Three months into her job and Maine is already a staple in Granda's life. Her routine with him is simple, she wakes up at 5:00 in the morning to feed him breakfast prepared by the cook, gives him his meds and takes him out in the garden to allow him to water his plants. Sweet old man that he is, he sometimes plucks a flower and tucks it lovingly into her ear, calling her Dei, apparently the name of Alden's mom.
"Did you know that Dei was also called Maine before I found her? Richard named her Charmaine, after a nun he had a crush on when he was still a boy. But I changed her name to Andrea, her mother's name. The love of my life. I should have fought for her, should have been braver to find her before the earthquake. My poor Andrea...." A tear slid down his cheek and he would get lost in his thoughts. This was a recurring conversation, but Maine did not mind. He was a sweet man and she liked that he could express himself with her.
It was wrong to invest feelings in a patient, but she couldn't help it. Granda was a lonely man, and her heart found a kindred spirit in him. Left with no more family, the weight of living alone was something she bore when she was still so young. She found herself feeling love for this man, the closest she could ever consider as her "family."
"Granda......let's not be sad today. Guess what, I have an idea. Would you like to get out of the house? I will talk to Alden about going to the beach, would you like that? We'll try walking on the sand, I know you can do it. And then swim in a pool, to practice movement in your legs. How does that sound?"
He smiled through his tears. "You're a good daughter, Dei. Come here, give daddy a hug." He pulls her close for a loose hug, and she allows him to, tapping his back gently.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing!"
A shrill voice interrupts their tender moment, and Maine finally meets Alden's fiancée for the first time.
She was tall, a good head taller than Maine was, a walking Barbie Doll. She had full breasts and a small waist, long coltish legs encased in designer sneakers. She was wearing a clingy beige shirt dress that ended mid-thigh, her face devoid of make-up but with dewy looking skin and cover-girl features. She walked, no, strutted towards them and pulled her roughly away from Granda.
"How dare you! Physical contact is not part of your job. I know you don't have a boyfriend but seducing Granda will not win you any ticket to stay here forever, bitch."
"Reigne!"
Alden looked at her sternly, his face thunderously glowering. She calmed down instantly, letting go of Maine's arm, nails leaving crescent marks. Maine gingerly rubbed her arm, wincing slightly. Seeing this, Alden gently reaches for her arm, running his thumb over the crescent marks.
There it is again, that jolt of electricity between them. They inevitably clash glances and she pulls her arm away.
"Reigne, I'll see you inside," He said softly through gritted teeth, not breaking eye contact with Maine.
"But you didn't see what she was doing, Den. She was seducing Granda."
"I will deal with it, just wait for me inside."
She stomped off like a child, casting a hateful back glance at Maine. Alden's gaze softens, taking Maine's arm again.
"I don't like her, Richard. Dei was just comforting me...." Granda said in a wobbly voice.
"I know Granda.....I'm sorry." He kissed his Granda on the forehead.
"Maine, I'm so sorry for this. Reigne is high-strung, she can be a bit of a pain sometimes but I'm sure she meant well. I'm sorry for the confusion if Granda calls you Dei, I think he sees your resemblance to my mother too. He calls me Richard because of my resemblance to my father."
"It's ok, Den. Reigne caught me hugging Granda, but I didn't mean anything with it. He was crying, I was just comforting him."
"I know and I understand. You've done wonders for him, Maine. He eats better now, he sleeps longer too. He's bound for another check-up and I'm sure the results will be better. Ever since the heart surgery, he was listless, but I'm starting to have hope. He's so much better, thank you."
"Den, I wanted to talk to you about taking Granda out of the house. Maybe a visit to the beach? It would do him good to be in a different environment instead of being cooped up here all the time."
"I'll arrange it Maine, good idea. Thank you for always watching out for his best interest. If the doctor gives his go signal for Granda to travel, we can take him to Cebu, I'm due for a visit to some restaurants my maternal relatives left for me there. Maybe I can bring you both along."
He runs his fingers over her injured arm again. "There's a first aid kit in Granda's room, Maine. Better treat those cuts, ok? My apologies again."
He enters through the patio and sees Reigne waiting for him impatiently. He fixes a stern gaze at her, waiting for her to explain.
"What? Den, she was hugging your grandfather. She's fucking hired help who shouldn't take liberties with a hapless old man like Granda."
"Stop right there, Reigne. Hired help? That girl you're calling hired help graduated from nursing at the top 5 and passed the board exam at one take. She's a registered nurse who valued education and worked her way through college. She's done a damn good job getting Granda to recover faster so please, do not jeopardize the chances of keeping her here longer. You should be nicer to her, since you want to get Granda out of your hands, diba? So there's your way out."
"Teka, why are you so defensive of her? And to throw her educational attainment to my face? I may not be a college graduate, Alden, but I'm earning quadruple of what she's earning. I should be visiting here more often, God knows what's going on here."
"No one's stopping you from coming over, you're the one who stays away because you don't like having to deal with an old sick man. What are you doing here anyway?"
She changed tactics and latched onto his arm, rubbing her breasts against his chest. "Hon.....I have a shoot in Amanpulo next week. I want to request you to photograph me, the photog they chose is not good at getting my best angles. What do you say? It will be a great R&R for us too. Three days, but I was able to ask them to extend it to a full week as part of my package, what do you say?"
He sighed, suddenly feeling tired. He looked at her expectant face, her needy hold on his arm, and wondered what he was thinking, when he decided he would marry this woman. Could it be that he was settling for her then because there was no one else to compare with? And who is he comparing her with now? Maine? He pried her fingers off his arm.
"Reigne, I can't go with you. Next week is Granda's cardio check-up, and I'm due to visit the Vantaggio outlets week after that so I need to get paperwork done for the restaurant managers."
She looked crestfallen. "Are you getting back at me for what I did to your nurse? Sorry na, it won't happen again. Please Den, I want to spend time with you."
"Reigne.....don't you get tired of being with me all the time? We're together three, four times a week, making love practically every night we're together. Kulang pa rin sayo yon?"
"But isn't that how it's supposed to be?"
"I don't know. Why is it 'supposed to be' anything?"
