Our summer's first downpour

"It's a wonderful day outside it would seem, how about we continue this another day sweetie" With that remark everything that was happening was put to a grinding halt. Blinding light enveloped the scene and everything that was happening around Phoebe was engulfed by the light.

"Good morning Phoebe!" Lara greeted, standing by my side while blocking the sun rays slipping in through the windows. It was another pleasantly warm day at around 26° Celcius , the sound of ravens cawing outside along with the cries of the cicadas fill the empty yet calming silence of the room. "Good morning , Thanks for the wake-up call." "No biggie, Oh by the way breakfast is waiting for you downstairs, We're having hotcakes and maple syrup, I'll see yah there 'kay?" she says while making her way out of the room towards the living room. I rolled myself off the bed and began my morning routine by fixing my face and making the bed. I then made my way downstairs for breakfast. "Good morning Phoebe, have a seat breakfast is ready" Uncle John called out to me while holding up a cup of his favorite dark brewed coffee as I went down the staircase. "Good morning uncle and auntie"

"Hey Phoebe, would it be fine if you could accompany Lara to town today? She'll just be doing groceries today but if you come across something you like, feel free to buy it as a little reward" "Ah, Sure thing auntie" We finished up breakfast and got ready for groceries , Lara brought with her 2 large eco-bags , a basket and money. "Here Phoebe, you take this" she says as she hands me the basket. "I'm guessing you're taking the two bags?" "Right you are, don't worry I can manage" she proudly claims. After letting our food digest for a bit, we both headed out to catch the bus. "We'll be off now Ma!" Lara shouted while Bursting out of the door like a wild boar escaping captivity. "H-Hey wait up Lara!" I called out to her, but it was in vain as she showed no intention of slowing down, I did my best to catch up to her but my non athletic body was giving out, not to mention my heart was already throbbing and was clearly having a hard time keeping up with the sudden ubiquitous amount of oxygen required to keep me conscious. A minute of sprinting has passed and my lungs feel like they were going to burst, Just a little more and we'll be at the bus stop then I can finally rest. I say that to myself to keep me conscious, my vision was already blurring and my hearing is starting to get distorted, it's as if I was in another dimension looking into reality from a portal, everything was Impalpable. Then I heard a voice calling out to me but It was too late, I couldn't understand everything, I feel fuzzy, everything was fading away.

After a moment of deafening silence and darkness, I started hearing the voice again , it's as if someone has flipped a reverse switch. Everything is happening again but in a backwards order. The sounds are returning , although everything was still vague. I began to see light and that light overpowered the darkness all around, I felt nauseous but I was powerless against it. "Ph- -be." The voice called out again , getting clearer and clearer. I was returning to my consciousness. "Phoebe!" I opened my eyes to see Lara looking down on me, My head felt warm , wet and soft. I realized I was resting my head atop Lara's thighs. "Phoebe, are you okay?" Lara asks one more time. "Thanks Lara, I'm feeling better now." I get up as I come back to my senses , it seems I collapsed mid-way.

There was blood oozing out of my forehead, though its just a small amount, it's quite alarming. "Hey, let's just patch that up for now we'll do the groceries later" We then slowly walked to the bus stop and waited for the bus to pass. The blood on my forehead had already clotted and I felt normal already, though a little sluggish, I was fine. "Lara lets just do the groceries, I'm feeling fine already. I'll just clean my wound when we get home" " We have a lot of time for groceries so let's take our time and get that patched up first okay? "I tried to convince her out of it but she insisted that I still get it dressed at the clinic. And so we did, after the bus arrived we just went in and sat there in silence, viewing the seemingly never-ending fields and lush forests at the edges of the fields through the bus window. The place looked like paradise , free from the clutches of modern technology, free of pollution. I ended up dozing off and having Lara wake me. As we get off the bus we were greeted with a humble yet bustling town, there were shops everywhere, a plaza to rest and to socialize , a market filled with a lot of goodies. As we walked towards the plaza an enticing scent entered my nose, the sweet inviting smell of the nearby pâtisserie wafted throughout the plaza. "Hey Lara, auntie said we could buy what we wanted after we do the groceries right?" "Yeah?" Lara asked "Well , I think I just found what I wanted to buy afterwards" Lara nodded at me and smiled , she then proceeded to lead me towards the local clinic to get my wound patched up. *Ring* "Welcome , what ails you?" the secretary welcomes us as we enter the local clinic. "My cousin Phoebe collapsed a little while ago and hit her head on the ground" Lara replied "The bleeding has stopped already though and I feel fine now" The secretary then calls for the doctor and he examines the area on my forehead "So good morning Phoebe , My name is Wilson and I'll be your doctor for today." The doctor explained what we should be careful about and what we should observe, he also added gauze on my forehead along with some kind of medical ointment for the skin. It was nothing serious and he only advised us to keep it clean to help prevent infections from rotting it inside out. We thanked Doc Wilson and went on our merry way to do the groceries.

The market area was teeming with business, there were shop stalls and stores all over the place , there were merchandise on the floor atop cloth rugs and vendors shouting about their wares trying to convince a customer to buy. We made our way towards the wet market first for meat , fish and similar produce. "Fresh Crabs! Get a kilo for only-" "You like meat? I got tons of 'em! Buy som-" The place was bustling with sales and deals , we cut through the crowd and went only to the things we needed to buy.

After a little while, we were already done with the wet goods next would be vegetables and fruits along with spices and dairy products. Since the square was already overcrowded we just went to the nearby convenience store, sure it was a bit pricier but it saved us a lot of time and effort wading through the market crowd. By the time we finished it was already past lunch. "Hey Lara, since we're done and all, could we eat at that pastry shop we saw earlier?" Exhausted, I pleaded with Her. "Sure thing Phoebe, I think that's a great reward for the both of us. I hope they have strawberry parfait , I won't take no for an answer" We happily went to the cake shop together. *Ring* "Good after noon, Please come in~" The cashier-lady greeted as we entered the shop "What would you like to order ma'am?" She followed up " "I'd like a medium-sized strawberry parfait , a blueberry cheesecake , how about you Phoebe" "I would like a Blueberry cheesecake as well and a carbonara with tuna sandwiches" I followed up. "Your order will be ready in approximately 10 mins please have a seat for now while you wait. "Okay then, thanks a lot" As suggested we went and found ourselves a table, The Pâtisserie had a comfy atmosphere , and bossa nova music was playing in the background, it smelled of coffee and pastries. The vibe was quite relaxing. "Hey Phoebe, I know we had a slight accident earlier and I really want to apologize for always getting you into trouble" "It's fine Lara, I'm enjoying the day so far" we stared at each other in silence, it was starting to get akward at this point so I just averted my gaze and faced the window instead and watched as the people of this town went on with their daily lives. It's amazing how small a mark we leave in this world even after living our lives to the fullest. "Hey Phoebe, are you checking some boys out ?" Lara said with a large grin on her face. "It's not like that! I'm just pondering about our existence and role in this world while looking at everyone outside." "Why is that? We live to the fullest and then when the time comes, we have to say goodbye to everyone and rest" Lara replied "That's how I've always seen it, we don't really have a purpose in this world unless we give ourselves purpose, unless we have someone who we want to be of use to." She followed up. I guess Lara just doesn't bother with the details. "Nevermind, thanks for treating me" Bittersweet aroma filled the room, the complementary music and the décor gave out the feeling of home. *Ring* *Ring* "Excuse me ma'am, your order is ready" the cashier called out to us.

We picked up the order and went back to our seats. "Wow! These look delicious Lara" "Whash thadt?" Lara answer while stuffing her face with blueberry cheesecake. "Err… let's just eat" I took a bite out of the tuna sandwich and a rush of flavors entered my mouth, the sweet sourish mayonnaise complemented the zestful tuna flakes along with the crisp yet fresh organic lettuce. I could understand why Lara can't even be bothered to reply. I went on to give the Carbonara a try, the pasta was firm and creamy, it had crispy bacon flakes sprinkled on top of it along with parmesan, it also had herbs that gave it an earthly flavor. The Strawberry Parfait was no different the strawberries were not too fresh nor too ripe and the whipped cream is just in the right consistency, their food is really sublime. We ended up spending the time minding our own meals until we finish.

I looked outside after finishing my meal, the once light-blue sky is transitioning into a light gray color, clouds were gathering and were starting to get darker and thicker. Then I heard tapping on the windows which grew louder by the second. People outside opened up their umbrellas and some ran for cover , the rain grew stronger as the clouds drenched everything and everyone under them, the windows of the store started fogging and little drops of water came gushing down the glass. The contrasting sight of the warm, comfy store and the cold , damp and foggy view outside made staying-in all the more comfortable. "It's beautiful isn't it? The first rainfall of our whole summer together" As the rain pitter-pattered and the fog thickened the once noisy street was quiet and filled only by the sound of water droplets hitting the pavement.

"Hey Lara, I've never considered asking you since you always act boyish and all, but have you thought of getting yourself a guy? I mean, you're quite a catch, I think it would be easy for you to get anyone interested in you." "Hey Phoebe look, there's a sparrow on the window" Completely ignoring my question she points at the bird that landed on the shop's window. "Lara, I'm serious. I really want to know your type , if it's fine with you." She paused and mumbled something to herself and then looked back at the sparrow. "Well, I'm sorry I asked. I just thought we could talk about these since we're cousins and all… I just wanted to know you better." The downpour grew stronger and the sound of heavy raindrops hitting the ground encompassed the surrounding area. We sat there in silence for a while. "I'm sorry Phoebe, I just don't want to tell you yet. But I promise I'll tell you eventually" Lara then went back to what she was saying earlier. "I wish we could really get along well this summer Phoebe, I missed you a lot" with that being said, Lara smiled at me and patted my head across the table.

We waited until the rain cleared before leaving the shop, The town was starting to become crowded again as the sun slowly evaporates the traces of rain, it was quite humid and warm. The smell of earth filled the air as the water vaporizes. The sky reverts back to its light-blue color as the clouds become scarce , once again it feels like summer. We headed for the bus stop to go back home. This day was a rollercoaster of events and emotions. Even if it's quite tiring, I'm glad to spend my summer with my cousin Lara.

We got home just in time for supper, we had mushroom soup and bread. "Thanks for helping with the Groceries Phoebe and I'm sorry for what happened to your forehead, Lara you apologize too" While eating Auntie scolded Lara for the wound on my head. To be honest I completely forgot about it because of how hectic this day was. "Oh by the way Phoebe, your little patient seems to be recovering quite fast, he ate a lot of rice earlier." It seems George is recovering little by little, I'm glad.

We finished dinner and went upstairs to our room, Lara went straight to bed, she must've gotten exhausted from everything that happened today. I turned on the air conditioner and went to the bathroom for a quick warm shower. I probably shouldn't have been so persistent with asking Lara, I guess she just isn't comfortable with that question. She even apologized to me even though it wasn't her fault. She did say she'll tell me one day, Guess I'll just have to wait. Until then this is my daily life. Its tiring , but fun. I feel alive. I finish up my summer and grab a change of clothes. I entered the air-conditioned room and the temperature made me want to just forget everything for now and fall asleep instantly. And so I did