*Who's My Eternal*
Elian walked home with the two tilapia wrapped in banana leaves, feet still damp from the dock. The Eldridge house in Manila wasn't a mansion like the Dravens' old place. It was smaller, older, but it smelled like garlic and rice. Like Mrs. Anna.
He found her in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, stirring sinigang over the gas stove. Her hair was silver, pulled back in a bun, but her hands moved fast.
"Apong," Elian greeted, using the Ilocano word for grandma. "I'm home."
Mrs. Anna didn't turn around. "You took so long to bring the fish, apo. I thought you fell in the bay."
Elian set the tilapia on the counter. "I didn't. There was a girl. At the camp. She was in the water and it was dangerous, so I helped her out."
Mrs. Anna finally looked at him, wooden spoon paused mid-air. She studied his face for a second, then sighed. A soft one. "That's nice, Elian. Helping people. That's how your lolo was." She pointed the spoon at him. "Now go have a bath. You smell like fish and trouble."
Elian grinned. "Yes, Apong." He obeyed, grabbing the towel from the hook and walking to the backyard.
The bath area was just a concrete corner with a pail and a tabo. No heaters like in New York. He stripped down and started pouring water over his head, cool against his sun-warm skin.
That's when he heard it.
Next door. The Pink family's house, separated only by a thin plywood wall and a few guava trees.
A slap. Then a woman's voice, sharp and shaking. "You're such bad luck, Cherry! That's why your mom died and left you alone! All you do is bring me problems!"
Then crying. Small, hiccuping sobs. Trying to be quiet and failing.
"Please, Mama, I'm sorry—"
"You're sorry? You're sorry every day!"
Another sound. Like a broom handle against skin.
Elian froze, tabo halfway to his head, water dripping down his arm. He knew that voice. The crying one.
Cherry.
Best.
His hands clenched around the plastic tabo. He was 7. Mrs. Anna told him to help people. But the woman next door was Cherry's mama. Mrs. Eva. Adults handled adults.
But Cherry was still crying.
Elian set the tabo down without a sound. He didn't finish his bath. He just pulled his shorts back on, wet hair dripping, and stared at the plywood wall.
He couldn't do anything. Not yet.
But he didn't forget the sound.
Midnight. The big field yard behind the Eldridge house was empty except for the crickets and the moon. This was their spot. Elian and Cherry's. Where they hid from scoldings, traded stolen mangoes, told secrets.
Elian couldn't sleep. He kept hearing her crying from next door. So he walked out, barefoot, grass cool under his feet.
And there she was.
Cherry sat in the middle of the field, hugging her knees, shoulders shaking. Crying bitterly. The kind of crying that hurts your chest just to hear it. Moonlight hit the bruise forming on her arm.
Elian didn't say anything at first. He just walked over and sat next to her. Then he pulled her into his arms, small and careful.
"Pretty girls don't cry," he said, repeating what his Lola Anna always told him.
Cherry buried her face in his shirt. "She's mean," she choked out. "She hates me. If only my father isn't laying around unable to speak, hear, and walk… she wouldn't be doing this."
Elian held her tighter. He was 7. He didn't have answers. But he had arms. "It's okay," he whispered. "I'm sure your father loves you. Even if he can't do anything to help because of his condition."
Cherry went quiet. Then she pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Snotty, messy, but breathing better.
Elian reached into his shorts pocket. He pulled out a crumpled chocolate bar — the one Lola Anna gave him after dinner. "Here." He pressed it into her hand. "You're the most pretty girl I've ever seen."
Cherry blinked at the chocolate, then at him. A slow smile broke through the tears. Proud. Sharp. "I know I am," she said, lifting her chin. "Even if you don't compliment me."
Elian laughed. That was his Best. Then he reached behind him and pulled out a first aid kit. Small, white, red cross on the front.
Her eyes widened. "Where'd you get that?"
Elian scratched his neck, sheepish. "I took it secretly from Lola's room."
Cherry burst out laughing, then winced and grabbed her ribs. "You'll get in trouble if Lola Anna finds out!"
"I'll apologize to her later," Elian said, already opening the kit. His hands were steady as he dabbed antiseptic on her bruise. Gentle. Like Lola taught him when he scraped his knee. "Hold still, Best."
Cherry watched him. The sting of the medicine was nothing compared to the ache in her chest easing.