"DOES it mean that you won't go to the club tonight?" Wendy asked while preparing her daughter's food pack. "How much did you get from that old man?"
"He gave me four thousand dollars," Maria said in a low voice. "I gave the one thousand dollars to my boss—"
"What?" Wendy asked disgust was apparent on her face. "You shouldn't give that much to your son of a bitch boss."
"He didn't know that the old man gave me another three thousand dollars. It's my extra service," she said and heaved a sigh. "I don't want to talk about it, Wendy. I feel like throwing up whenever I remember what happened last night."
Wendy rolled her eyes ceilingwards. "I don't want to say this, but it's good that you got more than what you're being paid."
She nodded. "Yeah, three thousand dollars was almost one hundred fifty thousand pesos. And it can support our needs for two months. House bills, rentals, Sara's meds…" she trailed off when her daughter walked out from the bathroom. "I didn't finish my studies, and I don't have any skills…"
"But, you promised me that you'll get a new job, Maria," Wendy insisted and held his arm. "Maria—"
"Do you think it's easy to find a new job?" she asked. "Decent jobs of people like me can't earn much money that can support Sara's heart medication."
"Mom?" Sara asked upon hearing her name being mentioned. "Did you just call me?"
Wendy went to her child. "Mommy's just telling me to don't forget to put your favorite chocolate drink in your food pack."
Sara narrowed her eyes. "Just like what you did yesterday."
Wendy chuckled. "But I bought you a new one, right?"
Maria smiled while watching her best friend and her daughter giggling at each other. She was really thankful for meeting Wendy when she was at the peak of her misfortunes. She thought of giving up during that time, but Wendy came and saved her.
She shook her head to ditch the past that was threatening to cloud her mind. Maria must forget everything that happened in her past. She must forget all the people that ruined her, hurt her, and abandoned her. Maria was a different woman now, a different person with a different soul.
"Mommy, I'll see you later." Sara waved back at them before she went inside her classroom.
Maria smiled. She could do anything for her, for the only person that gives sunshine to her dying soul. If not for Sara, she might have given up her life to those people that abducted her. Maria tasted bitterness with the term that she used.
'Abducted?' she asked herself. 'I was abandoned… Hated…’
"Are we going now to Dr. Yummy Llamnsares?" Wendy asked as they walked the streets from Sara's school. "I've waited for this moment to see him again."
Maria rolled her eyes heavenwards. "That sounded different for me."
Wendy grunted. "I just want to see him. Do you know that I'm calling him almost every day just to hear his handsome voice—"
"And, you're using Sara's situation, so you have a reason to call him?" Maria cut off. "Wendy, doctors are untouchable people."
"He's kind to us," Wendy said, sounding hurt. "And, he always asked for you. It's kinda annoying, you know."
"He's kind because Sara's his patient," she said matter-of-factly. "Do you know what does it mean?"
Wendy crinkled her nose. "Why are you so cynical?"
Maria didn't answer. She waved to a passing Taxi cab that will bring them to Sara's doctor.
"Your gift certificate, did it also come from that man?" Wendy asked as they ride the cab. Her brows were furrowed in curiosity.
Maria heaved a sigh. "You're so nosy, Wendy."
"Well, I'm just asking," Wendy said. "How much is the certificates threshold?"
Maria narrowed her eyes to her friend. "I know what you're thinking, Wendy. Don't worry, you can come with us to the department store."
Wendy clapped her hands like a child. "That's good news!"
Maria laughed. Wendy worked as a liaison officer in one of the private clinics along with the Land And Transportation Office. One of her duties was to steal clients from the other private clinics around the area, sometimes, she part-timed as a parking lot's assistant. That's where she gets her money for her everyday life when she found Maria.
And, the rest of their story was history…
The Taxicab stopped in front of the Philippine Heart Center. Maria and Wendy got off after they paid the driver for more than the meter showed. They always do that to avoid arguments with some abusive drivers.
They were about to enter the building when her phone rang. Maria pulled out her phone from her cheap shoulder bag, her brows furrowed upon seeing the unknown numbers registered on her screen.
"Who's that?" Wendy asked.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she said and disregarded the call. “`Must be one of my co-dancers.”
"Why you didn't answer? What if it came from the old man? Asking you out again for three thousand dollars?"
Maria scowled at her friend. "Why do you sound as if you're now supporting my job?"
Wendy laughed. "I'm just kidding—ouch!"
"I'm sorry, Miss," said the tall man in a black leather jacket that bumped with Wendy. "I didn't see you."
"It's because you're not looking—oh…" Wendy's voice became soft suddenly. "It's okay, sir…?"
Maria arched a brow. She can't believe that her friend was this weak towards men. She glanced at the man, and she can say that he's good-looking—the type of man that wouldn't look at someone like them.
"Fred, please call me Fred," the man said and offered his hand to her friend whose smile was about to extend up to the other street. "I'm really sorry."
"No, it's fine," Wendy said as she shook hands with him. "It was partly my fault."
Maria rolled her eyes. "Wendy, I'll go ahead."
"Wait," she hooked to her arm. "We'll go ahead, Fred. It's nice to meet you."
The man just nodded and waved at them. As they turned their back to him, she heard somebody called the man's name. Maria knotted her forehead, that voice was familiar.
"Did you see the doctor that we're looking for?" the deep male voice asked the man that bumped with Wendy.
Maria stopped on her toes. It couldn't be…
***