[JoeWhite1]

The truth was that Abbey was very worried. Her oldest niece was about to graduate from school and she needed to buy new clothes for her graduation. In addition, Abbey’s landlord had told her that he had sold the building where she lived in a room she shared with 3 other women, and they had one week to leave and find a new accommodation. Finding accommodation that was affordable was not easy in Manila. Abbey knew that she might have to quit her job because rents in Makati were more than she could afford, and the places that were affordable were very far from her work.

Joe could see that Abbey was not telling him the truth, so he pressed her again to tell him what was troubling her. Finally, Abbey explained her situation, and how whatever she did would have an impact on her family. Joe reflected on whether he should offer to help, and finally he told Abbey that there was one way she could keep her job and also have a place to live.

Abbey’s eyes filled with tears as she listened to Joe’s suggestion.

What Abbey heard from Joe almost made her cry.

“I have a spare bedroom that you can have if you would like.”

Abbey’s heart raced at those words, and she did not have to think before accepting Joe’s generous offer. At the same time, she wondered if there would be strings attached to the offer and whether she would have to pay rent. Indeed, she wondered what Joe might ask for in exchange for letting her stay in his apartment.

However, when she asked Joe how much rent he expected her to pay, he simply smiled and told her that the room would be rent free. The only thing he would like her to do was to clean and generally look after the apartment, including washing and ironing his clothes. Abbey felt that this was a very generous offer, and she immediately accepted. The pair arranged that they would meet after Abbey’s shift ended at 7 pm and Joe would take her to her new home.

When Abbey and Joe met as arranged, Abbey was pleased to find that Joe’s apartment was only a few minutes walk away fro the Chowking restaurant where she worked. This meant that she would save on the fare for the jeepney to and from work every day, and the fact that she would not have to pay rent meant that her extended family would have more money for essentials. For Abbey, it seemed as if all her dreams had come true. She even started thinking of what small luxuries she could buy for herself.