Chapter 8

When Alondra looked through it, she discovered many lovely dresses Daisy caught her gaze.

"What is this for?" he inquired.

"I'll give it to you," Daisy replied, smiling.

"How about you? Aren't you going to use it?" Alondra inquired, embarrassed. After all, she had done far too much for her. Daisy grinned.

"I gained weight, which is why it no longer fits me. Look at my body compared to your body, which is why all of that is yours," Daisy replied.

"Perhaps your sisters will use this one?"

Daisy responded, "I don't have siblings, Alondra; I only have a son."

"Okay. Are you sure you're going to give it to me?" Alondra asked reassuringly.

"I just said, didn't I? Take a shower so we can sleep now. And you can wear my other sexy clothes. I know it will suit you." Daisy said and turned to the cleaner while combing her hair.

Alondra stood up and went into the bathroom. She stripped naked and stood in the middle of the bathroom. She has no idea how to use the faucet above her. She thought she was poor at times. She still didn't know much about things and how to use them because she was so ignorant. She even lacks usable clothes and towels. Alondra simply leaned back, as if she was exhausted. She went into the toilet, which was just off to the side of the bathroom, and was relieved to see a bucket and mug she could use. She filled the bucket with water, then pushed into the bathroom and began bathing.

Alondra cried, her tears dripping into the water she was bathing in. Only now does she realize how pitiful she is. It's a good thing Daisy is with her because she doesn't judge her but rather helps and cares for her. But if the person she was with is bad, she is at a loss for what to do; perhaps she will go home to their house in the province and cry.

She had no idea why she had burst into tears. She didn't cry despite her difficulties, which is why when Daisy gave her new clothes, she abruptly wrote about how poor her family was because she didn't even have simple new clothes. She wasn't offended when Daisy gave her gifts; she was grateful after all. Alondra took a hot shower while her tears continued to fall. All the pain and heaviness in her chest from the previous years, as well as the hardships, fatigue, and hunger she was experiencing, only surfaced now that she had a job and could taste delicious foods. A knock on the door jolted Alondra awake.

Daisy yelled from outside the door, "You've been there for a long time, Alondra."

"I'm coming out; I'm almost done."

"Okay."

So Alondra quickly rinsed and poured water on her hair to remove the shampoo bubble. She's frowning because she doesn't even have a towel to dry her body with.

So she only wiped her body with the clothes she had removed earlier. She is used to itching, so she will not be allergic to dirt or bacteria. Daisy walked in carrying a white towel and handed it to her as the bathroom door opened.

"Wipe your entire body with a towel; why don't you say you don't have a towel?" Daisy said as she walked out the door.

Alondra exhaled a sigh. She is too ashamed of Daisy, and even though she doesn't want to admit it, she knows he has nothing for her. She didn't feel ashamed until someone took pity on her condition. Daisy had given her a towel, which she used to cover her naked body. And then I exited the bathroom.

Daisy handed her a small handkerchief and said, "Wipe this on your wet hair."  She accepted it and wiped her dripping hair with it.

"I prepared your clothes to wear. You can check it. Come here, I'm the one to comb your hair. I want you to know that even though we're not rich, we can wear nice clothes to look good and have our beauty show," Daisy said as she comb her hair. On the vanity mirror, they are both looking at themselves.

And she noticed that put something on her body. Because of the odor, she knows it was a lotion. Then she walked to her backpack, took a pair of underwear, and put them on. Daisy then handed her a tiny night tie.

"What exactly is this?"

"Night tie. It's nice to wear because you'll be comfortable; I don't want to use air conditioning if you want an electric fan; just try it," Daisy explained.

So, to avoid Daisy becoming upset, she simply wore it despite her dislike for the fabric. And he's not used to wearing thin clothes. She is more dressed for the occasion, wearing a loose t-shirt and pajamas. But wearing it made her feel more at ease, and she checked herself in the mirror. She was astounded by what she saw as if she were not the person she saw in the mirror. Suddenly, the face of a woman accustomed to life's difficulties vanished, and in her place stood a beautiful woman.

Which she had not anticipated being her face. If they didn't have financial problems and had at least a little money, she would look like this. Daisy only combed her hair and dressed modestly, but her beauty shone through. Alondra wiped her tears away before Daisy noticed them.

Daisy approached her when she entered their room again. She came out for a while because something was taken from the kitchen.

"Look at you. You're really beautiful. You just need a little makeover to make your beauty stand out." Daisy said and sat in the stall next to the vanity mirror. She gave her cold soft drinks and a burger. She took it and ate it.

"Thank you, Daisy; I'm not sure when I'll be able to repay you for your kindness to me," Alondra expressed her gratitude.

"My kindness is not for sale, Alondra. I'll help you because you needed it. It's not easy to live here in the city if you don't have money that you can use every day, so don't even think about paying off the debt. All I want is for you to be brave and strong if you want to help your family. You're not allowed to cry and you're not always dependent on someone all the time.

We don't always get along like this. There are times when you should face life on your own, without the assistance of others. Our friendship is eternal, but not with our presence in each other's lives. We had different paths to take. You had many dreams to achieve throughout your life, whereas I have already achieved my dream of having a child even without a father," Daisy said emotionally.

Alondra isn't sure why Daisy's words made her sad, but she needs to overcome her fear of being alone, and she is overjoyed that Daisy treats her as a friend even though they only met briefly.

"Don't say I'm sad. Do you know I have no friends because I'm poor and I don't have decent clothes to wear even though our average family doesn't want to talk to me? I don't know why there's anything wrong with being poor. They are so lucky that they were born rich." Alondra explained.

Daisy only smiled. She pulled something from her bag and handed it to her. She realized it was money.

"What is this for?" she asked.

Daisy explained, "That was a tip from a customer earlier; he gave me a lot, so we share."

Daisy gave her a hundred dollars.

"It's yours, and you need it more now that you have a child," Alondra explained.

Daisy received the money back from her. She has no idea why it; I'm too embarrassed for you," Alondra said.

"Accept it, you need more money now; just hide it; I'm hoping more people will tip so I can give you some as well."

"Thank you very much, Daisy."

"Welcome."

It was late when Leandre came out of his office. Because he has a lot on his mind and prefers to spend more time in the office because he doesn't want to see Jade scattered around his house despite his desire to avoid her presence. He thought he'd go home to his mother's house every day after he got home from work. He got into his car and started it, only to collide with a parked car ahead. So he went outside again to see if it was broken. Because the backlight of that car was broken, Leandre closed his eyes.

The owner stepped out of the car as the door opened. Looking at him, he smiled as if he didn't care what he did, and it was only now that he realized the old man was familiar to him.

"It's you, Leandre. Nice to see you again. Remember me?" the elderly man asked.

This is the man he met a month ago at the ice cream parlor, a friend of his mother's.

"Hi, sir. I'm sorry. I hit your car," Leandre could only say.

"Don't worry, it's not a big deal; just call me Uncle Lazaro."

"Thank you, Uncle, but I'll pay for your car's backlight."

"No, don't do it. Are you going home?" he asked.

"I wish," Leandre responded by leaning against the car's hood.

Uncle Lazaro looked at him.

"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" Uncle Lazaro asked.

"Nope. Just a little tired from work," he replied.

"I see."

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"There at the restaurant on the other side, since there is no parking space, I left my car here. Maybe you want to eat there, I can join you, or we can go to the bar and unwind," Uncle Lazaro suggests.

Leandre didn't respond, but he did look at him. It's as if he never had a problem in life because, when the two of them are compared, he appears, even more, mature looks than this old man. He notices that he is blossoming and that he is always smiling; he can't even get bored, and he didn't have a problem. Leandre did nothing but shake his head. He hasn't even turned forty, and it's as if the world is his burden. It's as if all of the world's problems have been piled on him. He was exhausted from working all day in the office. He wanted to sleep as if his soft bed was calling to him, but he was too shy to say no to this old man. He also wants to know what his mother did while they were at the ice cream shop. His mother does not appear to want to talk to him.

"It's possible, and then I'll go home to my mother's house," Leandre replied.

"Good. May I accompany you to your mother's house?" Uncle Lazaro asked, his eyes shining when he heard him mention his mother.

"Yeah, you can come with me," Leandre replied.

"What do you think about drinking at your mom's house? I don't think she minds," Uncle Lazaro suggested.

"I doubt it. I'm sure he'll be angry with you again when he sees you, and I'm so curious why," Leandre laughed.

"That was nothing. Don't mind us," Uncle Lazaro replied as if he couldn't know the truth.

They got into their respective cars, and Uncle Lazaro drove away first, followed by Leandre. He noticed Uncle Lazaro's car stop at the pizza place. It emerged and went inside. When it returned with four pizza boxes and two gallons of ice cream. He got back into the car. They walked past a grocery store. So Uncle Lazaro came to stop once more and went inside. After a few moments, it emerged, carrying a large number of groceries wrapped in plastic. It's gutsy of him to pay a visit when he's courting someone. Leandre simply smiled.

He was very curious about the feud between Uncle Lazaro and his mother.