Mark walks towards the pier. As he got near the pier, someone waved at him.

‘Is that Samantha?’

Mark waved back. Mark continued to walk towards someone who waved at him.

“Mark!”

As Mark got nearer to someone who waved at him, he knew who it really was.

‘Oh. It’s just Ruth.’

“Hello, Mark. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Do you know where Samantha is?”

“They have not arrived yet. They said they’re coming.”

“Oh, really.”

Mark noticed that Ruth chewed something.

“What are you eating?”

“Balut. Do you want me to buy some for you?”

“Um, I don’t eat balut.”

“Why? Are you embarrassed that I would buy for you balut? Don’t worry, I have a lot of money.”

‘Hmm. A lot of money. Even though it’s from her parents. Rich kid?’

“I just don’t eat balut.”

“Why exactly?”

“I just don’t like balut.”

“Really. Why?”

“I just don’t like it. It’s just a baby duck, I pity them.”

“Huh, ok. So what do you want to eat?”

“I’ll have pork cracklings.”

“Ok. I’ll buy it for you.”

“Don’t. I’ll buy it. I have money.”

Ruth looks towards the balut vendor.

“Three packs of pork cracklings please, sir.”

“Ok.”

The vendor grabs the pork cracklings while Ruth went near to him so that she could get them and pay. Ruth grabs the cracklings and pays. She then goes back towards Mark.

“Here. Two for you.”

Ruth hands over two of the cracklings to Mark.

“What? Why two?”

“Two, naturally. Are you the boss of me?”

‘Haha. Nevermind.’

“Ok. Thank you.”

“But this other one is for Justin?”

“No. That’s only yours.”

“Well, I’ll go buy one for Justin.”

“Oh ok.”

Mark approached the vendor.

“One pork cracklings please.”

The vendor gives the cracklings to Mark. Then Mark paid for it.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you too, kid.”

Ruth waves at someone behind Mark, and he wonders who she is waving at.

“Hi, bes!”

‘Bes?’

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

Mark turned behind him to look at who she was waving at.

‘Oh. It’s Samantha. She’s with Cesar. Lord, don’t make me suffer anymore. Take me home, Lord.

‘I hope I could hold the hands of Samantha while we are relaxing on the beach. The air on the sea is, oh so refreshing.’

“Mark.”

‘Then she would call my name while she is looking at me.’

“Mark.”

‘Huh?’

“What is it?”

‘Oh. It’s just Ruth.’

“Why are you daydreaming?”

“Oh really? I’m daydreaming? It’s just that I’m a thinker. Hehe.”

“Here’s Samantha.”

“Hi, Mark,” Samantha waved at Mark.

Mark froze. He can’t move.

‘Say hi, Mark. Come on self.’

“H-hi Samantha.”

‘She’s looking elegant in her dress today.’

“Have you bought any balut?”

“Uh, I don’t eat balut.”

“Why?”

‘Ok. Just tell her that you just don’t like it.’

“Uh, I just don’t like it.”

“Huh. Really? Just try once.”

‘Ok. Just tell her that I still want to live.’

“I just don’t. I still want to live.”

Samantha laughed.

‘Wow. I made her laugh. Mission Accomplished.‘

“It’s because he threw up when he ate balut. That’s why he doesn’t like to eat balut.”

‘What, who said that? How did he know my secret?’

Mark turned behind him and there is Justin. Justin smiled with his arms crossed.

“Oh hey, Mark!”

“Oi Justin! You’re now here!”

While Mark is saying these things, he approaches Justin. He goes near to Justin so that he could whisper.

“Why are you saying that to them? That is our secret.”

“I’m applying a Psychological factor so that they will like you by telling them your embarrassing side. Samantha will like you through what I have just done today. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

“Oh. Really? I’ll try that.”

“Try it, it’s very effective for me.”

Mark then turned and walked towards the others

“Ok! Let's now eat.”

Cesar raised his hand.

“Um, Mark, did Justin just say you threw up when you ate balut?”

Ruth laughs and says, “Indubitably Mark. Maybe you will throw up.”

Mark kept mum about what they said because they would not believe him.

“Who believes that rubbish? I’ll buy a balut and I will eat it.”

Samantha approached Mark while he is buying a balut so that he could eat it.

“Don’t force yourself, Mark. You don’t have to prove yourself so that will be accepted.”

While Samantha is saying these things, Mark didn’t hear them due to extreme anxiety and fear that Samantha was near him. Mark just laughed and smiled.

“Yeah, balut is very delicious. Just watch. I’ll try just one.”

The vendor hands over a balut to Mark.

“Be certain in eating the balut, kid. This is not for the weak.”

“Just watch, sir. I’ll eat this balut. I’m strong, I’m not weak.”

Mark then paid for it.

The vendor said, “That’s the spirit kid. That’s the true man.”

Mark cracked the tip of the egg and scraped the shell so that there will be a small hole.

Ruth walked towards Mark and leaned near to his ear.

“Mark, don’t force yourself if you can’t handle it. You’re already a man.”

The vendor was defiant.

“Don’t listen to him, kid. The true man eats balut. Buy four more, kid, because that’s just not enough for you.”

“Don’t meddle with us, it’s as if you’re handsome.”

“I’m already handsome since I was a child,” the vendor laughed. “Do you want my number?”

Ruth was nauseated by the thought of it and did not look at the vendor anymore. Instead, she looked at Mark so that she could plead with him not to eat the balut.

“Mark. Seriously, don’t eat if you can’t handle it.”

“Try it kid if you can handle it! After all, you’re a man!”

Mark kept on staring at the balut because he was at a crossroads whether he will eat it or not.

‘Should I eat this? Will I throw up if I eat again a balut? If I will not eat this, I will not prove to Samantha that I’m a man. If I eat this, I will impress her that I’m a man.’

They looked at Mark but they said nothing to him.

The waves crashing unto the concrete is all that they could hear. Their clothes are being blown by the wind. Their hair is made shaggy, waiting for Mark to decide whether he will eat it or not.

The vendor is grinning while waiting for Mark to throw up so that he will be humiliated.

The sweat from Mark’s forehead went to his chin and dripped to the ground. Mark smiled. The grin from the vendor vanished. Mark laughed at the vendor.

“Sir, do you think I’m dumb?”

His comrades were relieved that he will not eat the balu-

“Give me two more, sir, because one is not enough!”

Well, goshdarn it.

The vendor was enthused and handed over to Mark two baluts.

“That’s it, kid! That’s the true man!”

Mark then paid for the baluts.

He sips the soup of the balut, pries open wide the shell of the balut, and looks at the chick then immediately gets filled with pity.

‘Sorry, chicko. I have to impress Samantha.’

He then eats the chick. He also chews it and then he swallows. Ruth leaned over to Mark.

“Are you ok, Mark?”

“Yeah, I’m ok.”

Mark glances at the vendor and smiles. He also gives the vendor a thumbs up. The vendor is pleased.

“Excellent! That’s the true man!”

The two of them were laughing to their heart’s content but Mark stopped.

“What’s wrong, kid? Are you going to throw up,” the vendor goes back to laughing.

Mark then throws up towards the vendor and his merchandise. When the vendor saw that he and his merchandise got thrown up, his face flushed red.

“Are you crazy kid?!”

The vendor starts walking towards Mark. But he was restrained by Cesar.

“Don’t harm him, sir. I’ll pay for it.”

The vendor controlled himself and has no more intention to hurt Mark.

“Pay me a thousand pesos if you want your friend to live.”

“A thousand pesos? That’s so friggin’ expensive. They more likely cost half of that.”

“Are you gonna pay or not? Because I will beat your friend up. Just look at me.”

Cesar looks at Mark’s vomit that is on the shirt, shorts, and face of the vendor. As he sees them, he was filled with pity for the vendor.

“Ok, a thousand’s fine.”

Samantha leaned over to Cesar.

“Are you sure, darling? That’s really expensive.”

When Mark heard that Samantha called Cesar ‘darling,’ he got depressed.

Cesar glances at Samantha from his finding money in his wallet.

“It’s my decision. And it is final.”

Cesar pulls two five hundred peso bills from his wallet and gives them to the vendor. The vendor takes hold of the money and smiles.

“Nice doing business with you, man.”

“You too.”

The vendor glances at Mark and smiles

“See ya later."