Emancipating The Love (On-going)

Chapter 4

Captured Attachment

"Are you sure everything's prepared? You calculated the food correctly? Make sure that we'll be able to distribute it to everyone, ha." Lea asked, walking back and forth as she sly at trucks parked all around her van.

There were over-all 4 mini pick-ups filled with food/groceries, clothes and school-supplies waiting for her command to depart for the program they were going to hold.

Lea's been agitatedly busy about it for a whole week, despite having a whole team she can rely to, she wanted to make sure that she'll make people happy, most especially the children who's been a lot at their young age.

"Lea, all is going smoothly. You go inside the van na, we're going to leave. The program will start in 45 minutes and it might be a little traffic." Zen stepped in as she heard the heaviness of breathing after every question and remark of hers.

Exactly what they've foreseen, their way to the barangay wasn't really the fastest-most-efficient ride they've had. The traffic wasn't bad, but the tight road made it hard for their vehicles to enter.

Lea inhaled a good amount of air as her bodyguards opened the door for her and went to their destined place to blend in with the crowds. Her foot took a sense of the ground as she saw the covered-court filled with white-monobloc-chairs occupied with people's butt sitting on it.

There were also children running around and stalls of street food parked at the side with good amount of costumers buying from them.

Aga followed her from behind, him close to being like her shadow wasn't new to her anymore, his near presence makes her uncomfortable at times, but she couldn't do anything. She can't just fire him for merely doing his job.

But she can't help but wonder if he's even a living creature.

She'll go to sleep with him waiting at her door and she'll wake up with him still in front. Does he even sleep? Or eat? He's always in her sight and she had never seen him do any normal stuff a normal human being does.

She walked towards where they were supposed to be. She felt eyes; a lot of them, giving her a good set of judgement.

Murmuring and greetings. Very evident that she wasn't in a place she's accustomed at. Some of their words were clear to her, others were just sounds if whispering.

With her holding a mini-fan, sitting at the side, watching how the other side of the world works, far from what she's gotten used to, Lea realized that if she hadn't worked so hard and had given up her dreams, then she could've been experiencing what she's seeing at the moment. If she didn't take the risk of giving it up, then life could've been worse for both of them.

But... she was also unaware of how life is going for it. Whilst she's her best; Lea don't know how things are going for the specific someone she was thinking.

Lea excused herself from people she was talking to to try and find a clean restroom. While she had also forecasted to Aga to keep further distance from her, Lea almost wanted to hit him as her soul left her body for a second when someone ephemerally appeared in front of her.

Aga was about to drag the person away not until they realized it was a child around 5-6 years old.

She was just standing like a statue, giving Lea a look of nothingness. Her eyes were like blank canvas, it doesn't show any emotion. Her face was stained with dirt, she has scars and small wounds all over her body, it implied that the little one had gotten too much and it struck Lea with sympathy.

Aga then took another leap forward and held her hand, planning to pull her away. "No!" Lea opposed and took the child's other hand.

"Ma'am, let me take her to her parents." He spoke to her not only verbally, but also through the look from his eyes.

"I don't have any parents po." They were struck in bewilderment when the child spoke.

"Where do you live?" Lea asked, lowering her body to decline it as low as the child's height. She only received nothing more but a shake of a head.

"How about your name?" Another set of shaking. "You don't have any?" And another set. Lea was speechless. What kind of person doesn't have any name?

"I don't have a name po and I don't have any home 'din po." While Lea was still in awe while processing the words, Aga who was trained to not be deceived easily was eager to take the child away.

"Ma'am, this might be a set-up. I'll take her to Zen and ask for someone to call-out for her parents. Come on, kid." Lea watched as Aga pulled the anonymous child away. She was still glancing at Lea, emotionless, and it reminded her of herself.

As the program carried on, Lea couldn't help but think of the mysterious little girl every once in a while. It seemed as if she was telling the truth. Think of it, how can a small person as innocent and clueless as her bare the heaviness of lying about being homeless, an orphan, and having no name?

While packing and cleaning the place as people left with their hands full of the giveaways. Lea suddenly sought the same little girl, staring out of nowhere. She looked tired and sleepy as her eyes slowly fell, her head was leaning towards the wall while she was sat on the stairs of the stage.

It then started to rain, her eyes still on the nameless kid, Lea noticed how she got worried as the wind blew harder and the rain fell stronger.

"Zen? Did you find her parents?" Lea pulled her secretary's shoulder.

"No. She told me she doesn't have any, sabi ko I'll send her to where she lives, she doesn't have any daw. Nakakagulat nga eh, Englishera?" Zen responded as she also looked where her boss has been keeping her eyes.

Lea's heart then started beating faster when they've interlocked eyes. She saw how the little girl wanted to make a move but then, instead of initially going towards her, she backed off and ran the other way towards the rain.

"Shit." Lea cursed as she ran after her.
"Lea!" A manly voice called but she didn't bother to regard.

She shivered in coldness once the rain touched her body, but she was focused on following the silhouette of the small body that she didn't mind it.

"Hey! Stop!" She couldn't move faster than she already does, the place was slippery due to the mud that was forming. She saw the girl taking her slippers off and as baffling as it may sound like, Lea also did the same and it made her speed increase until she caught the little girl.

"No po! D-don't touch me po, baka po you'd think na naman that I'm lying." She tried taking Lea's hand off but she was gripped tighter.

"You'll get sick, why did you even run away?" She knows that consent should be a thing, but the big possibility of the child falling ill made Lea worried. She could die most especially if there's no one to look after her.

Her silence while looking down fretted Lea. "Come on, come with me, I won't hurt you." She assured, softly sliding her hand from her shoulders to intertwine it with the girl's hand.

The child looked at Lea, hesitant but as she saw the small smile that rose from the woman's lips, that's when she's given up.

She ran to her and tightly enveloped her waist.

"S-sama na po ako. I don't want to be here anymore, it's so mahirap po." Despite being already wet, the hot tears of the little girl made Lea aware that she was crying.

It seemed as if she won't break the hug any minute, Lea could feel the child shaking and she herself was also freezing. From the ground, Lea squatted so she can reach the girl's underarm and carried her, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Lea!" She turned and saw Aga with an umbrella. "You'd get yourself sick. Come on, we need to go home." He then pulled the thick jacket hanging from his arms and placed it over Lea's front body.

He took a big gulp when he clearly saw the child's face.

Why does she look familiar?

End.

August 5, 2022.