3 years ago.

"Mom, I'm leaving!" I said goodbye to my mother who was washing her clothes, she looked at me and then smiled. She stood up in her seat and then approached me.

"Be careful daughter," she said that's why I nodded while smiling.

"Promise mom, I'll be back here with my dad," I said proudly so she laughed, she touched my cheek and then pulled me to hug. I closed my eyes and hugged my mother as well.

"Hopefully daughter," she whispered then let go of the hug and looked at me.

"All right, get out and you might get late caught on the bus, be careful," she said that's why I took my bag and then nodded to my mother.

"I'll be back too," I said then with a smile turned my back on my mother, I immediately followed the waiting tricycle on the side and then looked at my mother again.

"Your medicine! Don't forget to drink." I said, she smiled and nodded at me, I waved my two hands at her and then smiled.

"On the bus station," I told the tricycle driver I could arrange a seat. This is the beginning of the day when I will look for my father. I took out the picture that my mother gave me and then smiled while looking at the picture of my father, my mother was there with him and they were hugging each other.

"I'll be with you too, papa." I smiled and then hid the picture, a few minutes later when I got off the tricycle and got on the bus before I got on the bus where I was going to ride to the town where I heard my dad was there I first went through a minimart to buy the food I will need because it also takes a few days to travel there.

When I got on the bus, I immediately sat by the window and waited for the bus to start. I was distracted by someone sitting in the empty seat next to me.

I frowned when I saw him busy playing dumb ways to die.

"Can I die that way?" My forehead furrowed even more because of what the man next to me said. I just looked in front of me and then took a deep breath, I haven't been to another town yet but I immediately met a weird person.

I just turned my gaze to the window then slammed my earphone into my ear and plugged the end of it into my Nokia cellphone.

One day, I will have a cellphone just like the cellphone of the man next to me.

I leaned back in my seat and then closed my eyes to sleep for a while but a demon servant approached me causing me to look at the person next to me who was already looking at me.

"You seem to have paid." He said so I looked at the man standing next to him then smiled and took my purse from the pocket of my bag, but my forehead frowned when I felt that my purse was not there. I immediately searched my whole bag but the ground almost swallowed me with shame and trepidation because I didn't find a purse there.

"Where's my wallet?"  I whispered to myself. I swallowed and looked at the one next to me who came out a thousand.

"We both paid." He told the conductor so my eyes widened and I felt ashamed of what the man next to me had done.

"Where's the chin?" he asked the man.

"One of the hermitages." The man answered and then pointed at me. "Just ask her," he said then went back to playing dumb ways to die. My lips parted as I looked at him. It only broke when the conductor called me.

"In the municipality of Roxas," I said then looked back at the man next to me. The conductor left so I felt even more embarrassed.

What? How do I say the word thank you to him? He was wearing earphones and playing dumb ways to die. I swallowed and then touched the man but he did not look at me. I touched him again and that time he looked at me.

He raised an eyebrow and waited for me to say something.

I pointed to the earphone that was plugged into his ear so he removed it, I smiled.

"Thank you, God bless you," I said but he just stared at me.

"I said thank you," I repeat.

"Oh done?" The man asked so I was surprised.

"Say 'You're welcome don't you--"

"Ah all right, all right, just wait for someone to talk about it." He said he then finally removed another earphone that was attached to his ear. "What's that Ms.?" He asked me causing me to stare and be ashamed of what I said.

I mean, was he talking to someone while on earphones? Josmio, Lord Please forgive me for what I did to him earlier. I'm just a human being and I made mistakes.

"Ms.? Are you saying something?" He asked me so I was scared.

"I-I said, s-thank you," I said. "G-God bless you," I added, he didn't say a word then put the earphone back on his ear and continued to play dumb ways to die while talking to someone.

Nothing welcome? 'you're welcome?'

I just looked out the window and closed my eyes, I didn't realize the time I fell asleep. I just woke up last night and I could feel hungry. I took the food I bought earlier and looked at the man next to me but he was no longer there and was empty again.

I just shrugged my shoulders and then looked for my food when I could find something on the side of my bag, I wrinkled my forehead and saw that it was my wallet.

I was stunned to remember that it had not been there before so I immediately opened it and saw a small piece of paper tucked between twenty and five hundred.

"You fell your wallet earlier, let me get your fare earlier. Anyways, You're welcome."

~ D

I almost dropped my jaw at what I read.

Son of ten dogs ?!