Rain, Rain, Come Again

Chapter 3

I have already taken a bath, dressed up, and even missed my breakfast, but I still can't calm down. The only thing on my mind is my plants. They died so suddenly, as if an invisible plague struck them. My poor flowers, what am I going to do? What about my business? Yesterday, they were healthy and alive, but now...

I stopped pacing when someone called my name. I turned around and saw Mrs. Maggie waved her hand outside my fence. I forced myself to smile and approached her, with sweat dripping down my forehead.

"Wow, it's really hot today," she sighed. "Hija, I cooked some chicken coconut stew. Just heat it up later when you have your lunch."

"Ah, thank you," I said with a grateful smile.

I noticed her gaze going beyond me and towards my garden. I immediately blocked her view.

"Oh, by the way, Flor. Is the tea party still on?" I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. I just smiled and nodded reluctantly. Mrs. Maggie clapped her hands in delight.

"Oh, that's great news! Are we still doing it at the same time?"

I nodded and forced a smile. Mrs. Maggie said goodbye and left happily and almost dancing. I wanted to laugh at her silliness, but I couldn't. How could I smile when my flowers were dying?

Twice a month, I host a tea party for the elder women. When Nana Carina was still alive, they often had tea parties in the garden. It was good for their health because they could breathe fresh air and enjoy the view of the flowers. The tea party also strengthened their relationships.

After nana passed away, I wanted to continue their little tradition. I wanted to make the old women happier and healthier. I believed that it would make my grandma happy too, wherever she was. That's why I became closer to elderly women. They became my extended family.

But now, what am I going to do? I don't want to disappoint them. I can't cancel the tea party, but I also don't want them to see the condition of my garden. Why did my flowers turn like this?

And then I remembered. This only happened when I made the rain spirit leave. That's right! He was the one who kept my flowers in bloom. But with him gone, my flowers are gone too.

'Meow, meow'

I looked down at Munching who was still circling around my legs. He looked up and stared at me meaningfully, and I bit my bottom lip.

"Should I look for him?" I asked.

Munching just stared at me and blinked twice, which I took as a yes. I postponed opening my flower shop and decided to look for the rain spirit instead. It felt stupid; I was the one who had asked him to leave, but here I was, desperate to find him. I had told him I didn't need him, but now it seemed that my livelihood and my flowers depended on him.

In truth, at other times, I wouldn't have cared if he had been gone. But now, it felt like I had eaten up all my words.

I was sweating and soaked through with sweat as I asked passersby and street vendors in the market for his whereabouts, but no one knew where he was. If only I had a picture of him, it would have been easier. After a few hours of being under the sun, I climbed back into the truck. My hair was damp with sweat, and I drank water while scanning my surroundings.

"Miss! Miss, sampaguita?" a young boy holding a bunch of sampaguita lifted them up and knocked on my window. I rolled it down.

"Kid, have you seen a tall, uhm, handsome man in loose clothes?" I asked, squinting.

The boy thought for a moment. "Hmm... do you mean the man with the magic water?" he said, lifting his blooming sampaguita.

My eyes widened, and I nodded. "Yes! Do you know where he is now?"

"Uh, I'll tell you if you buy all my sampaguita," he said, grinning.

I furrowed my brow and eyed him suspiciously. "Come on, it's 150 for all of them," he cried.

I almost rolled my eyes as I took money from my wallet. When I handed him the money, he gave me the sampaguita in exchange, grinning widely as he counted the money.

"Where is he?" I asked again, and he looked up, scratching his head and grinning.

"To be honest, miss, I don't know where he is! But thanks for buying these!" he shouted with a laugh and ran away before I could react.

That little rascal!

In the end, I gave up and decided to go home and tell the elders that I was postponing the tea party. Maybe I could take care of my flowers without the rain spirit's help. I arrived home as the sun was setting, and I didn't even greet Munching, who was waiting for me on the porch. I went straight to my room, stripped off my clothes, and took a shower.

I was exhausted, sweaty, and sticky, and it didn't help that my plants were in a bad state. I tried to hold back my tears, but they only fell harder. It's frustrating!

I was crying over a simple problem. That's why I sometimes hate myself. I always tried to act tough, but my emotions always got the better of me. I felt foolish. What did it matter if I disappointed the elders? I am sure it will only happen this time and never again.

What if I don't open the flower shop for now? Then I would spend more time with Munching and gardening!

After changing my clothes, I went down to the living room. I turned on the light switches because it was already dark outside. I sniffed a few times as I walked towards the kitchen. When my eyes fell on the kitchen door, I felt frustrated again. I felt like a fool as tears threatened to fall.

I wiped the tears that escaped my eyes. I took a deep breath and calmed myself.

It's alright, Flor. Tomorrow, I'll make my flowers beautiful again. I'll make sure they look a lot better than how the rain spirit takes care of them.

I combed my wet hair using my fingers. I headed towards the door and went outside to visit my dead plants. I felt tears threatening to fall again.

But it didn't fall this time. In the garden, my flowers were blooming again. My lips parted and my eyes were brimming again with new hot tears.

"I told you, wherever you are, I'll be there," I turned around and there he was, smiling at me. "No matter how many times you'll push me away, I always find you."

I couldn't speak and just stared at him. All my effort and exhaustion earlier were wasted because he's here. He found his way here all by himself. How did I forget he had some kind of power and I even looked for him like he was a missing kid? How stupid of me!

I felt like all the blood in my face had risen, boiling in so much fury. But I still couldn't find the right words to say to him because I also felt embarrassed about everything I said to him.

Instead, my tears trickled down.

He smiled again and approached me. He raised his thumb and touched my cheek. I closed my eyes because of the lightness of his touch. I can't even describe the sensation. I can't name what it felt like. It was a feeling of tranquility and it made me feel better.

"Stop crying, Flor. If you need me, just always ask for me and I will come to you."