Chapter 6

Don's eyes then revert back towards Thalia. He looked deep into her eyes and she did the same. He then smiles as he tells the tale of the dream he has for the both of them, "I will build a palace there and you will be the queen of our kingdom. Together we will make a home."

He extends his hand and holds the one near him before he continues, "So promise me!!! Promise that you will never marry another man except me."

At a young age, Thalia may still be innocent to reality but she knows in her heart that she loves the man in front of him and wants him to be the one who stays beside her as she grows older. Thus, without any hesitation, she vows "I promise!"

They are still both sitting on the ground. Don shifts himself in order to have him sitting in front of her. He raises his one hand and closes his fingers with only his thumb and pinky finger sticking out. He looks at Thalia with a smile on his face as he speaks, "Come and follow what I am doing. Let's both do the pinky promise and seal our vows,"

"Okay!" Thalia happily replied as she extended her hand. Their pinky fingers intertwined with each other as their thumb touched each other to seal their promise. Both of their appearances are reflecting on their iris as they look at each other intently with evident joy in their face.

"Don! Let's go! It is time," a shout from the familiar voice of Don's mother catches both of their attention, making them pull away from each other. A few feet away from them is Don's mother, Mrs. Janine Montenegro, who is waving her hand to call her son towards her.

Don looks back at Thalia and speaks, "my mother is calling for me. I need to go now," he explains as he stands up, waves at her, and runs back towards his mother. Don and his mother look one more time at Thalia and waves goodbye at her as did Thalia.

-----------------

In the small village in the province, Don's parents live until his mother, Janine Montenegro, gives birth to him. Mr. and Mrs. Montenegro plans to go back to the city to meet Don's paternal grandparents after his birth, but an unexpected event occurs. On the day of his birth, his father -Albert Montenegro - is informed about his mother's critical condition and is in the hospital. Because Janine is still in recovery and Don is still a newborn, Albert left them both to see his mother in the city with a promise that he will go back after checking his mother and bring Janine and Don back to the city. However, like the saying says, promises are meant to be broken as thirteen years later Don's father is still nowhere to be seen.

It has been seven years since Janind and Don arrive in the city in hope that they will see Albert again, but up until to this date they fail to find him.

Savings are not enough to fend for the both of them, thus Janine has no choice but to get a job as a housemaid in the Sanchez residence where Don and Thalia get to know each other and become childhood sweethearts.

After a few walks, they arrived at their small bungalow house. It is a thirty square meaters house with a tiny bedroom where they place two single beds for each one of them. There is a built-in plywood cabinet where they place their few clothes. In the kitchen, there is a personal refrigerator enough to store drinking water and leftover foods that Sanchez family gives to Janine after her work. There is also a two-burner gas stove and in the middle of the room is a small table with two seats for them which they rarely utilized as the Sanchez family will always invite them to eat dinner in their house.

"Finally at home, how is your day son?" Janine asks her son as she sits down on their double seat sofa, turns on the television and switches it onto the news channel. She then taps the single seat beside her, in an attempt to invite Don.

"It was fun mom, I spent my afternoon with Thalia." he happily shared with his moter. After school, on the way home, he will pass by on the Sanchez Residence. At first it was just one thing that he would stay in there to play with Thalia, until it became a routine, hence why both Don and his mom always go home at the same time each day.

"You better take care of her, she is the daughter of my boss, do not bully her okay?" his mother reminds him which makes him abruptly shake his head, "Not gonna happen mom, I like her," he says before he runs inside their bedroom while he hears the teasing and laughter of his mother behind him.

*********

Earlier the next day, breakfast is already placed on the table with a letter sticking on the top of the transparent lunch box.

'start the day with a smile and spread the love,'

That is what is written on the note, just like what is written by her mother Don smiles before he sits and happily starts his meal. His school will not start until eight in the morning while his mom's work starts at six, hence why he commonly wakes up alone in the morning.

School starts with the flag ceremony and morning exercise. Don is already in 6th grade while Thalia is in her 4th grade. Being in different grades, makes it rare for the both of them to see each other in school, other than during the lunch break which Don looks forward to each day.

Holding his mom's prepared lunch for him, he goes to the canteen and roams his eyes for Thalia. At the second bench table from the window wall, sits Thalia with her friend Rica. They are both holding a packed pineapple juice as Thalia's favorite is pineapple; may it be fruit or flavors.

An involuntary smile forms on Don's lips as his eyes land on Thalia's pure and captivating beauty. He walks towards them and plans to sit together with them on the same table when Thalia's classmates arrive and sit beside them. Sighing in dismay, he sat on the table beside them and placed his food in front of him. He starts to have his meal while secretly glancing every once in a while at Thalia.

Thalia and her friends are all so busy talking and laughing with each other that she did not realize he was beside him until the mid lunch. She glances at him and her lips form into a wide smile that reflects his.

Don could not help himself but feel fascinated by her astonishing beauty. Thalia has a heart-shaped face, gorgeous hazel eyes, perfect eyebrows, fine nose, and plump lips. She is an epitome of beauty as there is no angle of her that speaks the opposite.

She has this high cheekbone and cute dimples which catches everyone's attention as she smiles. At the young age of ten, Thalia is already popular among men, including himself.