Bernard managed to meet Pedro who was teaching at a high school in Caracas. But, unfortunately, he wouldn't open up about Siena's whereabouts. Finally, Bernard decided to drive Maks himself to Le Ciela. For some reason, he had a strong feeling that Siena was in that small town.The trip from Caracas to La Ciela only took thirty minutes by car.And it seemed like today the universe was answering Maks' two-month-long plea. The two saw a girl with long black hair and a ponytail coming out of a clinic. Bernard pulled the car over not far from the clinic. With his chest beating fast, Maks confirmed once again that the girl was indeed Siena.''Is the one with Siena Pedro?!" asked Maks when he saw a man coming out of the clinic and keeping pace with Siena."Right," said Bernard.Without another thought, Bernard and Maks immediately rushed out of the car and blocked the two's path. Meanwhile, Siena was stunned to see the figure of her husband standing in front of her. Her throat seemed to be
''Yes. I'm fine,'' Siena said quickly as she moved her shoulder away from Maks' hand.''Can I stay here?" Maks asked. He didn't have the heart to leave Siena alone in this pregnant state.Siena chuckled. ''No need... auch,'' she said, groaning when she was about to get up and her waist felt sprained.''What's wrong with you? Where does it hurt?" Maks asked frantically. He helped Siena to sit back up then massaged the girl's waist lightly.''Auch,'' Siena complained. She was still holding her waist which was getting sore.''Do you want to lie down in the room? Let me carry you,'' Maks said as he grabbed Siena's body.''No need, I can do it myself,'' Siena refused. But Maks still carried her and escorted her into the room. The girl could only surrender. The smell of Maks' perfume, which was still the same as before, seemed to anesthetize her.Maks laid Siena on the bed. Then he sat on the edge of the bed while massaging the girl's feet. ''I'm staying overnight, okay?" he asked back.''W
It's been a cool month. Of course, Le Ciela, although only 30 minutes away from the capital, when compared to the hustle and bustle of Caracas, whose people are busy chasing the world as if there is never a sense of boredom, this city is much quieter with a treat of peace and comfort that always comes to visit and go back and forth politely. Either this was God's plan, or this was the best for Siena, for the wound in her heart that was still so arid burning with deep disappointment. "What are you thinking about in broad daylight, beautiful?" said Flora, surprising Siena who was quietly daydreaming. "Look, how peaceful this place is. Everything feels so slow and lazy. But not for anything bad. In this place everyone seems to enjoy what they're doing. It's so different from the city I'm from. Everyone seems to be haunted by ambition as if the world and its contents will run out tomorrow morning." Siena replied while continuing her daydream. "I don't know, I just feel bored with all
The days passed in a blur after the violent argument between Maks and Siena. Both of them are still arguing and dissolved in their emotions. It is difficult to unravel the threads that have already been tangled, even if it can require a lot of sacrifice. Both Maks and Siena feel that there is no bright spot for the sustainability of their household relationship. Both of them seemed to only bet on time, and surrendered everything while living day by day. For Maks himself, nothing has changed, as if time has stood still since he first decided to live with Siena in her modest apartment. For Maks, the sky always looks as cloudy as his heart which is still gray. Even Maks could still feel the coldness of the raindrops that soaked his body that afternoon if he saw how cold Siena's attitude towards him had been. There was really no sign of clear skies for him. That morning Maks planned to laze around in his small room after he took his wife to work. Maks was starting to feel bored and tired
***** "You're kidding, right, Bianca? I really don't believe it." Maks greeted hurriedly as soon as Bianca appeared and took a seat in front of him. "Do you think it's worth it for me to make a joke out of Maks? What for?" Bianca replied while straightening her clothes. Bianca did not dare to look Maks in the eye as she spoke. Maks took his fourth sip of wine from his glass, trying to hide the anxiety and frustration that was evident from the sweat that was starting to bead on his forehead. His gestures were pathetic, a handsome man who seemed to have settled down in his young age. Now it looked like he was about to become a carcass, and had no hope of survival. "Listen to me carefully. I don't think I was that self-conscious not to be able to control the situation that night, Bianca. Please, what other games are you going to play this time? I've had enough, I've had too many problems in my life because of you." Maks half snapped. Bianca looked a little surprised. "What do you mea
For some reason Maks began to tear up as he heard and internalized the words spoken from the mouth of the old man before him. Maks agreed, he really felt useless for all the passion, ambition and hard work he had done. He realized that the end of all this was death. Then why should he make his life difficult for himself? Shouldn't it be that simple? "That's it!" cut in the old man as if he was following the conversation inside Maks' mind."Enjoy it, you just need to calm down a bit, notice where the problems are, solve them one by one. There won't be a single problem that you can solve with passion," the old man said again. "When your hand heals from its wounds, don't use it again, even if your brain tells you to. Just listen to your heart. Listen to your heart, young man. Listen to your heart." "Listen to your heart, listen to your heart, listen to your heart." Those words kept repeating and spinning inside Maks's head, more intoxicating than the bottle of bourbon he had consumed a
"I think I've thought that too. Sometimes everything feels so heavy, indeed. Even the suffering seems never-ending." Flora replied, now turning the tables. Siena turned to look at Flora this time. "Even until this moment, it's still not uncommon for dreams of the day my parents died to come and haunt me. Those times are always the worst memories. And you know where the amazing thing is?" Flora interrupted her story with a question. Seiena just shook her head innocently. "Actually, nothing drastically changed in my life after that day. Four days after my parents left for good, I started working at La Carino. My wages have always been the same. And I still had to provide for my two younger siblings who were still in school. Everything seemed to be fine now, as if there weren't any problems. That means, since that time I actually didn't have any problems, right? It's all just a trick of what we call grief, heartbreak, disappointment, regret, sadness, anger, and whatever else you want to
"Just go back to your town if this city can't make you feel at home. I never asked you to come here in the first place. Let alone stay with me in this place," Siena said in a slightly high tone. Now Maks' face looked panicked, he really didn't want his beloved wife to be angry with him again, apart from him not wanting to be ignored anymore, he also remembered the doctor's message that Siena should not be stressed and think about bad things a lot. "It's not that, dear. I mean, I love this city, everyone is nice and friendly, it's a very comfortable city to live in. I feel at home here," Maks explained."So?" asked Siena briefly. "I mean, about this place, this apartment. Isn't this place going to be too small for us? Even the three of us will be," Maks continued to explain."Alright, then what's your best idea, mister filthy rich?" asked Siena with a playful smile at Maks. Maks was really relieved to see the look on his wife's face. It felt like years since Maks had seen that smile.