STUBBORN HEARTS<3 (complete)

The Orange Farm

The pest laughed out loud. I glared at him.

“Catch me if you can wild cat” he said and lazily walked towards the houseboy, Kevin.

“Oh, yes I will” I gritted and stood up.

“Oops, talk to you later, Kevin” the pest shouted behind him as he started running as he saw I

was going after him.

“Come back here, you sexy-!” I stopped as I realized what I was about to say. Gah! What the

hell?!?

“What did you just say, kitten?” the pest called back, he was now running backwards.

“I said come back here you stupid pest!”

“No. that’s not what I heard” he laughed. I saw him went out through a door. I trailed behind

hind. I was greeted by a very bright sun that it almost blinded me. My eyes took a while in

adjusting.

Whne my eyes were fully adjusted, that’s when I noticed the rows and rows of trees in a neat

line. Then, I saw oranges on the branches. It dawned on me that this place is actually an orange

farm. Eh? I didn’t know we own an orange farm.

“What’s wrong, wild cat? Can’t keep up?” I heard the pest’s voice from afar. I looked up and

saw the pest a few good miles away already. Aish! I angrily surged forward.

“KYAA! I’m going to make you pay!”

I chased after him. We went here and there. He continuously laughed at me while I continuously

screamed after him. I stumbled a few times along the way because of the uneven ground and the

roots but I didn’t surrender even if I can see the workers or farmers or whatever you call them

are looking at me. I was sweating already until I reached a clearing. I saw him stopped abruptly,

his back facing me.

I grinned widely as I prepared myself to jump on his back. With a triumphant laugh, I jumped on

his back., cling to him and bit his ear hard. Out of nowhere, I felt something hard hit my head.

“Ouch!” I moaned and let go of the pest. “That hurts, you pest!”

My head was hit again.

“You dare call me a pest?” a female voice asked. I looked up and saw an old woman with a

walking stick. She was wearing a very stern face, crooked nose. I thought she shaved her

eyebrows but then, when I squinted my eyes, I saw the almost invisible thin, white eyebrows of

hers. She actually freaks me out. She looks like a witch!

“Who are you?” I blurted. I was hit by the walking stick again.

“You disrespectful girl” she spat. I took a step backwards as a shower of saliva went my way. “I

will not tolerate this kind of behavior!” she continued.

“And who are you to-?”

“SILENCE!” she spat again. Her eyes almost popped out from their sockets. It actually scared

the hell out of me. “You” she spoke to me. “The next time you speak to me in a disrespectful

tone, say goodbye to your beautiful face ‘coz I’m going to rip it off. It’s time someone laid a

hard hand on you and teaches you some manners”

She then turned to the pest. “Jiyong, I believed I asked you to help with the helpers to remove the

pests from the young ones and wit the harvest-“

I suddenly laughed out loud. “How can he do that to his own kind?”

I was hit in the head again.

“You are not allowed to speak when someone’s not yet finished talking”

I clamped my mouth shut.

“I’m sorry, Grandma but I was just having a good laugh at Dara” the pest humbly said.

Eh? She’s his grandmother? And why does he sound scared.

“Having a good laugh?” the old woman asked, looking confused and surprised. Then, her eyes

went to mine then back to the pest. I was surprised when her face softened. “Jiyong, bring this

disrespectful brat with you and let her help with the harvest” she said, later on.

“Me? But why me? And why would I do that in the first place? I’m not a servant or a helper”

“She doesn’t know how the harvesting works”

“Then teach her. I want five baskets from each of you. And Jiyong, do not help her. And you,

little brat, if you want to eat, then you should work for it”

“Is she for real?” I whispered as the old woman turned around.

“Listen!” the old woman said in a loud booming voice to the helpers this actually surprised me.

How can someone in her age speak loudly like that? “I forbid any of you to help these two.

Understood?”

A resounding yes was heard from them.

“Ugh, this will be a hard one. Five baskets” I heard the pest mumbled.

“Ya! Pest! You fill those five baskets of mine, too” I ordered him.

“Sorry, wild cat. You’re on you own”

“What?”

“One basket takes time already”

“But I don’t know how to-”

“Well, I guess you won’t eat anything” he said, obviously trying hard not to smile.