Everyone got home full of worries after the announcement. No one said a thing. Carlo is excited, Raven is worried, Joseph is nervous, and as always, Kyle just smiles without care.
According to Lukas, we will be performing on August 23 to celebrate Heroes Month. We will be performing of bamboo , "Noypi."
This song is one of the most famous songs up until today. It presents the resilience and courage of Filipinos, saying that this was a God-given trait to us.
My part in the chorus is the most difficult part of it. It makes me nervous.
"Well, practice makes perfect. The performance is about a few months from now, so there are no worries." I walked back home to save some cash.
Once I reached my house, I immediately took a bath because I already felt disgusted with myself. Then I opened my small business, Hair Cut. I've gained a little fame in our place. Many people, even in the neighboring barangay, come here for haircuts.
It was already 4 PM when I started, so I was only able to cut about 6 customers before closing my stall.
I earned 150 today, which is equivalent to about half of what provincial minimum wages earn in this country. So with the effort-to-earning ratio, I am doing well.
I have been saving for 5 days now, and I have earned my first 1 thousand pesos today.
"I am rich!!!!! I become the richest student in our school! Hahahahaha!" You might say that this doesn't deserve such celebration. However, it is a threshold for me. I've been working hard just to earn this much, so I deserve it.
I quickly went to the nearby store. Not to buy anything, but to have it changed into one whole bill.
Seeing this three-head Tito Vic and Joey, and it's a beautiful color blue, it makes me feel happy.
I immediately went back home to eat dinner with my family. At the table, pork sinigang is served. It is one of my favorites, especially the pork belly part. It is ultimately delicious.
"Brier, how is school? Does anyone bother you again?" my mom asked worriedly.
"Nothing really, it is fun," I said to ease her worries.
"You look happy today. Did some good news happen?" my father asked.
I immediately grabbed the blue bill in my pocket and showed it to them.
"Ow. Did you pick it up on the street? Congratulations!" My father teased me.
"Hey, I earned this! It is my first blue bill," I replied.
"Let me borrow it, I'll multiply it for you," my father added. He was clearly making fun of me.
"Hahaha, not gonna happen!" I replied. I know I will be scammed if I believe that. I experienced it multiple times, and I won't fall again.
I planned to invest it in other things. However, I need a contact for that.
"Dad, do you have Uncle Richard's contact? I need something from him," I said. Then everything stopped. The mood turned bad at the table, especially my father. His mood instantly turned sour.
Uncle Richard is known for his misdemeanor. He is known for selling drugs in our municipality. He is not a big figure, but still a problem child in our community.
"Why are you looking for him?" my father looked at me with worry. They think that I don't know what Uncle Richard's business is.
"Brier, you shouldn't meet that guy," my mother added.
"Your Uncle Richard is already a lost cause. Don't try contacting him. I won't give it to you," my father said firmly, clearly not expecting no as an answer.
"Wait, let me explain. I heard that he is selling a good camera for a cheap price. I want to buy it. If I tried to buy it in the mall, it would cost me 17k. However, he is selling it like street food. I want to grab that."
My father thought for a long time. The quietness at our table is suffocating. I am sweating because I am really nervous if he rejects my proposal.
"Why do you need a camera?"
"I am planning to pursue this career and try to gain fame on the internet," I said.
"Mom and I talked about it a while back. I think I'll try becoming an artist. So if I am going to try, then I want to be fully committed to it," I said with determination. This is a new path for me. Unlike other people, if I am going to do this, then I want to become famous for a long time.
Then another round of awkward silent permits on the table. You can only hear the sound of a spoon and fork moving on our plate.
Few minutes later.
"Let me think about it. But you won't meet him yourself. I'll contact him on my own," my father replied.
It wasn't easy to let your son go around someone who is dangerous. Even though you know he won't do bad things to him, still the fact that he can learn bad habits from him is something fathers need to worry about.
"That's good enough." The dinner turned back to normal after a while. My parents gossiped about the neighbors, which is fun to hear. Every Filipino dinner, gossip is a major part. Even though your food is not that grand, as long as you guys gossip, everything feels light.
People might say that females are the ones who carry the news. However, my father and his friends have more news than them.
After dinner, I immediately went back to my room to practice the song that was given to me. My part involves the 1st chorus and the last pre-chorus.
The only difficult part of it is where I need to shout "HOY." It sounds weird. Also uncomfortable because I rarely shout using these words.
"HOY!---" Nah, it is really sad to hear. I repeated it multiple times, but to no avail. I think I am close to getting it right however, once I do it it sounds really awkward.
Let's try it again.
"Ho–" I was about to shout again.
Bang!!
My door slammed open. I saw my mother glaring at me. Then I looked at the time it was already 11. I didn't even notice the time.
Bang!!
A flying slipper flew at my face.
"Hey!! Brier, stop shouting! You're waking our neighbors!!!"
Then she slammed the door shut.
Let's sleep.
—------
I woke up in the morning feeling tired. I wasn't able to sleep no matter how many times I closed my eyes. Things kept running in my mind.
I sighed and stood up to prepare for going to school.
I saw my father outside. He was about to leave.
"Hey Brier! Richard's reply was he was selling it for 2k. Give me your 1k. Let's take it. Pay me later." I quickly handed him the blue bill that I loved so much.
"Goodbye, my love," I said as I handed it to my father.
"You know we can forget the camera, right?"
"Nah! You can take it. Goodbye," I said while shoving the bill into his hands.
A while ago, I was the richest student in our school. Suddenly, I've become the poorest student with a 1k debt. Just how this world turns so quickly. But knowing that this is for the sake of my future, I just try to forget the negative thoughts and move on.