"Ma'am, that's not fair. It's only been two months since I missed paying rent. Why are you kicking me out already? I told you I'll pay, didn't I?"
"Well, well, listen to this! You're the one who owes me money, yet you act so bold, as if you're someone important!" I almost screamed when Aling Lena, the landlady of this so-called 'apartment,' threw a fragile mug at me. Thank goodness I managed to dodge it, otherwise, I'd be in the hospital next to Thirdy right now.
I took a deep breath and lifted my chin to meet her glare. "I'm not leaving. I told you I'll pay-"
"Then give it to me." She stretched out her hand in front of me, making me blink several times. "Go on, give me the payment so I won't have to kick you out. I'm a person who needs money too, just like you, Lyana. If you're not going to pay rent, then you better leave so someone else can actually make use of that house."
"I said I'll pay-"
"Then give it to me!" she snapped, cutting me off sharply. I couldn't help but scowl as she shoved her hand closer to my face, her palm wide open like she was starving for cash.
Instead of handing her anything, I pushed her hand away and brushed past her.
"Hey! Lyana! Get back here! Damn it, you've got some nerve! Living here rent-free with no shame!" she yelled after me, but I ignored her and stormed straight inside the house.
Expressionless, I began gathering my things and shoving them into my old, worn-out bag. I slammed every item I owned into it, one after another, without caring for the noise. When I was sure I had everything, I glanced around the cramped apartment one last time.
I rolled my eyes when I spotted two cockroaches trying to crawl into my bag, as if they wanted to come along. I stormed out and slammed the door shut behind me.
"Oh, so you're leaving after all. And here you were, acting all tough."
I lifted my chin toward Aling Lena and shot her a glare. My mood soured even more when I noticed the crowd of nosy neighbors who had gathered to watch the scene unfold. Typical. Always hungry for gossip. Maybe they'd be next to get kicked out.
"Honestly, it's embarrassing to live in your filthy little 'apartment' that doesn't even look like one. You charge rent like it's a palace when it's barely livable! Prices keep going up as if I'm asking you for a favor!" I snapped, slinging my bag over my shoulder.
"Why, you ungrateful brat-"
"Aling Lena, you begged me to rent that place because no one else wanted to live there. You should be thanking me for putting up with it. Now, let's see if anyone else will rent that rat hole after me."
With that, I turned on my heel and walked away with my head held high.
I could still hear her complaining and the neighbors whispering behind me, but I didn't bother to look back. Once I was far enough, I let out a long, tired sigh.
Damn it. What's with today? Did the heavens decide to rain misfortune and make me the only one to catch it all?
First, I didn't get the job. Second, Thirdy got into an accident and ended up in a private hospital we can't afford. Third, the driver who hit him ran away. And now, fourth, I got evicted.
Just perfect.
I reached into my pocket to make sure the money I borrowed from Jasrylle was still there. I had stopped by her place earlier before heading home, and thank God she had some extra cash to lend me. She gave me four thousand pesos, her earnings from her shift last night.
Still, the four thousand I borrowed from her and the two thousand from Tiyang weren't nearly enough to cover the hospital bills. And now that I'd been kicked out, I had nowhere to stay. I couldn't keep imposing on Tiyang, she'd already done too much for us. I was sure her husband would start a fight tonight after finding out she gave me their earnings.
I pulled my bag off my shoulder and fished out my old keypad phone. Biting my lower lip, I copied the number that Dr. Vallero had given me earlier. Thank goodness she did, otherwise, I'd have no idea what to do.
My fingers trembled as I dialed her number. Luckily, Jasrylle had loaded some prepaid credit on my phone before we went to the bar earlier, just in case something bad happened and I needed to call her.
My heart pounded while I waited for Dr. Vallero to pick up. She must've been busy, it took two calls before she finally answered.
"Hello? Who's this?"
I swallowed hard at the sound of her voice. Taking a deep breath, I finally spoke. "Dr. Vallero?"
"Yes? Who's speaking?"
"L-Lyana."
There was a pause. The silence on the other end made my stomach twist. "L-Lyana? Why are you calling? Is there a problem?" she asked at last.
I swallowed again. "That offer you mentioned earlier... no one's accepted it yet, right?"
"H-Huh? Offer?" She went quiet for a moment, and I bit my lip nervously. "O-Oh, that. Yes, the offer's still valid. W-Why? Have you thought about it?"
"Yes."
"R-Really?! You're agreeing to it?"
I didn't answer right away. Instead, I exhaled deeply and tightened my grip on the bag strap over my shoulder. "Can we meet tomorrow? I want to talk about it more thoroughly."
"A-Are you sure?"
"I haven't decided yet... but maybe, who knows, I might change my mind and agree to your offer." My voice came out soft, uncertain.
I heard her let out a long sigh of relief on the other end. I lowered my gaze, my chest tightening. I didn't know what was running through her mind, and that made me even more anxious. I didn't fully understand what the job entailed, but right now, I was desperate. Desperate for something that could quickly get me the money I needed, just like she said.
Besides, she told me her cousin was wealthy. If I accepted her offer to become a surrogate mother, I could finally give Thirdy a good life... and maybe I wouldn't have to keep breaking my back just to survive.
It would only be once, after all.
"All right," she said at last. "When are you free? I can come to you anytime. Just tell me where."
"Tomorrow. Is tomorrow okay?"
"Of course! J-Just tell me the place. I'll handle everything else."
I felt a rush of relief. I thought convincing her would be harder, especially after I turned her down earlier, but it seemed like she was more eager than I was.
I thanked her before ending the call. Just in time, a jeepney passed by, so I waved it down and climbed aboard. I couldn't stay out too long. Thirdy might wake up and look for me.
"Fare, please," I said, handing my payment to the driver. When he took it, I finally sat down and tried to relax.
I bit my lower lip again, thinking about Dr. Vallero's offer. I'd forgotten about it for a while because of Thirdy's accident, but after bumping into that man at the hospital earlier, the thought came rushing back.
My chest tightened. What if I end up regretting this? What if something goes wrong? I didn't know anything about the process. In fact, I'd only learned today that such a thing was even possible. The rich really did live in another world.
Still, I told myself I'd survived worse. Maybe I could survive this too.
I took a deep breath, weighing all the possibilities. Why me, though? Why would Dr. Vallero offer this to a complete stranger like me instead of hiring someone through an agency abroad? She said they had one, so why go out of their way to find someone like me... clueless and inexperienced?
It didn't make sense. But maybe, as she said, they just wanted to be discreet. Apparently, the couple's family was keeping a close eye on them.
I pursed my lips. How old were they, I wondered, that they still hadn't conceived? Spending so much money just to have a child... while others got pregnant without even trying.
Whoever that child will be, they're lucky.
A pang of envy hit me. If only I'd been rich too... maybe my baby back then would've survived.
I exhaled sharply and shook my head. Whatever. What mattered now was getting the money to pay Thirdy's hospital bills and his maintenance meds. And after that, finding us a place to live once he was discharged.
Talk about bad luck. Even if Thirdy gets out of the hospital, we'd probably be sleeping on the streets.
I glanced out the window, and my eyes widened when I realized I had missed our stop.
"Stop here, please!" I yelled in a panic.
The driver braked abruptly, nearly throwing me forward. I muttered a quick curse and apologized to the passengers before jumping off the jeep and running back toward the hospital.
"Just my luck," I muttered under my breath.
When I finally reached the hospital, I brushed off my clothes and fixed my hair. The last thing I needed was to look like I didn't belong here. These people already looked intimidating enough, one glance at me and they'd probably think I wandered in by mistake.
Once I was sure I looked somewhat decent, I walked inside, biting my lip again as I passed the clean, well-dressed people in the hallway. I kept my head low and my pace quick until I reached the corridor leading to Thirdy's room.
His room was on the third floor. I was about to take the elevator, but when I saw the polished, high-class faces inside, I immediately backed away and chose the stairs instead. I was exhausted, but what choice did I have? If I rode with them, they'd probably look at me from head to toe.
Better tired than humiliated. Pride's all I've got left anyway.
I climbed slowly, but froze when I crossed paths with a familiar face going down. My heart skipped when our eyes met for a moment, but I quickly looked away, remembering what I'd overheard him say earlier.
He had a wife. What a shame, he looked young.
I widened my eyes slightly at the ridiculous thought and shook my head, walking faster to pass him. He didn't seem to recognize me anyway and continued his way downstairs.
I exhaled heavily and kept going until I reached the third floor. As soon as I arrived, I spotted Tiyang, talking on her phone.
"Tiyang!" I called, running toward her.
She looked up and slipped her phone into her pocket. "What is it? Did you find money? I borrowed three thousand from my friend at the market-"
"Don't worry, Tiyang," I cut her off with a small smile. "We have enough to pay the hospital. I'll be starting a new job tomorrow."
