His Blessing

"You will be blessed the moment you realize you already are." 

— Bryant McBill

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"Wit! You're home early." Ma greeted me as soon as I opened the gates. She was already outside the door with a huge smile on her face, a bag full of groceries in her hands. "Will you eat dinner with us?"

I gave her a wai first before giving a kiss on her cheeks. I immediately took hold of the groceries that seemed heavy given her small frame. "No, Ma. I came home hoping to borrow Pa's car. Is he inside?"

"He's inside. He just got home," she muttered as she urged me inside. "What happened with Thorn's motorcycle? Is it still in the shop?"

"Yes. He can get it tomorrow so we don't have any means to fetch Phi tonight."

Someone came out of the shadows all of a sudden. Pa walked down the stairs and approached us. His muscular body looked intimidating but the huge smile that adorned his face dispelled any fearful effect his body had.

"Wit~" he lovingly called, his voice tender and sweet. "Have you eaten yet?"

"I'll eat with the twins later, Pa."

"I thought you had a tutoring session today. Was it canceled?"

"No. I'll be tutoring at Auntie Pran tonight."

"Oh, then why have you returned home? Did something happen?" he approached me; his face now marked with worry. His thick brows were now pulled up together.

Among our parents, Pa was the one who was open with his emotions. You can guess his train of thought easily and right now; I'm not liking how he looks because he's obviously overthinking things and making up possible scenarios in his head.

"Nothing happened. But Thorn's motorcycle is still in the shop." I began to explain and soon his brows began to relax. Relief was evident on his face. "We're hoping we could borrow your car if it's available. We don't have other means to fetch Phi later."

Pa was quick to pull out the keys from his pocket and handed them to me without question. "It's rare for you to ask for the car so use it however you want."

I couldn't help but chuckle at what he said. "If I crash it, would it still be okay?"

"As long as you come home without a scratch," he answered rather seriously which made me want to take back my words. That was funnier in my head. "Son, a car can be fixed. But one's life cannot be returned. So, you better come home safe with your siblings."

"I will."

What I said was merely a joke. I'm a good driver, someone who takes safety as a priority. Even if I am alone, I drive at normal speed and would rather be late than dead. I know that if something happened to me or my siblings, my parents would get so worried. Pa and Ma aren't getting younger and their hearts have become weak as they age.

That's why I try my best not to get in trouble and always remind Thorn not to get in any scuffle as well. I'm afraid that a tiny accident might trigger a heart attack from them. Having them worry is something I never want to do.

"We might return late. We'll hang out at the café after work."

Ma nodded her head knowing full well what café I was talking about. She knew that it was safe for us to hang out there. "Send my regards to Kai. I haven't seen him coming around lately."

"He's helping his father with their business."

"If he has some free time, tell him to come over. I'll cook his favorites."

This is the very reason why Kai tolerates Thorn as his employee. He's playing favorites because Ma always bribes him with her mouthwatering food. I could only nod as images of Kai savoring Ma's foods began to invade my mind.

I rarely visit the café now because of the increase in my tutoring sessions. The last time I visited was two weeks ago when I was forced to wait for Thorn's shift to end because he entered late. That was also the last time I encountered Kai. Ma suddenly mentioning him made me realize that we've lost contact for quite some time now.

Even as I drove towards Auntie Pran's house, I was still thinking of Kai. He's a really chatty fellow. A person I never expected to become my friend. He studies business administration and gets acquainted with Thorn who is technically a social butterfly. Almost everyone on his campus and in our past schools is his friend.

At first, I thought their friendship wouldn't last because Kai looked a little too cold. He has minimal friends and is always out working with his father. That was until he and Thorn made friends with one another.

The saying 'Never judge a book by its cover' is something I associate with him now. He may appear cold, but once he starts opening up, shutting him up would become your main problem. He always has a lot of things to say and would never shy away from any offer of food. That's why they get along so well because he volunteered as Thorn's food tester.

When Thorn wanted to try becoming a barista to gain experience, Kai immediately hired him in the café they owned and ever since then, their bond only got stronger. He even invaded my life and became an annoying part of it. His texts are never-ending and he pesters me whenever he finds time. The frequency was annoying, but over time, it became normal to me.

That's why suddenly losing contact made me reminisce.

Did I do something wrong?

Kai was the one who stopped chatting so I stopped as well. I even forgot about our conversations already because of the never-ending classwork.

Maybe he's just busy?

But Thorn still sees him and even informs me that Kai stops by the café although it became a rare occurrence rather than a frequent one.

I don't know.

Maybe he is indeed busy. Ma misses him for sure. Maybe I should talk to him at the café later. Inform him that Ma wants to meet him again.

That she misses him.

"Phi, did I do well?"

I returned my focus to my student, a 9-year-old child placed under my care to learn English and improve her mathematics. I took hold of her papers which were now filled with scribbles of mathematical formulas. Nong Min is very optimistic when learning and she's brilliant enough to follow my solutions, but she has trouble when it comes to signs. When one sign is written wrong, the final answer is wrong.

Carefully, I inspected her solution and answer. A wide smile slowly adorned my face as her answer was on point. "Good job, Nong! You got all the signs correctly. You listened to my advice."

"Ma told me that Phi is a genius and to take your advice to heart. She's right. Everything Phi said about my problems was right. I just have to listen to you and my problems will be solved!"

"Nong is brilliant enough already. You just have to take things slowly and recheck your answers. There are problems you can only see when you recheck."

She vigorously nodded her head before watching her papers once more. "I will frame this! For the first time, I got a perfect score on Phi's quiz!"

I just chuckled at her cuteness. If I have a child someday, I wish she would be as cute as Nong Min. Always positive and energetic. Ready to face any problems with an open mind.

"Phi, let's proceed to English! I practiced a lot yesterday and I listened to the homework you gave me."

Her toothy smile coupled with the excitement in her eyes made my heart swell. This is the type of student who would pump any teacher to teach better—to teach more.

We proceeded to her English lesson. The homework I gave her was to listen to cartoon movies and list down any words that we already tackled and new words that she wanted to learn. She had to write the definition of the words she already knew and guess what the new words meant. Min managed to write quite a lot which made me smile as this means my teaching method when it comes to her was working well.

"Thank you so much, Wit. Min's grades went up after you began tutoring her. I can't thank you enough." her mother said as I was leaving their house.

It was already 8 in the evening, quite late for tutoring but it was the only vacant time I could spare. She handed me my pay for the session with a wide smile adorning her face, filled with gratitude and satisfaction.

"I was already stressed out because I had no way of helping Min with her studies because of my schedule. It's hard raising a child alone and my workload as a nurse isn't helping either. You're really a blessing, Wit. Thank you."

"I'm glad I could help, Auntie Pran. Besides, Min is one of my favorite students now. She's always ready to learn."

"Min is a bright child; she just needs help on some things. You're the right help for that. I'm really grateful Pat told me you're tutoring. I would still be looking for tutors had she not told me about you."

With the mention of my mother's name, my smile widened. "Ma wanted to help Auntie in any way."

"You're really a blessing to them, Wit." she muttered, her eyes now disappearing from smiling too much. "I hope they're a blessing to you as well."

They are more than just a blessing—they are my everything.

Auntie Pran talked a bit more after that. She mentioned how Ma was always parading my achievements alongside the twins and how Pa always found ways to insert me in every conversation he had with others. She repeatedly said that Ma and Pa wouldn't stop talking about how proud they felt during the capping and pinning ceremony. I was stuck on their porch for a good number of minutes. Only when I received a text from Vine did I find an excuse.

"Thank you for seeing me out, Auntie. I need to go now. Phi just finished working and I need to fetch her."

"Thanks again, Wit. I'll wait for your next tutoring session with Min," she said as I began leaving their porch, making sure not to say more because that would urge Auntie to talk again and the cycle would never end.

"Wit!" she suddenly called out, making me halt in my tracks. It sounded urgent.

Auntie still had a smile on her face but she looked curious. "Your internship is coming. Which hospital were you first assigned to?"

"Rakphong Hospital," I answered which made her smile wider. That's because Auntie works there and surely, she and I would be assigned to the same station at least once during the duration of my internship there.

"Good. I'll see you there then. Auntie will take care of you." she muttered with pride. "You'll be the best nurse in no time."

I nodded my head. That was my goal. To be the best nurse because I know that becoming the best would mean everything to my parents.

Once done with our goodbyes, I left their gates and entered Pa's car parked outside. The journey to Vine's workplace was easy, I knew the places to take to avoid the traffic. I knew I'd get there in time despite the pace of my driving.

I was listening and dancing to the tunes of Chocolate when a call suddenly arrived and interfered with my enjoyment. Although disappointed by the soured mood, I answered the call. My brows immediately arched up in bewilderment when loud music flared through the speakers as soon as I took Thorn's call.

"Thorn? I'm on my way to fetch Phi."

"Wait, Wit! Don't hang up!"

The music died down a little but I could still hear it. He must have walked away from the source and judging by how loud it was, the rascal was probably at a club. "Where the hell are you?"

"Insanity!"

I knew it. It was the new club that Kai established with his father. "What are you doing there? You told us your shift is at the café today."

"Kai asked me to compete. His father held a bartending competition. He forgot to inform me and basically dragged me here just minutes ago. I called as soon as I finished dressing up."

A sigh escaped my lips when he said this. Kai was abusing his authority. He knew Thorn is a man of part and he used it to his advantage. I can't fault him though. Thorn owes him a lot of shifts already so I guess this is him asking for payback.

"Do you need a cheering squad?"

"Come on, Wit. I can get that without calling you. I just wink and the girls go cheering. Chanting my name."

Arrogant rascal.

"Cheeky. You'll get a slap later for saying that."

Thorn just laughed at what I said. His voice was loud, but I could tell the little strain at the end of his laughter. Hah. He must be nervous. If I report this, he'll really receive one or two slaps later.

"Phi will slaughter you if she doesn't get her coffee. We promised her that when we left the park." I opened up, reminding him that the initial itinerary for this evening was the café, not the bar.

He halted his laughter and cleared his throat, refocusing on our conversation instead of coming up with solutions to evade the slap he would receive later on. "That's why I called you."

"Nope. I'm not taking your place on this one, Thorn. The last time I took the blame, Phi nearly went nuts on me."

"No. I want you to go to the café and get her coffee before heading here. I already asked Non to make her favorite blend. Fetch the coffee first before going to Phi. That will calm her down so she won't rage on me for changing plans."

Thorn's timing is actually perfect. I was near the intersection of the café and just needed to take a turn to get there. Following his plan was now the best choice so I did as he said and took my time traveling to the café.

"What time are you competing? I hope we get to see you perform." I am not much of a bar person. The only time I go clubbing or even visit bars is when Thorn performs.

His low chuckle could be heard from the other line. "I'm competing last. Asked Kai for it. With your driving speed, I need to be last so you can watch."

I could only roll my eyes at his teasing. "You'll hear no cheering from me."

"Ohoi! I was just kidding!" he replied, chuckling. "I need you, Wit~"

Ah.

Yes.

Now, this is what you call a joke.

"I'm here," I stated, having no intentions of replying to his desperate attempt to take back what he said about my driving.

I pulled into the driveway and not a moment too soon, Non came out with a cup of coffee in his hands. "Nong Non~"

"I just brewed it, Phi~" he said as he handed it to me through the car window. His signature beret looked flashy this evening as it matched the rustic wood interior of the cafe. "Should still be fresh for P'Vine."

I gave him a grateful smile. Non is young and is working the evening shift in the cafe for extra income. The three of us adore him not simply because his visuals are pleasing to the eye, but because he pays great attention to details. He knows what Vine would want from the tone of her voice and the expression that she makes. He knows just how sweet Thorn wants his coffee and what dessert would excite him the most.

He's the other reason why the cafe is always filled during the evening. When Thorn isn't available for the evening shift, Kai would place all his trust in Non and no other employee would argue his decision. Non is the best kid there is to trust in handling customers.

"Thank you, Nong," I muttered after settling the coffee in the passenger seat. Afterward, I took out the payment and made sure to include a huge tip for our hardworking junior.

Non received it with a huge smile. "Thank you, Phi! Please send my regards to P'Vine."

I nodded my head in acknowledgment. "Have a great evening, Nong Non."

And with that, I was en route to Vine's Taekwondo center. A cup of coffee as an offering and a prayer ran through my head. I hope this is enough to keep my head sticking to my neck.

>>>To Be Continued