To Catch a Gust of Wind [COMPLETE]

Chapter 4 - She of His Soul [#17]

Rafael and Thea Marie saw each other every summer until Rafael graduated. And then it stopped when Rafael found employment in Philippine Airlines. The demand of work was too heavy in the first years of employment that he had not found time for a vacation to Silay. As far as he could remember, before this present vacation, he had taken leave for a vacation only once since he got employed. And that was only for three days.

Thea Marie graduated and found employment in the municipal office in the next town north, in Saravia. Life is going well for both of them, two happy sweethearts, connected by letters and feeling satisfied in long-distance love affair.

But this set-up could not last long. There is never a perfect relationship. Many stories could attest to that. From Tristan and Isolde, King Arthur and Queen Guinevere to Romeo and Juliet, to Jay and Daisy in The Great Gatsby...And all the sad stories never told that started perfectly only to fall to tragedy in the end.

News also travelled fast in those days even in the absence of mobile cellphones and the Internet. The difference is that you could fact check a news item faster today. In the past the news that reached you was sometimes embellished with more details than was necessary.

And so it was. Thea Marie had heard rumors on the grapevine that Rafael had a girlfriend in Manila. In as much as she would like to confirm whether it's true or not, she didn't write Rafael about it. The rumors alone had hurt her; and it hurt much more when she knew it originated from Rafael's family.

They're playing with my feelings, she thought. How could you, Rafael? Even if it's not true, you could at least write me a letter, explaining all of it. Or maybe, it's true after all. You don't bother because it's true. It bothered her so much but she let her ego stood tall and be proud. She's a woman now. Rumors like that should not hurt her. She could manage on her own.

Thea Marie weighed her options. She wanted to go to Manila, not so much to be with Rafael as to try her luck in the big city. She determined that she's mature enough and prepared to take on any challenges the big city would thrust in her way.

Thea Marie resigned from her job and went to Manila in search of a new life, away from the hacienda but near to Rafael. She was willing to bear the new difficulties of life in the big city as she struggled from one job to another.

Thea Marie and Rafael were together at last. Rafael found it convenient at first. He could see Thea Marie at any time he wanted. But there was one thing in the way of their relationship. The rumors did not go away.

"What is it?" Thea asked one night during dinner at The Aristocrat Restaurant near scenic Roxas Boulevard in Malate, Manila. They had ordered chicken barbecue with java rice. Rafael had gulaman at sago for dessert and Thea chose halo-halo.

"Hmmm," Rafael began. "Nothing."

"Come on, Rafael. Tell me. I have known you long enough already to know that there's something you're not telling me," Thea Marie said.

Rafael absentmindedly poked with a long spoon the ice cream on top of his gulaman drink. "It's just this thing." He couldn't continue. He was afraid, Thea Marie could sense it. Trust a woman's instinct.

"It's a third party, isn't it?" Thea Marie said. There, Thea Marie had said it for him.

"Yes, but it's over now," Rafael admitted at last.

Thea Marie was silent. "So, the rumor is true then," she said, finding the courage to ask.

"It's nothing," Rafael said. "You can forget it."

"No, it's not nothing. How can I forget something which I didn't have a chance to know? I didn't even hear how it began." Thea Marie stared at the halo-halo on the table, untouched, untasted. The ice began to melt away. She looked around their table. Many diners had started to arrive taking their assigned tables. It's Friday, the last day of the week and people took time out for a good dinner at The Aristocrat.

Rafael kept on poking the ice cream on top of his drink, eating a bit of it from time to time. "You better start eating your halo-halo," he told Thea Marie. "It tastes better when the ice has not melted yet."

"Let's go home," Thea Marie said. "I'm full already," she said. It's a lie. However, the halo-halo was too tempting to be left untouched. But she didn't touch it, much less taste it. She could control herself, especially in front of Rafael. Seemed to be another lie.

Rafael finished the gulaman in silence. After paying the bill, they went out of the restaurant, Thea Marie leading the way. Without saying anything, they walked the remaining length of San Andres street to Roxas Boulevard, crossed it and strolled along Manila Baywalk which stretched for about two kilometers from the U.S. Embassy to the Cultural Center of the Philippines just past the Manila Yacht Club...