"Alis na ako, Snow," Emma said dahil tapos na ang kanyang shift and it's now my turn, "Wag sana mainis sayo ang mga costumer natin.” Pabiro nya pang sabi.

I made a peace sign with my hand in reply, "I can’t promise you that." Tumawa nalang siya sa sagot ko habang jumaway saakin paalis.

Ayaw kong magsinungaling pero I tend to irritate people here and there, but only because they irritate me. Wag ko kong masamain ah, pero mabait naman akong tao. I simply follow my guiding principle of 'Treat me right and you'll be fine, but treat me wrong and you'll cry.'

Mabenta naman ang ice cream shop ngayon kahit papaano. Mayroong grupo ng mga binata sa isang sulok. Kanina pa sila rito pero walang ni isa sa kanila ang mayroong balak na umalis dahil nag-eenjoy yata sila tungkol sa kanilang pinag-uusapan.

My eyes flickered shut as I watched for a customer to show up. Nakatayo lang ako habang pinipilit na gisingin ang aking sarili. Fighting the urge to sleep had been a splendid battle with myself - an achievement.

Pero naiisip ko na baka bigla akong mafire out dito sa trabahp ko kaya bigla akong napatikhim. I don’t want that to happen. I badly need this job.

Although it might have been a bit dramatic...everything in my life is dramatic. And slowly, without a warning, I got used to it.

Bigla nalang pumasok sa isipan ko ang memorya ng aking tatay. Bago lamang sya namayapa at biglaan pa to. Our once colored life had faded into emptiness. The house that was filled with laughter and giggles was taken over by an eerie quietness.

Parang ang bilis ng mga pangyayari nung mga oras na yun. I was lost between reality and fantasy. I couldn't see anything the way I used to before, I loathed everything in the universe. Lahat sila..

Pero narealize ko oaano na lang si mama at ang kapatid. Napakahirap ng buhay nang wala si papa. Kaya kailangan ko maging malakas para kanila mama. If only I could just get popcorn and sit on a comfortable sofa while watching everything in the movie- which is my life. And if I hate a part, I could just fast forward or pause it or delete everything. If only there's a chance...

Eventually, napagisipan ni mama na umuwi sa kanyang probinsiya. Di na kasi namin kaya ang pamumuhay sa syudad, which led us here, in Springfield, to start something new. Mahirap pero kailangan kayanin. Unti until, nagtry kami ni mama na ibalik yung dati kahit na may mga missing pieces na humuhila samin.

Hindi ko hahayaang makita ako ng iba na umiyak. Never.

Well, Springfield is a wonderfully refreshing and peaceful town. Ako, si mama at amg kapatid kong si Nathan ay tumira dito tatling buwan matapos mamatay si papa… and I've been working at this ice cream shop for a few weeks now.

Hindi pa man kami matagal dito, kinuha ko lang tong trabahong to para na rin sa makapag handa sa susunod na pasukan tatlong buwan simula ngayon.

Kahit na hindi naman sinasabi ni mama, gusto ko siyang tulungan na kumita ng pera para naman hindi masyadong mabigat ang mga gastusin. She’s raising us on her own after all. I have to be responsible.

The lingering scent of vanilla lingered in the air. I took a look out the window to my right. The late afternoon sun shone through the glass doors as I turned on the air conditioning to keep the shop cool. Every 1 ng hapon ang shift ko hanggang 6 ng gabi.

The door chime jingled, making me stand up straight as a reflex, my posture perfect for work. A redhead girl with bright blue eyes walked in, and my face broke up into a bright fake smile.

"Good afternoon, miss. What would you like to have?" Tinanong ko sa kanya with matching masayang tono.

"One mint chocolate chip ice cream please," sagot nya, habang nakatingin sa flavors plastered above the counter.

"Coming up," I replied, grabbing a cone. I filled it with the ice cream she'd asked for. The monotonous routine continued -I gave her the ice cream, she paid, and I returned her change before she walked away towards a booth.

At ganyang lang ng paulit ulit ang trabaho ko.

Bored, kaya naman sumandal ako sa counter nang nakapikit. Gusot kong magpahnga at matulog na langper hindi pwede.

Just then, a thought occurred to me, my fingers began drumming on the table, itching to do something. It can't hurt to give it a shot, right? I'll play for a few minutes before stopping when a customer walks in. I'm sure I'll hear the doorbell…

I mean, masipag naman akong magtrabaho….

I took out my phone and began playing a racing game while remaining silent. The hours and minutes flew by. A few minutes quickly turned into an hour.

I was so engrossed i playing the game in my phone nang hindi ko napansin na nagbell pala ang pintuan. Someone from across the room clears their throat. I brushed it off, malapit nang tapusin ang laro,

Pero nakarinig ko ulit ng clearing of throat sa harap ko. Mas malakas na to kumpara kanina at nakuha naman ang atensyon ko kaya napatingin nalang ako kung sino man yung tao.

And when I saw that there was really someone in front of me, waiting to order, I immediately stood up, nahihiya dahil nakita akong naglalaro sa gitna ng shift ko. Very unprofessional of me.

"If I were the owner, I could have fired you for playing in the middle of your work," he snarled. Despite his harsh tone, his face was emotionless and calm.

My brows drew together. I was taken aback by this.

"Excuse me?" I asked, hindi sigurado kung narinig ko ba sya ng tama. I drew my brows furrowed. Seryoso ba sya? But that's beside the point; I need to concentrate and not let him get to me again.

"Psh, workers and their services..." he muttered under his breath, pero naririnig ko naman sya.

So I wasn't just hearing things. This person was having a problem with me. Sure, I've met a lot of people who were far worse than him, but that was just plain rude. I gave him a quick once-over: jet black hair, green eyes, and a red hoodie covering his head.

‌ He looked like he was around my age, 18 or 19 years old I guess.

At oo, aaminin kong gwapo sya. But what can that handsome face do if his attitude is rotten?

Biglang kumulo ang dugo ko sa taong to, konting konti nalang at tinetest nya talaga ang pasensya ko. Instead, I forced a smile on myself. Besides, I was only a worker, and this kind of situation was normal, even expected.

"Are you going to ask for my order or what?" he demanded, this time, mas malakas ang boses nya. His expression remained neutral, the same as it had been before, almost as if he didn't have one.

I could tell he was irritated. Galit na galit na sya. His slightly clenched jaw suggested as much.

Goodness. He’s a really tasting my patience too! I’ve encountered a lot of people like him pero hindi naman ganun kalala!