Chapter 64 Sandali
And with every minute, I want to give up
I gave my all but you wasted me
You were my wish
Until the last moment
But why do you want to embrace her?
Until the end.
*
"Bro, what gift are you giving me? My birthday is coming up," Mark asked his brother Ethan. He suddenly appeared and put his arm around his brother.
"You still owe me money, right? Don't pay it back, that's my gift to you," Ethan replied. They were walking down the hallway.
Ethan opened the door to his office. Their meeting had just finished, and some doctors had a heated argument in the meeting room over a patient.
"What a stingy brother! That doesn't count!" Mark said with a frown as he sat down on the visitor chair. He had recently returned to work at the hospital as a nurse.
Ethan stopped fixing his things and looked at his brother seriously.
"Tsk... even just one birthday party at Sofitel," Markie hinted.
"Give this document to Dr. Yong," Ethan instructed his brother. Markie was about to complain, but he just took the document and left.
"Ethan, can you recommend..." Nathan started to ask, but stopped when he saw who was visiting his twin.
"My brother!" Mark greeted him with a smile and embraced him.
"You seem to be visiting a lot lately," Nathan said, removing Mark's arm from around him.
"Don't you have credit card? Borrow money from the bank, I'm not a money lender for you," he retorted.
"Hey! You're really harsh, brother! You act like we're not even siblings. I don't have any money left. Just a ticket to Hungary, that'll be my birthday gift. It's stressful here at the hospital," Mark said while trying to act cute.
"You owe me money. Pay that off first, and that will be my gift to you."
Mark's shoulders slumped, and his hope diminished.
"Tsk! Ann even gave me a gift, and we're brothers, yet you two can't even give me a gift. Even just a ticket or a birthday party at Sofitel," Mark hinted again.
"Ask sister Ann to give you a ticket to Hungary!"
"I heard, Ethan, that you've got a high position here at the hospital. You deserve it, brother," Mark patted his step-brother's shoulder while trying to see what he was doing on the monitor.
"It's different when you're blessed," Mark smiled, "if only I were as smart as you, I'd have a lot of money too. I'm sure I could pay off all my debts to you. I'd treat you to a ticket out of the country every day."
"Even if you earned a million a day, at the end of the day, you'd still be broke. You don't know how to handle your money," Nathan lectured.
"Hey, you're too much! I pay for a lot of things," Mark protested.
"Really? What do you pay for? You don't have bills to pay because you live in a mansion. All your money goes straight into your pocket. You don't have a house, and you even ask for gas money for your car from us."
"Are you crazy? I give money to our mother. She said she's broke. You two treat our mother so badly, why is she asking you for money? She can ask her men," Ethan blurted out, typing on his phone, showing no concern for his mother's financial situation.
Mark wasn't selfish or stingy. He liked giving and treating others. He spent a lot of money, but his salary only passed through his hands. In fact, he had a high salary at the hospital, he just didn't know how to manage money well. He was confident about the family's money, as they all shared expenses equally. Often, the older siblings would pay for him.
"We do have a half-sibling, right? I know we still have a baby sibling," Nathan said.
"Damn it! Mom is so strong to have another child. She's too old to be having more kids!" Mark blurted out.
That was the rumor circulating in the mansion.
"Do you believe in that thing?" Mark asked his twin.
"It's not impossible because Mom has had many men. She's old but still has the spice, sweetness, and heat," Mark said, laughing. Ethan just shook his head.
"But what if we have another sibling?" Mark asked again.
"We'll deal with it. There's nothing we can do now that it's already there," Nathan answered.
"I pray for the child's future. I feel sorry for the child because they have an irresponsible mother," Ethan said bitterly, earning a stern look from his siblings. "You should raise and educate them. It's your responsibility because you have the money!"
"What the fuck?! Did I make that kid?" Ethan exclaimed.
"That doesn't mean we're successful and have money, that child becomes our responsibility," Nathan disagreed.
"Hey! It's up to you. You will be judged for not knowing how to give blessings. I feel sorry for our sibling if they're the only one not privileged. Besides, they're still our sibling," Mark insisted.
"I don't like taking someone's responsibility," Ethan said rudely.
"It's not my responsibility either. Tell that to our mother since she's the one who enjoyed herself!" Nathan said, clenching his fist.
Mark fell silent, knowing he couldn't win against the twins, despite being the oldest among the three.
It doesn't mean we're unkind when we don't share our blessings with our relatives. It means we're helping them strive and work hard.
One reason why Filipinos don't become wealthy is that their relatives just rely on them. Instead of becoming wealthy themselves, they end up shouldering the responsibility of educating and providing for their siblings and parents. I feel sorry for the breadwinners; I hope they can break free from this cycle soon.
Imagine if the whole family were successful and helped each other reach the top. Imagine if everyone had an ambitious mindset. Let's all strive harder and not depend on others because they also have their own battles and hardships.
"You also thought of that, so you made it happen," Ethan added rudely.
Mark just frowned, whispering to himself, "I can't even support myself."
~
<Mia>
"Lorena, do you believe that?" I asked my friend.
"Well, it's not impossible because there are so many men around my mom. She's old but still has her charm, sweetness, and allure," Mark said with a laugh. Ethan just shook his head.
"But what if we have another sibling?" I asked again.
"We'll deal with it. There's nothing we can do now that it's already there," Nathan answered.
"I pray for the child's future. I feel sorry for the child because they have an irresponsible mother," Ethan said bitterly, earning a stern look from his siblings. "You should raise and educate them. It's your responsibility because you have the money!"
"What the hell? Did I make that kid?" Ethan exclaimed.
"That doesn't mean we're successful and have money, that child becomes our responsibility," Nathan disagreed.
"Hey! It's up to you. You will be judged for not knowing how to give blessings. I feel sorry for our sibling if they're the only one not privileged. Besides, they're still our sibling," Mark insisted.
"I don't like taking someone's responsibility," Ethan said rudely.
"It's not my responsibility either. Tell that to our mother since she's the one who enjoyed herself!" Nathan said, clenching his fist.
Mark fell silent, knowing he couldn't win against the twins, despite being the oldest among the three.
It doesn't mean we're unkind when we don't share our blessings with our relatives. It means we're helping them strive and work hard.
One reason why Filipinos don't become wealthy is that their relatives just rely on them. Instead of becoming wealthy themselves, they end up shouldering the responsibility of educating and providing for their siblings and parents. I feel sorry for the breadwinners; I hope they can break free from this cycle soon.
Imagine if the whole family were successful and helped each other reach the top. Imagine if everyone had an ambitious mindset. Let's all strive harder and not depend on others because they also have their own battles and hardships.
"You also thought of that, so you made it happen," Ethan added rudely.
Mark just frowned, whispering to himself, "I can't even support myself."
~
<Mia>
"Lorena, do you believe that?" I asked my friend.
"Well, it's not impossible because there are so many men around my mom. She's old but still has her charm, sweetness, and allure," Mark said with a laugh. Ethan just shook his head.
"But what if we have another sibling?" I asked again.
"We'll deal with it. There's nothing we can do now that it's already there," Nathan answered.
"I pray for the child's future. I feel sorry for the child because they have an irresponsible mother," Ethan said bitterly, earning a stern look from his siblings. "You should raise and educate them. It's your responsibility because you have the money!"
"What the hell? Did I make that kid?" Ethan exclaimed.
"That doesn't mean we're successful and have money, that child becomes our responsibility," Nathan disagreed.
"Hey! It's up to you. You will be judged for not knowing how to give blessings. I feel sorry for our sibling if they're the only one not privileged. Besides, they're still our sibling," Mark insisted.
"I don't like taking someone's responsibility," Ethan said rudely.
"It's not my responsibility either. Tell that to our mother since she's the one who enjoyed herself!" Nathan said, clenching his fist.
Mark fell silent, knowing he couldn't win against the twins, despite being the oldest among the three.
It doesn't mean we're unkind when we don't share our blessings with our relatives. It means we're helping them strive and work hard.
One reason why Filipinos don't become wealthy is that their relatives just rely on them. Instead of becoming wealthy themselves, they end up shouldering the responsibility of educating and providing for their siblings and parents. I feel sorry for the breadwinners; I hope they can break free from this cycle soon.
Imagine if the whole family were successful and helped each other reach the top. Imagine if everyone had an ambitious mindset. Let's all strive harder and not depend on others because they also have their own battles and hardships.
"You also thought of that, so you made it happen," Ethan added rudely.
Mark just frowned, whispering to himself, "I can't even support myself."
I'm not saying we shouldn't ask for help, but if you look at the other side of asking for help, no one is going to help you except yourself. Don't expect someone to heal you or fix your miserable life. You have to heal yourself; you are responsible for your own happiness.
He sends me a lot of messages, but his replies to others are short. One question, one answer.
Ethan adjusted our positions, leaning against the headboard and pulling me closer to rest my head on his shoulder. He kissed my forehead before playing with one of my hands.
"Take an early day off. Mark's birthday is near, and Nate is going to treat us to a ticket to Maldives, while I'm in charge of the food. It's our birthday gift to Kuya Mark," Ethan informed me.
"When is his birthday?" I asked.
"Next week, Wednesday. Also, Ate Ann will pay for transportation and other expenses. We already talked about it earlier."
He always updates me and tells me everything.
"What about me? What can I contribute?" I feel embarrassed if I have nothing to contribute.
"Accompany me and don't leave my side. Take care of me, and hold my hand."
His gentle touch made me feel drowsy.
"I'll give him a gift too. It would be embarrassing if I don't have anything to give."
"No need, tsk!" He scoffed.
"That's our gift to him, and you don't need to give one! With all the money he borrowed and never paid back, he doesn't deserve a gift," he said in a sassy tone. He kissed my forehead again.
"Instead, give me a gift," he demanded.
"Huh? It's not your birthday. What gift can I give you?"
"Babies."
