BEFORE Weeden got off the plane, he made sure that his sunglasses and face mask covered his face well. He doesn’t want to happen again the mistaken identity that happened to him here in the Philippines a couple of years ago.

He was walking out of the airport back then when somebody approached him and insisted on having a picture with him. Even though he wasn’t the person they thought he was, they didn’t believe him and kept on taking pictures with him.

Because of that incident, Weeden dreaded going to the country. It was not only because of the people who mistake him as his twin brother but also because of a deeper reason. Weeden ditched the thought in his mind before it could change his mood.

He was a few meters away from the taxi cabs when a woman suddenly approached him. Weeden quickly put the large painting on his back. This is an expensive painting that he’ll give as a gift to his brother.

“Mabuhay!” the petite woman greeted him. She was holding a piece of paper in her hand and waving them at him. With her long bohemian skirts and a tank top, she looked like she’s on her way to the beach. “Do you have a death plan?”

Weeden knotted his forehead and looked at the woman. “Quoi?”

“Huh?” The woman scratched the corner of her brows. “Oh, my God, what language is that?” She looked on her flyers and chose a different one, then gave it to him. “We have a Buy 1 Take 1 for classic caskets, sir. You’ll save almost 50%!” Then she changed another flyer and showed it to him. “We also have Die Like Fairy Tale Funeral service package, sir. I can give it to you at the lowest price if you avail it now!”

Did he hear it, right? This woman is offering him a Buy 1 Take 1 casket. He suppressed a laugh, but he failed. “A buy 1 take 1 coffin?” he asked and laughed again. “Who the fuck needs a two coffin?”

The woman’s mouth fell open in shock. If that’s because he spoke in English, he doesn’t know. “Everybody needs a coffin when they die,” the woman said and smirked. “Are you still one of those that still felt awkward when talking about death? We’re in the millennium year already, sir. Wake up!”

Weeden made a ‘tss’ sound. “I’m not interested,” he said and walked past her, but the woman grabbed the edge of his painting. “Hey! Don’t touch it!”

The woman’s brows furrowed. “Why? What is this?” she asked and tried to peek between the papers. “Is this a painting—”

“I said, don’t touch it!” he shouted, then pulled the painting from her.

Because of what he did, the woman’s hand slipped inside the cover. In a split second, Weeden heard the ripping sound of the cloth.

What the hell?” he shouted angrily and checked on the painting immediately. Upon seeing the torn painting, Weeden caught her head. “You ruined it, you stupid woman!”

“Hey, you don’t have a right to call me stupid!” the woman shouted at him with a louder voice. “And, it was your fault why it happened. You pulled its edge even I’m still holding it. Then look at what happened?”

Weeden looked at the woman with furrowed brows. Her attitude is bigger than her height. “Hey, do you know how much this painting worth?”

The woman pressed her lips. She looked nervous by what he said. “How much? Ten thousand pesos?”

Weeden laughed. “Ten thousand? Are you crazy? This painting worth more than your salary in a year!”

The woman stepped back. “I don’t care! And I don’t have a salary!”

Before Weeden knew it, the woman ran away, making some of her flyers flew to the ground. He picked up and looked at it. “Minase Funeral Services…”

_________________

RURU sang cheerfully as she injected the corpse with formaldehyde after she embalmed it. This is the third corpse that they have embalmed for today. It means that their efforts to distribute flyers yesterday are effective.

She took the needle and stitched the male corpse lips to make it look like he’s smiling. “I’m happy, la la la—”

“Ma’am Ruru!” Meri came running inside the embalming room. She was still holding the dustpan. “Ma’am, you have a phone call!”

“Do you really have to shout?” Ruru asked and glared at the janitress. “Do you want to wake up the cadavers here?”

Meri shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ma’am. You have a phone call. The caller said he wanted to talk to the owner.”

Ruru knotted her forehead. “He? Why he’s looking for me?”

Meri shrugged her shoulders. “He didn’t say. Maybe a new client, Ma’am. You included our contact numbers in the flyers, right?”

Ruru nodded. But what she feels is different. No one asked to talk to her whenever a client called in their landline. Oh, my God… Is he the guy that spoke an alien language? But three days have passed if it was him. He could have called their landline right away.

“Ma; ’m Ruru…”

She looked up at her employee. “The voice of the caller, how does it sound?”

Meri scratched the back of her head. “Ma’am, why don’t you answer it? The call is in on hold.”

“What?” Ruru doesn’t know what to do. If that is the man that she encountered at the airport, she shouldn’t talk to him. But if it’s a client and she refused to talk to, it’s another loss in their business.

“Ma’am Ruru!” Meri called her louder. “Are you going to answer the phone or not?”

Ruru passed the syringes and needle to Meri. “Finish this. I will answer the phone.”

As she walked towards the receptionist’s desk, her chest is hammering wildly. Emong gave her the receiver and pressed the talk button without even asking her if she’s ready.

She cleared her throat before she spoke. “Hello…?

Minase Funeral—”

“Is this Ruru Minase?” The baritone voice of the caller penetrated her ears.

Ruru swallowed hard. “Ah, yes… May I help you?”

“Yes, I just want to ask if there’s a petite woman, with big doe eyes and dark skin working in your company?”

Ruru almost choked in his description of her. As much as she wanted to shout at the phone, she couldn’t do it. Instead, she spoke softly.

“I’m sorry, sir. But we don’t have employees that matched your harsh descriptions.” Before the man could reply, Ruru end the cal. “Block the number, quick!” she shouted at Emong and ducked on the desk frustratingly. "Why is this happening to me?"

***