Arrangements

5

I visit the Winters residence early. Their maids open up the gate so I can park my car inside.

One maid leads me to the library where tito is. I already know every corner of this house. I grew up here, this was my home.

The atmosphere here is new to me. Nothing physically changed here but it seems everything did.

We pass by Anna's room, the first room from the stairs, but it doesn't look like hers anymore. Her door knob always had the anklet that tita gave her. That room's door knob doesn't have it.

We turn left after few steps from the stairs. Two more doors and we finally arrive to the library. But before the maid opens the door for me, a doctor comes out.

Hm... Why's there a doctor here?

"Oh. Leo, you're here." Tito greets and approaches me to give me a handshake.

The maid leaves us and closes the door.

"Come," tito says and we sit down on the couch near the balcony.

I look at the shelves. Some still have the books I used to read with Anna and Eddie, her younger brother who already passed away.

"Tito, are you not feeling well?" I ask. I'm really concerned.

"I'm very well. Why?"

"That doctor-"

"Ah." He cuts me off. "He's a friend. He just came to visit me," he explains. But I don't believe him. A doctor visiting this early? I know that doctor came here for a reason.

"This is what I want to show you," tito stands up, heads to his desk and takes out a dirty box under the desk.

"A box?" I mumble. It's dirty. It looks like it was burnt.

I stand up to help tito to carry the heavy box.

"What does this box have to do with the wedding?" I ask as we put the box on the table.

"These... I want you to read these."

My eyebrows clashes when tito opens the box, and I see books. They're journals. They seems white but now black because of the ashes.

"They're burnt?" I say as I touch the books.

"That box was saved from fire. Don't worry, we already wiped off the ashes."

Oh. Saved. That must mean that these journals are really important.

"But they're now dusty due to its long storage."

"Why are you showing me these?" I ask.

Tito sits down to rest. That box  must have exhausted him.

"That box belongs to Anna."

"What?" I exclaim. Where's her privacy now?

"I'm giving you another chance to change your answer to my question yesterday. Read every single page of each journal. Then come back here after you finish them."

My forehead wrinkles a bit. They're Anna's and I bet she doesn't know that tito has them. That box is burnt, so obviously, Anna wanted this box to vanish.

"They're too many. I can't read them all, the wedding day is just few weeks away." I protest but tito shakes his head. This is my last chance and I can't miss it.

I straighten my posture and nod. I'll just pretend that I'm going to read these journals. I absolutely can't afford to lose this mergence.

This wedding is my only way to Claire. No holding back anymore.

A week after, mom asks me why our wedding invites are not finalized yet. The wedding is now three weeks away.

Dad becomes suspicious about what I and tito talked about last week. So to clear everything, I return to tito.

I visit his office but he is not there. His secretary informs me that it's been almost two years that tito hasn't come to office. Ever since Anna returned home, tito made their home library his office. It's only kuya Miko who comes to office twice or thrice a week. All the company reports are directly sent to their house.

I immediately go to their house. I park my car outside their compound and as usual, the maids deliver me to the library.

"Let's pursue the wedding," I say.

Tito looks at my eyes seriously, "you didn't read the journals, did you?"

Yes. But what's the deal about it?

"Of course, I did."

"I told you to come back here after you read them all."

"But tito, it's a lot. I read half of it," I lie and still insist.

"If you really did, you've disappointed me then." Whoa. Why?

"But tito-"

"There will be no wedding. Get out, Leo. We've got nothing to talk about anymore."

"But why?"

Tito stands up from his seat, he is shaking his head and pulls me out of the room. Then he closes his door right into my nose. God! What's his problem?!

I won't leave here without tito changing his mind. I keep on knocking and calling for tito until he opens the door again.

"My soul was crying while I read those journals. While you, you're telling me to just pursue your wedding. You better finish them all. And you better hurry because the sun doesn't stop rising and setting for you."

Tito leaves the room and goes somewhere. These journals give me a headache.

I go to stairs but I am startled when I see Anna. She is standing next to her old room. She is looking at me, raising her right eyebrow, like she is wondering what I am doing here.

I want to ask her what's her problem too, but it'll be just a waste of my time. So I proceed to the stairs, but I halt when she speaks up.

"Love?" she calls.

Love? That used to be our endearment.

I look at her at my amusement. Why did she call me love? Is she thinking that just because I want to pursue our wedding means I love her again? No way!

"What?" I ask.

"What are you doing here?" She smiles wide.

Strange.

"I talked to tito."

"Oh. Papa is here? I thought he's already in the office. By the way, you ditched your class?"

Class?

"Huh? Why?"

"You told me you have make-up class today, for your major."

My major?

"Anna, what are you talking about?"

"Huh?" Her eyebrows becomes one. Her nose crinkles.

I look at her eyes and she looks sure of what she's talking about. She's acting strange.

"You're kidding me," I wash away my thoughts that were turning into suspicions. "I've got to go." I continue walking down the stairs.

"Okay. You're going to school?"

"I'm going home." I say coldly, like how I always do, without looking back at her.

Something's not right here.

"Oh." I hear her mumbling.

I look back at her when I was finally at the last step of the stairs and I am surprised with her facial expression. She is sad.

When she sees me looking at her, she smiles again. She waves and shouts "Say hi to Dave for me. Take care!"

That surprises me even more. Why in the hell would I talk to Dave? That asshole.

I just shake my head and go out. That surely made my mood bad. God, Anna!

That is not a very good joke, Anna.