CHAPTER 43: MEETING THE OTHER TWIN
THE GIRL WHO CAN’T DATE
By Eleventh
CHAPTER 43: MEETING THE OTHER TWIN
AT PRESENT
Cling!
The wind chimes clanked as the glass door of Coffee Works opened. And there goes the 18-year-old damsel entering the café with a bright face, smiling at everyone in the room; whether she knows them or not, she didn’t care.
Carrying a box of brownies, Raine scanned the room, looking for a middle-aged man with long hair and a silver beard. In the corner of the room, where she usually sits, she found him reading a book while sipping on a cup of hot coffee. Without ado, she grabbed the chair across from him and sat on it, and carelessly disturbed his quiet space.
“Hi!” she greeted in a high-pitch tone. “I am sooo glad you’re not busy today. Well, I just assume that you're not since you’re here just sitting and drinking coffee.”
The man was surprised by her presence that he just sat there zipped-mouth, watching her do all the talking. After babbling for almost a minute, Raine stared back at him and carefully studied his face, having that gut feeling that something is strange about him.
“Mmmm… something feels different about you. Hmm… aha! You got a haircut! Well, you look good, I must say. BUT, I like your long hair better. T’was cool!"
The man in front of her touched the tip of his hair and wondered when he had ever had long hair.
"Anywaaaaay! Tadaaa!” With excitement, she presented the box of brownies. “I baked it with mom and I baked it for you.”
The man was still startled and didn’t say a word.
Raine heaved a sigh. "Are you touched? No need to be startled like that! Here! Have some!”
She picked a piece and stuffed it into the man’s mouth. He was too polite to reject such a sweet little teen so he munched the brownies and surprisingly, he loved it.
“How was it?”
“It’s good. Not too sweet.”
“Yaaay! I’m glad you like it!”
Trivial things such as appreciating little effort could make Raine smile. As she watched him grab another bite, she felt cherished.
“Oi! Hi there, Raindrop! I see you met my twin brother!”
Raine dropped her jaw when she saw the long-haired uncle suddenly appear next to her and realized that she wasn’t talking to the same person all this time.
“OH MY GOD! I am so embarrassed… I thought…”
Claude laughed.
“I’m sorry,” Skye muttered. “I couldn’t tell you who I am because I was… too startled. I mean… Look at you! How in the world do we look so alike?”
Claude sniggered again. “Bro! I got the same reaction when I saw her.”
“But who are you?”
Raine handed out her hand and introduced herself.
“I’m Raine. Raine del Valle.”
“Del Valle?” Skye repeated her last name and crinkled his eyebrows as he shook Raine’s hand.
He was curious. Really curious.
His twin brother noticed how he looked at Raine with an oddity on his face.
“She’s Ira and Joseph’s daughter,” Claude added.
Skye was taken aback. He did not expect to hear those names.
“That means you’re my niece,”
“Yes! So, you’re Skye Doromal, huh?”
“You know me?”
“Kind of,”
Skye couldn’t take his eyes off her. He couldn’t believe that a replica of himself stands right before him but the kid isn’t his child at all.
So they say.
Ring!
Skye’s phone rang.
“And that’s my cue to leave.” He announced showing them the phone. Raine's eyes were attached to it trying to read the caller's name. “I’d love to know more about you, Raine, but, erm...”
“Next time will do,” Raine replied.
“Yeah, next time will do. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Me too.”
“I gotta go. See you around.”
He bid farewell to Raine and Claude and left the café.
"So he ended up with Mandy," Raine whispered as she watched him leave.
“Is this for me?” Claude mumbled as he took Skye’s seat and grabbed some brownies.
“I can relate to mom now.”
“Relate how exactly?”
“How she can tell you apart. You guys emit different vibes and I can tell that.”
Claude sniggered. “You didn’t even recognize he wasn’t me. Stop bluffing, kid!”
“Well of course. He did not say a word. But if he did, I would know that he wasn’t you.”
Claude wasn’t convinced. He was still sniggering as he kept munching on the brownies.
“The fact that he was quiet, you should have known. What are you here for anyway?”
“To give you the brownies,”
“Mmm… I love it. Does this mean I'm your favorite uncle now?”
Raine grimaced. “Of course not. I just want to appreciate you. That’s all!”
“Appreciate me? Why?”
“Well, I just learned that in the past you rescued my mom.”
Claude wiped the crumbs on his mouth and looked at Raine with furrowed eyebrows.
“Rescued Ira?” Claude tried to recall a memory and remembered. “You mean the incident at the Pineda’s house?”
“Yup!”
“Did your mom tell you?”
“Nope! I read her journal.”
Claude clicked his tongue and shook his head gently. “Prying on her privacy? Tsk! Tsk!”
“I’m telling you what I did because I trust you won’t tell her.”
“Well. That’s not my business. But anyway, I’m not the one who rescued your mom. My twin brother did. All I did was make a call and bring people to get them out of there.”
“But you still came,”
“Of course, I’ll come. For the first time, my brother who used to hate me called for help.”
Listening to how her uncle spoke about his twin brother, Raine grew curious about their relationship. Being the nosy girl that she is, she did not hesitate to ask questions.
“What kind of relationship do you have with your brother?”
“A love-hate relationship…” Claude answered with a smile. “But we only realized that love was existent when we were growing older. In fact, that call he made… it changed our lives forever.”
“Like how?”
“I realized I always wanted to be part of his life. I want him to run to me like how siblings should. And at his end, he realized that I am the brother who would run to him if he calls me.”
Raine smiled. “That’s sweet.”
As they exchanged smiles, Claude realized they didn’t have a drink so he called for his barista and asked him to get them two iced coffees.
“What else did you learn from your mom’s journal, snoopy girl?”
Raine sneered at the nickname her uncle called her.
“Hmmm… my mom and Uncle Skye seemed like they’re close. But, why does it seem like they’re not talking anymore?”
“Wasn’t it written in her journal?”
“Maybe. I’m not finished reading yet.”
Claude pouted his lips. Then their drinks came. He grabbed a glass and sipped on his iced Americano.
“Actually I don’t know.”
“How come you don’t know?” Raine, with a crinkled forehead, looked at Claude crossed.
“Because I don’t know. That’s it!”
Figuring out that Claude won’t spill any beans, Ira, instead of forcing him to talk, chose to enjoy her free drink rather than ruin the mood.
Adults have secrets. Raine is convinced that they are hiding something and she is bound to uncover them all. Now that she has met the man that filled her mother’s journal, her growing curiosity is going to drive her to reveal the truth.