A Night With You

Chapter 12: The Search Goes On

Vin stared at the ceiling of his room at the G Resort and Hotel. His mind is invaded by the thoughts of where might Kira be this time.

"Does she still remember me? I wonder if what will her reaction be when I see her? But where can I find her really?" Vin stood up and disheveled his hair out of frustration. He picked up his phone that he placed above the side table and dialled a number.

"Hello. Did you still not find anything? I've been stuck here for days yet you can't even fish out a single information about her?!"

"Sir, we can't really locate a person that fast especially in a country like the Philippines. Remember that in places - mostly provinces that are very far from the capital are really not accessible by GPS. I don't have the complete information of that girl. She doesn't use her phone this past few days. I wonder if she lost her phone or she really did not touched that from the start when they settled. Apparently,  she is still busy of some sort."

"Fvck this! Make sure to do your search day and night. I am not paying a high price for nothing." Vin gritted his teeth and his grip on his phone tightened. One can see fire in his eyes. He was a beast that is ready to pounce a soul that will cause his irritation to spike up. He ended the call and he sat on the sofa seat nearby.

His breathing was still rage. His fist continuously closes and tightens and that caused for his muscles to ripple and his veins showed more. He lazily got up a minute after and started to get casual clothes from his suitcase.

He headed half naked towards the bathroom. Vin turned on the shower and then the water cascaded down like curtains. He set it in a cold temperature and he started his bath.

He was facing the water that continuously pours down. Like an Adonis and a male model come to life, his look was so unearthly - ethereal.

As the water made contact to his skin, it glistens under the streak of the sunlight. He let his hand slip towards the length of his torso. His perfectly sculpted muscles were highlighted as they got wet.

Getting the soap from the rack, he smoothered it all over his skin. He shampooed his hair and it formed suds. He let the water cleanse him thoroughly.

After he wore his last piece of garment, he descended. He patiently waited for Mister Carlos to pick him up. He still needs to find Kira.

"Good morning Sir Vin. Ready for another day are we?"

"Yes Mister Carlos. I won't give up on her. I need to find her by hook or by crook." The old man just smiled. Together, they started to walk towards the parked taxi.

"Hello do you know this woman?" Vin showed a picture of Kira. But the man that he questioned just shook his head and continued to walk on his way. This time, they are not at the park that they have last searched.

Luneta Park - one of the very famous tourist attraction of the Philippines. It is where the monument of their national hero; Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Alnonzo y Realonda was situated. Many people come and go to that place so it is a perfect spot to search for someone.

They have been there for so many hours but no one really knows who Kora was or where is she. The woman clearly has no record in this city. They even asked some police stations and master lists of different towns nearby yet no one was registered under that name.

"This is like finding needle in haystack." Vin commented after he took a sip on the bottled water that he have.

"Sometimes Sir, life can be frustrating. It's just like our private part you know. It gets hard for no apparent reason at all." Vin laughed after Mister Carlos cracked that joke.

"Good thing you are with me. Ay! Before I forgot, you said that I can have a lesson about culture and such with your wife. Can we go there now? It's not bad if I start learning today."

"Good suggestion. Let's go."

***

It took them an hour before they reached the humble abode of Mister Carlos. It's not a fully furnished house but it was made of concrete walls and the roof was galvanized iron sheets.

"Welcome to my humble home Sir Vin."

Vin looked at the inside of the house. It was not that spacious but you can say that the family lives in a comfortable place. There were frmaed pictures that were hung on the walls. Some were medals and school certificates probably from the children of Mister Carlos. He sat on the seat made from bamboo and was lacquered with maple varnish.

The house feels homey. The Earth colors blends to the nature vibe of the house because of the plant's that were in every corner of the place.

"Carlos! Why did you not told me that you have a foreign visitor. I could have made some delicacies that we can offer. Oh no! I'm so sorry Sir. I did not prepare something to eat today. I was not informed that Carlos will bring you today. Don't worry. I will just make a delicious lunch so that you will not get hungry and you will have a taste of the Filipino foods that we usually make here."

"It's okay Ma'am. I was actually the one who insisted to be here. I want to have lessons about the culture of the Philippines. It's really hard to adapt and I still have no idea about those."

"Oh! You made the right choice. Come on! I will teach you how to cook simple Filipino dishes. Are you pursuing a Filipina?"

"Well, yes. Tho, I proposed to her already. Actually, I am really searching for her."

"Hmm? Interesting. Why is that so? I mean, I don't want to be nosy. But what happened?"

"We met on my country in a bar. Then you know... Love at first sight. So I proposed to her. Something happened that night between us. Then I woke up that she was not beside me anymore. Only to find out that she and her family migrated here to the Philippines already. But I really don't know her exact location."

"I wish you find her soonest. Now, we will cook adobo. It's a simple dish yet very tasty. So you need onions, garlic, ginger, black pepper, bay leaf, soy sauce, vinegar, water, meat of your choice - it can be chicken or pork. Depending on what is the available meat but we will use chicken. A little bit of sugar so that the flavors will be enhanced."

"So what will we do next. We need to saute?"

"No. It always depends on what type of cooking style you will use but we will do the simplest way. We just combine all ingredients in a pan or a wok and then cook it under medium heat."

"Woah! That's simple really. Will she eat something like this?"

"Of course. I am one hundred percent sure. Filipinos love adobo so there is no doubt that she eats this. This is a perfect viand for steamed rice." Vin continued to nod as he observed the things that needs to be done.

"Aside from adobo, what dishes are popular here?"

"We have so many dishes. Letchon, kare-kare, menudo, sinigang, sisig. There's a lot to explore."

"What is letchon?"

"It's a roasted pig. We use charcoal to grill the whole pig that is in a long bamboo pole. We Filipinos love to have that special dish during special occasions like birthdays, fiesta, Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, just any celebrations that we have."

The Philippines has many cultural dishes and events that they celebrate year round.