CHAPTER 5: THE FARM

I look around Lola’s farm in utmost amazement. It was a wonderland, a paradise waiting to be discovered.

Lola Jasmine is nothing but warm and accommodating. She eagerly ushered me inside as if she has known me forever. She’s a good conversationalist and is open minded to a lot of new ideas. I cannot even see where the ‘conservative’ that Rodney warned me about is.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Rodney turned to me, smiling.

“Yeah,” I nodded in complete agreement, my eyes still admiring the place while the older woman looks at us proudly.

The huge house standing at the center of the enormous lot sports a Spanish colonial architecture. I seldom see such mansion in the country nowadays. The garden is colorful with different flowering plants arranged artistically. The huge bougainvillea shrub provided a natural shed for one of the benches scattered around the garden. The place looks secluded, giving an impression that it is so far away from the civilization. But the truth is, just outside the gate, other resthouses and some establishments are lined along the street.

"This is my haven," I heard Lola say. "Welcome to my paradise, Mira."

I grinned broadly. I love this place!

"Thank you, Lola."

I bit my lip as I felt a pang of inexplicable pain in my heart. A certain longing for home.

Some house helpers approached us to get Lola’s luggage from the car.

“Let us eat, I am hungry. I did not like the airplane food,” Lola grumbled.

We entered inside the huge house. The living room speaks of wealth. The floor is made of finished mahogany, and the great staircase leading to the second floor is made of narra. The house, with its old Spanish architecture, creates an aristocratic atmosphere. The design of the door, window frames and columns is intricate. There are antique jars and tastefully crafted sculptures placed in some spots of the house.

Even so, the modern facilities and appliances did not look out of place. They were carefully selected to compliment the ambiance.

I jolted when Rodney reached for my hand and held it.

"You have the whole day to admire the place. For now, let's eat." He ushered me outside a door and my eyes feasted on a beautiful pentagonal gazebo that was made out of rattan and bamboo. Its roof was made of Anahaw leaves covered by a green net made of nylon. Flowering vines were grown to embrace the columns supporting the roof. Inside the gazebo, a smorgasbord of mouth-watering fruits and delicacies is waiting.

There’s a tray of rambutan, mango and banana that appears to have been farmed from their backyard. There are also fresh cuts of apple, honeydew, pineapple and watermelon. I smelled pork adobo in the air at the same time that I also spotted some chicken turbo, grilled squid and fish, and few vegetable menu. On another table where a tray of glasses is placed, a clear jar of young coconut juice is also standing.

"You really did miss the Philippines, Gran." Rodney chuckled as he helped me get to my seat before sitting beside me.

"Well, I've been away for far too long, grandson. Anyway, let us eat. Mira, you look so frail, eat more."

Well, I haven't had breakfast and my stomach is silently protesting already. I'm almost drooling for the food. I have been making do with the instant food in Shelley’s condominium that I almost forgot the taste of real food.

I eyed the grilled eggplant with fresh tomatoes and shallots. I was about to reach for it when Rodney promptly took it.

"Let me," and then he winked. I quickly looked away to hide my blushing face. Really, why am I allowing him to affect me this way? "Mi, eat as much as you like. Do not hold back on my account."

Lola and I looked at him.

"’My??"

He arched his brow to his grandmother. "Any violent reaction, Gran?" his eyes are twinkling in his boyish grin.

I bit my lips to suppress my smile. I didn’t want him to realize how that his words make butterflies fly in my stomach and that the emotions I am showing are real.

I jerked my head backwards when he suddenly brought his face near mine. I almost closed my eyes when I thought he’s going to kiss me, but then, he moved his lips closer to my ear.

"It's a Mi with an "i" not with a "y". Mi, short for Mira."

I mentally slapped myself. Yeah, why would I assume that he was calling me “Mommy” as a term of endearment?

I nodded and smiled sweetly.

"I know." Waah! Plastic! Faker! You are a big fat liar, Mira!

I ate with gusto, and saw in my periphery Lola is watching me with a pleased expression.

"You're so unpretentious, Mira," she said. I almost choked, but managed to smile at her.

Thankfully, Rodney got me a glass of the coconut juice earlier. I took a careful sip.

When we’re done eating, Lola said she was going to take a rest since she still has a jetlag. She told Rodney to tour me around the property.

He brought me behind the house. There, I saw a mango orchard.

"There’s a part of this farm that I really like. It is my favorite place," Rodney said while we walk around, smiling at me. "Would you like to see it?"

I smiled back. "Sure."

Apparently, that area was at the farthest part of the farm since we have been walking for a while and I can no longer see the roof of Lola’s house.

The whole farm is clean and well maintained, but as we go further, the trees become thicker and more undisturbed.

Rodney is walking ahead of me so that he can clear the path first. The grass has grown unchecked in this part of the farm. I was watching Rodney from behind as I walk and thought how his back muscles strain against the fabric of his shirt as he move.

“Oh horsie dorsie!” I bumped against his back when he abruptly stopped without a warning. He glanced back smiling at me.

“Where?”

“Ugh, that hurts,” I complained as I rub my forehead.

“Were you hurt? Let me see.” He bent down to look at my face. I didn’t know how to look back at him directly without revealing a blushing face. Damn, this crush is getting worse every minute I spend with him.

“You’re getting awkward again, Mi. You can treat me like your bestfriend so that you will not feel uncomfortable."

“Mi..? You are still going on about that? Lola isn’t even here now.”

‘Bestfriend your face, I already have one-!’ The thought stopped me on track as I remember my bestfriend. I wonder how Dave is doing right now.

“Of course, even friends have pet names, right?"

I just nodded it off. Friends. That's the most we can ever be. That's the most we should ever be.

"Okay, Ney. So, where is this favorite place you were talking about?" I changed the topic.

"Close your eyes first."

I followed his instruction and closed my eyes. When he did not move after a few seconds, I peeked at him through my left eye. He was just standing there, in front of me, motionlessly staring at me.

"Ney?"

He jolted at the mention of his name and suddenly turned around. "It's right here."

And then I saw it, right in front of me is a clearing in the middle of the thick trees and shrubberies. And in that clearing, there is a spring. A spring so clear and beautiful that I held my breath. In one side of the spring, there are few huge rocks.

I sprinted towards it and knelt at the edge. The water is so calm and clean. Excitedly, I reached for the water with my right hand.

That was a mistake. “Ouch!” I pulled back my hand instantly.

Rodney was chuckling when he approached me. “That is a hot spring, Mi. You have to slowly get used to the water first, else it will burn you. You have to let your skin gradually adjust to the heat.”

He was removing his shoes while he was speaking, so I mimicked him.

We placed our shoes nearby, then I quickly went to the large rock, intending to sit there.

I gathered the hems of my skirt as I step on the rock.

“That place is slippery- Mi!”

Before his warning could reach me, I felt my foot slipping from the rock and my body moved on its own towards the water.

“Aaaaahhhh!” I screamed as the hot water engulfed my whole body.

I didn’t realize earlier that the spring could be deep. When I reached the bottom, I felt my feet touching round pebbles. Combined with the warm water that, the rounded stones felt relaxing so I stayed there for a while, rubbing my feet more against the pebbles.

Then there was a loud splash and I felt a something heavy plummeting against me. Suddenly, someone is grabbing me by the waist and hauling me upward. I tried to break free as I can already feel my feet leaving my beloved pebbles, but the force that is pulling me is to strong to fight against.

"Mi!"

"Ney!"

"It's okay, don't panic. Don't panic, you're safe. Relax, I'm here. I won't let you go." He was saying, but he sounded as if he’s the one panicking.

I kept quiet. Rodney’s arms are snaked around me and our wet bodies are pressed against each other. Yes we are both clothed, but I can still feel his body as if we were naked.

I am quite positive that the heat I am feeling right now is no longer caused by the water.

Rodney was still blabbering something when I called him.

"Ney, relax. You are the one who’s panicking right now."

He stopped on track.

"You're.. okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"But.. you stayed down there a bit too long, and I thought.."

"Hahaha! I intentionally stayed underneath," I explained.

"You didn’t panic?"

"Nope. I can swim!"

"But.. you were thrashing earlier, I thought you were terrified."

"That’s because you suddenly pulled me away when I was still trying to enjoy the pebbles."

"Pebbles..? Ah! The pebbles!"

"Yup! Why are there pebbles? Shouldn’t it be mud down there?"

"Lola has pebbles placed there because when I was young, I always swim here. But because the bottom is muddy, the water also becomes muddy after a while."

I looked at him skeptically.

“Are you blaming the mud? Wasn’t that because of your own dirt?” I teased.

He looked at me in mock indignation.

"That’s what you think?!" He played along.

Then without warning, he splashed water to my face. I broke free from him and retaliated. We exchanged childish blows of water cannons charged with made-up super powers.

“Stay right there!” I shouted after a while. He was overpowering me and I can no longer see anything as my eyes get filled with his water attacks. His arms are strong that even when I keep a distance, the water he sends my way still lands, while I do not even have the strength to have the water I send him reach where he is.

He laughed harder and teasingly approached me more.

"Stop! Stop!" I held his arms and complained. “Cheater! You should voluntarily lose because I’m a woman!"

"Men and women are equal," he smiled to tease me more.

"Time freeze!"

"There’s no time freeze!"

He feigned another attack but allowed me to add distance between us again. I went to the rock and climbed carefully. The I spread my whole body on top of it and closed my eyes.

I cannot deny to myself that I am so giddy right now. This is happiness interlaced with profound guilt. Why am I enjoying the company of somebody else’ boyfriend?

I felt the warm water pouring onto my belly. I didn’t move even when I heard Rodney’s boyish laughter. Then I slowly, the drops of water trickled from my stomach upwards to my face. I opened my eyes and saw his hands cupping some water directly on top of my face.

Our eyes met. Rodney is leaning close to me, I'm so tempted to touch his face. The look in his eyes slowly turned smoky and I saw his Adam's apple move.

"You.." he stammered. "Why, you're enchanting - I mean.. your eyes are beautiful. I mean.. What am I saying?"

‘I don't know, either, but I like it.’

I gasped when he mindlessly poured all the water on my face. I sat up suddenly and my face almost hit his if he did not promptly move away.

Rodney pulled himself up from the spring and bent down to reach for his shoes.

"I think we should go back,” he said without looking back at me. “Lola might be looking for us already.”

He did not wait for me to answer and just left.

I picked up my own shoes quickly and ran after him.

"Ney, wait!"

As I tried to walk faster to catch up to him, my long skirt clings to my legs, making it hard to move. And when I didn’t notice a root on the ground, I found my self stumbling down on the ground.

"Ouch!"

Rodney looked back and I heard him curse at himself before walking back to where I was.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"I’m okay," I lied. Because the truth is, I felt a stinging pain in my knee. "I just didn’t notice the root on the ground, but I'm good."

“Where’s your eyeglass, by the way?” he suddenly asked.

I reached for my face. ‘Oh no!’

"I think.. I might have lost it back there.." Why, I'm starting to be clumsy.

"Never mind, if you cannot see the path, just hold on to me. Were you sprained?" he asked when he noticed I was grimacing.

“No, no!” I waved my hands in front of his face to dismiss his offer.

He insisted on assisting me as I stand up fro the ground. He remained beside me as I resumed walking.

“Are you sure you were not sprained?” he asked again, maybe because I was slightly limping.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Let me see."

"No! I'm..okay."

"Mira, let me see," his voice sounded stern and I found myself biting my lips as we stopped from walking.

Rodney bent down to look at my ankle. He did not see any problem there. But when he was about to stand back up, we both saw the blood stain in my skirt. I gasped.

Without warning, Rodney pulled my skirt up to my knee and we saw that there is a long gash there.

"Shit!" he cursed and stood up. "I will carry you."

Before I can even protest, he already hauled my up to his arms.