Tempting Fate

Chapter 3: Her Father’s Freedom

After feeding her siblings, she started doing laundry. That includes the clothes she will wear when she applies for the job. As she lathered the soap through the clothes, she stared at it. Emy remembered what the saleslady had said.

Reed watched Emy in all she did. He sat in front of it while washing the laundry as well.

“What does she think of these clothes? Garbage? The only formal attire I have is this.” Emy said, then she took a deep breath.

“Haist, don’t worry about that woman. I’ve already taught her a lesson. Just tell me I’ll come back to her so you can get revenge,” Reed said as he and Emy faced one other. But Emy can’t see or hear him.

Emy spent several hours in a manual laundry. She immediately hung the clothes in the sun to dry quickly. It was about lunchtime when she looked at the wall clock, so she had to cook again. But it disappointed Emy to see that her wallet was almost empty. Emy can only buy candy with the amount of money in his wallet. She looked for money in her bag and found some coins. She also searched the drawer when she saw the two roses there. Emy took it. It surprised her that two roses were there.

Emy even smelled it, and it still smelled good. She smiled, stood up, took a plastic container with water, and put the roses in it. Reed smiled at what Emy had done to the flowers.

“Ate, I’m hungry.”

.....

Emy looked at her sibling, pulling at the hem of her T-shirt. She also looked at the other siblings at the door. Emy wanted to cry at that moment. It was as if a needle was piercing her heart.

“You don’t have anything to eat?” Reed asked them. “Okay, I’ll take care of you. You’ll eat delicious today.”

Reed suddenly disappeared next to Emy.

“All right, just wait. I’ll lend canned foods from the store first,” said Emy.

“Ate, Aling Marga was angry. She said we should pay our previous debts first. ”

“Is that so?” Emy took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll find a way. Stay here at home, okay?”

“Okay, Ate.”

Emy went back to her drawer to get her wallet. But they were all distracted to hear the voice from outside the house.

“Emy? Emy, are you there? ”

Emy left the room, and her siblings followed her to the door. Lorie’s voice was what she heard from outside their house. She approached the door and opened it.

“Lorie, come in,” Emy said. “Why did you visit?”

Lorie came in and handed the roasted chicken she had brought to Emy. “This is for you.”

Emy smiled. “Thank you, Lorie.” Emy handed the paper bag to her sister. “Divide it so we can have another dish later. ”

“All right, Ate.”

Emy’s siblings left quickly, then she turned to Lorie and gave her the Monoblock chair. Lorie sat down, and so did Emy.

“Thank you, Lorie. I was about to look for something to eat for my siblings,” said Emy.

Lorie took a deep breath, then smiled. “Your siblings’ food? Don’t you have any plans to join them if you find one? ”

“It’s okay for me, even if it’s just biscuits,” said Emy. “What’s important to me is my siblings don’t get hungry.”

“You are very kind,” said Lorie.

Emy smirked. “But the world is still more in favor of someone like you, Lorie.”

“Who told you?” Lorie asked. She took something from her pocket and handed Emy the envelope with a smile.

Emy took it. “What is this?”

“Your back-pay and pro-rated 13th month,” said Lorie.

“Seriously?” Emy couldn’t believe it. Emy thought she would get nothing because the company fired her.

“Of course. You’ve been in the company for almost ten years,” said Lorie. “Besides, even if they fired you, you’re the only one with back-pay and 13th month.”

Emy smiled. “Just me? Why just me?” Emy asked.

Lorie smiled a little. “Of those fired by the company, only you have been the longest-serving employee.”

Emy lost her smile. Lorie noticed this. “If someone closes the window, someone opens the door. You can also use that money to apply for a new job, and then you have more for your siblings,” said Lorie.

Emy didn’t expect her tears to flow spontaneously, even though she was holding them back. Lorie held Emy’s hand.

——-

As the days passed, the money Lorie gave her was enough for their food. Emy again saw a rose in her bag, and the other was on top of her bed. Emy smelled it. She thought that whoever heard her that night changed her life. However, she’s also scared that all the good things that happened to her might have an equivalent exchange. And she remembered what she said.

‘Whoever hears me, I will trade myself for anything. Just get me out of this cursed life!’

Emy just then got herself ready whenever that time came.

——-

Monday, Emy resumed her job search. She followed what the saleslady said. Lorie gave her make-up that she could use, so she made herself presentable. Emy knew there was good news coming to her that day. Even though she had extra money when she knew she was going nearby, Emy chose to walk to save money. There is no certainty when she will have a job.

Emy sat sadly on an empty bench in the park. She had walked a long way, and the sun was about to set. No one accepted her and said only one thing “we do not accept walk-in applicants.”. Emy did not know that an invisible man had been following her for a while. He stared at her and watched everything she did.

Emy was walking home from her all-day job hunt when she received a call from an unknown number.

“Hello?” Emy asked on the other line.

“Is this Emilu Briones?” the other line asked.

“Yes, it’s me. Who is this?” Emy asked.

A car almost hit her; she couldn’t wait to see her father. The public lawyer who handled the case won it. The lawyer explained everything to them. It turned out that the owner of the fancy car was a scammer. He purposely cut the tail brake of the vehicle so that when an accident happens to him and the car, they will get the money from insurance. It’s a win-win situation for him since it’s a poor guy he bumped into; he gets the insurance plus the money from Emy’s father. But the truth prevails in the end.

“Thank you very much, attorney,” said Emy.

“It’s nothing, Emilu.” the attorney said.

Emy didn’t know that someone had handled her father’s case. She thought her father would get detained forever because they had no money to pay for that man. She also finds out that SPO3 Guevarra, the police who handled her father’s case, called and talked to the lawyer. They thank them for helping her father.

When they arrived home, the siblings happily greeted their father. They cried after not being with their father for several days. Emy was preparing their bed when she saw another stem of rose lying in bed. She’s used to getting the roses, so she smelled them and kept them in the plastic container where the other roses were. Emy thought that even though she didn’t get a job, she still received the good news that day.

Emy lay down on the bed and waited to fall asleep. Emy didn’t know that a man was lying beside her while staring at her. She can’t see him. After a while, Emy fell asleep.

The man caressed Emy’s hair while smiling and staring at her. ‘You’re on your way to our deal. I can’t wait for you to meet me personally and get the payment you offered me, my queen.’