Introduction

The story begins in the house of Anita, a 78-year-old widow whose spouse
has recently died. Anita is a Chinese-Filipino who believes in many rituals
and spiritual activities. Anita’s family owns Hardware and General
Merchandise that is already sinking. She also had a son named Jayson,
whom she waits for several years to come home. Jayson is presumed dead
according to the law because he was lost 15 years ago due to an airplane
crash.

A kid named Max enter Anita’s house to pay for the padlock that he bought.
Right after that, a man named Jackson also enters her house to visit the urn
of Antonio, Anita’s husband. Jackson is a tax collector who works in BIR. He
was doing this for exactly 25 years.

Anita and Jackson had a conversation; It is all about Antonio, their business,
friendship, religious traditions, taxes, and Jayson. It was a casual
conversation; they joke with each other aside from talking about serious
topics.

Rising Action
Their conversation keeps ongoing, and their topic shifts to the tax that Anita
needs to pay. According to Jackson, she needs to pay a total of 250,000
pesos. Anita was worried because she doesn’t know how to pay her taxes.
Their topic shifts to Elena, Jackson’s wife, who died due to cardiac arrest.
They also talked about the rituals that Anita does to have connections to the
spiritual realm and be able to talk to the dead.

Jackson wants to talk to Elena. He compelled Anita to do the ritual; Anita

doesn’t want to do those things because her husband contradicts those
activities. But in the end, she allowed Jackson to talk to his wife. Anita
started the ritual, and Jackson followed him. Elena’s soul possesses Anita’s
body, and she had a conversation with her husband. His true self was
exposed by his wife. She said that he should change because his time in the
world is limited. She instructs him to do good and don’t involve their children
in his folly.

After his conversation with his wife, Anita gets back to her body. She can’t
breathe and talk well. Max enters her house to help her. He gets her inhaler
for Anita to respire well. Anita commands Max to buy her coffee so that her
conversation with Jackson continues.

Jackson tells the truth to Anita that he needs a lot of money because he is
debited to Peralta. He doesn’t want his son, Junjun, to get involved in his
problem. Jackson needs a million in one week. His money is insufficient, and
he needs 250,00 pesos, so he asks Anita for help. He also tells Anita that he
won’t last long in the world for he has anemia, and his body weakens.

Climax
Anita called her nephew Belinda to come over to her house. Before she
came, Jackson lit a joint of drugs. Anita forbids her, but he keeps ongoing.
According to him, his illness is because of his stress; So, Jackson uses joint
as his stress reliever. He offered it to Anita, but she hesitated. However,
when she smells its smoke, her mood changes.

Belinda enters Anita's house and asks her what is going on. Anita introduces
Jackson to her nephew, Belinda. Anita goes to her room, a reason that
opens the conversation between her nephew and Jackson.

They talked about the taxes that Anita needs to pay. Belinda suspects a lot
to Jackson for she is also a Certified Public Accountant. Their conversation
intensifies because Belinda knows that he just wants the money of Anita.

After they argue about the money, Belinda was convinced by Jackson. It is
for this reason that he helps her to solve her problem. She wants to retire
and go to Canada to be with his child. They talked about the insurance of
Jayson and his wife and how their insurance money grows over years. Anita
became the beneficiary of the money because both of them died. She
refuses to get the money ever since because she still hopes that Jayson will
come back. However, the deadline given by the company is at the end of the
month. And if the money is not taken, the account will be voided.

Belinda’s phone rings and tells Jackson that she has to go somewhere.
Before she leaves, she tells Jackson that Anita will get 12 million from
Jayson’s account. Jackson was shocked because of it.