The Favorite my own flesh and blood

Chapter Eight [ Labor for small business]

Despite losing their first child, Daniele has a great deal of faith in her husband's comeback with his words of honor. To overcome her low moments and eventually heal the physical, emotional, mental, and psychic scars brought on by covert assault and treachery while she was expecting her first child, she gathers everything she has left.

One of Daniele's close relatives, Shaina, is sitting quietly in a corner of their apartment when David enters. When David enters Daniele's tiny one-room apartment to surprise her, he sees that she has a small belly and is wearing tightly-fitting home clothes, which suggests that she has already given birth to her kid.

“But where is my child? "David wonders in the back of his mind. Daniele cannot be directly questioned about what transpired. He hides the terror and gloom in his eyes from Daniele.

Instead, David is overjoyed and hurries over to Daniele in the bedroom, but he decides to keep quiet out of respect for the presence of the young teens. David instead searches for their newborn child with his eyes roaming around.

“At long last, our expectationswere fulfilled and we started to be a complete family. You’re a capable life partner and a fertile woman who can give me a family.” David’s muses.

He enters through the open door and rushes up to Daniele, who is just straightening her bits and pieces in their bedroom, as David greets her, "Hello, Honey."

“Hey David, welcome back!” Daniele hastily says, "I've been waiting for your return for so long.” David runs to shut the door, leaving Shaina outside watching telenovelas on Daniele's little portable black-and-white Minitel vision in the living room of their apartment.

David generally takes off his clothes whenever he enters, therefore he needs to lock the door to protect his privacy. "Honey, where is our newborn child? “David mutters to Daniele,

Danielle's eyes continue to flood up with tears as she recalls the unexpected death of her stillborn child and her broken heart continues to bleed. "Honey, our baby passed away a week after I gave birth to her. It was at that time when the volcano in the north region erupted and ashfall distributed across the atmosphere.” She started to weep bitterly.

David expresses his hurt by blaming someone for his tardiness. "I didn't cause it! Fortunately, they released me after learning that my application for a permanent residence card had already been approved. Now, we can no longer hide and be free from interrogation and unlawful concerns, honey," David says, heartbroken and beginning to sob hard for his lost child.

His eyes flood up and flow down his beard as he says, "If I were here, our baby would be saved because I would never let you be touched by a such poor inexperienced midwife."

"The midwife next door offered to give me an injection to simulate labor pains so that I would experience misery and enter laborofn my own volition. However, one of them hurried our newborn girl to the closest hospital as soon as she was delivered and was unable to cry, but by the time the doctors could save her, it was too late.”

David weeps more bitterly for the sadness and agony of losing his baby, which both he and Daniele had expected to be delivered healthy and alive. Daniele is an excellent mother and frequently attended her obstetrician for prenatal check-ups to ensure the safety of her unborn child.

"How could that occur?”

Danielle says, "I never imagined that the midwife is incompetent and inexperienced because she's working in the hospital already.”

“If I were here, I 'll never let anyone meddle and harmed my kid," David yelled in anger.

"Aren't we still able to have another child?” Daniele asks David whether he's still keen on her having a child and re-establishing their family. David is relieved and has made the decision to love Daniele even more.

"Let's leave!” David regains consciousness, "Grow dressed, and we'll go get food for you to get healthier and stronger quickly so we can start having more babies again.”

Danielle tells her husband, "Wait, Honey, we still need to pay for the midwife services even if she seemed inexperienced and jeopardized my life. She saves me but not our baby. Is it not enough that I am alive for you to start again?"

"Okay, you give her the amount she wants and get rid of her. She's a threat to our plan to start a family!"

David responds as he quickly opens his pocket and hands the cash to his wife. Danielle then went to the midwife who was waiting at the apartment next door, grinning slyly at her. Danielle refused to smile at her from that point on.

David suggests as they slowly make their way to a taxi along the road,

"We will restart our previous handicraft business so we have revenue."

"That sounds excellent. I'm happy to help you so that I will not get bored at home while you far away. Shane can help me while she's staying with us."

Daniele speaks as she observes David's response to allowing Shaina to stay in their cramped apartment. She is aware of the tensions that Shaina's presence in their limited space has caused, and they have already started to lose their privacy as a result.

Danielle has to get up early one morning to be ready for the early morning purchase of raw materials for handicraft manufacturing. After working hard for many days to manufacture the raw materials into finished products. David left her again with the justification of running a business.

“Shaina, would you like to accompany me?" Danielle pleaded with Shaina, "I need your aid to carry the raw ingredients on our journey home."

Shaina replied instantly, "I won't go with you. I'd rather stay at home."

Danielle informs Shaina, "But you have nothing to do here. The raw materials are all finished, and David took all the finished products to deliver on the market.”

"Why won't you come with me? Do you have a sickness?” Shaina only shook her head in response to Daniele's question. Daniele silently wonders, "Is she tired of helping me carry the load?" as she focuses on Shaina, who is seated on the floor.

As she leaves the pad, Daniele says, "I'll go alone. Please lock the door. It's okay, you just rest and sleep."

Daniele is thinking while walking on the road towards the jeepney stop.

"Perhaps she feels weak. We don't have nice food anymore. I feel sorry for her. Maybe I send her home," Daniele said.

She also remembers Shaina not having enough food to eat because the money David gave her was only enough to buy the company's raw supplies. They don't have enough money left over to cover their food allowance due to prior expenses.

While on her way to the market, Daniele didn't see the thief approaching slowly as she walked along the road toward the bus stop. She was just terrified and yelled abruptly when the thief grabbed her wallet, which contained all of her money for purchasing the raw materials in the market. She was still recovering from her previous childbirth and had lost both her physical and inner strength.Danieles' eyes darker, with her knees tremble.She looks for safe place to breathe fresh air until her consciousness restores.The company guard was just looking at her.

Danielle begged for aid as she turned to face the security guard stationed at the industrial entrance next to the subdivision road. "Did you witness the thief hurry away quickly? "Daniele yelled, her voice filled with fear and dread, to the guard.

“It's a good thing the thief didn't kill me because he only took my wallet with money in it.”As the guard declined to confirm Daniele's prior complaints about the robber taking her money from her wallet, she expressed worry.

“You missed the criminal that robbed me, did you? "Daniele asks the factory guard who is guarding the gate.He answers.

“I didn't see anyone from here, but we have to bear responsibility for everything inside 200 meters of the boundary! " The guard makes clear.

"The thief was so swift; how did you miss him?” Danielle asks as she is still shaking and her knees are on the verge of giving out.

"I lost the money I had set aside for the purchase of the raw materials, so I have no choice but to return home."

Shaina always seems to be quiet, but Daniele has known her since she was a young girl. She used to chat a lotwitho her friends and neighbors.

When David comes the next day to pick up the finished goods, Daniele tells him this. David just listens as David occasionally twists his happy eyes, and then he selects the created materials to a sack, counting each item till a thousand achieve their limit.

However, Daniele is perplexed by Shainas' continued quiet behavior. Daniele caught Shaina secretly sneering at her all the time.

Daniele ruminates, "I know you have something against me, Shaina. However, I have to be patient with you because you are one of my younger, close relatives and you need a place to stay immediately.”

In the back of her mind, Daniele reasoned, "I'm still doing my best to be decent and kind to Shaina while I give her hilarious jokes and wonderful stories, but Shaina always responds differently and surprises me." Daniele mentions it to David everytime they were together.

Shaina sneers at Daniele and says, "I know that you are like god.”

Danielle responds, "Of course, I'm created in His image thus I should be like my own God who created me. Although I never will be a God, at least I have the qualities in His likeness.”

Daniele continues to observes Shainas' perversity. And she find it stressful.

Daniele is left with no choice but to visit Shaina's previous relative on her mother's side and look into the circumstances surrounding her departure. Both of Shaina's aunts from both of her parents' sides agreed that Shaina should go back to her aunt on the mother's side, and Daniele is left all by himself once more if Shaina doesn't change her attitude.

David persuaded Daniele to go shopping at the mall before Shaina went home, but she was interested in buying trousers but had insufficient funds.

"Hey Shaina, do you have money? I borrow it first then I'll pay it back when David returns. Anyway, did David give you money?” Daniele asks intently and without any misgivings.

Shaina says, "Yes Auntie, Uncle David gave me only P500. I prefer to buy cosmetics because I'll need them when I go to Japan.”

Daniele exclaims enthusiastically as they proceed to purchase Daniele's jeans from the mall, "That is a great idea to apply for a job in Japan. Okay, I try to assist you.” Shaina was gladly paid by David when he got home. She also refers to Shaina's plans to work in Japan.From that on,Daniele discovered that Shaina has the plan to asks David the financial assistance so she can go abroad.And she did it secretly. She also caught Shaina flirting secretly which Daniele tolerated oftentimes.

Every time David visits, Daniele becomes used to his mannerisms. He rushes forward to like going in a battle making loud noises like an army marching. Even to the point of offending the other neighbors, he pushes the door quickly. Daniele chuckles aloud.

Daniele teases David, "Hey honey stay calm. People around are alarmed by your sudden sounds," as he quickly drops everything and takes off all of his clothes. He rushes to lie beside Daniele, and they embrace so closely that they are both ignited with intense love and mate. "We got to have a baby again." As David pushes Daniele harder, groping her until both of them were completely satisfied in their lovemaking. "Take the fertility pills again and I take my vitamin E."

Even though he still doesn't care, David gave her money to buy a stove so that Danielle and Shaina wouldn't go hungry.

“Why didn't your husband get you a stove so you could make food?” Daniele is asked by the landlady.

Daniele says, "I also don't understand, but he has plans to bring me home, and it's a waste to buy costly housewares and simply throw them away."

"However, you can leave them to your family."

The landlady recommended it.

As they parted ways, Danielle and her landlady both cracked jokes about how their relatives like newer things and don't take used items.

Shaina had already gone that day because Daniele’s' landlady questioned the two-person occupancy limit on her home. Shaina was not counted as a resident because she exceeded the limit.

Shaina felt awful for Daniele because of the way she made her move, but Shaina didn't say anything, which made Daniele feel bad and share all of her nice personal stuff so she wouldn't have to buy new, pricey, thick winter clothing in Japan.

“When I was still a nun, I used such winter outfits in Europe. They are still stylish and appropriate for the winter season.”

Shaina enthusiastically accepted all of Daniele's gifts, including her high-end, imported crimson lipstick.

Since they don't yet have a permanent address, David packs up everything they possess and removes each item one at a time until only Daniele's items are left in the apartment. David and Daniele are abruptly forced to relocate since Daniele is becoming increasingly stressed out over the neighbor upstairs and the midwife next door.

“You ask your sister if she can accommodate you temporarily, and I'll come to fetch you once everything is sorted with my friends,” David instructed.

He coerces Daniele into bowing down to him.

She left without having found a safe place to stay and only had P500 from David, who had promised to show up once she had a place to stay. Sadly, Danielle didn't remain long at her sister's house due to complaints from her younger sisters-in-law ‘immatures’ thinking.

She looks around, but most homes are out of her price range. However, there are boarding houses for women that will accept Daniele temporarily in exchange for P400 upfrontt. David also unexpectedlyvisited hert while she was exploring the area to get to know it better.

She was able to gain the trust of the owner thanks to his frequent visits to the boarding house and his constant conversation with the women still living there, including her landlady. However,she decided to relocate once more because of ongoing disputes with the owners' relatives who were threatening her.

“When will your spouse arrive to pick you up, Danielle? “

As Daniele packs up and leaves to hunt for another secure haven, the house owner warns her, "You better pack up. We won't bear that something worse will happen to you here.”

"Please let me stay here till my spouse comes to pay the rent,"

Daniele made a modest request.

"Okay," says the landlady, allowing Daniele to relax.

After a few days, David appears and is eager to transfer her once more in private, but he has insufficient funds to cover the rent. They must once more exercise patience.

In the ladies' boarding house, the women are nearly like a flock of the same feathers because they have extramarital affairs with their boyfriends, unlike Daniele who is married to David and cannot be touched. Daniele makes an effort to stay out of any potentially dangerous circumstances.

Daniele is asked to purchase abortion pills by a fellow boarder but Daniele doesn't know that she is pregnant, until she noticed blood on her seat and covered to keep it hidden from others. Daniele is terrified of wasting her baby's life through abortion and she weeps for it recalling her lost baby.

Daniele then temporarily moved to another boarding house. She always called David to let him know how things were going.

David once entered Daniele's area when no one else was present. Daniele begged him not to make love with her there, and David understood her predicament. David missed Daniele so much that he did so in an uncomfortable posture.

David says, "Look for a quiet place where we can spend a lot of time together. I miss you, Honey. I can't take this any longer.” **