Someday Soon, With You

Chapter 36

VICTORIA MIRANDA

“Victoria, it’s ten already!” she heard her mother shout. Her eyes widened. She still has school. She quickly got up, took the towel and took a bath. She rushed out of her room and saw hew mother and father calmly drinking coffee, not even taken a bath yet.

“What are you doing?” she asked them. They both looked at her.

“Wow, you’re early” her father told her. She looked at the window and the sun not fully up yet. She looked at her mother.

“You told me it’s ten AM” she said.

“That’s the only way to wake you up” her mother replied. She could’ve slept a little longer.

She ate breakfast in silence and brush her teeth. It’s still seven in the morning, a lot of time for coffee. She took a cup of coffee her mother made and sat at the veranda where the sunlight can reach her. It’s her routine to sunbathe at least ten minutes a day. She doesn’t want her body to grow molds and mushroom just like when a cloth is dumped somewhere. It will later on grow something it shouldn’t have. After coffee, she stood up, knocked on the kitchen windows. She saw her mother nod from the inside and then she waved. School’s just a few minute-walk.

“Faith!” she shouted when she saw her friend. “How’s it going?” she asked.

Faith just shrugged her shoulders. “We might not go to the same college, after all” she told Victoria. “I’m just not as smart as you” she added.

“Hey, we’re all cut out for something” she told Faith. “You’ll find it in time” she said. They walked hand in hand together.

They’ve been practicing for their graduation. A few months more and she’ll officially be a college girl. She smiled. She even passed the DOST examination for the scholarship. It won’t be that much of a burden for her parents to send her to college.

After the graduation, her parents prepared a small dinner celebration for her. She invited Faith and three other classmates with her. They’re her best friends. But they’re all going to different colleges. But they still promised each other they’ll keep in touch and will always talk to each other. She's sure they will.

She read her letter for the last time before putting to her parent’s bed.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I am not the school valedictorian so I will not be able to give an address and thank you on stage. That’s why I’m writing you this letter. Thank you for always supporting me and for being my bestest friend in the whole world. I promise to be good and to finish my studies so I can get a job and save money and take you on a trip to New Zealand, or Farrow Islands, or Denmark. My gift is modest, only t-shirt and my sincere gratitude. He-he. I love you Mom and Dad and I hope you live until I’m an old, old woman

Love,

Victoria

“Victoria, sweetheart, we’ll be there in just thirty minutes. Your dad just needs to—” Victoria heard a loud crash through the phone.

“I’m sorry about your parents, Victoria” her neighbor said. “We can look after your house when you go to school” she continued.

“It’s okay, auntie” she replied. She just got back from sending her parents to their resting place. On their way to her dormitory, they had an accident with a drunk truck driver. They were pronounced dead on the spot. She walked back inside their house. She looked at the kitchen from the veranda. That’s where she always sees her mom wave at her before she goes to school. From the stairs is where she always look at her father sipping his coffee. She continued walking to their bedroom. She looked around. Opened their cabinets. There’s a box on the drawer. She looked at all of them and saw three passbooks all with the same amount each. There’s Victoria’s college with three hundred thousand in it. They might have been saving since she was still in elementary to have saved that much. There’s also Victoria’s wedding. Why would you save for this? She thought. They should just buy nice clothes for themselves and went out to have nice dinners. She wept. And the last one is retirement. All with the same amount inside. She opened it and saw a note with her father’s handwriting:

Do not burden Victoria when you grow old.

She wailed uncontrollably. Her parents only ever thought of her, even when they saved for themselves, they were thinking of her. And now they’re gone.

She took all the important stuff she can find from their house. Four trolley bags. She packed everything she thought she’ll need or she won’t miss even when people try to rob their house in her absence. She called a cab and looked once more to her once happy place. And then went inside the cab. She’ll only go back there if there’s a family waiting for her. Otherwise, it will be better for it to remain just a happy place in her memories.