"Thanks for coming! Tell others I cut my hair here."
I decided to close my business after about 4 hours and gained about 8 customers in total, which is not bad for a starter. I know I have a disadvantage when it comes to my age and trust, but I can't do anything about it. Trust builds up through time. I can only be patient about it.
"60, 100, 160… oh, another 30."
Not bad. As I counted the money that I received, 190 pesos for working 4 hours was not bad. I could buy 4 kilos of rice, or I could buy one and a half kilos of chicken with it. I was thinking of buying food for my parents today.
"Maybe I should go and buy some in the market."
It was already afternoon when I decided to leave the house. My father had already left about 2 hours ago to work nearby. After pulling some customers for me, he left.
Today the weather was a little cloudy. In the Philippines, when July starts it usually rains about two times every week. But when it doesn't, the sun will really cook you up. Maybe that is the reason why many people get sick at this time, because the weather has its own mood swings.
I brought my handy umbrella as I walked about a kilometer to reach the main road. I could ride a tricycle to reach the main road, however the fee is 20 pesos. I have to save as much as I can. As I walked to the main road, I saw some children around my age playing outside.
"They are so lively.".
Even if I was old in my past life, men always love to play no matter the age. There was even an influencer back in my previous life who said men become mature at the age of 12 and then they don't grow anymore.
I passed quietly as I watched them play, feeling a bit envious. But my plan for today wouldn't be interrupted just because I wanted to play. I mean, I am an adult and know my priorities.
I walked for about 15 minutes when I finally reached the main road.
Sigh! Why is the jeepney taking so long to pass! I grumbled, because it had already been about 5 minutes since I arrived at the road waiting for a jeepney.
Jeepneys and tricycles are the main transportation in this area. Buses and bigger transportation only pass through the national highways.
After 10 more minutes of waiting, a jeepney passed, so I raised my hand to stop it. The jeepney stopped in front of me and some passengers stepped down. I got inside the jeepney and felt a little nostalgic because it had been so long since I rode one.
I didn't know how much the minimum fare was right now, so I just paid a 20 peso bill to be sure.
"Plaza po Isa!!" I told the driver.
(Meaning 1 person to Plaza)
I had to raise my voice a little because jeepneys are really noisy. He then gave me my change. I counted it and saw that there were 13 pesos.
"7 pesos is the minimum fare, huh," I exclaimed.
Then I remembered that there was a time back then when we rode jeepneys. When we were near our destination, we did what people called 123. It simply meant we jumped at the count of three.
"Hehe.".
I couldn't control my laugh today. So many nostalgic things were happening.
Thus it helps me forget and cool off from what happened yesterday. I should visit Kyle on my way. It is nearby the plaza after all.
Even though Uncle John already told me I did my best, my mind still keeps thinking about it. Even in my past life, I am living this. I always try to do things perfectly. If I made a mistake, I won't be able to forget about it for a long time. Unless I do things, my mind will always wonder about my mistake.
———
A few minutes later,
I was in the hospital.
"Are there any patients named Kyle here?" I asked at the front desk.
The nurse checked her list. "One moment…"
A few seconds later, she nodded.
"Room 204. Second floor, end of the hallway."
I walked upstairs thinking of what to say to him. But the stairs were just short so I wasn't able to come up with anything.
I opened the said door and found Kyle lying in bed. He was really beaten up. His face had bruises all over.
"Hey, man…" I said quietly as I stepped in.
Kyle looked up and gave a weak smile. "You're late, you should've come sooner and seen how beautiful the nurses are here."
I scoffed a little. "You're joking?"
He chuckled, then winced. "Yeah… so boring."
I pulled up a chair beside him. "Does it hurt?"
"Everything hurts."
"But the doctors told my parents I can go back home. It's just that my parents won't let me run a lot of tests on me before going back," Kyle ranted.
Sighed.
"It was so boring, man," he added.
I understand the parents' view on this. Your son got beaten up inside the school. They obviously want the counterpart and the school to pay for all of this.
I nodded slowly. "…Sorry."
Kyle looked at me for a second. "For what?"
I hesitated. "For running."
He clicked his tongue. "Idiot. If you stayed, we'd both be in here."
That made me quiet.
"Plus, if you didn't do that, we might die, you know."
We talked about several things and it took about an hour to finish.
"Man, I have to go see you on Monday!"
"See ya, man."
I left the hospital feeling heavier than when I arrived. I needed to clear my head, so I continued toward the plaza.
As I walked towards the public market and saw the plaza, I noticed the difference compared to my past life. This plaza felt more authentic than the one in the future. The stalls were built left and right, and many groups of people roamed around buying things, clearly enjoying their time bonding with family.
I noticed a stall on the side and realized that I was really thirsty because of all the walking and waiting. So I decided to buy a drink.
"5 pesos of buko, please!" I told the vendor.
He started to scoop some coconut water. He put it in a plastic bag and inserted a straw into it, then handed it to me.
Buko juice is coconut water with some sugar added to freshen it up. They put it in a container with ice and then sell it. It is one of the most famous refreshing drinks in the Philippines. Everyone loves it.
"Excuse me!!!"
Thud!!!
Someone running past crashed into me. I fell to the ground, and my drink splashed all over my shirt.
"Ow, sh*t! What the hell, man? Watch where you're going! Can't you see me?" I complained. For a moment, I completely forgot about my age.
I started cleaning myself up when I heard the voice of the person who had hit me.
"Sorry, young man. You should be more careful," said a teenage boy who was clearly older than me, speaking gleefully. I already have enough for this fucking kid.
My blood began to boil, and my thoughts about my guilt for Kyle faded.
I smiled. I bowed slightly as if to fix my shirt, then
Bang!!!