RDD 79

So our night passed like that. Of course, we didn't let Santiago spend his first night in Cavite in the shop. 

We are not that bad. 

Although when he heard that he would be living in the shop and helping me run the business, he was relieved. 

He said he didn't want to be a burden by living in the house without doing anything. 

So he felt it was right to help me by taking care of the store at night.

... He's really thoughtful, isn't he? 

Man, I would love to invite him over for a drink. Unfortunately, I have already stopped drinking alcohol.

"Brother-in-law, are we going to the store today?

Santiago woke up early and he was already sweeping the floor... It's 5 o'clock in the morning and my man is already productive.

"Good morning Santiago. It's good that you're starting your day with something worthwhile."

Penelope came out of the room after me. Since we have a guest, we postponed our fun last night and decided to sleep early. 

"Good morning sister."

Santiago smiled. 

"Hm, let me boil some water for our coffee."

"Um, actually I already made some. It's in the thermos."

"That's good to hear."

Penelope raised her eyebrows and went into the kitchen. 

"Santiago, you had an exhausting trip yesterday. Why did you wake up so early? You should rest more."

"Brother-in-law, this is the usual time we wake up in the province. Don't you remember? The roosters always cry at this time."

"That's true, but..." 

I sighed. I guess I don't have to stop him if he's used to waking up early. 

"By the way, just call me Keith. You don't have to call me brother-in-law. It's too formal."

"But..."

"Call me Keith."

"Okay. Thank you, Brother... I mean, Keith. Thanks for letting me stay in your house."

"No problem, we are family. We will leave at 8 a.m. to go to the store and check out the place. Then we will order wood from the hardware store to make two cages for the chicklings and ducklings. 

Chickens and ducks have different lifestyles and don't like each other so much. Fortunately, the house has a big garden and they can move around without any problem. 

... Let's just hope they don't eat the vegetable plants Penelope planted. Or else we will eat them early.

Now that I think about it, chicken stew and duck stew are delicious. I'm sure my wife can cook delicious meals with these birds.

I nodded and licked my lips as I imagined how delicious they would be. 

"Here's your coffee, honey."

"Thanks, babe."

I accepted my wife's goodwill and took the coffee. 

Just like a normal Filipino family, we don't use expensive brands of coffee. 

Nestle's Nescafe is the most famous brand of coffee in the Philippines right now. It's the brand we drink. 

Only 5 pesos per pack. That's a great deal. 

Totally different from Starbucks, which will serve you a bitter coffee worth 500 pesos.

Starbucks has to go. Fuck that company. 

"Here's your coffee, Santiago."

"It's fine, sister. I already had one when I woke up."

"... So what should I do with this coffee, throw it away? That's wasteful, you better drink it."

"Y- Yes."

Santiago reluctantly took the coffee. 

Now I understand that I'm not the only one who is afraid of Penelope. Looks like she is a scary person even for her siblings. 

Roman and Sophia woke up around 7 am. They rubbed their eyes as they came out of the room. 

"Mommy, what's for bweakfast?"

Sophia approached Penelope and hugged her leg. 

"Baby, it's Sunnyside eggs, corned beef and rice."

"Okay."

She didn't have a strong reaction to the dish because it was our usual breakfast. 

In my opinion, it's the best breakfast ever. 

What? Cereals like Captain Crunch, Froot Loops, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch are the best breakfast? 

Fuck off... We're not rich enough to buy those cereals. So rice is the best. 

"Aww, baby Sophia doesn't like rice? How about fried rice? I'll give you milk too."

Penelope pinched Sophia's nose. 

"Owkay... Mommy, I like fwied rice."

"That's my sweet daughter."

"Hehe."

Looks like we all have a good appetite because we finished our meal with no leftovers. 

Afterwards, Santiago and I went to the car and drove to the store near the entrance of FCIE. 

"This is...big."

Santiago muttered as he entered the store. 

The shop has a kitchen. Then there are four removable tables for customers to use. 

"What do you think?"

"This is great! My room in the province is very small and I don't have a bathroom or a kitchen. But this place has everything! It's much better than my room in the countryside! Look, this place even has an electric fan! My room in the province is very hot and there's no electric outlet to use!"

Santiago was obviously happy. He really liked the place.

"I can get you a folding bed."

"Thank you, Brother-in-law, I mean Keith. I like this place. I can live here all I want."

"That's good to hear. I will start the business in three days and I will buy the ingredients for the burgers. Oh, you can use the freezer. Just don't use too much electricity."

"I promise."

After visiting the store and checking each piece of equipment, we decided to go to the hardware store to buy wood for the little birds. 

My truck can easily carry the wood. We returned a few hours later. The kids were playing as usual, while Penelope was watching a telenovela...

It's about a poor woman who married a prince charming. That's right, it's the telenovela where Sophia learned the word peasant and pwathetic.

"Oh, looks like you got here. How's the store?"

"It's okay."

"I made hamburgers for you, Sophia kept asking for hamburgers, so I decided to make them again... By the way, our beef is already gone."

"Don't worry honey, I'll buy more later." I chuckled and sat down.