The Sweetest Beast

Alessa was in a good mood when she got out of bed because she had slept for about ten hours after three days of straight duty at work as a nurse in a private hospital. She stretched her body on the bed and slightly rubbed her eyes because the sunlight coming from the window dazzled her.

She immediately smiled when she smelled the food her mother was cooking. The aroma made her feel starving. Alessa stood up energetically and fixed the bed, then went out of her own room. She smiled and went to the kitchen where her mom was.

“The smell of what you’re cooking is so good, Mom,” she said, then hugged her, who was busy washing her hands in front of the sink.

Her mother just smiled at her, then slightly pushed her to sit on the empty chair. “Sit down, and we’ll eat. I’ll just call your dad,” she said, wiping her hands and going out the door to the backyard.

Alessa picked up the fork and took a hot dog, then took a bite. Her parents were laughing as they entered their small house. She smiled at them, then filled all of their plates with fried rice.

“Allow me to do it, Alessa,” her mom said, but she moved the plate and spoon away from her.

“I’ll do it, Mom. You and Dad can sit down,” she told her while smiling.

“Our baby girl is so sweet,” her dad said while looking at his wife. “This is what I really want. She has a day off so she can spend it here with us, and we can bond with each other,” he added.

“Yes, it’s just that our princess is too focused on work.”

Alessa just smiled at them. “Let’s dig in. Thank you for the food, Mom,” she said, and they started eating.

She was the only child of her parents, Alice and Romino Danes. They were not rich, but she could say that she lived a simple life with her parents. She wanted to save and build their own house, even though they had a house to stay in at the moment. They couldn’t claim that the house they were staying in was theirs because her parents were the only trustees of the Villaruiz mansion.

She had been a nurse for three years, and at the age of twenty-three, she had saved a lot for her parents. But she knew it still wasn’t enough to build a house. They were staying on the far side of the Villaruiz family’s land, while the Villaruiz lived in the United States with their only son, Elijah Villaruiz. Alessa was only fifteen years old when they all migrated there.

Alessa combed her long hair as she thought about leaving the room. She had just finished taking a shower and found her parents talking in the kitchen.

“When do they go home?” asked her father.

“Maybe next week. They say there is no certainty yet because Sheila is still waiting for the doctor’s decision,” said her mother, who was drinking coffee.

Alessa frowned while getting water from the fridge. She didn’t usually listen to her parents’ conversation, but they had aroused her attention, and because she heard Mrs. Villaruiz’s name, her mind was filled with curiosity. “Doctor? Why, Mom? Who is in the hospital?” she asked, standing next to her mother. She drank water, then checked the time on her cellphone. It was only ten in the morning.

“It’s Elijah, Alessa,” answered her mom with a trace of concern on her face.

Her forehead furrowed even more, and she was shocked at what she heard. “Oh, what happened to Elijah?” she asked again. Elijah was her friend before he migrated together with his parents.

Her mother turned to her. “Elijah had an accident because he was involved in a race car. I guess that’s what happened. I do not know. Young people are really different today. Passions and trips in life are different. It is still dangerous to participate in car racing. Then, Sheila told me Elijah hit his face so badly that the girlfriend broke up and left Elijah alone. Poor him, isn’t it?”

Alessa was literally stunned by what she heard. Her eyes widened, and she couldn’t believe what she heard. “How did the accident happen, Mom? That girlfriend of his is terrible!”

“The car that Elijah was riding in crashed, and the glass injured Elijah’s eyes,” her mom said, her face sad as she told the story. Alessa heard her father sighed.

She didn’t immediately move because of what she heard. She was still really shocked because she found out that Elijah was an engineer now in the United States. She was friends with him on social media and knew his aspirations in life. She felt pity for her friend. Elijah was kind, and she knew that he really dreamed of becoming an engineer when they were young. And it must be hurting him now because the accident affected his vision.

“So, is Mrs. Villaruiz going home?” she asked her mom.

Her mom nodded. “Yes. She told me that their son will first recover here. That child is pitiful. He’s still handsome.”

“And also smart,” added her dad.

Alessa didn’t move anymore and just kept quiet. Her parents were right. Besides being handsome, Elijah was smart and had a lot of common sense. She felt annoyed with the girlfriend who left her friend just because his face was damaged.

‘Is it just the face that is important, and that girl loved Elijah?’

“Mom, I have to go,” she said. She needed to go to her work at eight o’clock, and her shift was in the morning. They assigned her to the pediatric ward. There were many children who had become her friends. She didn’t know if she would be happy or not because they would only drink the medicine when they saw her, and she should be the one to administer it. She was close to them because she didn’t have any siblings. All of them were like younger brothers and sisters to her.

“Take care, Alessa,” said her mom, kissing her on the cheek.

She passed by her father, who was busy watering his pet plants in the Villaruiz family’s garden. “I’m leaving, Dad,” she said goodbye.

“Go ahead. Be careful.”

Alessa combed her hair until she got out of the big yard. She would just tie her hair when she reached the hospital. Her uniform was white with white stockings and shoes. She stopped by the curb to wait for a ride. She looked at her own reflection in the passing car.

She smiled when she saw her own reflection. She had long eyelashes and big eyes. Her nose was just right, not crooked, not pierced. Her friends often envied that because they said her nose was beautiful and correctly fitted the shape of her face. And her lips, even without lipstick or lip tint, were really red. Her skin tone wasn’t white either, but not dark. It was a natural complexion. Her height was only 5’3”, but she wasn’t complaining about that. She was happy with what God had given her.