Visiting Aunt Clara

As Alex Cruz headed to the office where aunt Agnes was, inside the speeding blue Toyota pickup there was no peace. The dashboard of the car and the guards were bearing the wrath of an infuriated young master Jean Santos.

"Pieces of trash. You're all pieces of Trash. You can't even beat a kid and you claim to be great? Pieces of trash."

As Jean Santos berated them, he smashed the newly installed stereo system in the car with his fist, before cursing even more as he was rudely reminded his fingers were broken.

"That bastard Alex Cruz. You just wait. If I do not kill you today I will denounce my manhood and start wearing skirts."

He sworn blowing his swollen and broken fingers. The other guys in the vehicle shrank their neck in like a turtle ,not daring to argue or say anything. They were long used to Jean Santos making a fuss once in a while and  insult them, but this is the first time they had failed to protect him.

  Although Jean would treat them well when they fawned on him and when they helped him bully others, he would also treat them worse than slaves when they did something that displeased him.

Soon the quickly arrived in the Santos mansion and a crying adult ran into the main house where his mother was with a few of her friends.

"Mom, Mom, you have to seek justice for me. I was bullied."

Jeans mother had dotted on her only child for a long time since for some reason she couldn't conceive. That made her husband marry another woman who now had three children younger than Jean Santos.

"Baby, what is wrong. Who bullied you? Why…aah! Is your fingers broken? Quick. James call a doctor."

Seeing the state her son was in, Isabella Santos was raving mad and instructed the butler to call the family doctor.

"Mom, you have to seek justice for me. Its those people from the stupid orphanage. They broke my fingers and beat us up. They said we can't do anything about it."

"They also…"

They more Jean exaggerated, the more Isabela was loosing her mind.

"Damn that god forsaken people, they have done it this time. How dare they lay their dirty hands on my son?"

Her chest was moving up and down as her anger rose. Her friends started to butter up to her and praising how Jean was a good boy and made the situation even worse.

"Jean is such a good boy and an intellect. Who dares to touch him? Can they afford it?"

"Exactly. The hand that touched him should be cut off and fed to the dogs. No. The whole person should be cut and fed to the pigs."

The women continued fanning the flames.

"They dare to touch my son? I will fight them to the end. And were you alone? Don't you have bodyguards that your father hired from Cebu?"

Isabella asked her son wondering how capable the orphans in the orphanage were to injure Jean who never went out without bodyguards.

"Those pieces of trash. Bastards they cannot even through a punch and were beaten up instantly."

Jean Santos complained to his mother genuinely feeling wronged. How dare Alex touch him.

"James, have those incompetent bastards thrown out after breaking their arms. They caused my sons two fingers to be broken and they have to pay with their arms."

"Yes mam."

  James the butler would never speak for the guards especially in the current state of the Isabella's mind. He knew very well Jean must have been in the wrong given his personality, but he could not go against the ladies words.

Isabella took out her phone and dialed a number. When the call connected, she faked a cry immediately.

"Brother, you have to come. Your nephew was bullied and his bones broken. Come with your small brothers here."

"Hello sister-in-law Isabella. What happened. Is Jean okay?"

"Huh, Who are you? Why do you have my brother's phone?"

Instead of his brother, the one who picked was a woman that she did not recognize.

"Sister-in-law, its like th…"

"Who is your sister in law you crazy woman? Call me that again and I will ask my brother to cut your tongue and feed it to the dogs. Who do you th…"

"Crazy , you're a true idiot."

A few words were mouthed and the call was cut immediately.

"Who are you calling crazy? Do you…Hello! Hello?"

"Aaagh, What is wrong with everyone today. Why does everyone want to anger me to death. Aagh!"

Isabella slammed her expensive phone to the wall cursing. She was already sweating.

Unbeknownst to her, should she have controlled her anger and mouth, she would have learned that her biggest backer and older brother, Nathaniel De Rosario had been put behind bars yesterday at noon, after turning himself in claiming to have kidnapped a girl who's family was a big deal.

---------

Inside the office In Masaya Children's home, Alex was drinking a glass of goat milk.

"You should get out of here before they come back little Cruz. The personality of that kid is really bad and he will certainly come to take revenge."

The worry in her voice was evident as she motioned Alex to finish his milk and leave.

"Don't worry aunt. If they want to cause trouble, I will naturally take care of them. I have a hobby of learning some fight techniques also for my line of work. So even ten of their strong guards is not my match at all. Don't worry."

Alex decided to tell a little of his secret so that aunt Agnes would rest assured he can take care of himself. Seeing the worry in her brows lessening, he was satisfied.

"You practice fighting? Why does your job ask you to do that? Its not illegal is it?"

"No, no. …cough. You know you cannot direct someone how to do something on set without demonstrating. Plus its good for the body health wise. This is actually the first time I have to use those skills in a real fight. "

Alex almost choked on the goat milk.

While drinking the milk, Alex talked in details about the renovations he wanted to make in the orphanage. When he was asked where all this money came from, he made a story about a huge bonus and also offers and other ambiguous things that generally explained his source of money, including new rich American friends he made abroad.

"Auntie, we're going to transform this place to be the best home for these kids. It might even turn better than the Blessing Hotel at the eastern shore. I'll send a competent team from Manila to handle everything for you. Just cooperate with them."

"Okay. Thank you so much Alex. Sister Clara in heaven is smiling at you right now satisfied."

"This is what I should do auntie. This is my home you know?"

Gulping the last bit of the warm goat milk, Alex stood up feeling happy, and resisting an urge to burp.

Being an honest kid from a young age, his aunt Agnes believed him immediately. After about twenty minutes, after Alex had talked about the future of the Masaya Children's home in details, he left and headed to a small piece of land that was well landscaped and was satisfied when he saw the many flowers blooming here.

In the middle of this small piece of land, a concrete tomb stood with a concrete cross at the head.

On the white well maintained tombstone, a black shiny slab with golden words caught his attention, as it always had for almost half his life, and he started shedding tears.