Be Careful Out There

"Ahhh," she rubbed her protruding belly, full of all the goodness of stir fry vegetables, burping loudly. "You should be a chef."

Jake rolled his eyes at his sister who was acting so unladylike. "I don't want to be a chef."

"What do you want to be?"

Era realized at that moment that Jake never talked about things that he liked. Their father started getting in and out of the hospital when he was in fifth grade and now that he was a sophomore, their father got worse and Jake had stopped talking about wanting things for himself. A pang of pain and pity toward her only brother grabbed her heart.

Jake gave her a wan smile. "Not a chef."

Era creased her brows. She did not like him acting so mysteriously.

"What is it? Why can't you tell me?"

Jake stood up from his chair and started gathering their dirty dishes. He was clearly not going to answer her question.

"What is it? You have to tell me. Why are you keeping it a secret?" She asked despite the sinking feeling in her guts.

Era had a feeling that Jake was refusing to tell her what he wanted because it was something that would cause them money. She had already noticed that Jake avoided doing things, wanting things, or even liking things that needed money. And for her that was heartbreaking. She wanted him to have fun, and enjoy his youth without worries but with their current financial situation, her wants for her family were shot to the moon.

Before coming home, she and Trez, together with their small team had a meeting for Trez's plan for the next race that she was going to join. When it got finalized, they talked about the money.

She tried so hard to keep her disappointment at bay, hiding it from Trez and the rest of the team because the share she got barely covered a month of medication for her father and some extra cash to give to the shark loan enough to leave them alone for a few days.

She heaved a deep sigh, watching her brother's back as he washed the dirty dishes on the sink of their tiny kitchen, thinking how they could survive with all their expenses that were prettily drowning them in the most suffocating way possible.

Era tried to calculate in her head the amount of money her mother brought home last month

since she started working on two jobs and the money was barely enough to feed them for a month, pay for their house bills, and pay for some of Jake's school fees. It was a good thing that Jake had a scholarship because if not, there would be no way for him to continue his schooling.

She was still in deep thought about the trouble they were in when her phone vibrated from the pocket of her jeans. She pulled her phone from her pocket without taking her eyes off her brother's back

She just took her eyes off her brother when she looked at her phone screen to check the message. A relieved breath escaped her mouth when she read the cryptic message she knew too well.

"I'll go out for a bit. Don't wait for mom to come home. Just leave her some food on the table and go to bed. You have an early class tomorrow," she said, pushing her chair under the table before walking away from it.

"I'm going to study for a test tomorrow. Ma would probably find me at the dining table."

Era stopped walking and looked over her shoulder. Jake still had his back turned on her.

"Just get a good rest. Good luck with your exam tomorrow."

"Good luck with your race."

Era shook her head and did not bother to hide the reason for her going out at this hour. There was no sense in hiding from her brother since he knew exactly where she was going.

She hurried to the living room and grabbed her backpack that she was carrying when she came home and got out of the house while texting.

She had sent a message to the unregistered number that texted her to confirm her attendance.

Era had to walk for three blocks to reach the main road where there would be taxis at this hour.

She looked at her watch, checking the time and her steps hurried. She had to be there on time or better before the discussed time because things could go down unpredictably especially when there were sudden changes in the race deal.

She had given up on getting a race tonight because the friend that she knew who had contact with the organizer of the street race had told her that there was no race happening tonight.

She was a bit disappointed because she was hoping to get more money. Hence, the sudden change of plan was something that made her happy.

She liked the kind of race that was going to happen because she wasn't going to race her own car. She was just going to drive a car and she would get paid whether she won or lost. Of course, she wanted to win rather than lose because she would get a good tip from the car's owner.

When she reached the intersection of the main road, she stood next to a street light as she prayed for a taxi to come.

Her prayer was answered when she saw a taxi approaching. She quickly stepped off the curb, waving her arm aggressively in the air until the taxi stopped in front of her.

She hurried inside the taxi and gave the taxi driver the address of the place. He gave her a questioning look when he heard the address she had given but she ignored him. Instead, she parted her wig on the sides and started braiding her hair. Right after, she pulled a cloth purse from her backpack and started putting on some makeup.

The taxi driver's curious gaze was visible as he observed her from the rearview mirror.

When they arrived at their destination, she was in full makeup, taking black the main color on her face. She looked nothing like the girl who got in the taxi when she got out of it.

"Be careful out there!"

Era chuckled under her breath when she heard what the taxi driver said after her.

"They should be the ones to be careful with me," she replied under her breath, swinging her backpack in her right hand.