Wind (a novel)

Chapter Five - Emails 2

Annie Reyes <anna_delos_reyes23@yahoo.com>

09/03/2018 08:50 AM

Subject: Sunset, Cebu, Nicholas Sparks, and poetry...

Hi Paulo,

How are you? I hope you're doing well. I imagine the sunsets in Cebu are just as inspiring as they are here in Subic. 😊

I've heard of the movie Before Sunset, but I haven't watched it yet. I also heard it's part of a trilogy, with Before Sunrise and Before Midnight, all released nine years apart from each other. That's pretty cool!

I've attached the poetry book I mentioned to you in our previous letters. It's called "Of Rainy Days And Moonlit Nights," and it has 24 poems. I'm sending it to you not just for reading, but also because I'd love to know what you think about it. 😊

I'm also reading Nicholas Sparks' "See Me" right now. I recommend you check it out—it's a simple love story mixed with a bit of thriller and suspense, kind of like Safe Haven or The Guardian. I'm sure you'll enjoy it too!

That's all for now. I hope you're having a wonderful day. I know how busy you are, but please remember to rest. Take care of yourself—there are so many people who count on you.

Until next time,

Annie

Paulo Santiago <paulosantiago@gmail.com>

09/07/2018 09:10 PM

Re: Sunset, Cebu, Nicholas Sparks, and poetry...

Hey Annie,

First off, I love the subject line of your email: Sunset, Cebu, Nicholas Sparks, and poetry. It inspired me so much that I wrote a poem based on it. Here it is:

SUNSET, CEBU, NICHOLAS SPARKS, AND POETRY

This is a September sunset,

But grey clouds are cheating us of the stars.

I mark this spot on my calendar—

This 28th day of September, when you're not around.

Like days at Roadway Inn,

Like nights at Madelaine's Place.

I circle it in red,

So next year I can remember,

Laugh, and say I over-dramatized your absence.

I am alone on this stormy island,

Hundreds of miles away from anything

I can call home.

Do you know what Cebu means?

It means "change everything... but us."

I know it's corny, yeah, it is.

But as corny as it sounds,

You know it's true,

And longing hearts were always

Like that.

Sitting here at the airport,

I feel like the best-selling author

Of Nights in Rodanthe.

Just thinking, wishing, just that—

Wanting to write, but like you,

Absent were paper and pens.

If I could tell you one thing