When Rain Falls

Chapter 2 | A Secret (Part 1)

When Rain Falls

Chapter 2 – A Secret (Part 1)

"And now we wait," Louie sank down on the sofa next to me looking incredibly exhausted. He tossed his folder on top of the table in front of us. "I hate waiting." He ran a hand down his face and started fanning himself.

I closed the magazine I was holding. "You don't look too good. How did it go in there?"

"Not so good." He muttered while checking his phone for new messages.

"Why is that?"

"It was a panel interview," his eyes widened when he looked up from his phone. "There was four of them. It felt like I was thrown into the lion's den. They drilled me pretty good with their questions. My head hurts, I could hardly think," he sighed. "I feel like shutting off my brain for a week."

"I'm sure you aced it, Lou," I clamped a hand down on his shoulder. "Now, come on. Let me treat you to lunch." I grabbed my bag and walked towards the elevator.

When we reached the ground floor, I noticed the guy that I saw earlier had just stepped out from the elevator in front of us. He had his whole entourage trailing after him as he rushed towards the glass doors of the lobby. He looked angry, basing from his eyebrows that were drawn together.

"Hey, Lou? Do you know that guy over there?" I asked Louie. He adjusted his glasses and squinted. The guy was walking towards the limo that was parked in front of the building.

"I'm not sure," he plucked the glasses from his eyes, wiped it and brought it back to his eyes. Luckily, the guy spoke to the chauffeur before entering the vehicle, giving Louie enough time to check him out. "He looks familiar, though."

"Right? I was thinking of the same thing," I said, my tone was a little ecstatic. "He might be some businessman that I haven't really heard about."

"You know Vincent Sterling, right?" He nudged my elbow as we head towards the glass doors. "Why don't you ask him, maybe he can give you some info on Mr. Cutie?"

I blushed, my eyes widening in embarrassment. "Now why would I ask Vincent? Its not like we're close friends. I only met him through one of my dad's friends years ago."

"Didn't you mention that your dad wanted to marry you off to Vincent?"

My face flushed. "What? No. He only suggested that as a joke. I asked my dad to keep that joke to himself and never mention it again because I didn't want Vincent's dad to get any weird ideas like setting us up for an arranged marriage. You know how it is with business folks, right? They use their children as chess pieces in this cruel world."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Louie nodded in agreement and brought his car key out from his pocket.

Louie remained silent throughout the whole drive, and I knew why. It was probably the tone of my voice from earlier. Whenever I mention my dad, I get all emotional. I sighed and turned to Louie. "Sorry if I seemed a little mad back there."

"Don't apologize," he smiled. "I'm the one who is actually sorry here. That was quite insensitive of me."

"No, you weren't," I shook my head. "I'm just a little hungry, I guess."

*

My flight to New York was in ten hours, and here I am, staring at my empty suitcase. All the clothes I wanted to bring was still attached to the hangers. I sat down at the edge of my bed, burying my face in my hands. My eyes rolled up to the ceiling, hoping for an honest answer to my question. Was leaving for New York a good idea? I kept asking myself the same question since I thought about this trip a month ago.

Louie reassured me that I wasn't committing a grave mistake. He suggested that I power through whatever came my way. His words left a smile in my mind. Louie had always been optimistic, especially when it comes to other people. I realized that New York was going to be my temporary distraction. I needed some time for myself before going back to college. Maybe it'll help clear my head.

I finally got up and went straight to my computer desk. I unplugged my laptop and carefully placed it inside my backpack along with its charger. Mom thinks I'm just staying in New York for two weeks. She doesn't have a clue that I'm staying there until I find the answers I've been looking for.

After I gathered everything I needed, my eyes paused at the wall above my desk. My heart dropped. I reached out for one of the pictures that was clipped to a raffia ribbon. It was a picture of my dad holding me as a toddler. I don't remember this picture being here. Was this picture really here all this time? It was so weird how it decided to show itself at this moment. The picture was hidden at the back of another picture of me and my high school friends. I took that as a hint to carry on with New York.

The picture was a little worn out. The colors had changed throughout the years. A huge red lollipop was in my left hand and I was wearing a light pink swimsuit. I turned the picture to look at the back.

Dad and Rainy

Biscarrosse, France – June 2000

I couldn't help but smile when I saw my dad's penmanship. I was only four years old here and the memories of our beach house in Biscarrose was a blur to me. How I wish I could remember all those times when he took me there along with my mother. I'd give anything in my life just so I could turn back time and savor every minute of my time with my father.

A soft knock on the door interrupted my train of thought. I looked up and saw mom leaning on the doorjamb with a sad smile on her face. "Hey, kiddo. Do you need any help packing your bags?"

"I'm fine, thanks," I forced out a smile, slipping the picture under a spiral notebook. "Have you eaten yet?"

"I ate something before I came home, so I'm still good. Have you eaten dinner yet?" She entered my room and started going through my stuff. "Wait, are these the only clothes you're going to bring? This is not enough." Mom protested and rushed out of the room. I ran a hand down my face in frustration. I knew what she was going to do.

"Mom, it's okay," I threw my hands up in the air when I saw her taking out the large luggage from the other bedroom that we treated like a storage room. "I don't need a huge bag."

"Yes, you do," she lifted the large metallic pink luggage onto my bed and started unzipping the sides. "You're not going to survive your trip with a few pieces of clothing."

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms against my chest. "Okay, fine, I'll take the bag. Just let me pack in peace."

Her eyes rested on me as she got up. I looked away from her curious gaze. She reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. "Why do I have a feeling that you're not coming back?"

"Who said I wasn't coming back?" My throat tightened as the words left my mouth.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Mother's intuition, I guess."

I wrapped my arms around my mother, hugging her tight against me. I hate lying to my mom. Growing up, I've shared almost everything with her, even that one little kiss I shared with my high school crush from Junior year. But I came to a decision that she didn't need to know all my plans, because once she finds out, I'm afraid she won't ever speak to me again. My snowshoe cat, Paprika, brushed against my legs. I reached down to lift her up in my arms. "I'm going to miss you so much," I whispered against her fur when I brought her face closer to mine. "I'll come back for you, my friend."