13 Chapter 12: Katalonan

Dex felt light after that strange yet auspicious encounter with the local island child. He packed up his things that night but decided to sleep one more night in his car under the stars that oversaw the shifting waters of the beach below.

The breeze was light and cool, he surely had a long day considering what had happened but now, he didn't feel the urge to drink another bottle of liquor to go to sleep. He closed his eyes and breathed out her name to the ether hoping that she could hear him.

Morning broke the night and the sunlight kissed Dex's car. He woke up later than what he expected considering the crazy events yesterday. He got out from his car and was greeted by the beautiful horizon shaded with the golden rays of the sun in a faded blue canvass. It's a new day and he is reborn anew.

He took his breakfast rather hastily and drove back into the city. He drove for an hour or two while he hummed along to the music he chose blasting on his speakers. It's a short trip and he couldn't wait to reach his destination.

He reached his destination later just before lunch. He walked straight to the elevator and chose the floor he wanted to go to. His mind swirled around his idea last night and he's not sure if that would be even possible or if she would agree to his proposal.

The elevator reached its destination, he quickly went out of the elevator and walked straight to the narrow corridor then took a sharp left before stopping at the room situated at the end of the hall. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. He could hear the people from the inside, scurrying. The sound of big loaded boxes thud the floor and finally footsteps approaching the door.

The doorbell beeped," Who's there?" a familiar voice asked.

"Marco is that you?", he said in confusion.

"Who's this...wait...",

Dex could hear another set of footsteps rushing towards the door, they were lighter than the first one. The door suddenly opened and there was Mae, teary-eyed with a worried look on her face.

" Is that really you, Dex?" her voice cracked as she asked.

Dex gently nodded and smiled.

"You bastard! I was worried sick. I thought I lost you too." she hugged her and wept.

Dex can't control his emotions either as he cried in her arms. He looked at Mark who looked relieved to see him. He pats Dex's shoulder and asks to invite him inside. Dex has so many questions and it starts with Mark.

The week could've walked slowly for Dex but for Mae, it was the other way around. She explained to him that Mark and she will be living together. She said how Mark was very supportive of her for the past few weeks after Calista died. She also told Dex how she wanted to leave the apartment since it just gave her heartbreak thinking about Calista and their good times. Mae was tearing up. Her welling tears finally overflowed as she poured out her emotions to the current situation she has.

She was currently living in a hotel because she can't sleep in the apartment alone. It was too much for her. She points at the bags and boxes she was preparing for the move the next week and was also trying to dispose of Calista's belongings but she can't. She can't decide whether to stay or go. She told Dex that Mark wanted her to live with him in the province for a while to get herself out of the loss. But after that, she plans to just sell the apartment altogether.

"But what about Calista's things?" he asked.

"I just want to leave it as it is and let the new owner take care of it," she replied holding back the tears

He understood how difficult it was for them and how they can cope up with it. Dex knows he can't do anything to stop Mae from leaving and if he wants to, he won't. He knows she needs to heal as well.

"So you're leaving this place for good?"

"Yes. For good." her voice cracked.

There was silence in the room. Mark consoled Mae who was sobbing again in his arms.

"Yeah, let's leave this place."

They all stood up and left the room.

On the way out of the apartment, Dex volunteered to dispose of Calista's belongings. He reasoned to Mae that it would be better if they do it so as not to inconvenience the next owners of the apartment. Mae agreed to him and gave him the spare keys before they went their separate ways.

Mae and Mark asked Dex if he wanted to have lunch with them, he politely refused it. He told them that he will be staying at the hotel near the area so he can wake up tomorrow and help Mae pack-up.

He went to his hotel room exhausted after a long day of travel. He took off his shoes and snoozed all the way until the next day.

Dex woke up early and refreshed the following morning. He got up and took a bath and prepared for the big day ahead. He had 2 objectives right now, box Calista's belongings and send it to her relatives and find a new space for him to live since he won't be coming back home anytime soon.

He got a breakfast complimentary at the hotel of bacon, eggs, and champorado with a swirl of goat's milk which he ordered. After he was done with his meal he quickly drank his warm coffee and proceeded to his car.

He drove into the bustling streets of Cebu steering his way through the complex streets of jammed cars and people running across the road. There were also jeepneys that kept on stopping at every corner possible to unload or load passengers. He knows this traffic may take him a while, so he turned on his phone and put his music track on the play.

"Magkahawak ang.." he sang to the music! It was apparently Calista's favorite. He really was not into it as much but he recalls Calista singing her heart out every time it comes playing. He recalls it in his head, Calista doesn't have the most stellar of voices, let alone a singing voice for that matter but she was super enthusiastic in singing the song that he would just sing along to avoid themselves from being harassed by such an awful singing voice. The song grew on him and reminded him of the good times. The red light blinked and he went for a stop as he did so, he took the time to wipe some of the tears running from his cheeks.

"...na umibig ng tunay...", The song ended just as he made a sharp turn and there he continued his journey until finally, he was able to reach the apartment an hour later.

The keys jiggled in his pocket as he reached for them. Dex took a deep breath and opened up the apartment door. It was dark, only strips of sunlight peeked from the curtain blinds making the place gray and gloomy. Dex fumbled for the switch and turned on all the lights. He also opened the blinds to get more of that sweet sunshine inside the house.

The light scattered and filled the space with its golden glow. Dex looked around and saw the big apartment, empty and lifeless in contrast to what it was before with Calista and Mae's laughter echoing around the room. It took him a while to move as he savored those sweet memories.

He then went to Calista's room. He took out the key but tried to twist the knob first just to check if she locked it, she didn't as she always forgets to. Dex's heart pounded in both pain and sadness as he entered her room that was untouched by anyone after her passing. He took a step and saw the floor littered with scattered dresses all over. He recalled that hectic night again. How Calista was frantic with what to wear, the skeleton costume and he stopped there.

It looks as if the room's owner was still alive and just took-off somewhere. Dex saw the boxes stacked at the side of the bed, they were empty. Mae didn't have the heart to put her things into the boxes, she just wept every time she tried. Now, it was up to him to get everything settled out of the room. He took another deep breath looking at the lively room Calista once had and then started to pick up the clothes on the floor.

It took him the whole afternoon to get things sorted. He got all the belongings tagged per box, from her shoes, clothes, and even her My Melody collection, he had it all sorted. He placed the filled boxes outside Calista's room and by the time he was almost done, he was already clearing the sheets on her bed.

There were things scattered in Calista's bed. Mostly her priced books from her favorite travel photographer. She always makes it to a point to read or view those books before she goes to sleep to avoid herself from getting bad dreams. He remembered that well as he was the one who suggested that back when they were in college.

The memories poured out again. His hands were shaking as he tried to open the page where a bookmark was placed in between the pages. He opened the book wide and saw the last picture Calista saw before her demise. It was a serene beach somewhere outside of the country. He scanned the picture to look for the name of the place but instead of finding it, he found something else. In the corner of the photo, he saw something that looked familiar, a boat. A small fishing boat that was elegantly designed with fancy flowers all over it.

Immediately after seeing that picture, Dex began to experience a sharp piercing headache. It felt like nails slowly penetrating his skull. He began to feel nauseous and felt the room like it was spinning. He was unable to control his body and he fell to the bed face first and unmoving.

He consciously knew he passed out there were no two ways about it. Suddenly, his mind was flooded with a barrage of visions. They popped up so fast that they looked like flashes of his memories unrelentingly bombarding him with moments that he can't understand and never able to remember. After a while, the barrage began to slow down until finally, it stopped altogether. He was left in the scenario the night Calista died. The night he saw her poor body laying on the ground with a pool of blood and brain scattered across the cemented ground. He can hear his heart beating from his chest as he relived the experience. With every step he took going outside the condominium his heartbeat became louder and stronger, he never liked this feeling.

He went closer and closer passing the hallway to opening the glass door every second felt like an eternity as his heart now drops to his stomach. He recalled how he ran towards her only to be stopped by the staff who were waiting for the police. He saw Mae screaming and crying in the arms of Mark. That was the most horrible moment he can ever imagine let alone experience. He cried and screamed as the guards were trying to subdue him so as to not let him near his friend's dead body.

He knew he couldn't do that. He can't just let anyone leave Calista like that. He wanted them to at least cover her and let her lie there with dignity. But no one was listening, no one cared. They did not even see the person who carried her body out there!

"Where are you taking her?!"

"Where are you taking her?!"

The man couldn't hear him, he just carried Calista in his arms and put him on a boat decorated with flowers of all sorts before it floated up to the sky. He couldn't see his face as it was covered by his neck-length hair, but he did manage to see his eyes, they were brown and glowing.

Dex woke up to the cries of a worried Mae. She was sobbing and got hysterical, seeing him lying face down on the bed. He hugged her tightly and assured her that he was okay. She was not buying it. She asked him to go to the hospital and called Mark to meet them there. He had no choice but to go.

The consultation went fine. Mae was assured by the doctor that Dex only had fatigue and nothing serious. Dex held her hand and told her that everything is going to be fine. Mae nodded albeit hesitantly. Later, Mark arrived and then took him back to his hotel. The trip was short and silent. Mae asked him about the boxes and told him that she will come by the apartment tomorrow to give a proper send-off. He agreed and greeted them on a good night.

Dex woke up earlier than usual, he felt good and decided to go and have a short run to start his day. He ran for about 5 kilometers until he decided to go back home. He follows the same route he usually did when the three of them would need to run. He thought of Calista again and those fun memories.

He took a shortcut for him to go home faster as it was around 7 am and the jeepneys and cars are already piling up, he doesn't have his car so he needs to hurry. As he ran through the bustling street he got a whiff of something delicious in the air. He turned around and saw a newly opened Caldero ni Maxx carenderia. His stomach began to grumble and thus he needed to do it.

He ordered a steaming hot bowl of balbacua and garlic rice, a perfect combo to end his fast from last night. He ate heartily and was satisfied. He was about to pay the tab when a beggar came to ask for food. He smiled at him and offered him breakfast. The delighted beggar sat beside him so he noticed quickly that he was blind. He helped the beggar sit as he was alone. After the beggar had his fill and Dex paid the tab, he decided to part ways with him.

The beggar smiled and thanked him for his kindness. He even helped the beggar get out of his seat. However, as he touched the beggar's shoulders something felt off as if there was a jolt of energy that got out from him into the beggar. He took a glance at the beggar who noticed it and was dumbfounded.

Dex brushed it off as he was getting late for the schedule with Mae. He bade goodbye to the beggar who was silently gripping his make-shift cane.

" Wait!" the beggar exclaimed as he went close to Dex.

Dex saw the beggar's eyes shine in a pearl-colored glow. He got a bit awkward as the beggar approached him but remained composed to be not disrespectful to the man.

" You have seen them, haven't you." the beggar asked.

"Seen who?", Dex got confused by the question.

" You've seen two gods! One was green-eyed, the other a child."

"I don't know..."

" Such a glorious day indeed! I've met a Katalonan!" the beggar shouted in glee!

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