Kulas was the fourth of five siblings. He was the son of his aunt on her mother's side. His life in the province was difficult so his other siblings had no choice but to find work somewhere else. Kulas was brainy enough that Lovellia’s mother promised to send him to school. Her cousin only stopped his vocational course in Cosmetology when her father got addicted to gambling. Now Kulas was applying what little he had learned by helping out at a parlor not far from their house.
She was happy that her cousin understood the difficult situation they were going through. Kulas was willing to help out in any way he could. He was resourceful, he was selling different kinds of food at the same time while working at the parlor.
“This is all your father’s fault. If it weren't for his stupid addiction to gambling, you could have been an accomplished teacher by now.”
“That was his only hobby since mom died. That was probably the only way he knew so he wouldn’t get sad thinking about mom. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice that he was getting addicted to it.”
Her father was not like that when her mother was still alive. He was a responsible father and husband. But when her mother died, suddenly changed. When one of his friends asked him to go to a gambling house, her father didn't seem to want to go home anymore.
“Yes! And he has also forgotten being a father to you,” Bham said. “He created a huge problem and just lets you deal with it alone. Those loan sharks had been harassing you for a year now. Looks like you’ve only just been paying the interest. The capital has yet to be touched.”
“The solution is simple. A rich man! ”
Lovellia made a dry laugh. “No man will ever make the mistake of taking someone like me. You know how those men are, they will only come to you because they want something from you. And when they get what they want, you don't matter to them anymore.”
Just like what Mitos did to her. She gave him everything - time, support, and love. She sacrificed her own meal just so he would be able to go to school. He said she was the one filling in the love that his parents were not able to give him. He said they would be saving up for their wedding during his first years working abroad. He said he would give her a good life.
But it was all just empty promises when he disappeared like a bubble. She was hoping that he at least treasured the times they were together as friends. She wished he would have explained to her why he doesn’t want her anymore. She would understand. But there was nothing. He couldn’t even give her a simple ‘hi’ or ‘hello’. He was not the Mitos she had loved before.
“Hey, hey. Stop being bitter about it. Who knows, there is a Prince Charming who will come into your life to take you out of all your miseries.”
She smiled bitterly. There was no such thing as Prince Charming. She can take care of all her problems on her own.
“LOVE, WAKE UP. You have a customer. ”
Lovellia turned to stand up when someone shook her shoulder. Took her a few seconds before she recognized where she was. She was sleeping in the vacant room of the massage center where she was working. She thought she could rest for a while since there was no customer yet.
The guide Aileen was the one who woke her up. Everyone in that center was blind.
Sister Imelda owned that massage center. She was also her mother and Bham’s close friend. So when Sister Imelda found out about what happened to her, Sister Imelda took her in. Lovellia had nowhere else she could turn to but her and her mother’s friends. She knows reflexology and therapeutic massage so she allowed her to work there until her problem was over or until she could get a better job.
She put on her sunglasses. "I'm sorry if I fell asleep."
"It's okay. That was the reason why I didn’t disturb you earlier. Your client is still taking a bath. Just go to the room. He personally requested for you.”
"New client?”
“No. Maybe you were recommended, so do your best.”
“All right. I'll take care of it."
Aileen guided Lovellia to the room. The truth was that she was embarrassed to the people around her. She felt like she was bothering them too much because of her pretense. There were others who needed more help from them than her, people who were truly disabled. But she had no other choice. Once her problems were over, she would make it up to all of them. She really hoped her problems would all be over soon. Unfortunately, she still has a huge amount to settle with.
The guide left her in the room. “Just call me when you need something. Okay? ”
"Yes. Thank you!" Lovellia heard the rush of water in the bathroom. She sat next to the massage table where she could easily reach the massage oil or the lotion, depending on the client's request.
There were many clients in that massage center. They said that the kind of massage the blinds gave was different from the usual massage therapists. Lovellia, on the other hand, had a long training as a masseuse before. When she was still studying, she had always wanted to pass on what she had learned to blind people. Funny how things turned out today. Because she was the one who was receiving help from the blind community.
The door opened. Her client had finished taking a bath. “Good evening, Sir! I am Love. I am your masseuse. ”
"Good evening, Love," his client greeted.
She couldn't help but look up. She took in a deep breath when she saw who her client was. It was the handsome man who gave a big tip earlier at the mall where she sang.
And he was just wearing a towel around his taut hips.