Love In The Line Of Fire

Anya woke up early and felt the cold breeze. She intentionally woke up early because she didn't want the old man to do the household chores.

She tied up her long hair and wore simple clothes. She went downstairs to wash the dishes from last night. It was still dark outside, and the moon was still visible in the sky. She could also hear the sounds of frogs in the rice field and other insects.

Anya sat on the bamboo bench and looked at the bright moon. She felt extremely happy, especially since living a simple life was her dream.

"Finally, your life is peaceful, Anya," she said to herself.

It was only 4:00 am. She sat there for a few minutes before getting up and taking the bucket to fetch water. She knew where to get water from the well near their house. It turned out she wasn't the only one awake, as there were a few people already fetching water from the well.

"Are you Anya?" A woman asked while scooping water from the well.

Anya nodded. "You've grown so big! How's city life?"

"It's fine," Anya replied.

"Everyone here thought you had forgotten about your grandfather, especially since you haven't shown up in ten years."

"I wasn't that i didn't care, I was just really busy," Anya replied.

She didn't continue the conversation and instead focused on scooping water from the well. She made several trips to the well to fill up a drum of water. She also noticed that there was no clean drinking water in her grandfather house.

Even though the surroundings were cold, Anya was sweating from exhaustion. She sat down for a bit before starting to wash the dishes from last night. She also thought about sweeping the area because Anya noticed that there were many dry leaves scattered around. There were trees with langka and mango fruits.

It was already dawn, so the surroundings were a bit brighter. She was also delighted to see the flowers near the fence. And some vegetables were planted, like eggplant and okra.

"Anya, my grandchild, you're already up." Anya smiled when she saw her grandfather coming down the stairs.

"Good morning, Lolo. Did you sleep well?"

"Oh, I'm so relieved, especially now that you're here. I won't be lonely anymore."

"Don't worry, Lolo, I won't leave you." Anya wanted to scold herself for saying that. After all, she wasn't sure how long she would pretend to be his grandchild. She didn't want to deceive him, but she didn't want to see him sad either.

"Thank you, my apo (grandchild). The plants are blooming again. I took care of your mother's plants. Since she left, even after your father passed away... Even though some of her other plants died, new shoots have grown." His voice was filled with sadness.

"How did my mother leave?"

"When you left with your adoptive parents, your mother left a few months later. We didn't hear from her again, and she never came back just like you." Anya felt even sadder after hearing this. She felt like she didn't want to leave the old man after all.

She thought that once her mission was over and she was free, she would come back here to be with her grandfather. Even if he didn't accept her as his grandchild when he found out the truth, she would still insist.

"Lolo, if only it wasn't so hard to get a water, I'd water these plants every day."

"You're really something, kid. Don't worry, once the dam they're building is fixed, we'll have plenty of water here."

"Really? Is there a water source here?"

"Yes, apo, there's a small waterfall up ahead." Anya smiled, thinking about the small stream she saw last night. Maybe that was the waterfall.

"Lolo, is the market far from here? It seems like you're only eating vegetables."

"The market is far way from here, Anya. I'm okay with vegetables, though. Sometimes I buy fish from the fishpond."

"There's a fishpond here?"

"There is, Anya, within the compound of the Carter's house. Their land is vast and includes our land too. They're a kind family, that's why they let us stay here."

"Really? There are still people like that? In the city where I grew up, people fight over land and take over land that isn't theirs. If that's the case, the Carter family is indeed kind."

"Yes, grandchild, especially Oliver. He's the one in charge here, but he only visits once a month. Only their employees are usually around."

"Is he handsome, Lolo? Would he be a good match for my beauty?" Anya joked and made a cute face.

"Ha! He's already in his forties," her grandfather joked back.

"Ay! That's okay, Lolo, he can be my sugar daddy," Anya said, laughing.

"You're really crazy, kid."

"I'll go now, Lolo, to buy your mineral water. It's safer for you to drink clean water. I'll also buy food for our meal. It's still early, maybe I'll be back before 8 am." Anya fixed her hair again and wiped the sweat before leaving.

"Be careful, Anya apo."

"Yes, Lolo, I'll be right back." As Anya walked, she was delighted by the children playing and flying kites.

"I wish this was the life I grew up with," she said to herself with a sigh.

She had already left the Estrella Village area and needed to walk further to reach the highway. Anya was happily walking and daydreaming when she suddenly felt annoyed after a mud splattered in her body.

A car passed by in front of her. The road was narrow, and she was already on the edge, but she still got splattered with mud.

"Hey! Drive properly, there are pedestrians!" she complained.

She wasn't the confrontational type, but she was suddenly annoyed. Especially since the scarf of Tan-tan gave her was also stained with mud. She couldn't help but shout, even though there was no one to blame but the muddy road. She was even more annoyed when the driver inside the car ignored her.

"I'll remember your plate number!" Anya said under her breath, gritting her teeth. If the car had been driving slowly, the mud wouldn't have splattered on her like that. But it was driving fast, and the driver didn't care about what happened to her.

"So arrogant just because they have a car!" After walking for a long time, she finally arrived at the highway, where there were vehicles passing by and tricycles waiting.

She was about to look for a tricycle to ride to the market when she saw the car from earlier.

"Should I get back at them?" She went to the side of the car, but before she could do what she planned, the car window opened. The glass was tinted, so she hadn't noticed anyone inside before.

"What are you doing?" She was taken aback when she saw him. She immediately recognized the car's owner because of his eye color.

He was the man she met last night while trying to get a signal, who suddenly disappeared. She couldn't help but stare at his eyes, which seemed to hold a hidden sadness.

"Are you deaf? What the heck are you doing?" Anya quickly snapped back to reality.

"Nothing, I just dropped something here and I'm looking for it." After she said that, he ignored her and closed the car window again.

"What a waste, he's handsome and has beautiful eyes, but his attitude is terrible!" Anya said to herself as she walked away.