The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary (Part 2)

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 The most interesting part of owning a nature resort was getting to know many people. People who created memorable experiences and eventually returned now and then. Those people turned out to be my guests to friends and to family who cared. 

 Just like with P' Off and P' Gun. They were one of the first guests I had, then they became my friends as the years went by. Now we were like a family who greeted and checked on each other often. 

"N' Fluke?" I heard someone call me from outside the kitchen. 

"Yes?" I said as I went out. "Oh, hi, P' Gun, P' Off! Good evening. What do you want to order?"

"Oh, no. We're not here to eat. We want to see you before we leave." P' Gun said.

"Huh? You're leaving? I thought you would stay for a week. It's only been four days."

"Yeah. But there was a change of schedule. One of the kids at the orphanage will be adopted. The papers were already approved, and the adoptive parents will arrive from the U.S.  tomorrow. They are ahead of the scheduled arrival. We really thought they would be coming next week that's why we decided to have a week here. We have to be there when they meet and to arrange things for them." P' Off explained.

"Oh. I thought we could spend more time." I said. "Visit us again."

"Of course. You know we love this place. And of course, we love you." P' Gun said with a smile.

"I love you both, too. I hope the kid will have a nice and loving family." 

"We'll definitely make sure of that. It's always a long process and checking the families that want to adopt our kids." P' Off said. 

"That's good to hear." I smiled. "Wait. I'll just pack some treats for the kids." 

"No, no need to bother." Both of them said in unison.

"Phi, I want to. You know I love the kids, too. If only I knew that you were leaving earlier, I should've prepared the clothes and other things I got given by some of the guests. I was a bit busy these days that I couldn't have time to pack them." I said with a pout.

Both of them chuckled. "Don't pout like that, N' Fluke. Okay, we'll take the treats then." P' Gun said. 

"Okay. Wait for a while, it won't take long." I said and started packing some cookies and egg tarts. "Here you go. I hope the kids enjoy them." I said happily.

"They will. Don't worry. Thank you for this, N' Fluke."

"You're always welcome, Phi. And I will just send the package for the kids to the orphanage."

"Aww. Thank you so much. The kids will be very happy." P' Off said. "We'll go ahead, N' Fluke. We'll make sure to stay longer next time. We haven't experienced your newly opened spa yet."

"Oh yeah. Just let me know when you're coming, and I'll make arrangements for you."

"That's good. See you, then. We'll miss you." P' Gun said. Then both of them hugged me. 

"Have a safe travel back, Phi." 

***

"P' Fluke, the guests who booked Gam Ma Yee are already here at the reception, but the house is not ready yet. They arrived earlier than the check-in time. The current guests will be checking out in an hour and we still need to prepare the house for the next guests." Sara, the resort's receptionist said on the other line.

"Gam Ma Yee?" I clarified while checking my calendar. When I was still developing this place, I thought of naming every house with flower names since I loved flowers. I also made sure that every house would be surrounded by the flowers it represented. Gam Ma Yee or Marigold was one of them. "Oh. . . Aou and Boom?"

"Yes, I told them to just stay at the cafe to relax and have some breakfast." She said.

"That's great, Sara. Are they on their way here?"

"Yes, they just left the reception."

"Thanks, Sara. I'll just wait for them."

A few minutes had passed, and I saw the couple. I immediately stepped out of the counter to welcome them.

"Hey, lovebirds! How have you been?" I greeted and gave both of them a hug.

"P' Fluke, we missed you." both of them said in turns.

"Aww. I missed you, too." I said. "Has it been a year?"

"Almost. Yeah. Actually, we really wanted to visit a few months after our first visit, but our schedule did not permit it. I got busy with my patients and Boom also suggested that he wanted to visit here when he fully recovered." Aou explained.

"Because I wanted to show P' Fluke that I wouldn't have a hard time climbing the stairs to his cafe," Boom said with a smile. "But I can see that you made a pathway next to the stairs, P' Fluke."

"When you first visited, I realized that the way to the cafe was not friendly for everyone, so we made some changes and made a straight path going up. It actually helped my staff as well in moving things."

"Thank you for doing this, P' Fluke. I appreciate it." Boom said.

"I just want this place to be convenient and comfortable for everyone." I smiled and held his hand. "Have a seat. I'll prepare some breakfast for you. Anything in mind you want?"

"Anything P' Fluke. We love everything you cook." Aou said which Boom seconded.

"That's good, then. Take a rest for a while. It won't take long." 

'P' Fluke, what was their story? I heard you were talking to them about the pathway." Peter inquired.

"Oh. Yeah. Before their first visit here, Boom got injured badly and his leg was badly hurt. Though their first visit was more than a year after the injury happened, his legs were still not fully healed and he needed to use a cane. He really had a hard time going up the stairs that he only visited the cafe twice in their 5-day stay in the Sanctuary. Aou was the one who always came up here whenever Boom wanted something. Boom also didn't like having their food delivered to their room because during that time we were understaffed. He said it would be a bother if he asked for a room delivery. He is that nice."

"Oh. So that was before I got hired here?" 

I nodded my head and continued preparing Aou and Boom's food. I sensed that he was about to say something, but I stopped him.

"I know what you want next, N' Peter," I said with a smile. "Please, help me bring this to them first. I still want to chat with them. I'll tell you their story next time."

"Yes, sir." He chuckled, "You know me so well."

"Of course."

***

AouBoom story will be up next.

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Note:

There's something about Aou and Boom that makes me smile whenever I see them. Their chemistry and friendship, I guess, stand out the most. I love how they treat each other and how they really click. 

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