The Widow

Scene 55 - Post-Sadie and Pre-Aiden.

Scene 55 – Post-Sadie and Pre-Aiden.

Clara and Ralphe was seated at the back of the car while the driver drove all the way to Baguio, there was some incident with the charter plane so they decided to drive. They weren’t talking, Ralphe was resting, he was still pretty hangover and Clara was reading to take her mind off things.

It wasn’t helping though.

She was still thinking of their conversation at her kitchen earlier. His revelations about his past, however little it was, it was still one wall he broke down. He recounted his early relationship with Sadie, how she was on college while he was still a senior in high school. His parents didn’t approve of the said relationship for Sadie was the daughter of an shamed expat.

Breakups were a thing for them. They broke up so many times that it seemed that they only ever did the fight and make up thing. Then there came their biggest and ugliest breakup, they were both devastated more so on Sadie for Ralphe chose privilege over her. So she got drunk and slept with Andy Crisostomo.

They got back together but then she found out she was pregnant so she ran. She broke up with him knowing he would never forgive her and his parents would definitely disapprove.

But he found out. He found out and he loved her so he stayed by her side. He supported her even when all he wanted was to kill the baby in her womb because of her weak heart.

His parents threatened to disown him but he didn’t care anymore, he just wanted to be with Sadie so they planned to run away maybe live in Greece after giving birth to Shiloh.

Ralphe told Clara that everyone just fell in love with the little bundle named Shiloh. She was so beautiful he said. The fear he felt was gone and was replaced with happiness and love for Shiloh.

But it all changed. A week after giving birth, Sadie’s heart stopped.

She now understood him, she understood why he had put walls, why he never wanted kids. It was because of his fear. His fear that the woman bearing his child might die from childbirth.

And also why he always disappeared on Wednesdays and the white camellias.

She finally understood why it’d never worked out for them. They weren’t meant to be. They were meant to be each other’s post and pre. Post-Sadie and Pre-Aiden.

If Aiden was Clara’s forever, Sadie was Ralphe’s.

***

They were on Tarlac when Ralphe finally stirred. So they looked for a coffee shop preferably a Starbucks because Ralphe needed a damn good coffee and not stale coffee. Or at least that was what he said.

Once they had their coffee and bagels, they went back on the road. And Ralphe couldn’t help but ask, so ask he did. “How was your pregnancy with Kieran?” Because he damn well remember the day Ian blamed him for something he didn’t know and when Ian threatened him to kill him if anything ever happened to Clara.