Chilling inside the car with James, Fergus, and Ian as we patiently waited for the elderly woman to cross the street.

Rolling my eyes as we constantly hear the honk of the next car.

Peeking my head outside the window, "What is the matter with you?" I asked, causing Fergus and Ian to halt their bicker and looking at the man in the car.

"Let's go." He replied, "But there is a woman on the pedestrian sir." I answered.

"So go around her." He angrily replied, sighing as I signaled the three of them to wait inside the car.

"Where are you going?" Fergus asked as I killed the engine, unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door.

"Just a second." I replied, "Good day, ma'am. Mind if I help you?" I asked, kindly, the woman gave me a grateful smile and nodded her head, proceeding to help the woman push her wheelchair so that she could safely cross the street.

"Thank you, darling. You're such a kind and beautiful woman." she said, and gently patted my face, "You're welcome, ma'am." I replied and the woman left.

Hearing the honk again, exhaling a breath as I noticed an axe on the fireman's truck, smirking as I walked towards it.

Grabbing the axe, "Hey, excuse me. What are you-" ignoring him as I looked at the axe.

"What are you doing?" The man asked, nervously, swinging the axe, "Woah. Woah. Hey!" He said as I pierced the tire.

Sighing as I looked at him and smiled, heading back towards the car, the fireman approached us.

Smiling at him, "You're cute." I commented, noticing a faint blush on his cheeks and hearing grunts from the three of them.

"What you did right their ma'am was not good." He said as my smile widened, "I'm helping him deflate his ego sir." I replied.

Turning on the engine, "Have a good day." I said, saluted and winked at him then left.

As I continued to drive with a smile on my face, seconds later, Fergus and Ian bursted with laughter.

"Did you see his face?" Fergus said in between his laughs, "He was petrified at what you did, Via." He added and laughed.

"I thought you were going to smash his windows." Ian said as James nodded.

"But that was a reckless act, Via." James reprimanded, sighing as I nodded my head, "I act recklessly, James." I replied and shrugged my shoulders.

While Fergus and Ian continued to laugh, James smiled and shook his head as I continued to drive towards the market.

☘

"What's up with these? What will you make?" He asked, pointing at each ingredient I placed inside the cart.

"Mango float ." I replied, glancing at him as he furrowed his eyebrows, "Mango float?" He asked, nodding my head as I smiled.

"Mango float or Graham cake. Nanay, my grandmother, taught us how to make it." I answered, "My brother and I..." pausing as I looked down and sighed, "It became our favorite." I said and continued to find the other ingredients I needed.

"Your Nanay..." looking back at James as our eyes met, "What was she like?" He asked as I automatically smiled to his question, "My Nanay... she is a beautiful woman. Small face with warm skin tone, hazel eyes, small button nose, and pink plump lips." I replied, looking down at my shoes.

Lifting my head up, "We even teased Abuelo, my grandfather, that he used a love potion on Nanay. And he would either chase or smack us and Nanay would laugh." I added.

"Both of my grandparents were mixed-blood. Nanay is Half Filipino Half Spanish while Abuelo is Half British Half Spanish. Every time we visit them, Nanay would cook various dishes she learned from her mother, mostly Filipino dishes."

"And Mango float is one of her signature dishes. I remember the first time I tasted it, I finished a whole container. It was so delicious to the point I didn't want to share it with others." I said, chuckling as the scene flashes on my mind.

"I was four at that time, when my brother made a deal with me. He'll do whatever I want for an entire week if I'll give him some of Nanay's mango float. I agreed and gave him some, which he immediately liked."

"There was a time, it was midnight, when I woke my brother up. We sneaked inside the kitchen and grabbed the container of mango float. Sat on the cold tiles and ate without a care. Eventually, Nanay and Abuelo heard us. They quietly followed us and observed from afar. By the morning, Ma and Da, my parents, were shocked that the mango float was gone."

"My brother and I were nervous, fearing they would know it was us and scold us. But then, Nanay entered and said that she and Abuelo ate it. Nanay then looked at us and winked afterwards." I said and chuckled at the memory.

"Nanay became our attorney, she was always there to defend us. And our teacher, she was a great cook. She taught us different dishes she learned from her mother including the madeleines and mango float." I added, grabbed two cans of condensed milk and placed it inside the cart.

"Where is she now?" He asked, halting my steps, "Better place with Abuelo." I answered as James nodded his head.

Silence engulfed the two of us as I continued to pick what I needed, "I'm sorry." He mumbled, looking at him with confusion, "Why?" I asked, "I asked something that brought unwanted emotions to you." He replied, smiling at him as I approached him and patted his shoulder.

"It's okay James. No harm done. In fact, I was happy to reminisce about those memories. What's important is the memories they left to me, good or bad." I replied as he nodded his head and ruffled my hair.

Clicking my tongue in disapproval and giving him a playful glare, earning a chuckle from him, "You messed up my hair." I mumbled, earning another chuckle from him, "It's already a mess to begin with." He responded as I rolled my eyes.

"You're mean." I mumbled, crossing my arms as he lightly tapped my nose, "I am." He said, "Now, where are those two doofus." He added, earning a laugh from me.

Seconds later, hearing a nearby commotion, James and I looked at each other as we heard the voices of Fergus and Ian, we hurriedly walked towards them, seeing a woman behind their back, obviously trembling with fear.

As James and I glanced at each other, nodding his head as he approached the two while I approached the woman.

"Hey." I said as she looked at me, gasping, seeing angry bruises on her face and neck, "What did he do to you?" I asked, noticing her tear-soaked cheeks.

"Help me." She whispered as anger instantly consumed me, "Did he do that to you?" I asked as she nodded her head.

"It's okay. We're here." I said and hugged her as she tightly hugged me back, "I'm scared." She mumbled as I patted her back.

"Don't touch her bitch." The man said, aggressively, "Watch what you speak." James said, threateningly.

"Is he your soulmate?" I asked, the woman looked at me, a tear trickled down her cheeks and shook her head.

Poking the inside of my cheek with my tongue, glancing back at her as fear danced in her eyes, "I'm not mad at you." I said as she nodded her head.

"What's the matter with you?" He asked, "It's between the both of us. You motherfuckers better mind your own goddamn businesses and tell your whore to leave my girlfriend alone." He added, "What did you say?" Fergus and Ian asked in unison.

"Leave us alone and drag your whore away from us." He replied, "Well, I don't mind if she'll join us, she's a beauty with a body. I can fuck her and have some threesome." He said as Ian grabbed his collar.

"Ian. Don't." I said as Ian looked at me and I shook my head, "Yeah, listen to that slut." The man said as I looked at him, letting go of the woman as I was about to approach him, she grabbed me and shook her head.

"It's okay. Everything is going to be alright." I said as I looked at Fergus and signaled him to take care of the woman, standing in front of him with Ian and James beside me.

Our eyes met as he gave me a wide grin, "I can't believe garbage like you is not in the prison." I said, earning a scoff from him.

The woman gasped as the man slapped me, lifting my hands stopping the three of them attacking him, looking at him directly at his eyes and wiping the blood on my lips using my thumb.

"Brave girl." He said and chuckled, "Who do you think is going to help you now? These two dimwits?" He asked, smirking at him as I stepped forward, "Myself." I whispered, kicked his crotch, grabbing his arm, lifting him up and slamming his body to the ground.

Exhaling a sigh as I looked down at him, "Did you think you can just slap me?" I asked and crouched down in front of him, "You crazy bitch." he said, seething in anger.

"Has anyone ever told you, you have a gorgeous neck?" I asked as he furrowed his eyebrows at me, "It holds your head so prettily. I'd hate to see them parted." I added as he looked at me with wide eyes.

"Don't you know who I am?" He asked, boastfully, "I can destroy you with just one word." He added as I smirked at him.

"But, I, too, can destroy you with just one word." I said, leaned forward and whispered to him. He looked at me with fear dancing in his eyes, noticing him trembling as he stood up and hurriedly left.

"What did you say?" Ian asked as James looked at me, "Secret." I simply answered and tended to the woman.