uncolored (completed)

storm

Rj arrived on a wet and stormy evening from a 20+ hour flight from across the globe.  He had crossed several time zones so his own body clock needed time to readjust to where he was now – home.  But was he really home?

The inclement weather of Manila over the last 24 hours brought about gnarled traffic and flooded streets in different parts of the metro.

He went straight to bed as soon as he got home, exhausted from the work and travelling he did abroad.  His management didn't want to bother him anymore so they just let him sleep through, telling his PA to take his phone away just in case he put turned on the alarm.

True enough, his body needed and wanted all that rest so he woke up many hours later, past his supposed call time.

"Ma....phone ko?....anong oras na?...." he said as he stepped out his room in his boxers, rubbing his eyes.

"Uhmm....mag-s-six na....gusto mo kumain?" Mama Ten asked as she handed him his phone.  "Na-cancel yung event mo today....maulan kasi....pahinga ka nalang daw today....sa Monday na tayo papasok...."

"....." he nodded as he checked his phone.  "Si Menggay, nakarating na?"

"....hindi ko alam....magbihis ka na....papahanda ko yung food mo...."

"Hi Love!  I hope you got in safely.  Na-cancel daw schedules ko for today so they didn't wake me up anymore. I just woke up now. Management says I go back to work on Monday na.  I miss you...I love you...." he texted her.

He took a shower and fixed his things.  He ate dinner while watching the news.

"....tuloy-tuloy pa rin po ang pag-ulan dito sa Metro Manila at karatig na lugar.....may mga pagbabaha na rin po....ayon sa PAGASA, magtutuloy-tuloy ang pag-ulan sa mga susunod na araw....."

Still weary from the previous days' events, Rj went back to sleep at past midnight.

A few hours after, he woke up to his phone ringing.  He looked at the screen, he had had several missed calls already – all from Maine.  She also left a few messages.

"Babe. I'm home na. The plane arrived late due to the bad weather.  We had to land in Clark because Manila is already flooded."

"Babe...you must be asleep pa....anyway, I'm stuck in traffic en route home to Bulacan....#boredsleepytired"

"Mukhang pagod na pagod ka ah. Ang tagal ng biyahe grabe! I want to lie down na!  We had to make a stopover pa from Clark kasi banyong-banyo na kami and gutom....finally, malapit na daw kami sa house...."

"Bahay na.  Will shower na muna then sleep. Later, babe. I love you!"

That was the last of Maine's series of text messages to him.  He smiled as he read each one (all 24 of them); her updates and snapchats to him.  He put down his phone again and readjusted his head on his pillow and closed his eyes.

A few hours later, he woke up and checked his phone.  Messages from other people were on his timeline but no update from Maine.

"She's probably really tired lang...." he thought.

He checked some of his social media accounts and learned that the rains had brought about more flooding in many parts of Metro Manila and nearby towns including Laguna and Bulacan.  He jumped out of bed and raced out of the room to check on things downstairs.

His family were off on holiday in Ilocos so he was pretty much alone in Laguna.  The maids were busy cleaning the lanai as some of the rain water had reached a portion of the area (the garden was a little flooded).  Kuya Erick, his driver, was checking on the cars in the garage.