I do not know what happened but suddenly here I am explaining to Reagan's landlord about our agreement.

According to him, nobody informed him about our deal.

I told Mr. Harold, a man in his forties, that I just talked to him a week ago.

Unfortunately, no one will attest to my concern.

Reagan's secretary is on a vacation leave while he is away on a business trip.

"Pasensya ka na, hija. Ayoko naman maperwisyo trabaho ko." Mr. Harold said, his hands on his waist.

"Sa darating na linggo pa po ang sahod ko, Manong." I said frustratingly. "Pwede ko ho ba mahingi ang cell number ni Reag-Mr. Jimenez? Ako na po ang kakausap sa kanya para mapatunayan sa inyo na nag-usap po kami noong nakaraan." I suggested.

"Nako, iha. Wala akong load. " Mr. Harold said, shaking his head.

"Teka ho. Susubukan ko yung dating cell number nya. Baka iyon pa din ang numero nya." I said and searched for Reagan's name in my contact list.

When I saw it, I almost hesitated but decided against it.

I pressed call and placed it over my ear.

I gave a small smile at Mr. Harold while I waited for Reagan to answer my call.

Thankfully, he's not outside the country.

I wouldn't mind calling him even if my postpaid will reach my limit.

After a couple of rings, there was a busy tone.

I presumed he dropped the call.

I tried again but it kept on ringing.

And after the third ring, number is suddenly unavailable.

Geez!

He turned off his cellphone!

Maybe he's still in a business meeting!

I faced Mr. Harold again and apologized.

Clari was nowhere to be found and she did not inform me where she is staying and until when.

A lady with eyeglasses, cropped top and ripped jeans approached us.

"Here. Take this, Sir." The lady said and handed him some cash.

Mr. Harold looked at her in surprise and stared at the money in his hands.

"O sya. Mauna na ako. Magpasalamat ka dyan sa kaibigan mo. Babalik ako uli sa susunod na buwan para maningil. " With that said, he turned his back to us and went to the elevator.

I can still the rings on his phone when suddenly he picked it up.

"Hello! Pambihira naman, Reagan! Akala ko ba, nag-usap na tayo? Bakit naman andito si Sir Harold? Tapos wala din yung sekretarya mo? Hindi man lang nya naiforward yung agreement naten sa landlord? Kaya naniningil ngayon? Magbabayad naman ako! Nagkataon lang na nagshort ako sa pera!" I ranted over the phone without waiting for him to respond.

"Uh, hello?" A woman answered instead of him on his phone.

"Uhh.. Si Reagan po ba ito?" I gulped in realization.

"Reagan is currently inside the bathroom. So he cannot take this call. I'll just tell him you called. Who's this please?" The woman asked .

"Ah, pls tell him that Shaniah Suarez called. Thank you!" I immediately said and hung up.

I sighed and felt the lady's presence earlier.

She was staring at me and popping her bubble gum.

"Oh my God! Thank you so much, Miss! For lending me a couple of bucks earlier." I gushed and approached her with a hug.

She was taken aback but hugged me back instead. "Ah, quit the mushy stuff. Just knock on my door if you need any help okay?" She said then sauntered to her unit.

It was my turn to be dumbfounded.

She just simply walked away with a genuine smile and a wink before returning to her unit.

I watched her entered her passcode at the unit beside Clarinet's and it just dawned on me when she locked her door.

I forgot to ask her name!

Ah, I'll make it up to her next time.

I entered my unit and locked the door.

As usual, I reflected how me being a young adult went for a year.

Yup. I survived living alone.

I am a survivor.

However, there are struggles along the way but those are inevitable.

They are part of life and of growing up.

I'm just glad I made it thru.

Oh, well.

Suddenly, a thought ran into me.

What if I enroll for MBA?

I always wanted to put up my own business.

Where nobody would boss me around and when I can manage my schedule well.

Don't get me wrong.

I love my job.

But not as much as writing.

I want to make a living by writing.

And at the same time, be comfortable making my way around my nook.

I just need a perfect location for a business to set up and a couple of people I can trust.

Maybe, I still need more time to save up enough money and skills to acquire before I set up my own business.

Right, I'll find a good school for my MBA!

Geez, I can't wait!