My sister and I are together today in Mr. Valdez's big house. It's his birthday, and we were invited.
I feel nervous being in my sister's body, and she's in mine. I feel uncomfortable in the fitted red dress I'm wearing, it's too revealing for my taste.
"Hey, fix yourself up..." my sister whispered.
"Carmen! I'm glad you're here, I've been waiting for you!" Mr. Henry Choi, my sister's supervisor in the HR department, approached us.
Mr. Henry grabbed my arm, and I instinctively took a step back.
"What's your problem, girl? You're acting weird today!" Mr. Henry's tone of voice was different, his voice suddenly dropped? And his demeanor softened? Mr. Henry's true self was revealed.
My sister pulled me aside and whispered in my ear, "He's my gay friend, just go along with all his flirty behavior."
I felt embarrassed hearing that from my sister. I never realized they were friends, maybe that's why she always approached me and gossiped with me at the office.
There were so many guests at Mr. Valdez's place, the backyard was almost full. There was a large swimming pool and a garden where the other guests were gathered. There was an abundance of food, Mr. Valdez must have spent a lot on this. The invitation said it was a simple celebration, but it turned out to be quite lavish for their wealthy standards.
The guests applauded when Mr. Alejandro Valdez, the birthday celebrant, arrived with his family. Mr. Valdez took the microphone and spoke.
"Thank you all for coming to celebrate my birthday. I wanted it to be a simple gathering, so I held it at my house. Once again, thank you, and let's all enjoy!"
The guests applauded again after Mr. Valdez expressed his gratitude. People approached him and personally greeted him. When he noticed our presence, he excused himself from the guests and approached us.
"Charlotte?" Mr. Valdez immediately asked, knowing that I was in my sister's body.
I smiled and nodded in response. When he noticed my sister sitting at the table, eating her meal, he approached her and greeted her.
"Carmen, I'm glad you came to my birthday. Is there something you want to say?" he asked affectionately.
He kindly sat next to my sister at the table, as if he was waiting for something from Carmen.
"So, you're here, Alejandro!"
Suddenly, the beautiful and classy Miss Argenta arrived. She tapped Mr. Valdez on the shoulder and leaned in close. She gently caressed his shoulder and wrapped her hands around his arm.
"Argenta, hold on, I'm still talking to someone," Mr. Valdez said awkwardly to Miss Argenta.
He seemed disappointed as Mr. Valdez removed her hands from his arm. Miss Argenta glanced at me with a disdainful expression. She faced me directly and said, "I've seen you at Alejandro's office. Who is this child, your daughter?"
My sister Carmen stood up, blocking my path and facing Miss Argenta. The two of them locked eyes. Using my body, Carmen engaged in a confrontation with Miss Argenta. I couldn't believe I was involved in a clash with Miss Argenta.
"She's my sister, a beautiful and sexy woman!" Carmen boasted, clearly annoyed with Miss Argenta.
Miss Argenta was taken aback when she heard Mr. Valdez burst into loud laughter. She didn't expect such a strange reaction from her cousin.
"What's so funny, Alejandro? Have you been infected with the lowly behavior of your employees?" She grabbed Mr. Valdez's arm and pulled him away from us. "Come on, people are waiting for your announcement about our wedding!"
"Wedding? There will be no wedding! I've said it many times—no wedding. I consider you as family, Argenta. I have someone else I want to marry, not you!" Mr. Valdez shouted, capturing everyone's attention. His face was serious as he confessed his feelings to Miss Argenta. I wasn't surprised by what he said because I knew exactly who he was referring to. None other than my sister Carmen. We remained silent, not interfering in their private conversation.
"Who is that woman? What family does she come from? Is she wealthy? The daughter of a company owner? What do you have to say?" Miss Argenta bombarded Mr. Valdez with a series of questions. Anger was evident in her actions and words.
People around us started approaching, and I felt embarrassed. I wanted to hide under the ground.
Carmen grabbed me and pulled me away from the two of them. Mr. Valdez noticed this and held my hand, preventing me from leaving.
"Wait, stay here, Carmen." Mr. Valdez knew that I wasn't Ate Carmen, but in order to keep our secret from others, he still called me Carmen.
"Mr. Valdez?!" Mr. Valdez tightly held my hand, and both my sister and I stopped as he suddenly pulled me towards him.
"Don't tell me that's the woman you're referring to, Alejandro?!" Miss Argenta angrily retorted. She pointed her index finger at me with pursed lips. My sister remained unfazed and tapped Miss Argenta's hand, showing her displeasure.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on my sister! We're leaving. Just have a happy birthday, Alejandro!" my sister declared firmly. She grabbed my hand again and pulled me away, skillfully navigating through the gathering of guests.
"What? He called you Alejandro? How rude! Disgusting!!" Miss Argenta's shout echoed throughout the surroundings.
I witnessed how Miss Argenta chased after my sister, grabbing her hand to stop her from walking. Miss Argenta raised her hand as if she was about to slap my sister, but Mr. Valdez intervened, holding her wrist to prevent her from doing so. Miss Argenta was surprised by Mr. Valdez's intervention.
"Are you defending those trashy people?!" Miss Argenta almost lost control due to extreme irritation.
"What's going on here? Alejandro, what's happening?" Mr. Valdez's parents arrived, wondering what was going on.
Everyone was looking at us, their attention captured by Miss Argenta's outburst. She angrily walked out, shooting hostile glances at Mr. Valdez and me.
"What happened to Argenta? What did you say to her, Alejandro?" his mother asked in confusion.
"It's nothing, Mom," Mr. Valdez replied curtly.
He took his mother's arm and spoke to her privately. Mr. Valdez seemed to be explaining everything in detail, and his mother's face showed clear anger. She must have been scolding her son. It's truly embarrassing; I never imagined something like this would happen.
Mr. Valdez's birthday ended with my sister's eyebrows furrowed. I aged prematurely whenever my sister was in control of my body.
We bid farewell to Mr. Valdez, but before we left, my sister handed him a gift. It was her birthday, so my sister couldn't leave without giving a gift, even if it was small and simple.
"There's no other meaning to it. It's your birthday, so I should give you a gift. Here!" my sister said, sounding grumpy.
She handed him the small gift, and Mr. Valdez opened it. "Three pieces of handkerchief? Thank you, you really know what I need. Does this mean 'I Love You'?"
"You're crazy! Those are just three random pieces from the mall! Hmph!" my sister retorted, scoffing.
Her face turned red with embarrassment, and it was strange to see myself feeling embarrassed like that.
"Alright, we'll go ahead. See you at the office tomorrow!" my sister, Carmen, bid him farewell, sounding grumpy.