post mortem

It was raining when I met her.
I was in U.S.T. that day doing some business I could no longer remember. I was supposed to go straight home but it started to drizzle and I didn’t even bring a jacket. So I decided to wait it out at a nearby café. I saw a friend of mine and she introduced me to her. We ended up staying there till it was about to close. The rain was relentless.
Some months later, our friend decided to set us up for a date. We ate at Gerry’s in Makati. It was raining.
Even though we were already inside we kept getting damped. The wind was strong. There was unexpected storm that day. Nevertheless, we still pushed through.
I arrived at home at around six in the morning. Some roads were flooded and I had to wait for the water to go down.
Looking back, it would seem, the day I first met her pretty much told our story. Full of weathered but merciless storms. Each one leaving a stain that scarred us. After awhile we couldn’t tell who we were anymore. I never realized it until now. Maybe it was a warning? Perhaps it was.
It was as if the sky was beseeching us not to go because it knew of the tragedy that was awaiting us.
Nevertheless, we still pushed through.
If that day was indeed a sign, it was a damn obvious one. I guess I just refused to see it.
The day we ended us the weatherman said a slight downpour was probable. I brought my jacket. I arrived at Vito Cruz late in the afternoon. For the next hour or so I waited for her and I still had no clue what to do. I was drained. And I felt like I was about to fall apart. I felt because I couldn’t think. I remember feeling like I was about to brace a tempest the moment she called and said she was already near.
When she arrived she seemed pleased to see me. I tried to bury my unease but she kept asking what was bothering me. I said it was nothing. I still didn’t know what to do. She insisted. I said no. She got mad. And I finally told her.
We ended not with a clash but with a whisper.
Then she left.
The month was September, in the middle of storm season.
I expected it to rain that day. Rain didn’t come, just a hush. I would have welcomed rain.
The sky was clear when she left.