Chapter 13

There's something about the sound of the rain that makes one fall asleep easily. It rained all night giving Cela some peaceful sleep. She woke up the following morning hearing the gentle sound of rain drops tapping on her window as the wind blows to that direction.

Seeing the gloomy weather outside, she didn't have second thought about postponing her plans for the day and just stay home. She keeps reminding herself that she is supposed to be on vacation and she should never feel guilty not working.

The time is a little past 9AM, which means she had a long sleep. She opened her cellphone and instantly saw text messages from Nanny Rita. She decided to call her instead.

"Thank goodness, Celadine. We were worried. We couldn't reach you," Nanny Rita said with great relief in her voice.

"I turned off my phone last night. I didn't want to be bothered. Besides, I wasn't feeling well," Cela explained.

"How are you feeling now?" Nanny Rita asked. Suddenly, the relief turned to worry again.

Cela sensed her nanny's concern for her but she can no longer take the kind of treatment she's getting from her or from Rolan.

"Nanny, please relax. It's nothing. I am handling myself well as a grown up person," Cela said. "Why were you calling anyway? Did something happen there?" she asked to change the topic and lead the conversation.

"Nothing really. I cooked your favorite Caldereta and I want to send it to you before lunch," Nanny Rita replied.

"Is that it? Well, thank you. Why don't you come over and bring it here yourself? I don't have plans for today," Cela suggested.

It's always been Nanny Rita's wish to see Cela's place but now that she invited her, she couldn't answer right away.

"Umm…can I do that some other time?" she asked Cela instead.

Cela recalled what Rolan told her about their nanny.

"That's okay. Just inform me in advance when you're coming," she said to her. She no longer mentioned about what her brother told her.

After hanging up the phone, Cela realized that she will definitely stay the whole day in her house. She decided not to open her laptop the entire day as well. It also deserves its much needed break. Once she receives the dish via delivery, she plans to turn off her phone as well.

Going invisible for a day means being present for herself or maybe this is just a plain, pathetic, and obvious reason to escape from reality.

For two consecutive mornings, Nate woke up to the sound of his phone. He drunk more than he used to last night waiting for Nina's text and passed out.

"Good morning, Sir. I just want to inform you that the rider will be there in 30 minutes," Nina's secretary called.

"What is that for?" Nate asked while still trying to get to his senses. "Oh, I have to pick her up before noon time." He suddenly remembered that he will drive Nina to the airport for the another bridal shower in Cebu hosted by her corporate friends.

"Oh no, Sir. I was talking about the shipment of the artworks. Ms. Nina instructed me to arrange for the pick-up from your place today at 10AM.

"It's 10AM?" he couldn't believe but his headache tells him he overslept.

"About bringing Ms. Nina to the airport, I believe she already left earlier this morning," the secretary said.

"What do you mean she left already? Her flight's at 2PM" Nate asked. He's really awake now.

"She rebooked for an earlier flight. She told me about that yesterday after giving me instruction to arrange for the pick-up of the artwork," she further explained.

Nate is more confused than ever. It's more than enough to make him sober.

"That's crazy. Anyway, just between us, may I ask you if you noticed anything different in her mood lately?" he asked the secretary.

"Hmm…I thought she was not her usual jolly self yesterday. She looked tired and her energy was really low," she said.

"Did something happen in the gallery specifically yesterday?" he asked.

"I couldn't think of anything besides maybe the proceeds from the exhibition, which was lower than what they expected but looking at the papers, I could see that we still did well as compared to the proceeds from the last two exhibits," she said.

"Maybe she was really exhausted plus the upcoming wedding and the side events are weighing her down," he said trying to make sense of Nina's sudden change in mood.

"Yes, Sir. That could be a reason too," the secretary agreed.

"Wait." Something came to Nate's mind. "Could you recall if she started acting weird after our call yesterday? It was during lunch time. You eat lunch together in her office, right?," he asked.

"About that, if I wasn't mistaken, she seemed uneasy after taking the call prior to your call," she said.

"And who was that?" Nate asked. He's very curious.

"Honestly, I didn't know who it was. She picked up the phone herself. It's timing that she was eating on her desk when the phone rang," she said.

This is driving Nate crazier. He must know who that caller was.

"Sir, are you still there?" the secretary asked. "The rider just texted. He'll be there in 10 minutes. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Nate hang up the phone and waits for the rider. While waiting, he thought of another reason that is making him more anxious.

"Nate, what a surprise!" Nina's aunt and family doctor greeted him on the other line.

"Hi, Doc Martha. I was wondering what your schedule is like today. Can I drop by?" Nate asked.

"Oh sorry, dear. I'm still in Singapore right now but I am catching the last flight to Manila today. Anything urgent?" Doc Martha asked.

Nate is hesitant to discuss the matter on the phone but he has to do it for his peace of mind.

"Doc, by any chance, was there any change in the result of our recent laboratory?" he asked.

"You mean the one you both had earlier this month?" Doc Martha asked.

"Ah yeah. That's the only one we had that I know of," Nate said.

"If there's any error in the results, then my assistant would have informed me by now. Unless, you had another one from a different clinic and went to see another doctor," Doc Martha answered.

"You're the only doctor that we consult for everything about health," Nate said.

"What is this all about? Suddenly, I am worried," Doc Martha told him.

Nate went back to his senses realizing he caused another person to worry. Doc Martha is close to both of them and she will be one of their principal sponsors in their wedding.

"I'm sorry, Doc Martha. I didn't mean to make you worry. It's just that Nina suddenly acted differently," he confided.

"Like how different?" she asked.

"She looked disengaged. She even asked to be alone last night," he said

"When did it start?" she asked.

"Just yesterday," he said.

"Oh, Nate, Nate. I think between the two of you, she has the right to be stressed and behave differently because she is the bride but I think it's you who caught the wedding prep bug," she said. "You're overanalyzing things and stressing yourself. I know my own niece. She was well and happy the last time we met and that was only last Saturday," she said almost laughing but surely she was relieved.

"Do you think so?" Nate asked.

"Where is she now?" Doc Martha asked.

"She flew to Cebu to see her friends from her first job. They're giving her a bridal shower," he said.

"And you find it wrong?" she asked.

"She flew earlier than scheduled and I only learned it from her secretary today. We had dinner last night and she didn't tell me. I was supposed to bring her to the airport today but she didn't even text me about the change in schedule," he said.

Doc Martha thought of the best explanation for Nate.

"My dear. Let her be. She's just enjoying the last few days of her being single. You've to loosen up a bit. As early as now, you've to learn to give her space. You don't need to check on her every hour. You don't even have to know all her activities. Same thing with you," she explained.

Nate is silenced.

"Please don't even try to call her today. Give her the time she needs for herself to do whatever she wants whether that includes you or not," Doc Martha continued.

The room turns gloomy. It seems to be raining harder now than it was yesterday. Nate checks his phone for any messages but there is still no new message This weekend is supposed to be about rest and relaxation for him before the more serious wedding preparation starting next week. Even then, there has to be one or two activities involving Nina. She's always been a part of his daily schedule, sometimes even on top of everything.

Cela fell asleep after eating a lot during lunch. The sleep must have helped her relax as she found herself laughing at her being bum for a day.

"I could get used to it," she said to herself while watching the rain from her window without worrying about anything. She naturally allows herself to live in the moment and discover the many things she is privileged to do but she wasn't aware of before.

As her head dances with the sound of the rain, one magical thing starts to happen – the sky is clearing up! In just a few minutes, only the wet leaves and ground have traces of the rain. The calming rain surely stopped but the good feeling remains with the sun finally showing up a few hours before it sets. And then there's the rainbow!

Cela wasted no time, she quickly ran to the shower and dressed up immediately before heading to the one place she thought she'd miss that day. And It's not for the book she's writing but for herself. She wants to feel the moment in that place alone and free.