CHAPTER 4:
“This room will be yours from now on. Feel at home!”
A few days after Tristan talked with his parents, he requested to get a discharge at the hospital right after the doctor advised that he only needs time to rest more. Then he asked Drayven to accompany him until he got recovered and adjust to his new condition.
Tristan knows that asking Drayven for this is too much, but he has no choice. No one can take good care of him anymore and the only choice he could do is to stick with his brother-in-law. The moment he asked Drayven to have him, that is the same moment he admits that he is a failure like what his father said. But he doesn’t care anymore, what matters to him the most right now is to survive this hell until he gets his sight back and to get back what he lost.
“I think, I should familiarize myself with every edge of this house so I could move freely even if you left me here,” he commented as he holds a chair.
Drayven still felt pity for Tristan, but he doesn’t want his best friend to sense it from him. He was aware that blind person can enhance their other senses once they lost to sight. That’s why he is doing his best to act tough as if nothing had happened. He just needs to accept the fact that he is the only one that Tristan can lean on from now on, so he should be tougher than him.
“Yeah, you’re right. But of course, you don’t need to push yourself hard because I am planning to hire a maid to be with you anytime. Most especially when I am not at home.”
Tristan’s grip gets tightened. Drayven notices something is not okay but as usual, he just ignores it. He’s wondering if only the blind person could enhance their other senses because he just felt that his senses get enhanced as well. He can tell that Tristan also acting tougher than he does. If was just sounds fun to him that at this point, they still had that kind of similarity.
“Maid? Did you call for one already? If not, we can still check if I can do this alone. I don’t want to give you more trouble, bro.”
Drayven understands that Tristan only wants to lessen his expenses for him because supporting his medicine and other needs is already a big cost. He sure wants to lessen to have more debt with him, even though he knew it is hard for him to move alone. But for Drayven, it will be more burden to him if he will take his word.
“Bro, you need to be guided whether you like it or not. You don’t know any parts of this house, how you can live freely here if you can’t even go to the toilet?” Drayven clarified.
He went on silent as he heard that. Tristan knows that his friend doesn’t want to offend him, but he still does. He just doesn’t want to get that thing hit him every time because he needs to adjust as well in everything, it is just the beginning… there are still more challenges waiting for him aside from the fact that he needs someone to look after him.
“Okay, fine,” Tristan sighs. “Just please get a maid that can do everything in the house including cooking your meals, doing the laundry, and cleaning the house. At least let me have that selfish request that can also benefit you. This is the only thing I can do for you in return… for now.”
Drayven laughs. “Of course, I’ll get a maid that can do that, it’s a waste of money if she can’t!”
Tristan laughs too, and it made Drayven happy to see that his best friend can still laugh after all that happened. He believes that it is still not the end for Tristan, he just needs to stay still and rest to get enough courage to continue his journey in life. It may be harder for him, but he has this faith that Tristan can conquer it all.
“Bro, thank you… really. I don’t know how to repay you for everything, but—”
Tristan can’t finish what he wants to say as he feels his friend’s hand on his shoulder. He is about to cry as if Drayven only doing this for him because his friend pities him. After all, he was a loser, he was a failure because he was trash. But then, Drayven hands holding his shoulder got tightened…
“You think I am doing this so you can owe me something? Bro, I am the one who is repaying you… remember how you saved me from my miserable past?”
Tristan remembers that day… that is the day when they’re still in college. Drayven is not good at school, he even got a 3 in his final grade in his first year of the first semester. His parents always scold him whenever he shows his report card to them. They even threatened him that if he can make his grades better, they will disown him.
That’s the time that Tristan enters his life, he was an excellent student back then. He offers help for Drayven in the study, it was the real reason why he always comes to their house. That’s why his parents adore him so much and they like him for their daughter Danica because he is smart. And his brain saves Drayven from failing continuously.
He chuckles after he remembers everything back then. “Maybe, we were born to support each other, bro,” Tristan said.
Drayven chuckled as well, then he gives Tristan a big hug. He knows that his best friend needs this hug, so he does. He agrees with what Tristan said because he can’t imagine his life without Tristan beside him. Danica already leaves them, but Drayven assures her that he won’t let any from both of them leave the other one.
CHAPTER 5:Summer vacation is here, and most young adults and teenagers who still need to study take this opportunity to take a break from cramming and sleepless nights just to study. It was like they get out of a battle and they need to rest for now. But for someone who needs to continue the battle, vacation is just a dream.Karina is an adult woman who is still in college, and the reason why she still needs to study is that she stops going to school after she graduated grade 12 believing that it is enough to get a decent job to support her family. But it is not, her age at that time was not enough to work at a company because they prefer college graduates instead of her.That’s the time she realizes she stops her study for nothing. After getting rejected several times by many private companies, she just envies her batch mates and old friend taking the course they like in college while… questioning herself, “Why I had to experience poverty to the point it stops me to reach my goal to
CHAPTER 6:Karina started to scan the whole house in a second she enters. She just wanted to make sure that she was not going to die cleaning a huge house. Most importantly, the reason why she insisted to meet the guy who contacted him online is that Karina wanted to discuss already her goal and why she grabs the job that Drayven offers.“Mr. Ignacio—”“You can call me Drayven, you don’t need to be formal since we are the same age and we are going to live under the same roof,” he interrupts. “Please come in and take a seat.”She was shocked. Karina is aware that Drayven is young and she sees him as a single man that has no choice but to look over his brother-in-law for some reason. Her boss never mentions in their previous conversation why he needs to take care of a man like TJ, but she assumes that maybe his wife is an OFW who was forced to work for both of them because of the unexpectedly happened to her husband.Karina doesn’t want to judge the blind man, but that is the only thoug
CHAPTER 7:Drayven told Karina that she can leave as soon as she is done discussing all matters that she is concerned about; so, she could take her rest early. Her job as their maid will start tomorrow before she goes to her part-time job. She was worried about what will happen on her first day as their maid because Drayven also informs her that she will be with Tristan alone, she is afraid of what could happen between them when Drayven is not around.Karina never works as a maid before. She may be an expert on cleaning or doing some household chores but she only did that in her own house, she doesn’t know how to act in other’s houses. The only thing she can do is the way she acts in her part-time job as a crew in fast food and a waitress in a restaurant, and she is aware that it is way more different from a role of a maid.At the time that she lay on her bed, she immediately asked herself why she accept that job if in the first place she doubts herself if she can do it or not. Then,
CHAPTER 8:It was six in the morning when Karina arrived after her part-time job. She was shocked when she saw Drayven standing at the gate, but she already knows why… probably, Tristan told him what happened yesterday between them. Karina is not afraid even though Drayven is ready to scold her, because she knows she only did what she thinks is the best for that kind of situation.“Good morning, Drayven,” she greeted.Drayven stays serious while leaning on the gate, so there is no chance that Karina can avoid him. He sighs and says, “Good morning, are you done with your part-time job?”She smiles and answered. “Yes, I’m done. Thank you.”He nodded. “Okay, you can sleep for now because I already cooked breakfast for Tristan. Just make sure to make lunch for him and clean the house so he won’t shout at you again. You know, he might not see what you are doing, but he can smell.”Karina thinks how lucky is Tristan to have Drayven to be his brother-in-law, she is now starting to wonder if
CHAPTER 9:Karina only works at Drayven’s house yesterday, so she presumes that it was too early for him to plead with a maid to stay. He doesn’t know everything about his newly hired maid, and Karina sees him as too naïve to trust her this much just because he judges her nice. She just learned recently that you can see the real personality of a person in his actions, not in his nice way of treating you.When Drayven pleaded with her like that, the only thing that she could say is ‘yes’ because she wants to give him peace of mind. But at the back of her head, she is not sure if she can do what she says. She may not mention it at the start of their deal as a boss and a maid, but Karina has no plan to stay here any longer because being a maid is more stressful than her other work as a waitress.She was stress not just because Tristan always gets mad at her and he always acts self-centered and cold. But she hates the part of having a responsibility to maintain the cleanliness of a house
CHAPTER 10:Now, Karina is asking herself why she leaves just because Tristan asks her why she comes home past six o’clock. She just realized now that she could avoid arguing with him if she explains that Drayven talks to her outside and it takes almost half an hour. But while she walks and thinks that Tristan hated her, that gives her a satisfaction feeling that she did what is better for her mental health.“The moment I got home, I will just send a message to Drayven saying thank you at least. I hope he won’t get mad for what I did.”Karina is wondering what would be her family’s reaction when she goes home, but she knows that, unlike Tristan, they will listen to her and they will understand what happened. It may be hard to find another job that could fit into her schedule, but she will just accept the consequences… she keeps on reminding herself that it is going to be fine.Meanwhile, Drayven is in full hands in his work in the office. He needs to attend a meeting with an important
CHAPTER 1:Dark. All he sees is a dark place with nothing. He tries to move his body and feel his arm, chest, and face, and check where he is. Tristan felt a soft cushion where he is lying, a tiny cloth that engulfs his half body from his foot until his chest. As he moves, the bed was creating a sound that leads him to think he is not in his house.“Why I can’t see anything? What is it covering in my eye?” he stood up, panicking as he notices that he is actually in some place he was not familiar with.He tries to remove the bandage covering his eye but someone grabs his arm to take it away from his face. Tristan tries to remember what exactly happened to him… why he suddenly felt like all his muscle is aching and why he feels like he has some wounds in some parts of his body. He senses a needle injected in his left hand; he smells medicine all over the place.“Don’t move yet, TJ. You’ll hurt yourself if you insist,” a man's voice suddenly murmured beside him. He stops Tristan from gra
CHAPTER 2:Tristan heard from Drayven that he is in the hospital for a week now. He doesn’t know if he will be happy that he survives that accident after the thought of losing Danica. He still can’t understand why he was alive even though he was the driver. He doesn’t want to lose his wife, yet it happened.“Where is Danica, now? Do your family—” He can’t finish his words. A tear suddenly falls on his cheeks. “How stupid to feel that I am crying even though I am blind. I wonder where these tears coming from,” he added.Drayven can’t look at him. Tristan maybe can’t see what is his reaction right now as Drayven sees how he suffers from the effect of the accident. But Drayven can’t just tell him he is sad for him or for what happened with his sister. He was hurt too, of course, he is, but he knows that telling it won’t help his friend to feel better.“It’s been a week, TJ. Danica is… she is…” Drayven stops himself from crying. “…already buried. My parents only let her have visitors for