Chapter 2

We reach Lily's house and it is quiet. The house seems empty at that moment.

“Come on, Grace. Come in,” She gestured to me hinting that she wants me to come in.

“Where's everyone?”

“I think they're still busy, they may be on our small farm.” She stated as she started fixing some things in the kitchen before going back to where I am with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

“Oh Lily, you shouldn't have bothered but thank you though.”

Lily's house is made of wood, bamboo, and nipa palms woven into a mat-like structure. The major supports of the house are made from a tree trunk but the walls are made from thin shreds of bamboo woven into mat-like patterns. It's a simple and native kind of home that radiates coziness even when you are just staring at it. I went into their tiny balcony, trying to be alone while Lily is doing something. I heave a sigh.

“Grace, would you like to see our other friends?” Lily called out.

“Yeah, sure. You guys wanna hang out?”

Suddenly, Lily sticks out her head from a wall, “I guess, Damien will be there.” She flashes me a knowing smile as she raises both of her eyebrows repeatedly.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing,” she replied in a sing-song voice and with a touch of teasing tone.

“Come on, I‘ll take you to them. We have a hangout spot where we usually hang out after the day.” From their house, we walk a little farther across a bridge. A bridge? How come I never know that a bridge existed in that place. I just shrug off everything and before I could even complain, a cute little open hut came into view. There are four people inside, they were laughing and then it suddenly stopped when one of them recognized Lily.

“Hey, Lily!” one of the people in the hut called out. He was halted for a moment when he saw that Lily isn't alone.

“Oh, hi there.”

“Wait, you look familiar.”

“Oh my God!”

I saw different reactions from them and to break out the awkwardness, I wave my hand at them.

“Hi everyone, still remember me?” I asked feeling a little shy.

“Hi there, best friend,” everyone turned to look at Damien, frowning at his statement. I glanced at Damien and he looks uneasy or perhaps unsure if it was appropriate of him to address me like that. From his looks, I could tell he feels awkward. I smiled at him.

Suddenly, they look at me when they seem to realize that I am the same best friend that Damien have when he was still a boy.

“Oh my God! Grace?” It was Sara who spoke first after a long moment of silence while they are just gawking at me. I could feel the awkwardness but I kept my stance.

“Hi, guys!”

“You're really here,”

They scramble up from where they are seated and rush up to me to give me a big hug, it was a group hug.

“G-guys, I can’t breathe,” I chuckled at their reaction. I can say that they're really happy to see me. Who wouldn't be, right? If I were to be in their shoes, I would probably react the same knowing that my friend from childhood who's been away from us for a long time finally came back.

“Lily, how did you even know she's here?”

“I didn’t, I was on my way home when I found her strolling around. I didn't recognize her at first,” Lily keeps on talking about how she found me. I just listened to her, I couldn't wipe off my smile the whole time I am with them.

A flash of a childhood memory rushed through me.

A running Lily was seen chasing my other friends. She was the one who was tagged and everyone else was running away from her, avoiding being tagged. It was hot and the sun was up in a noon position. Paula's mother called her to take cover or else she might get sunburned. She was asked to take a nap.

Lily didn't change one bit, she's still the same old Lily. Jolly and carefree. She's the one who starts whatever fun we had when we were still kids. I could still remember that kinky black-haired girl who's got freckles sprinkled across her face.

Oh! good old times. I wish I could go back to it. I wish I could go back to the time where my tears are only seen when I got wounds and bruises on my knees from stumbling over while playing tag. This kind of wound I have right now is much more different and deep from the one I have when I was little. And I don't like this kind.

The whole conversation with my friends came to a halt when the cold gust of wind blow across us. Soon, dark clouds began to loom above us.

“Looks like it's about to rain,” Daniel, one of my friends, commented.

“Yeah, we should probably go before it rains. We don't want to get wet,” all of us scramble up to our feet and slowly made our way down the hut. The slight growl of thunder can already be heard. All of us walked faster until we reached Lily’s house. Just as she arrived, her mother started throwing words about the house chores she have to do making it impossible for her to even invite us in.

“Lily!” I called out to her.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Wait,”

“Damien!” She called out to Damien who is now walking ahead of me. Hearing her call, Damien turned his head in Lily's direction.

“Yeah?”

“Please take Grace home, it's already getting dark. You know, just to be sure she gets home safe.”

“Yeah, sure. No problem.” Damien simply replied. With that, Lily turned away leaving me no choice but to go with Damien.

“Come on, Grace.”

“You don’t have to do it, Dammy. I can go home by myself.” I was walking but I can’t sense Damien beside me so I turned my head in his direction only to find him standing still while looking at me.

“Hey, everything alright? Why'd you stop?”

“You called me Dammy,” he said as if he couldn't believe I called him by his old nickname which I used to call him before.

“Sorry,”

“What for?”

“For calling you with your old nickname? I didn’t know if you still want to be addressed that way,” I bow my head, feeling a little ashamed as if I committed I grave crime. I mean, I just got here and things could’ve changed for him.

He snorted and chuckled a little, “Nah, it’s okay. I just didn’t thought you’d still remember that.”

“Of course, I’d remember it,” the wind swept on us again before the cold rain poured down on us. By the time we walked side by side, we were already soaking wet. It was cold but it never really bothered me this time. I was taken aback when I was splashed with that puddle from the road side.

“What the—?” Damien stared at me with nervousness but laughed soon after. As a revenge ti what he did, I stomped my feet on the puddle near him and it splashed on his shirt. We went on for quite a few minutes before we decided to go home.

I hate and love the rain at the same time. When it rains it gave a strange comfort that no one has ever made me feel. When it rains, it looks gloomy and dark but it never scared me off, it made me love it even more because those times are the times I felt that somebody felt my pain, like the sky was crying with me and I never have to feel alone. When it rains you never have to hide your tears; you never had to make an excuse for your tears.

When it rains, I can be free.