After fanning Kim and bringing her outside where there is cool air, she regained consciousness but was not able to stand on her feet. She was unaware of her surroundings, but then saw her father's face. The heat and the stress caused her to faint. She sat out for a while, her anger seemed to dissipate. She wanted to be alone, break down and cry. She wanted Gerald to be there, to be by her side and comfort her. Things needed to be settled here, she'd think about her feelings and her work arrangements as soon as she gets back, she thought.

Her father walked outside carrying a glass of water. "Drink this." He handed it to her as she thanked him quietly. "You always fainted when you were younger, always from the heat and sometimes stress. I think it was my fault, added to the hot weather. I'll be back before you leave. I just want you to hear me out, let me explain."

He headed for the gate and was about to walk out when Kim pleaded him to stop, "Don't go. Let's just talk now, I might leave earlier than planned."

They decided to go to a nearby restaurant for food and also a quiet place to talk. "The car, is it still working?" Greg chose to ask to start the conversation slowly. "It must be pretty old."

Kim smiled, remembering her father's gift. "Yes, but it broke down recently. I still use it, but I plan on getting a new car."

Her dad looked upset, "Is it because of me?" He asked sadly.

"No, it's nothing like that. It's just too old and it might break up on me."

The mood turned lighter and Kim started to open up more. She was more relaxed. "Baby, I'm so sorry. What I did was wrong. I hope you can forgive me, I'm old now and so are you. I'd want to see my daughter get married, my grandkids grow up."

"Anak, it was hard on me too. The years without you and feeling guilty about everything. The least I'm asking from you is to at least keep in contact every once in a while. You may not fully forgive me now, but I know time will heal the pain. I am deeply sorry for all the pain I have caused you and your mother and sister. I just started to feel.... unhappy. I was so frustrated that I could not keep your mother happy even with all the affection I'd given her, so I turned to another woman who appreciated all my efforts." He explained. "I'm so sorry I disappointed all of you." He held his forehead and sobbed quietly.

"We can't undo anything. It's all in the past now. I guess, I have to learn to open up and forgive you." Kim replied bluntly. She felt like she was being stabbed by a knife through her heart. The pain she was feeling was excrutiating. Deep down in her heart, she wants to forgive and she knows it is what her mother would want. She couldn't think of anything else to do. She stood up and hugged him.

************

"Hi," Kim greeted the lady in front of her awkwardly and forced a smile. "I'm Kimberly. I met you before."

"Helen." The lady smiled apologetically, she felt terrible and didn't want Kim to despise her. She looked about ten years younger than Greg. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine thank you."

Suddenly, a little tike appeared from the kitchen. The same little boy from a few years back but he has grown older and more talkative. "Hi, who are you?"

Kim's fondness for kids didn't fail to show. She played with the little boy's hair and chatted with him. "I'm Kim, how about you?"

"I'm Jacob, but my mommy likes to call me Jake. Can I call you ate Kim?" While they waited for Greg to come back, Jake told Kim stories and entertained her. His mouth didn't stop moving, unless he would catch a breath after talking for so long. Kim liked him, he was such a smart little child.

After a few minutes, Greg was back and Kim stood up to leave. "I better get going. I need to pack my stuff. It was nice seeing you again."

"You don't want to stay for dinner?"

Kim hesitated, "I'm good. Jake is as cute as a button. I'm glad you've found your happiness." She said sincerely. "Helen seems like a nice lady, you shouldn't have dragged her into this complicated situation dad. If you were unhappy with mom, you should have told her and asked to let you go. You went behind her back."

Kim kissed him on the cheek, "I've said everything I want. From now on, we'll start from step 1 and I'll try my best not to judge you. I'll keep in touch. Goodbye."

***************

The trip to Cebu had cleared Kim's mind and the talk with her father somewhat freed her from some burden. Instead of calling Gerald, she contacted Maja to pick her up from the airport. She also has somethings on her mind that involved him and she needed to think clearly. Her arrival was three days earlier than they had expected, so Maja and Mama Pet were surprised when they received a call from her. Both of them were ecstatic after finding out she was going to be home that afternoon; they prepared some dishes and cleaned the house. She was shocked to see the furnitures mixed up and was glad to see food on the table.

They eagerly listened to her stories and asked her questions. Kim decided it was better to leave off the part where she saw her dad, it would surely bring bad vibes to her happy grandmother.

"Gerald stopped by here, Kimmy. He gave us some treats from Cebu." Maja shared. "I didn't know he came."

Kim's eyes widened. "Really? He did that?"

"What's really going on between you two? Partners or lovers?"

She decided to change the topic, "Well, speaking of treats, I have some danggit and dried mangos. Who wants some? I'm excited to eat dessert."

Mama Pet grabbed her by the arm, "Not too fast Kimmy, we're interviewing you."

"Am I on the hot seat now? Really?"

They discovered how Gerald surprised her and came with her. "We also kinda kissed..." She revealed. "He comforted me when I was crying and emotional."

After clearing out the kitchen, the trio busied themselves by eating some of the food Kim brought home with her. Laughing and just enjoying each other's company. They talked about everything and anything. The mosquitoes brought them inside and soon, they all headed in their rooms to get some sleep.

The next few days flew by and Kim had made up her mind. She walked into Steve's office with a bag full of present from Cebu. He thanked her for bothering. "So what is it Kim?"

She smiled, confident with her plan. "I'm quitting."

I'm soooooo sorry! I haven't updated even though it's summer break, I was getting my thoughts together. I haven't been watching KTM either. Everything's been kinda sad and ahhh, working on another chapter. Hopefully I can finish so I can make it up to you guys.