Chapter 4

• Peri watched him step out of the elevator and let out a sigh of relief. The elevator went up again. She pushed the trolley toward the messy suite she had to clean. When she went in using the keycard, she found the room wasn’t that messy at all. It seemed that the guest valued cleanliness. So, she did her inspection to see where the messy part was. Indeed, she found it at the mini-bar. There were little pieces of a broken wine glass. The larger ones, she found out, were already in the trash. She was careful not to cut herself, so she used the dustpan and broom. She then mopped the white-tiled floor to remove the wine stain.
• She cleaned up the entire room and changed the bedding. Then, she took the tip that was left on the bedside table, where there was a small note with not-so-good handwriting. Even so, she was sure it was for whoever cleaned up the room. She thought the guest was generous as she pocketed the tip.
• “So, how was it?” Lenny, who was in her mid-thirties and Peri’s supervisor at the hotel, asked.
• “Oh, I’m done cleaning Suite 609. It wasn’t so bad,” she reported, handing over the paper.
• “Really?”
• She nodded, frowning a little. “Why?”
• “The guest is an American and is generous. That’s why I asked you to clean it, so you may have a bigger tip,” the supervisor chattered, smiling at her.
• “I don’t think I’ve met the guest there yet,” she admitted. “Just when did he check-in?” They walked toward the employee’s lounge area to have a short break.
• “A few days ago. I think he’s not so fond of the beach. He hasn’t asked for suggestions yet, from what I know, but he did ask about mountain hiking and such,” Lenny proceeded.
• “He might not be fond of beaches, but it’s weird. All foreigners love to go to the beach,” she mused. “Why would they—or he—come to an island like ours?”
• “Right?” Lenny widened her cat-like eyes, grinning at her.
• Peri nodded again. “Anyway, it’s not good to discuss a person behind his back.” Her lips moved sideways in a grimace.
• Lenny laughed at her. “People always talk about other people behind their backs. Anyway, I saw that guest in Suite 609. He’s quite gorgeous, you know?”
• “Hmm,” she just uttered, eating a chicken sandwich that her grandma prepared for her.
• Lenny’s brows moved upward. “Hey, why aren’t you interested?”
• “Huh? Should I be?” She blinked innocently. Her mind was already on her lessons she needed to review.
• Her supervisor loured. “You’re young—”
• “Exactly!” she agreed immediately.
• Lenny’s jaw dropped and shook her head. “You’re hopeless.”
• She laughed a little. “Why are you saying that?”
• “For two years that we’ve been together, you’re still the same! You’re hardworking; you study hard; and you don’t even ogle guys!”
• “Why do you sound like you’re complaining?”
• “Because!” Lenny’s eyes were like saucers, bewildered at her lack of attention on men, young or not. “You’re twenty, you’ll be twenty-one in August, like a few months from now, but in your drab life, you’re single since birth!”
• “I can’t see any problem with that,” Peri countered gently, still munching her sandwich.
• Lenny took a bite of her own half-foot sandwich, which had a bright red hotdog, mayonnaise, and lettuce. She chewed fast and swallowed before speaking, “Men are always a hop away, you know?”
• “What d’you mean a hop away?” She frowned.
• Lenny patted her cheek lightly. “My girl Peri, you’re so naive.”
• “Not so, but I admit I’m conservative. You already know that my grandmother and father who raised me are conservative folks. I shouldn’t flirt with anyone. They always remind me not to touch or be touched by boys or even girls.” With that, she took Lenny’s hand away from her cheek. “Then, they told me over and over again to go home at the right hour. Of course, my night school is exempted from that rule, now that I’m both working and studying. And then, there are more others than that. I don’t think you wanna hear them.”
• Lenny looked at her with pity, clucking her tongue. “Is their silent wish to make you a nun?”
• Peri giggled. “Of course not! It’s just the way they are. That’s my family.”
• Lenny shook her head. “You miss half of your life if you don’t have some fun with boys, girl. Trust me, it’s exciting! It makes your life colorful and beautiful!”
• She gave Lenny a squinting look. “Is your life colorful and beautiful? If I’m not mistaken, you had this long face just yesterday.”
• “Oh, that? Well, that’s part of it being colorful, not so beautiful.”
• Peri snickered at that. “See? I’m better off alone. Besides, I don’t have time for any of that. My life is colorful enough. Not so beautiful as you put it, but yeah, I’m good. Just being like this.” Her mind strayed to Remrod. She hadn’t felt any regret at all.
• ***
• Her day went by quickly; it was uneventful. She went home, finding her blind father having a fit after bumping his head somewhere. Her grandmother was beside herself, trying to stop the bleeding. She inspected her father’s wound, thinking it was not that bad.
• “It’s okay, Pa. You don’t need to go to the hospital for a stitch.”
• Anyway, her father hates hospitals, so for sure, he wouldn’t like it.
• “Even if it needs a dozen stitches, I will not go,” he declared, pursing his lips.
• Peri finished up by placing a band-aid on his wound to cover it. “Don’t wet it ‘til the wound is dry,” she advised, staring at her father’s face.
• There was nothing wrong with Patricio’s face, even after the accident. However, it was his head that took the impact hard. A part of his brain, which was connected to his eyesight, was affected, hence this tragedy. It happened just after her high school graduation. They were all devastated by it since he couldn’t regain his eyesight anymore—the doctors’ and specialists’ sad news. Even if there was hope, the Tolentino family knew they couldn’t afford such an expensive surgery. Her father had then changed after that while she was problematic, trying her best to find a job to support their family. Her grandmother, who had little savings, told her to continue studying. That was enough to kick start her college studies.
• “Have a rest, Pa,” Peri suggested softly, putting a hand lightly on his shoulder. “It’s late.”
• Her father did not say a word or even a grunt. He just took the cane to navigate toward his bedroom, with his mother holding his elbow.
• Peri sighed and put a hand on her forehead, following the duo with her eyes while seated on the couch in the small living room. Her eyes grew hot, and she tried to suppress her tears.