The Queen & I (GxG)

Chapter 55 : Complimentary with Ease

A child with long hair, wearing a pink shirt and polka-dots shorts startled Rabiya — the kid running past the Filipina as soon as she closed the door of her Grab car ride.

"Ay, dios ko!", she quickly touched her heaving chest. Her heartbeat running wild. She has thought about the kids in her own country running aimlessly, and sometimes, dangerously along the crowded streets of Manila.

"Nasaan naman kaya mga magulang ng bata na yun?", she shook her head and referred to the address written in her phone screen before gazing up the small but modern building in front of her.

"Tama ba kaya itong napuntahan ko?"

Rabiya dialed a number.

The other line started to ring while the young woman crossed one of her arm around her waist - her lips pouting as she contemplated around the foreign street somewhere in the middle of old Siam.

"Hey, Rab! Where are you?", the woman on the other line exclaimed.

"Hi, Veena. Uhm...I'm not so sure if I was dropped off the right address, but I'm in front of — ", she checked for something that's written on the facade of the stone gray building. Rabiya slumped after seeing a signage in Thai.

"Paano ko naman babasahin ——- ah eh, Veena. I don't know where I am, but I'm in front of a gray building".

"Yes! That's the one! Get inside now, tell security you've come to see me. I've already left your name so you're cleared to come up".

"Oh, okay....I'll go inside".

The young woman pushed the glass door and was met by two Thai security personnel behind a wooden desk.

"Hello. I'm here to see Veena Singh? My name is Rabiya", the former Miss Philippines clutched her phone.

One of the security guards checked a paper and nodded. "Miss Singh is on the fifth floor. The elevator is to the right".

"Okay, thank you. Kap khun ka", Rabiya bowed slightly making the guards smile and bow back.

She did what the security personnel instructed and when the elevator opened to the fifth floor, a large double oak door welcomed her. The young Filipina pressed the door bell.

Several quick clicking sound resounded from behind the door like someone was running in heels.

Then the door opened. "Rab! Oh my God! I'm soooo glad you made it!"

Veena immediately pulled the younger woman towards her for a tight embrace, to which, Rabiya reciprocated.

"Hi Vee. It's good to see you again".

The Thai-Indian woman exhaled and grinned. "I am so happy you're here!"

"Thank you for inviting me".

"You kidding? I should be the one who should thank you for visiting me! Come in! Come in!"

Rabiya's eyes roamed around the new surrounding she was in. The off-white walls were a little too intimidating for her taste, and she knew the materials used were expensive — you don't get to decorate your walls with some kind of marbles if you don't intend on splurging so much.

Veena was still grinning when she walked behind a rustic orange kitchen counter. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're here", the older woman said before pressing a button on a heavy duty mixer — making a very loud sound from the revolving blades pureeing a citrus fruit.

"How are you finding Bangkok so far?", Amanda's best friend yelled over the rummaging food machine.

"It's very nice! I like it so much. The food is really good, the people are warm, the markets are amazing. I actually feel like I'm still home if not for the Thai letters on signs and buildings"