Cold Feet (COMPLETED)

Basil

Social norms have long been used to define the relevance of a person, justified or not. Thus, regardless of one's good deeds or goodness of heart, one's "pedigree" is what defines the person. Sad but true. 

I remember  when I was in high school, the cliques were so neatly defined. My friends were writers and voracious readers like me, we had our own fic exchange, fangirls, all of us, would write about our imagined relationships with our celebrity crushes. We were a shy and quiet bunch, but we had fun among ourselves because we didn't care about the cliques, we just shared the same passion for writing and were content, regardless of each others' social stature.

In this chapter, Dei finally reveals her secret and her reasons for keeping her secret for so long. The reveal is painful as it is also cathartic for her, because it is as good as another achievement  unlocked.  Read on to unravel the mystery and see if your theories were right. Share your theories ok? Enjoy :)

October 2017

Two weeks before their wedding, Richard asked Dei to wake up early the following day, to accompany him to the airport. He claimed they were fetching a wedding guest who was flying in from abroad. Dei, clueless about Richard's plans, agreed to accompany him.

They waited near the exit of NAIA 3, watching the droves of people coming out. Dei didn't know who to watch out for, until she saw her, dressed in a black jumpsuit and heels, looking elegant without a trace of the 14-hour flight she just came in from. Coleen was the epitome of a well-assembled woman, impeccable clothing, masterfully applied make-up, salon-worthy hair.

She took a step backward, as though afraid. She looked at Richard who was smiling at Coleen, unaware of the tension between the two sisters. Richard smiled at Dei and took her hand, walking towards Coleen.

"Coleen, hi. So glad you could make it," Richard took her bag and smiled at her. Coleen gave a dazzling smile to Richard and kissed his cheek, not the usual air-kiss given to a new acquaintance, but a solid kiss on his cheek.

Dei looked away, biting her lip. This was a surprise she was not looking forward to, but she was going to face it. She knew Richard meant well, that he didn't know about any bad blood between her and Coleen. Maybe it was about time to face this thing between her and her sister, to finish it once and for all before the wedding starts.

Coleen turned to her and merely nodded.

"Hello Dei. Long time no see."

"Lanie......thanks for coming."

"Oh don't thank me, this is all your fiance's doing. Thank Richard."

Richard pulled Dei to his side and kissed her temple. "Anything for my sweetie. The car is up front, let's go ladies. I'm sure you will want to catch up."

The van was waiting for them parked at Bay 8. Richard stowed Coleen's luggage at the back and assisted both ladies to sit at the middle seat but noticed that Coleen chose to pick the back seat. He sat beside Dei and tucked her arm around his. He felt rather than saw Dei's reticence. He wondered about it, noting how there was no warmth between the sisters when they saw each other. He wondered at the wisdom of his decision to surprise Dei, hoping he did not create a problem for her.

"Where are you staying Coleen?"

"I'm staying with my mom's relatives in Magallanes. You can drop me off at the Starbucks outlet in Paseo, my cousin is waiting for me there."

"Oh, ok......Dei, do you want to get off there too? You can catch up with them."

He felt Dei stiffen and looked away. Coleen cleared her throat and laughed awkwardly.