Fragments of Memories 2: Beautiful Stranger

January 15, 2020

With a burgundy glass on the folding table, Elaine poured wine into it once more. She then settled herself on the wooden bistro chair that was facing towards the open shore of Boracay Beach.

It was four in the morning. As usual, she couldn't seem to fall asleep not until midnight falls or the sun rises. It's been one hell of a month of moving from place to place. She stayed at a hotel somewhere in the Visayas; from Iloilo to Cebu. From there, she flew to Panglao then El Nido. She will fly back to Manila on the next day to settle in the condo unit she invested in.

Her real work will start by then. She could not get any more nervous about it even though she had been prepping for it for almost a month.

Elaine sipped her wine. She took her time clearing the glass. She wanted to savor every drop as if it would take her forever to taste it ever again.

After emptying her glass, she looked up in the sky. She could hardly see the moon up there. Even the stars seemed like hiding away from her sight. Perhaps, thick clouds tucked them in, making the night mysteriously darker.

As similar to the poet's belief, Danica Gim, Elaine also believed that people were like the moon. Sometimes, you need to disappear before you can return in full.

Full.

The first and last time she felt complete was three years ago. Unfortunately, it didn't last for long.

The feeling of incompleteness crashed back into her. Something's not right. Something's lost. Looking back gave Elaine plenty of regrets. She wished she didn't do that, she wished she didn't say this, she wished she wasn't born like this. But it was unfair to wish for the latter. Too many wrong decisions have been made that are hard to undo.

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the glass for the nth time. When she came back, she missed not only the wine but also missed a lot of things. From materials, places she used to go, the food she used

why she was finally here again. She wasn't certain if everything's going to be okay

most striking sunrises in the country. It was a sight to behold as a tourist like

It was a mixture of fiery red and orange teasing every tourist and beach lover to take a picture or enjoy the view. Too bad, Elaine forgot to bring the camera with her. She didn't think about it right before she went out of her suite early on.

to see the sunrise again. It was long and stale years that were rather unprogressive for her to

finally over, her agony had diminished. A tiny string of

purse out. She opened it, drawing out a resealable pouch in hand. She stared at it for

once. Someone from her past gave it to her only to take it back from her in the end. Fortunately, she managed to get it back ¬ against that person’s will, of course.

For the past three years, he surely was busy hating her. Sadly,

envelope that Atty. Ramas, their family's lawyer, laid down on his desk. He had a serious look on his face. It was half-past nine in the evening and he

But he replied saying he'd visit him some other day. He was too tired to even drive himself

off and hung it on the clothes rack before turning on his feet to face the lawyer. He had been considered as

his desk. "Open it," he urged. He's got a worried look

he opened it and pulled out something there. Basically, they were just photos. A candid whole body shot of a woman who seemed to be coming out from the famous clothing store in the country. A

she looked happy in there, her face always flashing out a wide smile with shopping bags in her hands. She was still

she received from him and his family well, it was obvious. His jaws clenched at the thought of it. He

"What about this woman?"