Chapter 2 : " Stranger "

In Zamboanga City, hours later.

Lily arrived at Zamboanga City. She then immediately steps down from the bus and goes out,

"Hello Auntie?" Lily said as she is speaking to someone from her phone, "I am already at Zamboanga." Lily then added up.

"Alright, going to meet you later at my restaurant. Be there at seven o'clock Lily." Said by the auntie of Lily who Lily is speaking with on the phone.

Lily is walking towards the exit of the terminal, "Yes, Auntie. I will at seven pm sharp." Lily replied as she replied to what her auntie just said.

"Okay sweety, bye." The auntie of Lily then said, "See you later auntie, bye." Lily replied as her auntie ends up the call.

Lily took her way out of the terminal as she is walking while doing something at her phone and suddenly, she stumbles upon someone. "Oh, my goodness! I am so sorry! I wasn't looking well at the way." Lily said as she hit someone n her out of the terminal.

"Can you please pay attention on the way you are taking in? Do not use your mobile phones while walking." Said by the stranger who Lily hit while walking. "Now? What am I going to do with these broken eggs?" said by the stranger.

Lily got so anxious because of what she had done to the stranger because of her clumsiness. "I am so sorry sir, I am just going to pay for it. I still have some cash with me, enough to pay for the damages." Said by Lily as she is opening her pouch to get some money. "Oh, my goodness. This is just enough money for me to ride a trip going to auntie's restaurant." In her thoughts Lily said with a worried facial expression.

"This will cost you two hundred and fifty pesos, it is a one tray egg after all." Said by the stranger as he looks at Lily. "What is the matter? You said you will pay for it." The stranger added up as he looks towards the worried face of Lily.

Lily is looking towards the stranger who is using a hat, shades and hoodie.

"Do not think of running away, there is a police man right there. I can report this to him." Said by the stranger as he speaks with Lily and points out that running away would not be a good idea.

The stranger then sat down as he is picking up the broken eggs in the ground. "Pay me already so we can both go now." The stranger then said towards Lily.

Lily is just standing as he is doing something in her bag. "Here sir, this is the payment. Pardon again for causing you troubles." Lily said as she hands over the payment towards the stranger and immediately continue her way.

"Hey wait," the stranger holds the payment of Lily towards his hand. He then opens it up. "She is weird." Then stranger said as he is looking towards the money that Lily paid him. "Hundred and… Hundred and a sorry letter on a paper!" the stranger is so shocked that the payment Lily gave him is not enough. He then stood up after picking up the broken eggs and chases Lily to where Lily run. "That girl, she wraps the hundred pesos on a paper to make it thicker." The stranger is so annoyed as he could not chase down Lily. "Sorry for the trouble. I do not have enough money. Hope you understand. Pardon Sir." These are the words on the letter that Lily wraps up with a hundred pesos and hands over to the stranger as a payment for the damages she did. "She could just say she could not pay for it. It was an accident after all. Never mind, I hope she will do well." The stranger said as he took a deep breath after he sigh. He then walks away while carrying the broken eggs.

…

Later that night, hours later.

Lily is walking outside of a restaurant. "I am already late, it is already seven thirty and my phone was already drained its battery. Do auntie still here?" Lily said as she is walking towards the restaurant of her auntie. "Hello? Good evening." Lily said as she enters the restaurant.

"Good evening ma'am, sorry but we are already closing." Said by the restaurant staff as she greeted Lily.

"Oh, sorry but can I ask if Miss Martinez is still here?" Lily then asked the staff if her auntie is still in the restaurant.

"Yes ma'am, Ma'am Victoria is at the kitchen." The staff replied, "Do you have any appointments with her?" the staff then added up as she asked Lily.

"Yes, I do have. Can you kindly tell her that I am Lily and I am already here?" Lily then asked for a favor towards the staff as she said these words in a nice and polite way of speech. "Sure ma'am." The staff replied.

The staff of the restaurant then goes in to the kitchen.

The auntie of Lily who is Miss Martinez goes out from the kitchen, "Lily! You are late!" said by Miss Martinez. "You said seven o'clock pm sharp, what happened to you? Did the traffic caught you up?" added by Miss Martinez as she is now walking towards Lily. "You are so sweat sweety, what happened? Did a dinosaur chase you down?" Miss Martinez said jokingly as she continues to ask things towards her niece Lily.

"Good evening Auntie Victoria." Lily greeted her auntie, "I just walked from the terminal to here auntie. Sorry I am late." Lily then added up as she clarifies things why she is late.

"My goodness Lily! Seven kilometers!? You just walked seven kilometers!? Why you did not call me, so I can fetch you up Lily!" the auntie of Lily is shocked hearing why her niece is late. "Here, come here and take a sit." The auntie of Lily then added up as they go towards a table at both of them sat down. "Anne? Can you please give us some water, a salad for me and a meal for Lily? Thank you." The auntie of Lily then spoke to the staff for some favors.

Lily set her bags and staffs aside.

"Auntie, I am very sorry again for being late." Lily said her sorry again towards her auntie. "My phone's battery is empty, and I already do not have any money left. That is why I just walked towards here." Lily then added up with a worried and tired tone of voice.

"Do not worry already sweety, I have no other meetings or what so ever this evening." The auntie of Lily said, "After here I will bring you to my small house near here. Where you can stay for the rest of your days here in Zamboanga, after we talk and eat of course." The auntie of lily added up as she said these words to her niece.

Lily smiled, "Thank you Auntie Victoria," Lily replied after what her Auntie Victoria just said towards her. "By the way Auntie Victoria, about the thing you wanted to speak about." Lily then added up as she reminds her Auntie Victoria why she is meeting up with her.

"Yes, about that of course." Auntie Victoria then replied. "About that Lily, I have an offer to you." Auntie Victoria then added up. "Thank you, Anne," Auntie Victoria said as she thanks Anne for serving them the foods that she asked a while ago, for her and for her niece Lily.

"What is it auntie? What will you offer me?" Lily then replied and asked her Auntie Victoria about the things her auntie just spoke up.

"You are already going to college, right?" Auntie Victoria asked Lily.

"Yes, Auntie Victoria, I already took a college entrance exam yesterday." Lily then replied.

"Good. Then I have a job for you." Auntie Victoria then said as she is going to offer a job opportunity towards her niece Lily. "This will help you up on your tuition and some of your college things." Auntie Victoria then added up.

Auntie Victoria Martinez and Lily are having a conversation while eating.

"While you are studying, you will also earn by just living in my mansion. You will take care of it while I am not here in Zamboanga." Auntie Victoria said, "You will live there and be the care taker of it. I will give you a salary monthly and will give you everything you need." Auntie Victoria then added up.

"Auntie Victoria, you do not need to give me salary. Living there is enough already, it will save me a lot of money instead of renting out some dormitories." Lily then humbly replied to what her Auntie Victoria just said and offered her.

"I refused your refusal, do not declined the offer. Let's not call it a salary, but instead an allowance." Auntie Victoria said, "For you to maintain the mansion, for your foods, bills and everything." Auntie Victoria then added up as she makes things clearer for her niece Lily. "I need someone to take care of my mansion, who I can trust. And also, this restaurant. I want you to managed this while I am away." Auntie Victoria then said.

"But Auntie Victoria, this is a business. I can't just handle it by myself." Lily then replied with a shocking tone of voice.

"You are an intelligent girl, you can do it. Besides, my staffs here are all good people and you can trust them. They will help you out managing the restaurant." Auntie Victoria then replied to what her niece Lily just spoken up.

"Auntie, I have no problems with your offer but do you think I can really do it?" Lily then asked her Auntie Victoria.

"Of course, you can! You are a Martinez!" the auntie of Lily then replied, "Look at me sweety. I do not have any husband nor boyfriend, but I achieved a lot of things by myself, because I always believes in me and I am a Martinez to begin with." Auntie Victoria then added up as she said these things to her niece Lily with pride and proudness in her tone of voice.

"I know sweety, it will be hard for you to even think about it. But when you start doing it? I know that you will learn a lot and you can do it and manage it eventually." Auntie Victoria then said as she holds Lily's hand. "I do believe in you sweety." Auntie Victoria then added up with an encouraging word.

"It will also help you financially on your studies." Auntie Victoria then said.

"Thank you, Auntie Victoria. I will speak about it with Mama and Papa." Lily then replied as she smiled towards her Auntie Victoria.

"I do not have any other families left, aside from your father who is my first cousin." Auntie Victoria then said as she also smiled towards her niece Lily. "And you are my only niece. Which is pretty and beautiful like me HAHAHAHA!" Auntie Victoria then added up as she said these words towards Lily and laughed.

"By the way Auntie Victoria, if I am going to managed everything that you will leave here in Zambaonga? Where are you going Auntie?" Lily asked.

"HAHAHAHA!" Auntie Victoria laughs, "I am going out of the country, to enjoy life traveling and find my Romeo." Auntie Victoria then added up, "It is time for me to find the love of my life Lily, the flower of mine is already getting older. I can't afford to not taste the pleasure of… Of love, care and things that you will later on understand." Auntie Victoria then said as Lily is smirking with awkwardness in her face.

"Alright Auntie Victoria, I will speak with Mama and Papa about this. I will consult to them, if they will let me." Lily then said to her Auntie Victoria that she will first tell her parents about the offers.

"Alright Sweety," Auntie Victoria then replied.

...

N: Victoria Martinez is the auntie of Lily Martinez. She is the first cousin of the father of Lily, Andres Martinez. Victoria Martinez is a forty two years old single woman. A successful business woman and a former university guidance counselor.

Auntie Victoria and Lily continued their meal as they share the evening together.