“Hey, don’t forget the chocopie.”

“Where did you put it?” Sandy tried to make sense of the disaster their refrigerator’s state is in right now as she peered through mountains of food she had stocked—or stuck would be the right word—inside their fridge.

“I dunno, maybe inside the bottom drawer?” Her best friend Charleen was sitting on a chair inside their small kitchen inspecting the packed food Sandy is placing on the table to take with them on their three-day vacation.

“Ugh.” Sandy pulled open the already filled-to-the-brim bottom drawer. “I need to buy a new fridge.” Or try to get a loan to buy a new fridge. As much as she appreciate the refrigerator for being with them for 20 years, she believes its time for it to be laid to rest. It’s still working but it’s costing them a lot in the electricity bill. And the space is only fitting to be in a college dorm room, not a household where she needs it fully stocked for her grandparents. She found the chocopie and tossed it over to her friend. “Okay, do we already have everything?”

“I think so,” Charleen answered packing the chocopie inside the plastic bag along with several other packed breads. “We’re only going to be in vacation for three days, Dee. Not three weeks.”

Sandy closed the refrigerator door and stood up. “Well, considering that we eat like we’ve been starved for weeks, let’s hope these are enough.”

Charleen made a face. “I was really hoping to start my diet. But then I remembered I’ve been saying that since last month. It’s hopeless!”

Sandy grinned as she turned the volume up on her speaker by the counter top as she swayed to the beat, excitement filling her. “I swear I’m not going to waste time sleeping. I deserve this break.”

Charleen watched her best friend excitedly dance in the kitchen and also felt her excitement. Well, Sandy did deserve this break. She had gone on a full year straight without even filing for a vacation leave—who does that??—to ensure all the data archives that were on paper filings are all transferred on the digital database. Her friend is probably going for Employee Of The Century if she tried that stint for another year. Fortunately, Charleen was able to convince her to go on an outing for three days to de-stress and relax. Sandy had initially declined, worried about leaving her grandparents for three days, but her grandmother practically ordered her to take a break and assured her they would be fine.

Which explained why Sandy had practically had gone panic buying to get their small fridge fully stocked on those three days she would be gone. It would be funny if Charleen didn’t know how much Sandy love her grandparents. Even she love them like her own and admittedly, had also contributed to that panic buying that Sandy did.

“Looks like you are ready for your vacation.”

They turned to find Sandy’s grandmother stepping out of her room. “Hi grandma,” Sandy cheerfully greeted and gave her a kiss on the cheek still dancing. Charleen gave her a peck on the cheek too.

“Hey you beautiful lady,” Charleen said as she sat back down. “Where’s your handsome husband?”

Grandma smiled at both of them as Sandy gave her a glass of milk. “He’s still sleeping.”

Sandy’s smile faltered. “Is he feeling okay now?” Her grandfather had been complaning about a pain in his chest last week. They went to the doctor and they were advised that her grandfather is having gastroenteritis.

“Of course he is,” Grandma assured her. “He’s just looking for excuses to be pampered. He’s fine.”

Charleen giggled as she took a bite of the sandwich Sandy had made earlier. “That sounds like Grandpa.”

Sandy grinned too. “Well, he will have a lot of loving when we get back so you can warn him ahead.”

Grandma chuckled. “I already did. So you girls are going to work first and then would go straight to… where is that place again?”

“Tanay,” Sandy said. Charleen had booked a hotel for some R&R at the town east of Manila. “Yup. We just need to finish some things at the office and then we’re free girls at 1 o’clock.” She glanced at her watch then looked at her grandmother. “Grandma, promise me if there is anything you need me for, you would call me.”

Charleen stood up from her chair. “I think you made Grandma promise you that for like, the gazillion times now.”

“I just want to make sure Grandma didn’t forget.”

“I maybe old dear but my memories are still intact,” grandma answered with a smile. “Yes. Go on and have fun. I think your grandfather and I can be fine without you for three days.”

“Okay, I’ll hold you to that,” Sandy said and turned off the speaker. “Gotta go now. See you in three days.” She kissed her grandma on the forehead and Charleen did the same.

“You girls take care, alright?” Grandma told them.

Lugging their backpacks and their packed food, Charleen and Sandy stepped out of the house to wait for a taxi to go to work. Charleen could still see the worry on Sandy’s face while they wait by the shed. “Relax, they’re going to be fine. For all we know, Grandma and Grandpa are waiting for ways to get rid of you for a couple of days because they’re sick of you hovering over them all the time.”

Sandy chuckled but the worry did not ease. “I’m just not comfortable leaving them alone while Grandpa is sick. I know he wasn’t feeling well last night. I can hear them talking but they didn’t want me to know because they didn’t want me to worry.”

“Yeah, I heard them too,” Charleen said quietly. She had slept over at Sandy’s house, like she always did when she gets bored at her house since she was only living alone and had heard those small quiet whispers from another room. Sandy’s apartment has thinner walls than she thought it had.

“And I don’t want them to think that I worry for them too much,” Sandy continued. “If I cancel this vacation, they would feel guilty and I don’t want that to happen.” Sandy spotted a taxi from afar and she raised her hand to flag it.

“Give them a little faith, Dee,” Charleen said trying to reassure her friend as much as herself. “Your grandparents are stronger than you think.”

Sandy smiled at Charleen knowing full well how strong her grandparents were. “They are. It’s just… it never really occurred to me that my grandparents weren’t immortal beings you know?” They both chuckled as the taxi stopped in front of them and they got in.

“It’s just three days, Dee,” Charleen said adjusting her bag on her lap. “What could happen in three days?”

They both worked as Accounting Clerk at TechNext Corporation, one of the largest IT distributor in the country. Sandy felt lucky she even got hired at the company since she was a college drop out and she hasn’t really taken up any Accounting courses in her entire life. Her grandparents had opposed of her dropping out but the money that Sandy is earning is not enough for her college tuition, her grandparents’ medicines and their everyday expenses. She did promised them she would get a degree once finances are stable. Which so far isn’t happening yet.

Charleen luckily got her college degree since she sold her mother’s house after she died and used the money to support her studies and bought herself a small apartment. Charleen’s step father was well off but he died of alcohol poisoning and three years after, her mother followed. She never really knew who her real father is but Sandy knew that her best friend never really cared about stepfather and she hated her mother. Their house was nothing but a nightmare to her which is why the first thing Charleen did when her mother died is sell the house and everything in it.

Charleen was her best friend since they were five years old and they know each other inside and out. She even treats her grandparents as her own and her grandparents loved her too. To Charleen, Sandy and her grandparents are the only family she have. And Sandy felt the same way about her. To her, Charleen is her sister. But she declined Charleen’s offer of financial assistance since she knew that Charleen’s money is already running out and she needed that for her own future. Sandy will try her own luck and the only time they ever get separated was when Sandy travels from city to city and countries to countries for voluntary projects in the hopes of getting a stable job in that place.

After two years of trying her luck from adjacent countries, Charleen helped her get the job at TechNext since she’s pretty much BFF with the manager and Sandy had been working with the company for four years now. The pay was reasonable and the work load is very manageable. And she’s able to work where she can come home to her grandparents after.

And the plus is that she gets to have a chance to get a glimpse of the TechNext CEO….

“Hey!”

Sandy jumped when Charleen flicked a finger in front of her face. “What?”

Charleen gave her a scowl. “Tell me you’re awake and you’re actually not sleepwalking.”

Sandy rolled her eyes knowing Charleen is referencing her weird sleepwalking habits then realized her computer had shut down. “Ah shoot!” She had been so busy with her daydreaming she didn’t see her computer had booted up. She hoped she was able to save the excel report she is working on. She pressed the On button.

“Where were you?” Charleen asked rolling her chair over to her to look at her with narrowed eyes. “Are you up there on the 32nd floor with sir Adrian again?”

Sandy glared at her as she put a finger against her lips. “Shhhh!” She looked around hoping nobody heard that. The 32nd floor is where the CEO’s office is located at.

Charleen could only roll her eyes. “Oh please. Everybody on this floor had a crush on the company’s CEO. Why are you being so secretive about it?”

“Uh… because he’s married?” Sandy said entering her log in credentials.

“So? It’s just a crush,” Charleen said then grinn