I snapped the seatbelt in place. "Opo. Tara na po."
The stillness of everything woke me up; I did not even know that I had fallen asleep.
"Manong, nasaan po tayo—nasaan 'yun?" I loudly asked myself when I saw that the driver's seat was empty even when the engine was running.
I looked outside the window and realized that car was not moving and we were actually in a driveway. Unnerved, I pulled the door open and came face to face with a plump old woman with a kind face who immediately smiled when she saw me.
"Sa wakas, nagising na po kayo," she enthusiastically said. "Sinubukan po namin kayong gisingin pero tulog na tulog po kayo. Ako nga po pala si Magda, ang mayordoma po."
"Ako po si Aiyla. Good afternoon po."
"Good afternoon po, Ma'am Aiyla at welcome home po. Doon po tayo sa loob nang makapagpahinga po kayo nang maayos," she said as we climbed up the beautifully-lit entrance staircase that led to a handsome wood and glass double doors.
"Welcome home, Mrs. Ynchausti!" the uniformed house helps who were lined up just inside the door chorused and I nearly jumped a foot off the floor.
"Thank you," I politely replied and prayed that I would remember all their names when they introduced themselves one by one.
The place that Ayden calls home is a complex with five buildings – the main house which has three stories and sits in the middle, the entertainment building which has a covered outdoor lounge that's attached to the right side of the house which boasts of a modern fire pit and a state-of-the-art outdoor bar that's hooked to pool, the guests building which was behind the entertainment building and where visitors who'd like to spend the night sleep, the recreational building that has a gym, a basketball court and which houses Ayden's collection of sports cars and motorcycles, and the building where the helpers stay.
"'Yung building sa may bandang likod po nitong main house kami nakatira. Kung gusto n'yo po kaming tawagin ay may intercom po bawat sulok nitong bahay," Manang Magda explained as we took the elevator to the second floor.
Saan po ang kuwarto ko? I wanted to ask.
"Dito po ang master bedroom," Manang Magda continued as she pushed open a huge white door. "Ako lang po ang nakakapasok dito at hindi po pwedeng pumasok ang ibang kasambahay..."
"Ahh..." I said looking around the spacious room which looked immaculate in its white and various hues of blue furnishings.
A man's room, I thought to myself feeling like an intruder.
"May iba pa po bang kuwarto rito?" I offhandedly asked Manang Magda.
"Sa second floor po wala na. Ito lang po. Sa third floor po may tatlo d'un at sa first floor naman po ay may dalawa."
"I see..."
Saan kaya ako matutulog? I quietly asked myself as Manang Magda opened doors that led to an enormous bathroom, a library, and a terrace with a hanging garden that overlooked the pool.
"Magpahinga po muna kayo. May food allergies po ba kayo, Madam? O mga pagkaing hindi gusto para masabi ko po sa chef?"
"Wala naman po," I said.
"Okay po. Anong oras n'yo po gustong maghapunan?"
"7:30 po."
"Saan n'yo po gustong kumain? Pwede rin po naming iakyat ang pagkain po ninyo."
"Naku, hindi na po. Doon po ako sa dining room kakain."
"Sige po, i-inform ko po ang kitchen. Maiwan ko po muna kayo."
Chapter 4: Draw
Start from the beginning
