Muse & Escort

Rainy Days and Birthdays Part 1

Marla lay in her living room couch staring at the ceiling fan pick up speed as she played with the remote. It's past 4 pm and the late afternoon heat was still so much of nuisance to enjoy. She woke up late that day, owing to the little trouble one of her girls got into the previous night. Another psycho wife just couldn't control herself and her ward got scratches and bruises after she was caught with one of their clients in a café. She totally understands how the wife reacted and what she did, but she couldn't help feeling annoyed at the timing. She wanted to sleep early last night. She planned to wake up at 4 am, head to the bus terminal in Cubao and board a ride to the Tagaytay and spend the day there.

She was already thinking of hot bulalo and crispy tawilis and apple crumble for dessert. Then she would trek around the Taal on horseback, or just board the cable car at the Highlands and marvel at the mountain view. Then she would eat at her favorite pizza place, shop for the freshest harvest at her favorite market, stop by the honey bee farm in Silang then head to the amusement park in Sta. Rosa, Laguna just in time for the fireworks.

At 9 pm last night, she had her stuff ready, set her alarm, said her prayers and promptly dozed off.

Only to be roused by a phone cal from her client that Irene, one of the scort girls, had to be taken to the hospital because she suffered minor injuries courtesy of his psycho wife.

For the past five years, she wasn't able to celebrate her birthday the way she wanted to because they always fell on her final exams week at school. Well, she isn't really much of a birthday person. But she always had one wish for her birthday – that it would rain.

Her parents said it rained when she was born, and when she finally was given to her mom by the midwife, the rain stopped. Her father opened the window so light could come in because the midday sun was peeking through the clouds. And then, there was a rainbow.

For as long as she could remember, it always rained on her birthday. They say rain at any occasion means blessing will pour. She never believed in superstitions, or fairy tales or any of those urban legends except for rain – on her birthday. Maybe because it makes her feel not so alone. Because it reminds her of her parents, her childhood, even if things never went well for them. Even if she lost them early.

In literature, people would otherwise refer to birthdays as the number of summers one has seen. But for her, birthdays are equal to the number of moments rain fell on her face as she whispered another grateful prayer. Thirty-five years, who would have thought she would still be wishing for rain at this age? She never even imagined she would survive being twenty-five. Ah well...

Now that she's done and just awaiting the bar results, she thought she might spend her birthday differently. They say it always rains in Tagaytay at the weirdest times of the year. Well, she can only pray this is one of those weird days. But al her plans came to ruin because she had to attend to an emergency and here she is now, playing with the remote, cursing the busted AC and wanting to know where the hel is that ozone layer hole so she can cover it with Vulca Seal.

If only things are that simple.

Two cold showers since she woke up at 10 am, and her signature attire on any given lazy day – her white tattered P.E. shirt and light blue boxing shorts, and she still felt quite pissed off. She doesn't know why. Must be the heat. It couldn't be that time of the month because she just had it two weeks ago.

Her staff prepared a hearty lunch for her earlier, they even bought a cake and the girls did this a funny Happy Birthday song number. The gesture was well appreciated and she is really touched. They are her only family now. They are the only ones who actually cared where she is, what she does, if she is okay or not... well, not really.