The next day, I woke up earlier than usual. Got ready and went out. I really made sure that they would have a good impression of me. And since this was my first job under an employer, I promised myself that I would do my best.
My first day at work went smoothly. I was able to do the job well, so I was allowed to leave early to sell goods at the market.
Even though I was tired from working, I went home right away to prepare what I would sell that day.
When I got home, I found dad panting heavily while holding his chest. I immediately went to him and helped him sit down. I got some water and gave it.
"Dad, please take it easy with work. I'll do the hard work for us if possible. You MUST REST, dad! I don't want to be an orphan," I reprimanded him out of worry.
"Don't worry about that, Nora. This is just because of my age. I can still manage, so just leave me be," he replied while trying to catch his breath.
Instead of resting, I then prepared what I would bring to the market. I made sure that Dad was okay before heading out.
Though tired from the whole day's work, I returned home with all the goods sold. When I arrived, I saw Dad sitting at the sofa, so I greeted him respectfully.
"Wow! You're finally learning how to rest!" I joked.
While at the dining table, I couldn't stop talking about my day. I told dad everything I did and felt during the day. "I'm excited to go to work tomorrow," I happily told Dad.
"You're young; don't tire yourself too much or you might get sick," Dad advised.
That night ended with a feeling of relief in my heart.
In the following days, the cycle continued. Going to work, finishing house chores before afternoon to be able to sell Dad's catch in the day, and then going home to my dad and tell him stories of mt day.
I was able to save little by little. I was also slowly getting used to this daily routine.
But one day, I did not go to work because of the heavy rain. We didn't know there was a storm because we neither have a TV nor a radio, so we weren't able to prepare for it.
I kept praying as the wind howled so strongly it almost tore off our roof. Because of the heavy rain, people were evacuated as the water would rise from the riverbank at any moment. I feared the entire neighborhood might get flooded because of the typhoon is strong.
"Dad, put your things on higher ground because the flood might sweep them away," I reminded Dad while organizing my own things.
"Oh no! I'm sure I won't be able to go fishing for a few days," Dad said worriedly.
We hurried our preparations so we could evacuate quickly. When we arrived at the evacuation center, there were many people. It was so crowded inside and it would definitely be difficult to move around as night approached.
I was not mistaken. Even more people came because houses were already flooded. Water reached above knee level and would definitely go higher, so the fear and anxiety crept inside me.
"Please, Lord, help us get through this storm," I silently prayer before dozing to sleep.
The next day, the storm did not get any calmer. It's chilling inside the evacuation center despite the crowd it's accomodating.
"I hope the house could withstand the storm," I rubbed my palms together, hoping it would bring some warmth to my body.
"I hope so, Nora. This storm is really strong. If only we had prepared the house before it hit, there's no doubt it could have withstood the storm," Dad said anxiously, rubbing his own hands as well.
Fear filled the entire evacuation center. Everyone was alert, aware of the looming danger brought by the typhoon. From different corners, one could hear the cries of others as the fierce wind howled, almost tearing off the center's roofs.
Two long days passed before I finally saw the sunlight again.