Chapter 22

Cela found herself sitting on the bench in the waiting shed where she used to hang out with Nate while she waited for her service. Needless to say that her feeling of joy is overwhelming. She cannot believe she's sitting here once again after so many years that passed. The last time she was here was the day she received the paper from Lora. She went home full of excitement for the next day.

Lora followed her to the waiting shed.

"Can I just have a few minutes?" Lora asked.

"What is it?" Cela asked.

"Well, first, I'd like to personally thank you for finishing the third book in such a short time," Lora started.

"Honestly, I didn't have to think so much about what to write there. Like what I told our staff, I based it loosely on real events with some alterations and twists. You helped too, right?" Cela said.

Lora smiled. "I was actually thrilled when Ivy told me that you were searching for Nate when you began writing it so I provided everything that I knew about him after high school," she said.

Cela listens attentively. Of all people, Lora is Nate's last contact in school and probably in the whole town. She provided a lot of information about him though from way back. Those information were the basis of some important parts of the third book.

"You did an interesting plot from very limited information. And you even made a nice character out of that girl who would only stick with Nate when it's convenient," Lora continued.

"Do you want any changes in the plot or ending?" Cela asked trying to cut the chase.

"Oh no. I leave it all up to you. But I must ask because I've been wondering why it couldn't be a happy ending for the two main characters. Obviously, those two are you and him," Lora said.

"But that's not impossible, right?" Cela asked. "It happens in real life. It happened to you. It happened to me and Nate."

Lora agreed.

"Listen, I'm not going to argue with you if you want to change the ending of the story. You requested and sponsored this book. It's all business to me and I have no problem complying," Cela said.

Lora thought for a moment what would have happened if she didn't argue with Cela's mother and just followed her order to break up with her boyfriend. They broke up eventually, after all.

"Lora? Did I lose you?" Cela asked.

"Oh no. Sorry. Yeah, I guess we can just leave it as is so we can start marketing the book soon and then prepare for the special," Lora said.

"Is that all?" Cela asked. She's eager to be left alone in the shed.

"Oh, Before I go, I have here something that Nate wanted me to give to you," Lora said as she pulled a brown envelope from her bag and handed it to Cela.

Cela's eyes grew big.

"How did you get this from him? You said you lost contact with him many years ago," Cela asked.

"He gave that to me on the day we received news of our scholarship grant," Lora said.

Cela looks at the brown envelope. It seems that there are many things from the past that finally see the light of day recently. Her old diary, the crumpled paper, and this one are all time capsules.

"I'll go now. The others are waiting for me in the hall for snacks. I'll see you again soon," Lora said.

"Thank you, Lora," Cela said sincerely.

It's almost late afternoon. It's the usual time Cela and Nate would meet in the waiting shed when they were studying in this school. Their meetings were all brief but the anticipation of meeting again the next afternoon was always there.

She finds no difference between sitting here today and back then except of course this time there's no rushing, no need to be careful, but sadly, there's no Nate.

She opened the brown envelope to see what's sitting there all these years. It's the sketch of the Cedar bench that Mr. Bro told her about when she came to the school for the graduation photo. That was one of the things that she used in her story and today, she's able to confirm that it does exist.

"You know that bench you're sitting on is so much better than the bench in the Trees Park," a familiar voice said to her. "Nate should have drawn that unnamed bench in this waiting shed instead of that Cedar bench."

"Mr. Bro? Is that you?" Cela asked.

"Who else knows the story that started in this waiting shed but me," Mr. Bro said.

"Oh my goodness. How long has it been?" she asked.

"I don't want to count of days and year. The important thing is you are back and you look so much better than the last time I saw you in this campus," he said.

"That was one dramatic part of my life. I feel embarrassed just thinking of that," she said.

"Why should you be ashamed of that. Look at you all today – you all did well in life and that event surely had an impact on all your lives," he said.

"Yeah. But I just hope Nate's here too or at least someone could assure us he's doing okay somewhere," she said.

"That boy. He's always trying to prove something," he said.

"Maybe he's married now. I hope he has his own family that takes care of him," she said.

Mr. Bro looked at her. "Were you sincere when you said that?" he asked.

Cela could not answer. Clearly, she just wanted to convince herself that she's fine without him.

"I am praying that he's doing okay somewhere," he said. "I've always treated him like my own younger brother or nephew."

"When was the last time you talked to him?" she asked.

"I couldn't tell when exactly was that. He'd visit us whenever he could but after his father died 5 years ago, his visits became seldom until he stopped visiting. Did you know he did not start enter college after he graduated from high school?" he said.

"I had no idea," Cela answered.

"He focused on graphics designing. He stayed working in that shop where he used to do part time. He made some money first from his works then sent himself to school to study architecture," he narrated.

"Well, he seemed very busy after high school," she said. Her description of Nate's character in her story is spot on.

"Indeed, he was. He'd been busy even after college. So when he met that lady, he probably thought she's the one because he had no time looking for someone," he continued.

Cela didn't show her reaction. Whoever that girl was that she made into a beautiful character in her story, she envies her a lot for being so lucky to be considered by Nate to be his wife.

"Oh, I remember. The last time he came here was when he said that he's preparing for his upcoming wedding and that was a year before his father died," Mr. Bro continued.

"Was he happy?" Cela asked bravely.

"I really couldn't tell. The next thing I knew, the wedding was called off because from what I heard, the girl's lover came back and she chose him over Nate. I felt bad for my boy but I have no doubt it was a blessing," he said.

That was the exact story that Cela heard from Ivy and Lora. She chose to give it a different ending in her story because she felt so bad for Nate for going through so much unhappiness in his love life. At least in the story that she wrote, Nate's character had two people wanting him.

"Poor him," she said.

"I remember that sketch. He kept on enhancing and retouching that right here in the shed while waiting for you every afternoon. He still believed you two would meet here again," he said.

"But of course, I didn't come," she said.

"It was hard but I had to tell him and remind him of the reality that you would no longer come back for the rest of that school year," he recalled.

Cela could only imagine the disappointment that Nate went through in his young life because of her. He was just a kid like she was then.

"Had you been here?" Cela asked pertaining to the Cedar bench.

"I would pass by but never really entered and sat there. I would always go home right after my shift. Too bad, that park was ruined during the last heavy typhoon," he said.

"It's never meant to last," she said.

"Or it wanted to bury that sad story of two young people," he said.

Cela smiled. "I'd want to believe that," she said.

"But at least, you have a memory of it through that sketch. You know, I have this silent wish that he'd come back and lead the reconstruction of that park," he said

"That may be possible but no one knows when he'll show up once again," she said.

"Oh dear. I am really getting old. My daughter would be mad at me," he said after remembering something.

"Why? What happened?" she asked.

"She asked me to have you sign your books for her but I forgot to bring her copies here today," he said.

"Don't worry about that, Mr. Bro. I'll send you signed copies of my books tomorrow," she assured him.

"Thank you, Cela. She'll be delighted for sure. I always brag to her that we know each other. I'm happy of what you have become, Cela," he said.

"Oh, you better have some snacks over there before you turn emotional," she said.

"How about you?" he asked.

"I'll stay here for a some more minutes," she said.

"Perhaps, you should include this waiting shed in your next story. Unlike the Cedar bench, this one surely lasts," he said before leaving.

Mr. Bro is right. This plain bench she's sitting on under a regular waiting shed was a witness to those happy times and it is still here. It's more reliable than the bench in the Trees Park that only saw their bad moment.

Holding the sketch of the Cedar bench in her hands, she knew that Nate did it with only the best intention in mind. It's never to remind her of the bad time but to give her a glimpse of the beauty she that she missed. He must have predicted that the park would be ruined in the coming years and wouldn't last at all.

"Hey, you okay? Rolan asked. She didn't see him coming.

"Yeah. I was just talking to Mr. Bro," she said.

"Some people are asking about you. They are hoping you could join them," Rolan said.

"Okay, I'll get some snacks there but let us go home after an hour. That's all I can give," she said.

"That's fair enough," Rolan said. He's proud of his sister who's trying to heal from her trauma.

"If you want, you could go back here after an hour with them," he suggested.

"I'm good. I've had enough time here today," she said.

Cela meant it halfheartedly. She will never have enough time here. It's a nice place but the memories are only making her hopes high, which may only or is already leading her to disappointment.

Today, it's enough that she visited this place again and the sketch from Nate is the best token she received.