Unprecedented Silence

Mia

I don't want him to go. I need him to stay as close to me as possible.. I need his warmth and his voice to make me feel safe. As selfish as it sounds I know I cannot live without Nathan.

The night he told me he needed to go back, I wanted to stop him, wrap him in my arms and plead him to stay. I can't deny that something inside me was stirring, telling me not to let him leave. But when he looked at me in the eye, I saw how sad he was. As much as I needed him to stay, he needed to go. And so despite my heavy heart I did let him go. I held on to his promise that he'll come back. Because I know from the moment we met he is the type of person who keeps his promises.

It was a chilly monday morning. The manic monday hype was felt all around; traffic jam in every corner, cars heading towards every direction, and streets filled with people like me. I'm on my way to the office, an advertising company I previously had my internship with. Now, I already work as an advertising account planner, and I have to prove myself worthy of this position. This is all I ever wanted. This career became my sole focus for as long as I remember. And that day was no ordinary day for me. My first big project was handed to me and there were a LOT of things to be done. The client wanted a huge launch party and I need to coordinate everything-from the venue, food to the presentation of the client's product. With only a few days left before the grand launch I was getting anxious even if I know everything was already set. I walked into my office and I was met by my assistant Dory. She looked very nervous and I can literally see sweat trickling down her temples.

"Good morning, Dory. You look flustered."

"Ms. Mia, I just got a call from the catering services we booked for the event. They said they weren't going to make it because of a problem with their schedule."

I don't know how I reacted but Dory move a good two feet away from me. I can sense her fear and uncertainty of what to do to appease me. She wanted to say something but no words can soothe me now. I can feel the blood rushing towards my head. I felt dizzy and nauseous so I clutched on to the back of my chair to keep myself from falling. The event was in 3 days. And now, I don't have a caterer. Great, just great. I told Dory to contact every catering service in the city. But it's as if that fate was playing tricks on me.

"Ms. Mia, I already called 12 catering services but all of them are already booked for the weekend."

"Call Mr. Clairmont. He won't say no to us."

"I already did Ms. But he said he can't make it as he was out of town."

I can't hide my exasperation. I dig into my memory of anyone who could possibly help me find a caterer. I scanned my contacts list and found my college friend Joe who owns a cafeteria downtown. I know it's hopeless, he's not a caterer, but I gotta try. I called him up and he picked up. I have never been so delighted upon hearing his voice. He told me he knew someone. I was so glad I immediately called up the number Joe gave me. After 3 rings, someone picked up. The man's voice was low and very manly. I almost dropped my phone.

"Uh, hello! Is this Mr. Nathan Cole?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"This is Ms. Mia Harris of Altair's Advertising. We are in need of a catering service and someone referred me to you."

His voice brighten up. "Oh, yes! You called for the right person. When will the event be?"

"Actually, it's this weekend. Can you do it?" Silence. I thought he ended the call because there was dead air for about 30 seconds.

"Hello? Mr. Cole, are you still there? "

"Oh, I-I-m sorry. Y-yes. I can do it." He said. But I can sense the reservation in his voice.

"Really? Because the last caterer I booked bailed out on me the last minute. This event is very important to me." I don't know if he felt the desperation in my voice but his response sent relief all over me.

"Don't worry. I promise to help you make your event a success."

And the rest, as they say, was history. Nathan did not just help me make the launch a success he helped me realize that success is meaningless without someone to share it with.

When he proposed to me, I knew in my heart and soul that he's the one. Without hesitation I agreed to spend the rest of my days with him because I couldn't imagine myself being with another person aside from him.