astonished.



She had only awoken in the afternoon and felt well. It appears that her fever was lying earlier. She dashed down the stairs, only to see her father laughing while watching an action movie. It even asked whether she was okay, to which she replied with a smile. She was relieved that nothing terrible had happened here and that the Mayor and his people had lost them.

"Have you heard the news?"

"Which is it?"

"Oh, our mayor is a leader in this barrio's illegal activity. I heard a gunshot last night. The Mayor will be imprisoned for his evil deeds, according to the news."

She nodded. She simply went outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. She was relieved to find that Frahisto was the reason the bad people were imprisoned in their place. She also has no intention of inquiring about his current job, as it is evident that he works for the government.

She waved to the children passing in front of their house, who were carrying fish and veggies. She will be teaching in this Barrio starting next month.

"Good morning, Ma'am Odessa!"

"Good morning to you as well. Be careful when you go home, okay?"

They simply smiled and continued on their way. She caught a sight of Frahisto, who was carrying a bucket of alive and flapping fishs. Her cheeks flushed instantly, but she pretended to be unconcerned in front of him.

"Are you all right?"

She only nodded. "Y-yeah… you took a lot of fish today."

When he looked down at the fish he was carrying, he just smiled. What sorts of foods do you enjoy?"

Even though there was nothing wrong with his question, she continued to blush. Before answering, she smiled shyly and stretched herself. "Whatever, I know you're a better cook than me."

Frahisto no longer responded. The corner of his lips just raised, and he said goodbye to her and went into the house. Her eyes follows him. She bit her lip and relaxed herself, feeling as if her heart was about to burst. Up to now, she can't stare his eyes when talking to him. It's as if his eyes are deep wells and she can't keep looking at them.

She went to the kitchen and offered to help Frahisto clean the fish; he didn't object and let her do whatever she wanted. As she removed the scale from one of the fish, she glared at the man, saddened by the fact that he will leave tomorrow.

"Frahisto…"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for your help earlier..."

He just shrugged and turned back to face the woods he was going to use to cook food. She noticed that he was very skilled and had no difficulty doing poor house chores. Frahisto looks rich in his posture and expression, which is something she always sees in him and has strong sense of self.

"You've been staring at me; I think I'm going to melt, Odessa," he said as he turned to face her.

When she managed to regain her sight, her cheek immediately blushed, and she stopped and looked at the fish, puzzled. Why does it always surprise her? Why not just let her stare at him until he melts?

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

It was as if her heart was pounding at what she heard, because she had nothing to say and couldn't stop Frahisto from leaving, so she just nodded. Her heart was crying right now. Would it be frustrating if she told him to return back next week?



THAT night, all she did was stare out her bedroom window. She decided to take a wash in the stream since the moon was trying to creep into the tall trees surrounding their house. She would simply soak and then go home as soon as she felt comfortable. She used to do this with Tina before.

She left the house without saying a word. She only had a lamp, soap, and towel with her. Even though she is walking alone, she is not afraid. She was raised with a necklace that she constantly wore to ward off evil spirits.

She stripped naked and dipped up to her chest in the shallow end. She was certain there were no bad people in their hamlet since Frahisto had arrested them. She cast a glance at the lamp she had set aside. She gave a sorrowful smile. Frahisto has a wife, which giver her pain. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. The water was lukewarm today, as opposed to last night, when she would have fainted if the man hadn't been alongside her.

She closed her eyes and leaning on a rock for a few minutes when she was startled by someone speaking.

"Odessa..."

She blinked open her eyes precisely. Frahisto was the first person she noticed. His firm chest is exposed, and it, too, is soaked with water...

Despite being soaked in water, she quickly embraced her nakedness. What exactly is Frahisto doing here? She didn't see even a shade of it when she came earlier, or was her mind so preoccupied that she didn't realize it was there?

Did he see my body?

"It's getting late. What brought you here, Odessa?"

She lowered her gaze. Would she explain she was saddened to think he was returning to Manila and she simply needed to calm down?

"I-I didn't realize you were here..."

It took him a long time to respond. She was aware of his stare.

"Go home."

"Huh?"

"Go home while I'm still in control."

She looked up, confused. Despite the fact that it was dark, she met his eyes. "What exactly do you mean?"