Chapter 36 - Swift Justice

That evening.

Catherine visited the house alone. She dropped a quick visit to check on her family. John and her babies were left in the house. Ramon drives the car and waited for her on the veranda outside the house.

Catherine hugged everyone in the room.

"Guys, I bought you roasted chickens and crispy roasted pork belly," she exclaimed. She placed the foods in the dining table located near the kitchen.

Caroline and Grace placed plates, fork, and spoon in the table. While Thelma scooped rice from the rice cooker and placed it in a round porcelain serving plate and put a serving spoon.

"Wow! So yummy!" Jacob shouted in glee.

Lily was salivating at the palatable dishes arranged in the platter. "Mom, let's eat! I'm getting hungry!" she said excitedly.

They gathered around the table and start eating dinner.

While everyone was eating in the dining table, Catherine put rice and dishes on the plate and handed it to Ramon so that he can eat as well. "You may eat in the living room, Ramon, or you can eat here in the veranda," she suggested.

"Thanks, Cath, I preferred to eat here because the view is nice," he said while looking at the beautiful landscape in front of the house, he accepted the plate.

"Alright, there's plenty of foods in the dining table, just get inside anytime and help yourself," she offered.

"Yes, I will," he said and placed the plate in the round table and began eating.

Catherine took the cola from the car's compartment.

"You need help?" Ramon asked, standing up, offering his assistance.

Catherine shook her head. "Nah, I can handle it," she responded and brought the ice-cold three bottle of 1.5 liters cola inside the house and placed them in the fridge.

One hour later.

Everyone's stomach was full.

"That was a mouthwatering dinner!" Grace commented in a satisfied tone.

"So yummy!" Jacob interjected.

Done dinner, they dumped the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and went back to the living room to watch an adventure movie together.

A few minutes later, Thelma and Catherine went to the kitchen.

Thelma was about to start washing the dishes but Catherine stopped her.

"Mother, let's talk for a moment," Catherine said.

"Okay," Thelma responded and sat on the chair facing her daughter. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me, Catherine?"

"Mother, how are you doing? How about the kids, they like it here?" asked Catherine.

Thelma nodded her head. "You know your sibling, as long there's a TV and delicious foods, they don't complain," she answered. "When it comes to me, you have nothing to worry about as long my children are together I can live anywhere," she added.

Catherine smiled. "I'm glad and happy that you guys like it here. We will enroll Jacob and Lily in the school located a few meters from the entrance of this subdivision in the next school year opening." She then took her wallet from her shoulder bag and placed the wad of thousand peso bills in her mother's hands.

Thelma counted the money which amounted to thirty thousand pesos, she raised her brows. "Why are you giving me lots of money, daughter?"

Catherine smiled. "That's for your food expenses and living allowance here and you can save the rest for Jacob and Lily's tuition in the incoming school year," she explained.

"How about you? You have no more money left for yourself," Thelma said.

"Nah, don't worry, Mother. John provided me everything and you know me, I don't like buying material things which is not necessary and besides I already have everything that I can ask for," she stated.

"Thank you so much daughter," Thelma gushes feeling grateful for the financial assistance that she had received today. In their previous life in the province, she never had a chance to hold even a thousand peso bill in her hands due to their poverty-stricken situation. Now that her two daughters were lavishing her with cash, she was blown away. Just the other day, Caroline give her twenty thousand pesos and told her that if she wants more she can always ask her. Gone was the day when she would worry a lot where they would get the money to buy their next meal. Their crumbling house in the village was now replaced with the concrete, clean, spacious and beautiful house nestled in an exclusive subdivision.

"Mother, why are you silent all of a sudden? What are you thinking?" Catherine asked.

Thelma smiled at her daughter. "We indeed come a long way, daughter. From our humble beginnings in the province and now...look at you...my daughters are blessed with financial stability. It's too much blessing from God," she said teary-eyed. Despite the hardsh.i.p.s that her daughters encountered in their lives, in the end, God still blessed them a lot.

Catherine embraced her mother lovingly. "It's all thanks to John, Mother. Without meeting him, I will never be blessed like this. John changed my life. His family changed our lives for the better," she said.

"Daughter, how can you be so forgiving about Joseph?" Thelma asked forlornly.

Catherine rubs her mother's back. "Mother, he is already dead. Whatever sins he had committed to Dahlia and to my sister he paid it with his life. God already gave punishment to Joseph and justice for Dahlia and Caroline let's not go back to the past. Let's just move on forward. What matters most is the beautiful life that God had given us now, let's cherish and value it," she embraced her mother.

"You are right, daughter. God delivers swift Justice for your sister, so we should just be thankful to him and live our lives according to his will," Thelma said. She also remembered that at one moment in time she also committed a grieve sin towards her daughter Catherine when she conspired with Jerome's evil intention. Even now, she continues to ask God's forgiveness every day for the forgiveness of her sin.

A few moments moment later.

Caroline approached them. "What are you discussing, guys?" she asked after noticing their serious faces.

Catherine stood up. "I'm just catching up with mother about a lot of things," she answered. "By the way, sis, I'm going home now. I'm just dropping by to check on how's everything going here. It looks like everything is good. I have nothing to worry anymore," she said and sauntered towards the living room to bid goodbye to Grace and her siblings. "Bye guys, I will visit again some other day," she planted a kiss on Lily and Jacob's forehead.

"Bye cousin!" Grace said.

"Bye, sister!" Lily and Jacob talked in unison.

"Bye daughter, bring my grandson and granddaughter next time you visit," Thelma requested.

"Yes I will," Catherine responded.

Caroline followed her twin outside the house.

A moment later, the car already exited the gate and Caroline waved at her sister as the vehicle was moving smoothly towards the main gate of the subdivision. She looked at the parked car in the garage wondering when she will take a driving lesson so that she can finally drive her car anywhere she wants to go.