Tempting Fate

?Chapter 1: The Wish

“Be careful what you wish for... because you just might get it.”

—

“I haven’t understood you since you returned from the battlefield, son.”

Reed stood by the window. From there, he will see the vast breadth of his kingdom. His father had repeatedly talked to him about his future queen. Reed also sees his reflection in the glass window before him. The scars on his face and the broken wing were signs of his war success.

“What happened after the battle? There is no one else with you but you?” the former king asked.

“There is nothing to say, Father,” said Reed. “All you need to know is that my success in the battle came at a cost, and I cannot disregard the deal.”

“Deal? What deal are....” the former king said, but he didn’t finish what he was going to say because Reed spoke again.

“I will look for my queen.” Reed turned to his father. “Don’t worry, father, I won’t let you down. If we have nothing to talk about, I will leave. ”

.....

The former king just looked at Reed, who hurried out of the room.

—-

It’s been a few minutes. The vehicles did not move, so Emy got out of the passenger jeepney so she wouldn’t get stuck in traffic. She ran to the side of the road to get to work.

She fell because of her ripped shoe. “Aw!” Emy exclaimed as she shook her head.

Emy frowned as she sat on the side of the road for a moment. She gasped for air as she stood across the pedestrian lane, but Emy felt she was taking too long to wait for the red stoplight. She turned around before she crossed the road, but the traffic enforcer saw her.

She looked back and saw the enforcer was chasing her. “Ah, shit!” Emy said.

Emy continued crossing until she reached the other side of the road. Emy ran again, but she heard the whistle from the traffic enforcer. After a while, the enforcer grabbed her arm, so she hit him with her bag.

——

Emy is staring at the enforcer while she is handing her ID. “Sir, I need to go to work today. I also have no money to pay the penalty you are asking for,” said Emy.

She was sitting in front of the chief desk, who was the chief of the enforcer. They insisted on getting her ID. The chief gives her a receipt for her penalty for jaywalking besides the community service she had to do.

“It’s just five hundred pesos for your penalty, Miss. If you want to pay for the penalty, you should not have jaywalked.” the chief said. “I don’t believe you have no money. You are working, of course. You have a salary.”

“Sir, I work in a factory. I only earn the minimum wage, which is not as big as your salary. I have four siblings whom I must take care of.” said Emy. “I don’t even have a jeepney fare. How can I have five hundred pesos? ”

Emy massaged her reddened foot while she spoke to the enforcer. Cold air filled the entire room. She took a glance around and saw that every window was closed. One of the enforcers approached and whispered to the chief. Emy even noticed the frown on the chief’s forehead and a slight nod. The chief enforcer stared at Emy, so she smiled at him.

The enforcer glanced at Emy. “Here,” the enforcer handed Emy her ID. Emy put it in her bag. “You may go to your work.”

Her smile extended. “Thank you, sir. Thanks a lot,” said Emy.

The enforcer nodded. “Don’t do jaywalking again; is that clear?” said the enforcer.

She stood up and saluted the man. “Yes, sir. Thank you very much again, sir.”

Emy hurried as she exited the office. The two enforcers were looking at her ripped shoes and swollen foot. The chief shook his head and took a deep breath.

——-

Lorie immediately pulls Emy into the distance when she arrives at the factory. Lorie was her best friend. They have worked in the factory for five years but are contract employees.

Lorie looked around before she could speak. “What happened to you? You are late again,” said Lorie.

“You couldn’t believe it if I told you. This morning I had many misfortunes. Don’t worry; I promise this will be my last time to be late.” Emy said. “Do you have extra slippers? I ripped my shoes.” Emy took off her shoes.

Emy’s friend glanced at her shoes. Lorie took a deep breath, then took her extra shoes from the locker.

Lorie handed her the shoe. “Here, put it on,” said Lorie.

Emy smiled and then squeezed both of Lorie’s cheeks. “You are the best.” She put on the shoe, and it just fit her.

Lorie looked at her. “Emy, you were late at the wrong time,” said Lorie.

Emy glanced at her friend. “Huh? Why? ”

“The company will lay off almost half of the employees today,” said Lorie.

Emy smiled. “Are you worried that I might be one employee? My work is polished. I always work overtime.”

——

Emy was crying as she walked. She was among those laid off by the company because of employee reductions. Emy was like a child walking on the roadside, crying. She thinks about how they will live the day after tomorrow. Her father only works as a part-timer jeepney driver.

Emy looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, but the sky was dark. Emy’s phone rang. She took the phone out of her pocket. It’s an old phone that someone threw in the trash and found by her sibling. Her father fixed it and put tape around it. Her eyes continued to water with resentment.

“Hello?” Emy asked on the other line.

“Is this Emilu Briones?” the man on the other line said.

“Yes, I am Emilu. Who is this?” Emy asked the caller.

“You need to go to the police station near your house; your father needs you.” the caller said.

It was as if someone had poured cold water on Emy, and she hurried to run to her father.

—–

“Are you okay, Tay? Aren’t you hurt? Do you have no wounds or injury?” Emy asked when she arrived at the precinct.

She stood in front of the railing where her father was. A fancy car hit by her father demands compensation for the damage her father did. And since her father had no money to give him, he took her father to the precinct and detained him.

“I’m fine, Emy.” Her father said. “Forgive me. I didn’t expect this to happen. I don’t want to give you a problem...”

“Tay, the important thing is, nothing happened to you. Let’s be thankful for that. I’ll take care of it and talk to them.” Emy said. “Don’t worry too much, okay?”

Emy sat in front of the police desk, and the fancy car’s owner was in front of her. He is demanding compensation for damages a hundred times she would have earned at the factory for almost a year if she still had a job.

“You are asking too much. We are just poor, and my father only spends extra as a driver,” said Emy.

The man smirked. “If you can’t give money for the damage your father did, that old man, I will make sure your father rots in jail.” the man said.

Emy stared at the man. He is well-dressed and looks educated, but his attitude is more than just rude to her squatter friends. The police showed her the photo of the man’s car, and Emy couldn’t believe that it had just flattened the side of his car compared to the damage her father’s car was driving.

“This is just a scratched compared to the car my father’s driving,” Emy said.

“Do you know how much that car is? Even if you sell yourself and your father’s soul, that’s still less than paying for the scratch your father made. Find a lawyer, Miss, or your father will rot in jail.” The man said, then left.

Emy watched the man walk away. “I’m sorry, Miss. Your father smashed into his car, and even if your father did minor damage to his car, you need to pay for the damage. He doesn’t want to settle. I’m sorry. That’s the way most rich people are.” The police said.

—

Emy is not on her own walking home. Her world almost collapsed when she lost her job, and her father was behind bars. Emy doesn’t know where she will get the money to pay and bail from her father. After taking a deep breath, Emy stopped walking along the bridge. She has released the tears she had been holding back. She sobbed as she held onto the railing of the bridge.

Reed was sitting on the side of the bridge after he exited the portal. ‘So, this is the world of humans? Quite far away from what I have imagined.’ Reed thought.

He turned around and saw a woman crying in the distance. The woman sobbed as if she had too much pain. Gradually, he approached the woman and stood beside her. And since she couldn’t see him, he watched the woman cry. He even noticed her grip tighten on the railings of the bridge.

“Whoever hears me, I will trade myself for anything. Just get me out of this cursed life!” Emy shouted at the top of her lungs as tears fell from her eyes.

‘Are you willing to give yourself to me if I fulfill your wish?’ Reed thought.

“This is unfair to me. I did everything, but why should I still live with this curse of life? Is it not enough to be a good person to have even a little luck? My life sucks and is exhausting. If there were an easier way to escape this life, I would be willing to bargain myself.” Emy said as her tears never stopped.

It surprised Reed when the woman beside her yelled as if fate had purposefully brought them to that bridge to meet that night. Reed smiled and brought his lips close to the woman’s ear.

A wind touched Emy’s face, and she thought she heard someone speak and tell her, “It is a deal.”

Suddenly, thunder roared, and lightning lit up the sky. She was on her way home before the rain poured down.