"DIANNE!" Her grandmother shouted while running on the sand back to their hut near the shore.
Dianne quickly removed the pot from the stove. She came out of the hut. Again, she heard her grandmother's voice.
She saw her grandmother walking in a hurry, she could see the concern on her grandmother face as she greeted her.
"Why are you shouting, Grandma?" She was nervous.
"Dianne, I saw a man and he was there near the sea, he was lying down. He wasn't moving! He looked dead!" the old woman chased her breath. She is old so she gets tired easily.
"A man?"
"Yes, a man." Her grandmother answered. "He was wearing a white t-shirt and was bloody. I was afraid to approach him because he looked dead!"
"Come, Grandma, let's go to the man you're talking about. Maybe he's still alive and he just fainted."
They went to where the man was. It was only five in the morning so they hadn't seen anyone else there.
Dianne saw the man lying on the sand, not moving. She sat on the sand and looked closely at the man's face.
The man was handsome, he had a pointed nose. His lips were pale, he had a mustache, fluffy eyelashes, and thick eyebrows.
She stood up and looked at the man's body. Her heart pounded because his muscular chest could be seen on his wet t-shirt. His muscular arms were bleeding, and because his clothes were wet, the blood spread on his t-shirt.
Her eyes widened when she saw the man's chest move. That's when she realized the man needed help.
"He's still alive, Grandma! I saw him breathing!"
"Thank god!" The old woman said happily. "Help me, we need to take him to our hut to clean his wounds."
They lifted the unconscious man, it was not easy for them because he was heavy.
"Dianne, boil some water with guava leaves because this is what we will use to clean his wounds. I am also going to town to buy medicine."
"Do you have any money, Grandma?"
"I saved three hundred pesos yesterday from the vegetables we sold." Said her grandmother as she changed her clothes.
"Grandma, why don't you get some money out of his wallet?" Dianne's suggestion. She saw the man's wallet and it was thick, it looked like there was a lot of money in it.
Her grandmother pinched her left ear.
"Ouch! It hurts, Grandma," she complained.
"Dianne, I didn't raise you to do bad things. We can't take money that doesn't belong to us. I will only buy some medicine that will fit the money I have. I'll ask the cashier for help. They are kind, so I can ask them to settle my money." Her grandmother said with a smile.
"Be careful, Grandma!" Dianne waved.
She told her grandmother that she would buy the medicine at the pharmacy in town. And her grandmother would be left in their hut, but she did not agree.
"I've already cooked rice and fish. When he wakes up, give him food." Her grandmother ordered before finally leaving.
DIANNE patiently watched the man lying on her bed, made of bamboo. She knew that it would take a long time for her grandmother to return to their hut because they were far from the town.
They live in Barrio Naga just near the vast sea, and fishing is the livelihood of the people who live there.
Every Sunday when they go to the market because that's the only day the jeeps travel. There is a tricycle but the charge is very expensive and due to the pandemic, all the goods have become expensive.
She fell asleep on the bamboo chair next to the bed where the man was lying. She woke up when she heard his growl.
"Ung…" He growled again.
Dianne stood up. She thought the man was getting cold because his body was shaking. She took two pillows and placed them on his side to warm his body.
She also doubled the blanket over the man's body.
Maybe he felt the warm touch on his body because he was quiet, the trembling of his body also stopped.
It was one o'clock in the afternoon according to the small clock hanging on the wall of their hut. Her grandmother has not returned yet.
She was already feeling hungry so she temporarily left the man. She went to their kitchen to get her food, and she would eat on the bamboo chair just next to the bed where the man was lying.
After she ate, she heated the fish dish. She cooked rice again because she knew her grandmother was hungry and tired when she arrived at their hut.
"I-I'm thirsty, I want to drink water," the man moaned.
Dianne quickly let go of the broom made of coconut leaves when she heard the man's voice.
"Wait a minute, Sir," she said, hurrying to fetch water from the jar.
"Where am I?" he asked almost in a whisper.
"Drink some water first," she handed the glass full of water to him.
"Can I know where I am?" he asked again after drinking the water.
"Sir, you are here in our hut," she replied, staring intently at his handsome face. "Are you hungry?"
"I-I'm hungry, can I ask for food?"
"I'll get you something to eat," she replied, smiling at him.
She took a plate of rice and a bowl full of broth and she put two slices of cooked fish.
After she handed the plate and spoon to him he watched him while eating. She saw that he was having a hard time so she volunteered to feed him. He did not refuse, he was still weak.
"Do you still want to eat?" She asked as he finished the food she had brought. "I'll get you some more food,"
The man shook his head.
"I'm full. Thanks for the food," he said, after drinking the water.
"Your welcome, Sir. Anyway, my name is Dianne and you?"
"Albert Vargas." He replied. "How did I get here?"
"My grandmother found you early in the morning, you were unconscious. We thought you were dead."
"Thanks to your grandmother and even to you, Dianne. I owe you my second life. Someday, I will repay your kindness to me." Albert said honestly.
