Phone tings! 

Winter quickly pulled out her phone, and checked. It was her friends. And again, not one from her own family. 

Gigidot: MJ!!! Where are you ba? Pati kami worried na rin. Wala ka naman sa usual last night, we came there to find you. :(

Gigidot: Is everything okay? Answer my calls?

Gigidot: Please, message me and tell me you're okay. I love you! :(

RJ: HOY CONYO GIRL NASAAN KA

RJ: SINABI MO LANG DAW KINA TITA NA MAY TATAPUSIN KA KASAMA AKO?!??!?!

RJ: bakla k kapag ako pinakulong ng ama m ha

"How come those people who aren't even related to me, were able to at least check up on me? Were able to at least ask if I'm okay?" she wondered to herself as she stared away. Feeling her heart fall, she swallowed and gripped her phone tightly. She nearly feels as though she is being stabbed in her chest every time she imagines herself bathing in the warmth of an embrace from someone who genuinely loves her and takes delight in what she is up to. Because that is something she never experienced. Never once.

"Wala akong alam na kainan dito, Winter, eh." Karina spoke, before she even noticed that Winter was spacing out. "Winter? May problema ba?"

The woman was startled, at agad na pinatay ang phone niya.

May problema, oo.

"Huh? W-wala. I was just finding some signal." She let out a bitter smile, at tinago ang phone niya. Oh, and finally! After eighty eight years... OA! After a day, they found an ATM Machine.

Tama, yayamanin na ulit siya ngayon.

"Is there anything you want ba?" She questioned, at bigla namang nawala ang ngiti sa labi ni Karina. 

Nga pala, tagalog only! 

She thought.

Pero in fairness, she's really pretty. Cute rin. Aba, hoy?! This is not how I raised myself!

Winter closed her eyes forcefully, and sighed. Nakakaloka!

"Ang sabi ko, may gusto ka bang bilhin?"

"Ako?" She looked around the place, at kumunot naman ang noo ng isa. "Bakit... Bakit ako?"

"Baka there's something you want lang," She answered, as they continued walking. "for someone who helped a stranger, you're too nice kasi."

"English na naman 'yan, eh..."

"Oh, sorry," She bursted into laughter, whilst Karina stayed silent. No, actually, she took the chance to admire laughing Winter, dahil minsan nga lang naman 'yon. Winter realized that she was giggling too much, unti-unting bumalik ang hiya, at nawala ang ngiti sa labi. It's been such a long time since she laughed like that, though. "Bakit? May dumi ba sa mukha ko?"

"Wala." Karina disagreed quickly. "Bagay lang kasi sa 'yo ang tumatawa." 

Winter felt a weird twinge after Karina finished her sentence. Since when did she start feeling things over the simplest compliment? She shook her head and bit her lip, before facing Karina.

"Kain muna kaya tayo before bumili ng damit?"

"Ayos lang ako sa kung ano gusto mo, Winter." Karina replied in a monotone. Sobrang respectful lang! "Gusto ko lang talaga samahan ikaw at maihatid ka nang ayos sa sasakyan mo para makauwi ka na."

Makauwi.