Puddle!

A message popped up from Emma’s phone with a sound that quickly caught her attention. She was about to finish cooking dinner when her mother messaged her, telling her that it would still take a while for her to come back home. She placed the ladle she was holding on the countertop, washed her hands, wiped it on her apron, and then took the phone to message her mother back.

            “Emma. I just got off the train. I think I’ll be back around 7:30 p.m.” Her mother’s message as Emma saw the notification.

            “Okay!” Emma sent a smiling emoji afterward. “The dinner is almost ready, too!” Emma added.

            Her mother saw her message. “Great! Could you also buy Happiness? Take some money from my purse back in the living room.”

            “Happiness?! We will! I’ll bring Kiki with me.” Emma smiled.

            Her mother sent a thumbs-up emoji. “You both be careful,” her mother messaged back.

            Emma took her phone down and soon smelled the tangy and sour smell of Sinigang na Baboy, the dinner she was cooking. It was already seven in the evening and since their mother was about to come home, Emma quickly prepared the plates and utensils while she tried calling her six-year-old little sister, Kiki, in the living room as they were about to go out to the store.

            “Kiki!” Emma shouted while she took and placed three plates on the table. At first, Kiki didn’t respond. She still seemed to be asleep as she usually took naps at five in the afternoon. “Kiki…!” Emma called her sister again after placing the spoons and forks, and three drinking glasses beside the plates.

            Emma took her phone and went to the living room after setting up the dining table. She saw her little sister comfortably wrapped in a blanket while sleeping gracefully on the sofa. Seeing Kiki, Emma let out a smile and then sat beside her.

            Emma patted Kiki’s head, “I should just buy it without her.” Emma fixed her blanket and stood up.

            As soon as Emma stood up, however, Kiki slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times until she could see her sister clearly after her graceful sleep.

            “Ate…?” Kiki faintly called her sister.

            “Kiki! Y—You’re awake…” Emma wondered why Kiki suddenly woke up.

            Still looking half asleep, Kiki sat up. She looked around and noticed that the lights were already on, assuming that it was already night.

            “Ate, what time is it?” Kiki asked Emma.

            “It’s already seven in the evening.” Emma crouched down and fixed Kiki’s hair.

            “Is Mommy home?” Kiki once again looked around.

            Emma smiled. “Nope, but she’s on her way back.” Emma said as she stood up. “Mommy also told me to buy…” Emma added, riddling her sister.

            Kiki wondered, “Buy what?” she asked.

            “Hmm? I wonder? All I know is that it makes us happy!” Emma looked at Kiki excitedly.

            Kiki’s eyes excitedly sparked, then stood up on the sofa. “Happiness!” Kiki happily shouted. 

            “Wanna come along?” Emma asked Kiki.

            “Yeah!” Kiki jumped down from the sofa.

            “I’ll just get Mommy’s purse. Wait for me at the door, okay?” Emma said. Kiki nodded, then went to the door.

            As Kiki went to the door, Emma first fixed the pillows and blanket that Kiki used to sleep before looking for their mother’s purse. She gently fluffed the pillows, folded the blanket, and placed them on the coffee table.

This was usually Emma’s routine around the house. She was the one in charge of cooking and cleaning around the house while also taking care of Kiki and since Emma was a junior high-school student, she also tried to keep up with her academics in school. However, even though it might seem like she had no choice, she often tried to give her best in everything as she believed this was  the only way she could repay her parents for all the things they provided her and Kiki.

            Both their parents worked. Their father worked abroad and their mother worked locally just to provide some extra money for their daily needs, especially since Kiki recently started grade one.

            As Emma finished fixing Kiki’s things, she stood up and looked near the television placed between two shelves. She checked each shelf and then saw her mother’s purse.

            Kiki, who was at the door, called her sister, “Ate! Come here quickly!” Kiki said out loud.

            “Hmm? What is it?” Emma wondered while taking a hundred peso bill from her mother’s purse.

            “It’s raining!” Kiki shouted while she was looking outside the window. Emma walked towards her and then leaned on the window beside her to take a look at the rain outside.

            “It really is raining…” Emma said and they both looked at each other. “I’ll go get your favorite raincoat!” Emma smiled.

            Kiki jumped excitedly, “Where are my rainboots?”

            Emma pointed at the shoe rack near the door. “It’s beside your shoes,” Emma said, then Kiki quickly took and wore the boots.

            Emma went to Kiki’s room and looked for the raincoat. After a moment of searching Kiki’s wardrobe, she couldn’t find a single clue where her raincoat was. Then, she tried checking in her room and found her raincoat beside the pile of clothes Kiki had in Emma’s room. Emma and Kiki had their own rooms but due to Kiki’s age, she was at the age where she often got scared easily whenever she was left alone in her room. So, she usually slept beside her sister to have a good night’s sleep. She also took some clothes here and there so she wouldn’t have to go back to her room and get them.

            “Kiki! I got it!” Emma said as she went back to the door.

            Kiki reached out her arms as Emma gave the raincoat to her. “My raincoat!” She said.

            “You got your clothes in my room, you know that?” Emma reached for her slippers in the shoe rack and the transparent umbrella beside it.

            “It’s our room!” Kiki jokingly said as she wore her raincoat.

            Emma just smiled as she wore the slippers. “Let’s go!” Emma said as she held the umbrella.

            Kiki jumped around, “Let’s go!”

            Emma opened the door and took a step outside before opening the umbrella. But for Kiki, she quickly ran outside as soon as Emma opened the door and excitedly jumped around.
            “Kiki! Be careful!” Emma said as she closed the door.

            It was a silent neighborhood in which only the rain bellowed through the whole street. Few lights were on, mostly the streetlights, giving the whole neighborhood its own tranquil mood. Kiki was ahead of Emma as she was jumping from puddle to puddle that formed in the street. She was laughing, looking as if she was having the best time of her life.

            Emma smiled. “Be careful, okay?”

            “Mhm!” Kiki nodded then once again jumped to another puddle, making it splash some of it to Emma.

            “My clothes will get wet!” Emma said out loud. However, Kiki seemed to be ignoring her so Emma just set a distance so she wouldn’t get splashed.

            After a while, they waited a few moments as they reached an intersection with a few cars and motorcycles passing by. Kiki couldn’t help but stomp her feet repeatedly, looking as if she couldn’t wait to cross the street. Emma noticed the end of her jeans was drenched.

            “You want Happiness that badly?” Emma asked.

            “Mhm!” Kiki cheerfully nodded. Emma smiled and offered her hand. Kiki gently held her hand and then they crossed the street together.

            As they crossed the street, there were many more people in the street as jeepneys often dropped passengers at the stops in the area—where their mother usually also takes the stop. Seeing the sari-sari store where they usually buy things, Kiki excitedly ran towards the store, leaving Emma behind.

            “Ate! There it is! Let’s hurry!” Kiki shouted.

            “You might fall!” Emma said as she somehow matched Kiki’s pace, although she stayed behind.

            Kiki and Emma reached the sari-sari store. The store was actually owned by their mother’s friend, Algara, who usually gave both Emma and Kiki free candies or chips since they were younger. Since their father worked abroad and their mother worked locally, their mother often dropped them off at Algara’s place—which was also the sari-sari store, leaving Kiki and Emma in Algara’s care. You could say that they also spent as much time here as they did back at their home. So, for some people, the store might seem small compared to others, but these kids believed it was big enough to hold precious memories of childhood.

            “Tita! We’re here!” Emma called Algara from outside the store.

            Emma heard a few footsteps and some noisy, rattling sounds inside the store, “Wait a minute!” Algara said out loud. After a moment had passed, Algara appeared. She looked as if she was almost the same age as their mother, her thirties.

            “Emma! You’re here! What about Kiki?” Algara wondered where Kiki was.

            “She’s right here beside me—” Emma stopped as Kiki was nowhere beside her. Emma looked around and saw Kiki in the middle of the street playing in the puddles around.

            “Kiki! The rain might start to pour a little heavy! Come back here!” Emma shouted, worried.

            “I’m fine! I’ll play while you buy happiness!” Kiki said.

            Emma looked back at Algara. “Tita, as you have heard, one Happiness, please!”

            Algara smiled back, “You guys must have been having a good dinner, huh?” Algara walked towards the refrigerator and then took the happiness Kiki and Emma were talking about—their favorite soft drink.

            Algara walked back and gave Emma the soft drink, “Here you go! I might as well give it to you for free.”

            Shocked, Emma insisted on paying, “W—What? No, Tita. Let me pay. Besides, Mommy would definitely scold me if I let you give it to me for free.” Emma chuckled as she took the soft drink from Algara’s hands.

            Algara also chuckled, “Good point.”

            “Let me take the bill…” Emma said as she placed the soft drink on the wooden top of the sari-sari store.

As she was taking the hundred peso bill from her pocket, Algara asked her, “So, how’s your mother these days? Is she having a hard time at work?”

“Hmm…Mommy barely talks about her work with us. But she does seem quite lively at home.” Emma handed Algara the hundred peso bill.

“That’s great. But you know, she could have just focused on doing housework and taking care of you two, but. well, knowing her, I know she must have felt she wanted to provide the best for you two.” Algara smiled.

Emma looked away. “That’s why I kind of feel a little guilty about it…”

“Why so…?” Algara wondered.

“They keep working so hard for the both of us, they don’t even have time to…” Emma paused as she saw how Kiki was laughing and playing around despite the rain. “Time for them to have fun, I guess?” Emma looked back at Algara.

Algara looked at Kiki playing in the rain. A few minutes of silence passed.

            “They chose to have you guys, so maybe that was the fun they’re having. Don’t you think so?”

            Emma smiled at Algara. “Maybe…” She looked back at Kiki. Then, she noticed that Kiki stopped and was just staring at the people passing by.

            “Kiki? What’s wrong?” Emma asked.

            Kiki didn’t reply and looked as if she was thinking hard. Emma and Algara looked at each other and then tried calling her one more time.

            “Kiki…! Kiki!” Emma shouted a few times until Kiki eventually looked their way. “What’s wrong?” Emma asked.

            “N—Nothing!” Kiki said as she ran towards Emma. She hugged Emma’s legs and kept her place for a moment until Algara asked her if she was okay.

            “Are you okay, Kiki? What happened?” Algara asked, but Kiki just shook her head while burying her face between Emma’s legs. The rain started pouring a little heavier.

            Algara looked up, “Well, I think I should close the store now that the rain starts getting heavy.” She said.

            “Okay then. We’ll go home!” Emma said as she took the soft drink from the wooden top and opened her umbrella. Algara then turned off the lights and placed the sari-sari store’s wooden cover to close the store.

“Both of you be careful on your way home, okay?” Algara said.

            The two waved their goodbye and walked away from the store. The whole neighborhood was engulfed with the hard and harsh sound of the rain pouring heavily. Emma tried to keep herself and Kiki dry from the rain while holding the soft drink in her elbow.

            “Kiki, stay close until we get home!” Emma said as she covered Kiki with her body under the umbrella. After they reached the intersection, there was a jeepney that stopped for the passengers. Kiki noticed that the people who got off the jeepney avoided the puddle nearby. After seeing that, Kiki stopped walking, leaving Emma wondering why she had seemed off since earlier.

“Kiki, what’s wrong? Come close! You’ll get drenched!” Emma said as she crouched down in front of Kiki. Kiki’s eyes were locked on the people behind Emma. Noticing the look Kiki had on her face, Emma looked behind her. Seeing the people, she still couldn’t understand what was making Kiki behave in such a manner.

“Is there something wrong with them? You kept staring at them…” Emma asked.

“They…” Kiki muttered. Emma didn’t hear it, so she leaned closer and asked Kiki to say it once again.

“What is it?”

“The puddle…” Kiki looked straight into Emma’s eyes.

“The puddle?” Emma wondered what Kiki meant by what she just said.

 Kiki looked back at the people behind Emma. “Ate…is it fun to play around puddles?”

“Of course! Why are you asking me that? You had fun earlier, right?” Emma said as she looked at Kiki. But she noticed that Kiki was staring at the people again. This time, she noticed that people were avoiding the huge puddle that had formed in the middle of the street.

“Why are they avoiding it, then…?” Kiki wondered.

“Those people might just be tired, or burdened with things, stopping them from…having fun?” Emma said as she slowly remembered the conversation she had with Algara earlier.

“Are you tired? Kiki surprisingly asked Emma. Emma, with worry on her face, patted Kiki’s head and then smiled as she stood up.

“I’m not! Hold this for me for a second.” Emma gave the soft drink to Kiki. Emma closed the umbrella and then shouted as she ran and jumped towards the puddle in the middle of the street.

“See? Don’t worry!” Emma shouted at Kiki from a distance.

Seeing her sister jump in the puddle, Kiki’s expression turned into a bright one as she wore a smile on her face. She placed the soft drink down and ran to her sister while her giggle turned into laughter. Emma reached for Kiki’s hand and held it as they spun around the puddle with the rain pouring down.

“I’m drenched!” Emma said as she looked at her clothes.

“You should buy a raincoat, too!” Kiki smiled at her. Emma smiled back.

After a moment, another jeepney arrived, and a woman hurriedly got off towards the sidewalk. It was their mother. She opened her umbrella and called the two, who seemingly enjoyed their time playing together in the rain.

“Emma! Kiki! What are you guys doing?!” Their mother said.             Emma and Kiki saw their mother but instead of stopping what they were doing, Kiki quickly dragged her mother away from the sidewalk. Their mother dropped her umbrella near the soft drink as Kiki brought her to the puddle. While their mother was surprised by what was happening, the two seemed to be having the time of their lives.