Cold Feet (COMPLETED)

Statice

So how did your week start my dears? My week is not as hectic and I hope it continues till Friday. I'm doing my turnovers this week and rest all of next week so more time for me to write. Yay!!! 

Anyway, I'm sorry I'm not too chatty, DTBY is so disappointing and it's almost over :( It feels like a relationship you keep hoping will do a turnaround soon, so you prolong the inevitable till you start hating it. I hope both A & M are not too demotivated to act, knowing their fans are not loving the story. 

Moving on, please read this chapter with the usual cliffhanger at the end. Will you like the cliffhanger? I certainly hope so, because I do. Let me know ok, my loves? :)

Dei and Richard visited the house on New Manila, a few days after their visit to the bank. It was an emotional experience for Dei to visit the house after leaving it five years ago, when she was feeling alone and scared a few months after her father's death. She remembered begging Coleen not to sell the house, but in the end, she had no choice but to agree, thinking it was such a big property to maintain alone.

She walked along the grounds, observing the neglect in the garden, the overgrown weeds, the bushes that needed pruning and the dust that gathered on the antique furniture. She went up the rooms and checked them one by one, as though seeing them for the first time.

Her parents had wonderful taste in interiors. The house and its contents were of a lost era, and she felt her heart lift at the thought that this house was now hers. More than its market value, the house appealed to the sentimental side of her.

An old couple lived in the premises, serving as caretakers of the property. But the size of the property was just too large for them to take care of satisfactorily. She wondered how she could sustain the beauty of the premises without asking Richard for funds. She knew he would give her the funds if she asked, it was just that she wanted to handle this house on her own, without being too dependent on Richard. It was then that she remembered something.

Years ago when they still lived here, there were times production companies would use the house as venue for shoots in movies and TV series. She wondered if the house could still be used for that, as well as for pre-nup shoots and venue for engagement proposals.

She drove to New Age, still mulling over the possibility of running a separate business just to keep the house reserved. It also needed a few repairs and the garden would look great with some remodeling. She was still pre-occupied with it by the time she parked on her slot and entered the office premises. She took a peek at Richard's office to let him know she already arrived.

"Babe, missed you this morning," He said hugging her and kissing her on the forehead. He noticed she looked like she had something on her mind and closed the door of his office.

"What's wrong, Dei? How was your visit to the house?"

"It was great to be there, Jay. So many good memories but at the same time I was saddened by the poor state of the premises. I want to restore the house to its former beauty but I'm not sure I have enough funds to finance it. I do have an idea though, on how I can get it started."

"How much do you need?"

"I don't know yet, babe. And please don't get me wrong, but I want to finance this on my own. I can sell my car and buy a simpler secondhand model, then add the leftover funds to my savings."

"Sell your car? You don't need to do that, Dei. And while I understand wanting to do this on your own, let me help babe."

"But I had it all planned, Jay. I'll have the house restored and put it up for business as a venue for shoots and engagement proposals. I can also have it leased for TV and movie shoots, I was also thinking of putting in an al fresco coffee shop in the garden."

Richard had an uneasy feeling about her plan. It was a good plan really, but he felt bad that she did not consult him about it, leaving him totally out of the picture, and even refusing his offer of help. He wondered what went wrong.

"You planned all of this without me. Don't you want us to do things together, Dei?"

She was silent, not knowing what to say. She was getting to be dependent on him, in danger of losing her identity again. She wanted this little project to have something she could call her own, something separate from New Age. She stood up and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll see you later Jay. Let's talk more about this at home."

They were quiet on the drive home. They rarely fought or argued, but when they did, it wasn't about petty things, and it was usually harder to settle. She got out of the car as soon as he parked, without waiting for him to open the door for her.

She heated food she prepared earlier before going to New Manila and set the table. He went down already showered and changed, while she went up for her turn. As she stepped out of the bathroom, he was waiting for her seated on the bed.

"Hey."

She just looked at him warily, afraid to start a conversation. She remembered how she could never win an argument against him, about always opting to keep quiet to avoid arguing. It was time to stand her ground and show him she also had convictions of her own.

"Jay.....I'm sorry about getting excited and planning things on my own. But would it really be so bad to have a pet project alone?"

"No.....you're right, it's not. I wouldn't begrudge you this project if that's what you're afraid of. But please, don't shut me out, let me help any way I can. If you don't want me to finance it, then at least let me help find people who can help you."

He got the towel from her and gently helped pat her hair dry. She hugged him and kissed his chest.

"Will you accompany me tomorrow back there? I want to show you what I had in mind for the garden."

"After we see Johnny. He has a report on your mother's family in Cebu. He'll see us in the office tomorrow."

-----

Johnny arrived in their office after lunch, armed with some documents and photos. Dei was nervous about the outcome of his investigation and tried to compose herself. She didn't know if she was ready to see her grandparents, or any other members of her mother's family.

"What do you have Johnny?"

"I first verified the validity of Ms. Andrea's birth certificate, checking it against hospital records there. She was born in a private maternity clinic in Cebu, not a hospital. The midwife who handled her birth still works there, and I was able to ask for her help to check old records regarding Ms. Marian Capili. She said after giving birth, Ms. Marian left the clinic and went home without the baby."

"What? That can't be true."

Dei was incredulous. How would this be possible, when she was told that her mother died due to complications from childbirth? And why would her mother leave her behind, not after that letter talked about how excited she was to see her baby.

"I got a copy of her discharge papers ma'am. The documents show that she did leave clinic two days after giving birth. Her father signed the discharge document."

"Dei, maybe your mom died at home. She must have suffered complications upon recuperating at home."

"Sir, I checked the records of the Capili family since the year Ms. Andrea was born. The only recorded deaths were of Ms. Marian's parents, who both died in a car accident in the 2010."

"Dei.....do you know what this means?"

She knew what Richard was thinking, but her mind and heart refused to accept the possibility. It would be an incredible possibility, one that she was afraid to hope for.

"Ma'am Andrea, it's possible that your mother is still alive."