The Woman He Married

10. Thunderstorm

Mae stared at the bright blue sky, smiling. It was a good day to have a picnic with someone, so she decided to go to her parent's grave. After cleaning up a little and replacing the old flowers with new bouquets, she sat down and chilled with her glass of sweet tea and listening to her favorite songs through her earphones.

When the playlist ended, she exhaled all her worries and sipped on her tea. She looked at the two tombstones erected side by side, one older than the other but not by age. "I hope Ellie visits you, too. She's your favorite after all. Must've been boring to have me come here every year without anything exciting to tell you.

"I failed several, not one, but several job interviews. I'm sick of it. I miss the restaurant. I wish I can go there and beg for a job. But I have pride." Mae told them, smiling softly. She then frowned, "I don't even know why I'm looking for jobs where I don't belong. Don't ask me that. I'm just trying my best to make money. I'm currently a house helper. A maid. That's like... the closest I can get to being a chef again. They pay me well, too."

Mae stared at the grasses dancing with the gentle breeze, then touched her father's tombstone. "I'm sorry we didn't go out for picnics like this when you were alive. You would've played the ukulele all day if we did this more often."

She chuckled, finding it comforting to talk to the dead even when they can't talk back. "Also, you guys are bad parents. You never told me adulting is this hard. I was homeless for a couple of days. I was..." She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat as shr glanced at her mother's photo. She then scoffed, "I was so close to following your footsteps. But I'm fine now. I'm fine, but I'm a liar. Well, not really. Mom used to call me Kate. I'm still Kate."

She sighed, wishing they heard everything she said. "Happy anniversary, mom and dad. I'm glad your love bloomed until the end, although I'm not necessarily glad that you brought me to this world. I'm going to keep doing my best to live, though. I hope you're watching me and protecting me. I have nobody else... I love you."

Mae cleaned up and head out of the graveyard with lighter steps. She rented a bike earlier, and cycled around the city to clear up her mind a little. She went to the beach to pet as many dogs as she can, secretly asking for blessings and wishes of luck from them. Mae then visited an old bookstore just to look at cookbooks for ideas to cook for Zane next time.

She was going to leave when she saw the store owner shutting the doors and barricades."Excuse me," Mae greeted him.

"Oh, I thought you left!" The old man gasped. Mae looked out and saw people scurrying around, entering any shop nearby. The weather looked darker, too. "There's a thunderstorm passing by in less than an hour. Didn't you hear?"

"Oh..." Mae gulped. She thought it's safer to stay indoors instead of forcing her way home at the time. "Do you have any idea how long it's going to take?"

"Probably until night time," the old man told her, allowing some more people into the store. "You're welcome if you want to stay, young lady. It's pretty dangerous to be out. At least wait a few hours."

"Thank you so much," Mae told him, stepping back and staring at the bad weather. She glanced at her watch and realized that it's almost time that Zane come home from work, too.

Mae took out her phone and texted him,

Hi, it's Kate. I want to inform you that I'm currently sheltering at a bookstore. Heard there's going to be a thunderstorm. I'm sorry but I don't think I'll be home in time to make dinner.

She stared at the screen, and Zane read the text a few seconds later. Mae noticed that the traffic was congested too, and some people pulled over and entered any building to stay safe. She looked at her phone as it vibrated, and it was Zane calling her.