Moon and Flowers

Chapter Thirteen

I almost even jumped out when I peeked at the box. When I got it out, a stuffed animal greeted my eyes. It's a platypus. Not just a normal platypus but the same stuffed toy of the main character in To The Moon!

Pag-uwi ni Spade, I served his dinner the best possible. I looked like a child running around with her new stuffed toy.

Kumunot ang noo niya. "What's with you?"

"Thank you, Spade." I smiled my brightest. "Isn't this cute? Where did you find this?" I showed him Puck. "Today's his birthday so I made him a collar. Remember that."

A smile escaped from his lips. "What is he called?"

"Puck. I named him Puck. I named him after one of Uranus' moons that was named after a character from a Shakespeare play," kwento ko. "It fits him so well, right?"

He shook his head in my silliness. "Eat up."

I can't stop hugging it and clinging it to my arm since he gave it to me.  I can't believe this. He never gave me a gift, or should I consider this a gift? It doesn't matter. 

Since then, he is eerily talking to me more. We have breakfast and dinner together. Also, I could ask him how his day was without receiving a simple shrug. He answers. I think I'm going well with my quest. Somehow, it eases my heart. 

"Where's my coffee?" He asked first thing in the morning. 

"Brewing. Five minutes." I stood up from the kitchen stool and placed his toast on the dining table. 

"Don't you drink coffee?" He asked. 

"I would say occasionally." I shrugged. 

When his coffee was ready, I brought it to the table along with my plain overnight oats and sat in front of him. 

"You've been eating that thing for breakfast quite often lately." He gazed upon my oats before munching on his toast.

I didn't mind him. "What do you want for dinner?"

He shrugged. "Whatever you typically make."

One night, we were having dinner when I saw him separating some of the vegetables I put.

"I told you I don't eat that," he said. "Twice, Diana."

"Oh. I'm sorry. It must be on my list. Maybe I overlooked."

"Your list?" His forehead creased. 

"List. Things you eat, things you don't eat," I briefly clarified.

"Why do you have to keep a list? Are you not listening to me?" His voice thundered.

"No." I shook my head. "I must have been out of my mind. I'm sorry."

I'm trying to be careful about it since then. But Doctor Colmar said because of my sodium level, it's expected to mess up with my memory and brain function. It's chaotic, only if Spade has known. But I'm trying to stick with my lists religiously. 

"Spade," I called him for the fourth time. It was a Saturday afternoon. 

He's texting on his phone with an uncontrollable smile on his face. After a few seconds, he looked up at me without even taking his eyes off the device. "What?"

"I'm calling you for the fourth time and if you're not planning to have lunch, I'll go ahead." I stood up from the dining table with my plate. "Who are you even talking to," I whispered irritably. But then again, it's none of my business. So, I moved to the breakfast nook to eat alone. 

And there was this time he went home late. I messaged him several times but I didn't receive a single reply. That made me think of all possible worst-case scenarios that could happen. I spent my energy anxiously trying to come up with reasons to ease my mind. And as soon as he came home, his reason was he had dinner with an unspecified somebody and he happened to go home this late just because he had a few drinks with Sebastien.