Ray arrived home and went straight to his room.
Where should I even start? he thought.
He began searching for money everywhere.
In the drawers.
Under the bed.
In his closet, inside his clothes.
Forgotten bills. Coins.
There was barely any cash. Then his mind drifted back to past birthdays, when his mother and grandparents used to give him small amounts of money.
The birthday envelopes! he suddenly realized as he started searching for them.
Everything he found, he gathered together.
Ray wasn't planning to ask his parents for money. He knew they couldn't help him. He was aware of their current financial situation.
Finally, he counted everything he had.
25,000 pesos.
He sighed and placed the money inside a jar.
"God… this isn't enough…"
He fell onto his bed in frustration. After a few minutes of thinking, he knew he couldn't do this alone.
Ray walked downstairs, the money still in his hand.
25,000 pesos.
It wasn't enough.
He sighed.
Maybe… I should ask my mom for help, he thought.
"M-mom… m—"
But he stopped before finishing the sentence.
From the kitchen, he heard his parents talking.
"I don't know how we're going to pay the electricity bill this month," his mother said.
"And the rent… we're already two months behind," his father replied with a tired voice.
"Maybe I should ask for an advance at work, or a loan from the company. We can't let our son be left without electricity… especially in his last year," his father added with a sigh.
Ray froze on the staircase.
The money in his hand suddenly felt much heavier.
He knew his goal was his own, not his parents'. He couldn't depend on them if he wanted to go on that trip.
He waited a few seconds.
Then he gently knocked on the door to make some noise.
"Mom, Dad… I'll be back later. I'm going out for a walk," he said as he left the house.
His mother noticed the sad expression on Ray's face as he walked out.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" she asked her husband.
"As long as we don't talk about this in front of him, he shouldn't worry," the father replied. "We'll figure it out, dear."
Once outside, Ray walked through the neighborhood for hours.
His only option was to find a part-time job, even though he knew it would be difficult at his age.
He entered small shops asking if they needed help.
"Hello! My name is Ray. I was wondering if you needed help at your store… I could work part-time."
He repeated the same words countless times in nearly every shop in his neighborhood.
But the answer was always the same.
"Sorry, kid."
"We're not hiring right now."
"Come back after you finish school."
No one wanted to hire a seventeen-year-old with no experience.
Ray was starting to lose hope.
As he walked back home, he thought,
What am I going to do now? Should I sell my PlayStation?
No.
Cris and Tai would kill me if I did that… they'd be so bored if our game afternoons disappeared just like that.
Then he saw an elderly woman struggling to lift a large bag of potatoes in front of a market.
Without thinking, he approached her.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Let me take that."
"Let me help you," Ray said.
He picked up the bag and carried it to the entrance of the store.
"Thank you, young man," the woman said with a smile. "We need more people like you around here."
Ray nodded.
"Thank you, ma'am… but I don't know where you're from."
The woman raised her cane and pointed toward the store.
It was one of the biggest and most well-known markets in the city.
"W-what?!"
"Y-you're the owner?" Ray asked in shock.
Then he remembered something.
Just minutes earlier, he had gone inside asking for a job.
And someone had told him they didn't need inexperienced boys.
Ray lowered his gaze.
"Thank you, ma'am… but they already rejected me. I don't think it would be right to ask them to hire me again."
The woman frowned.
"Right? In my businesses, whoever I want works here."
She hit the ground with her cane.
"Come with me."
They walked into the market.
"Tell me, who told you we didn't need you?"
Ray looked around until he spotted the young man who had rejected him.
"Him… the guy at the counter."
The woman marched up to the counter.
Without hesitation, she smacked him on the head with her cane.
"What do you mean telling this sweet boy he can't work here?!" she shouted. "He helped me with my bags while you were standing here pretending to work!"
Ray couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Ma'am… you probably shouldn't hit your employees."
The woman smiled.
"He's not just my employee, kid."
She pointed at the young man.
"He's my son."
"W-what? Your son?" Ray said in surprise. "But he looks so… young."
The woman let out a small laugh.
"And how do you think children are made, boy?"
Ray scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Sorry, ma'am… what's your name?"
"Rossi.
Mrs. Rossi, for you."
"It's a pleasure, Miss Rossi," Ray replied.
Another laugh escaped from the woman.
"Miss? You already have the job. You don't need to try so hard to flatter me."
"By the way, what's your name, son?" Rossi asked.
"My name is Ray, ma'am."
The woman nodded gently when she heard it.
Then she looked at her son with a serious expression.
"Listen carefully, idiot."
She pointed at Ray with her cane.
"From now on, Ray will work here. I want you to teach him everything. And the day I find out you try to sabotage him so he quits—like you did with the other boys—I'll turn you into mashed potatoes."
"Understood?" she said, fury in her eyes.
The young man raised his hands.
"Yes, Mom…"
Ray stepped forward.
"Excuse me, ma'am… I need to tell you something."
Rossi raised an eyebrow.
"Go on."
"I… need a part-time job. I'm still studying, and I'm saving money for my graduation trip. I also want to help my parents."
Mrs. Rossi stayed silent for a moment, thinking.
Then she nodded.
"Alright, Ray. I understand."
She tapped the ground with her cane.
"You'll come after school. You'll work the last hours of the day, and you'll leave a little before closing so you can rest for your classes."
Ray's eyes widened.
"Really?" he said, genuinely surprised.
"And I'll pay you the salary of a full-time worker," Mrs. Rossi said proudly.
"WHAT?!" Ray exclaimed.
The son jumped up from behind the counter.
"What did you say, Mom? You're going to pay him the same as me for working only four hours?"
Rossi looked at him with disdain.
"You heard me, Edi. He needs the money for a good reason. At least he's trying to help his parents… unlike certain people."
Then she looked back at Ray.
"You start tomorrow. After school."
She pointed at her son.
"Edi will teach you everything about the business."
Ray smiled.
For the first time since he had heard the price of the trip…
it finally seemed possible.