Chapter 4

Catherine was glad that she and Helena were classmates in Marketing and Economics. Although the first day of class was mostly spent on self-introduction, it was still better if there was someone whom she was already familiar with. As she was normally shy, Catherine chose to sit in the second row while Helena sat in the first row.

“Hello,” she greeted her seatmate who was very quiet and she expected him to acknowledge her greeting but the darn pale man just ignored her. Catherine made a mental note not to talk with him anymore. When it was his turn to introduce himself, she didn’t look at him and just listened. “So, your name is Rizil.” She said and smirked at her seatmate who had a feminine name.

He knew it! His seatmate would only make fun of his name and it was just right that he snubbed her because of her attitude. “I’m not gay,” he replied. He was not a freshman but he failed his Marketing subject last semester so he needed to retake it. Although he was used to his classmates making fun of his name, he was greatly affected by how the country bumpkin smirked at him. As if she was better than him! His course was engineering but he believed that he should learn a little more about Marketing so he enrolled in it.

“I know,” Catherine replied. Even if his skin was pale, which was only normal for half-Filipino, she couldn’t see him as gay with his muscles.

Did she know? How come? It was the first time that someone has considered him as a man. Rizil smiled at the thought that he could make the country bumpkin his friend. “Want to have snacks in Mcdo after class? By the way, just call me Niko.” He let her know his nickname and invited her to eat some burgers and fries at Mcdonald's after their class. There were two fast food chains near the university but Orange Brutus would be closed around nine in the evening while Mcdonalds would remain open for twenty-four hours.

“Maybe next time, you know it’s already late and I need to be home before ten.” Marketing was her last subject and the class would end at nine-thirty. If only she wasn’t late for enrolment, she would be able to choose a better schedule. Catherine vowed that she should pay attention to her schedule by next semester.

“Alright. So, can I have your cellphone number? I will call you,” Niko asked for Catherine’s number because he liked her and he wanted to know her better.

If only she could afford a cellphone, then she would give him her number. “I don’t have a phone,” she answered and Niko was shocked to know that she had no phone.

“But why?” He asked.

“Not everyone can afford a phone, Niko.” She replied.

He was not rich and in fact, he was a working student and that was why he was enrolled in the evening class. He worked as an errand boy for the conglomerate family of Salazar which owned Salazar Institute. “Okay,” he said. “So, do you have a nickname?” Catherine was too long to pronounce and he would love to call her Kate or Kath.

“It’s Kate,” she answered.

“Nice meeting you, Kate. I hope that you’ll have some free time tomorrow,” he added.

After their self-introduction, their professor, Doctor Andrino dismissed them earlier and invited everyone to follow him to Mcdonald's. Catherine had no choice, as well as Helena. They looked at each other and worried that they would be home late. “Excuse me, Niko. I need to talk with my friend Helena,” she excused herself from Miko and went to Helena who hesitated to join Doctor Andrino too. “Mhy, what should we do now?” She asked for Maria Helena’s opinion.

“I’m also confused, you know I have a curfew at ten,” Helena answered but she was glad to hear her nickname from Catherine’s mouth. It felt like she was still in high school and in their province.

“Me too, but in fairness, our professor seemed to be nice,” Catherine said.

“Yeah. Everyone went in that direction so I think we should also join them, common Kate, let’s go.” Helena said but one of the reasons why she wanted to join was because of Johnny. She knew it was so soon but she immediately had a crush on her cute classmate.

Catherine nodded and followed Helena outside. “You’re still here?” She was surprised to see Miko waiting outside.

“Let’s go together,” he said.

Catherine didn’t know how to react to his statement. It was cute and yet disarming. Miko looked like he had a tendency to be clingy. “All right,” she said.

In Mcdonalds, the combo meals of burgers and fries were already served when they arrived and everyone was already there. Their professor waved his hand at them and told them to have a sit. Most of the tables were already occupied except the one at the corner near their professor. “Hello,” Kate greeted the two male students who occupied the table but she couldn’t tell if they were classmates because she couldn’t remember their names.

“Sure. By the way, I’m George and this is Johnny.” George introduced himself when his classmate was confused. They were enrolled in Customs Administration but they enrolled in a marketing subject offered by business management.

“Hello, George and Johnny. I’m Kate and this is Miko and Helena,” she introduced her companions first before they sat on the vacant chairs.

“Nice meeting you classmate,” George replied and smiled.

As they enjoyed the burger and fries that their professor bought for them, they got to know each other better than the self-introduction made in the class earlier.

“It’s his signature to treat his students on their first day,” Miko felt proud to be the one with the information about why their professor went overboard to treat them to burgers and fries. It was Doctor Andrino's style to know his students well and he was very different from their other professors.

“Wow, that’s nice of him!” Catherine exclaimed as she vowed to do her best in his class.

After they finished their meal, they bid goodbye to their professor. Miko offered to drop them off with his motorcycle but Catherine refused his offer because she knew that her cousins would be waiting for her at the waiting shed, but she didn’t refuse when Miko walked with her up to the waiting area for jeepneys. Helena would take the 13C route in going home while she would wait for 04c, nevertheless, their waiting area was just the same. “Thanks, Mik,” she said when 04c came.

There was no traffic congestion at night and in less than twenty minutes, she reached the waiting shed where her cousins usually wait for her. “Jie, are you alone?” She asked when she saw that it was only Sanjie who was waiting for her.

“No. Dindin and Junjun went to eat balut,” Sanjie answered and pointed to Catherine the spot where the balut vendor was.

“You don’t eat balut?” She asked.

“Not today,” he answered timidly.

Sanjie and Catherine waited for their other cousins to finish eating their balut before they went home, when they were on the way home, she felt like a princess guarded by three dashing knights.

“Catherine wait,” Sanjie called out for her name.

“Yes?” She looked back and noticed that her cousins stopped walking and it was only Sanjie was behind her. “What are they doing there?” She asked while referring to Junjun and Dindin taking a rest.

“They couldn’t take it, Kate,” Sanjie answered.

“What do you mean?” She was confused about what Sanjie meant by his statement.

“It’s your underarm, it smells,” Sanjie said without holding back.

She didn’t expect it! Catherine raised her arm and smelled her underarm. “I forgot to put some deo in the morning,” she said and continued to walk.