Crumbled

One.

"Dei, it has been over a month."

I know. She heaved a sigh.

"In less than 4 months, your next exhibit is up and yet, you haven't even given me half of it."

Another sigh.

"Dei!"

"I heard you the first time, Marcus."

"Oh yeah? Well, I have been trying here for the last 45 minutes and all I got from you are your countless sigh. I need an answer, Dei."

I know.

She heaved another sigh before walking out of the balcony and towards the room. Her manager, Marcus, has been nagging her to submit another work.

She, Nicomaine Dei Mendoza, is one of the finest young painters in the beautiful city of London. Few months ago, her second exhibit was a hit. It was such an unbelievable success that her manager is now busy working for her third exhibit that will happen four months from now.

And yet..

Behind the phenomenal success and overwhelming praises about her work, she suddenly run out of juice. For some reason, for the last thirty days, she managed to only provide Marcus with one painting.

One.

She needs at least 10.

She has spent days and days of staring at a blank canvass, trying to come up with a creative beautiful work.

But there's nothing.

And she doesn't know why.

She sat on the couch to finally talk to her manager. Marcus is a Filipino painting enthusiast that she met when she came to study in London five years ago.

They became friends and shared the same passion for the arts. It was Marcus who encouraged and voluntarily sponsored her first exhibit about 2 years ago.

"Marcus, I am trying. I swear. I face my canvass everyday and I cannot come up with anything. I tried everything. Last weekend, I spent an afternoon in Hyde Park and Regent's. To find something. To find an inspiration. I told you about it, diba? Pero Marcus, wala talaga."

"I don't believe you, Nicomaine. Your heart is in painting and you always have something."

"Hindi ko rin alam kung bakit ganito. Maybe we should cancel the exhibit. Or at least postpone for a few months."

Marcus got up from his seat and balled his eyes out.

"You must be joking! I cannot do that!"

"Sure you can. Four months pa naman."

"No! Do you have any idea how many people are expecting to be at your exhibit again? Dei, mababaliw ako sa'yo. We cannot cancel nor postpone!"

Ugh!

"Then, what to do now? Any advice?"

Marcus heaved a heavy sigh and started pacing back and forth the entire room. Stress is reflected through his entire face. His entire aura.

She couldn't help but feel bad.

It took Marcus about five more minutes of pacing and mumbling before..

"DEI!"

"ANO!?"

"I have an idea." He said it with a giddy and overly happy look on his face.

Uh oh. I don't trust that look on his face.

"Marcus, ano yan?"

"I have a brilliant idea. Diba, it has been 5 years since umuwi ka sa Marilog?" With his wiggling eyebrows, Marcus asked her with a huge grin on his face.

"MARCUS. NO!"

Dei certainly took the hint. He wants her to fly all the way to the Philippines. Back to her hometown. To the same place she left 5 long years ago.

"Oh come on! The theme of your exhibit is natural beauty, Dei. What could be more naturally beautiful than BuDa!?"

She would never disagree with that. BuDa's beauty is to die for. But still.. Marilog?

"NO!" She stood up and told him firmly.

Marcus is starting to get desperate.

"Nicomaine, you have been living in London for 5 years. A breathtakingly beautiful city. And yet, you cannot find an inspiration to start painting about natural beauty. How depressingly ironic is that?" He paused to breath, then he continued..

"Let's put it this way. Take this as a vacation. I will give you a month or two to stay in Marilog. To relax, to visit your relatives, to visit your hometown. To find an inspiration. If nothing happens, you can go back and I'll do everything I can to postpone the exhibit."

Dei gave Marcus a questioning look after hearing an even more absurd idea.

"I asked you to postpone the exhibit kanina. You said no. And now, you want me to fly all the way to Marilog to find an inspiration, and if not, then you'll postpone. Marcus, that's stupid."

"Indeed, love. But we have to do whatever it takes."

Confirmed. Desperate na nga.

Marilog after five years?

Buti sana kung Marilog lang ang dadatnan ko doon eh.

Just the mere idea of going home and being on that place again, made her feel drained. The idea of going back is too much to take in.

"I have to think about this, Marcus. You know why."

When Marcus saw the same look on her face he saw for the first time five years ago, he knew he needed to back down and give her the time she's asking for.

"I understand. But Dei, I need your answer tonight."

Without any other word, Marcus left the room.

Tonight.

It is already past 1:00 in the afternoon which means she has few hours to think about it.

Going back to Marilog practically means going back to all of it.

The place.

The weather.

The lovely people.

Her cousins.

Her Aunt Helen.

Him.

But as much as she hates to admit it, Marcus was right. Marilog is the perfect place to find an inspiration for her exhibit's theme.

She turned her head to the white canvass still standing empty on the far end of her room.

Maybe she should do it. Besides, she'll be going there for work and it has been a really long time.

Everything changes.

.

.

.

Few hours after she finally decided what to do, she called Marcus to tell him her decision. He was extremely happy.

But her?

She's not sure.

She just know one thing.

She's going home.