Only You

Chapter 8: Pain

I just found myself standing in front of these beautiful flowers. Andito ako ngayon sa nursery/garden ng flower shop ko. Dito namin kinukuha ang supply ng shop.

My flower shop is my baby. Nadia and I started our business from scratch. Though we both came from a well off families. We managed to create our own names. We are both hands on to our business.

Mula sa pagtatanim, pagdidilig ng mga bulaklak hanggang sa pag-aarranged ng mga ito sa shop ay kaming dalawa rin ni Nadia ang gumawa. We were lucky that we both have green thumbs.

We started our humble beginnings. There were hiccups along the way but Nadia and I didn't give up. I still remember when a typhoon hits our country and our garden was not spared. Not a single flower was spared.
Nadia was about to give up. Lahat ng ipon naming dalawa we invested sa shop sa isang iglap nawala. But we stood up. Our parents offered their help but we promised them we'll find a way to bring back our shop again. It was hard but we made it.

I can't help but smile to remember those days. Now, Nadia and I are very proud that we have 3 branches of our shop. Not only that, we also managed to offer the best flowers both local and imported. As our business grows we expand our market. We now cover events like weddings, birthdays and the like.

I am just feeling a bit guilty that Nadia has to manage the shops on her own lately. Well not really, we managed to hire someone to help Nadia while I'm fixing my mess. But it will always make a big difference if I was the one doing the job too.

I am just so grateful I have met Nadia. She is more than a best friend to me. She is my sister that I never had. I miss her.

I walked inside the garden. I inhaled the fresh air if only I could breath this air every day of my life. Naabutan ko si Mang Damian na abalang nagdidilig ng mga bulaklak. Bagamat nabigla sa pagsulpot ko sa garden ay binati at nginitian niya ako.

"Magandang hapon po Ma'am Alex. Napadalaw po kayo. Kumusta na po kayo?"

"Magandang hapon din po. Ayos naman po ako Mang Damian. Salamat po sa pag-aalaga sa mga bulaklak natin."

Nginitian niya ako.

Pagkatapos ng kamustahan at balitaan ay nagpaalam ako kay Mang Damian na lilibutin ko ang garden. Nagpatuloy siya sa kaniyang pagdidilig.

This flower garden will always be my happy place. Women love flowers. I am one of those women who appreciate the beauty of flowers.

Hindi ako nagkamaling magtungo dito after what happened with me and Adam, I found my peace, my sanctuary. Kahit papaano seeing these beautiful flowers it gives me peace. Their beautiful colors and heavenly scent calm my senses.
It feels so good. Calming. Relaxing.

There were orchids, Malaysian mums, dahlias, lavenders, chrysantemums and more. But my favorite were the roses. White roses. It symbolizes beauty and purity. Adam always gave me white roses. He knew it's my favorite.

I went to the roses. I touched their soft petals. I smelled their scents. I closed my eyes. I could stay here forever.

Pagsapit ng dapit hapon ay nagpaalam na si Mang Damian. Nagpasalamat ako sa kaniya and I said my goodbye.

I decided to stay and watched the sunset. The beautiful colors from the sky and the flowers around me helped me forget the trouble and the pain. This is my favorite part at the garden. Nadia and I built a gazebo sa gitna ng garden overlooking sa mga bulaklak. Sa gitna ng gazebo ay isang patio set. Umupo ako and watched the sunset. It's just so surprising how mother nature has it's way to amaze us.

But as the sky got dark, it gave me chill. That familiar pain came back. I'm scared. Alone.

I hugged myself and cried.