Art of Love

Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

The Long Wait

 

Jed and Pia continued on with their lives apart. Jed focused with work while  Pia focused on her studies. 

Jed didn’t have much free time. Pia’s free time on the other hand was devoted on painting. She painted portraits of him. She also painted sunrises, sunsets, the beach house, the boardwalk, the yacht and many more things associated to Jed. 

December 25, 2009. Jed wanted to go to Angelo but he wasn’t able to. His mother came home with all his cousins in Mexico. They all just left by January 1, 2010. 

On the other hand, Pia had luckily been commissioned by the wife of the Governor of Folli for a family portrait so she had been busy spending the Christmas Break with them because it was just the only time that the family members all gathered around. They didn’t want the typical family portrait and so she had to take pictures of them whenever possible. 

February 14, 2010. Sunday. Jed had to escort her mother for some charity party. Pia finalized details of her thesis which had two components – the studio work and the thesis report. Her paintings focused more on the ordinary people’s lives having a backdrop of a sunrise or of a sunset. She had to finish the report as soon as possible so that she could  have more time to finish the family portrait. 

March 8, 2010. Monday. Jed had just arrived from his business trip in Boston. He didn’t want any celebration so he just had a quiet dinner with his mother. He had his usual updates about her. He had known that Pia had been busy with her thesis and other school work. He had also known about the painting she was doing for the wife of the Governor of Folli. Still, Pia hadn’t been seen with any man. She usually just stayed in her apartment. 

Meanwhile, Pia was finalizing all other requirements for her two other courses. She still missed Jed so much but she had an outlet and it was painting.

March 29, 2010. Monday. Jed was busy on his month long European business tour. The tour started by a week after his birthday and he was expected to come back to Filipinas by the second week of April. He knew it was Pia’s graduation day and that she was to be honored as Summa cum Laude. Pia had worked really hard for the past few months. He wasn’t able to call Tatay Solomon all throughout his business tour. He was just so busy.   

March 31, 2010. Wednesday. She delivered the 48 x 72 family portrait to the house of the Governor of Folli aboard the delivery truck of the framing shop she contracted. There had been a well known family guest at such time, the gay brother of the wife of the Governor. The gay was a famous fashion designer. Folli’s official candidate for the most prestigious beauty pageant of the country was injured. They couldn’t find an alternate. All the runners-up to the local beauty contest in Folli had all their issues that could also disqualify them. When the gay saw her, she was tagged as a perfect choice. She was then convinced by the Governor and his wife to represent Folli  for the said pageant. She declined saying she had no idea about joining pageants. But the famous gay brother-in-law of the Governor assured her that he could train her and provide her with all the clothes and assistance. She was then convinced to join. 

As soon as the Holy Week ended, she informed her landlady that she was to be away for ten days for work. She didn’t want a lot to know that she was to join Binibining Filipinas. She also sent out all her paintings of Jed for framing. 

The gay fashion designer had arranged for her luggage. The gay’s assistants packed her personal clothes and had chosen from her wardrobe. She insisted to use her own clothes and so they had chosen pieces from her wardrobe. The gay and his assistants were surprised about her expensive wardrobe. She told them they were gifts from her boyfriend but she hadn’t revealed much about her ‘so-called’ boyfriend. She also told them that she seldom used them because of her studies so it was about time to make use of them.