Thorne III
"Nanay Sol, where are they going? She's not supposed to keep walking to that trail. She's almost going to explode," he asked Nanay Sol after he saw Ayinah leave with Andreas the next morning.
"She's fine; walking is good for her, so it's not difficult for her to give birth. Don't worry about it; Andreas will take care of her. For all this time that they walked down that trail, she never had any problem. She never trips or slips," Nanay Sol said.
"I'm sure they will have their photo shoot; remember, it's almost her due?" Nanay Sol added.
He realized that now.
It's her ninth month.
After many hours of waiting for them to come back, they haven't come back yet. What are they still doing there? Out of curiosity, he put on his walking shoes and walked down to the trail. He could see them seated on the blanket having a picnic. He walks back to the villa.
After another hour, they came back. He heard her thanking Andreas. Then the man walked down to the road. He wonders where he goes.
"Hi." She greeted him as she entered the door.
"Hello," he replied.
She walks to the kitchen. She looks so heavy, but she doesn't mind. Her legs were swollen too.
He followed her to the kitchen.
"I told you I can do it here; go and take some rest, Ayinah." He heard Nanay Sol talking to her.
"And I told you, Nanay Sol, that I'm pregnant and not invalid. I can work perfectly normal like normal people like you," she said, laughing.
"Don't you feel tired?" Nanay Sol asked.
"I'm panting from coming up here, but I'm fine; that helps my heart work better," she replied.
"I don't want to argue with you; I know I will never win," Nanay Sol said, laughing.
She laughs. He could see her washing some vegetables while Nanay Sol is cutting meat.
"Can I help you, ladies?" he asked.
"One is enough to help already, Thirdy; just watch us here, because this woman here will never leave to rest," Nanay Sol replied.
"Nanay Sol, I did nothing the whole day, so why do I have to rest? I'm not teaching now. No other activities too. Only the garden," she said.
"Your mother will wonder why your skin became tan," Nanay Sol said.
He just listened to them. They grow the bond together like they are real mother and daughter. If he stayed, probably he is her best friend and not Andreas. Regretting has no use by now. He thought. No one else to blame but himself. Because of his choices. He doesn't know where his priorities are. This time he will make sure that he will make his child his priority; that's a promise. He was screwed once, and he will not let it happen again.
"She knows I'm on the sandy beach of Boracay. So she will expect darker," she replied, giggling.
"You told your mom about your real situation?" He asked in surprise.
"Yes, it's so hard to lie. I keep her updated. She has the copies of my photos too. Andreas has sent them to her," she replied.
"That means Andreas knows it too?" he asked.
"Yes. He has been with me all throughout it. That's why he offered me a trip to Italy. Mom also knows it," she replied.
"We should move to the city so we will be near to hospitals." He said changing the topic.
"No need to move somewhere else. It is completely fine here. The doctors in the hospital here are our friends. They will be on call if my time is up," she said.
"How about their equipment? Do you think it's good?" he asked.
"Don't worry, it's all good. I'm just giving birth and not having any surgery or what." She replied.
"You mean you preferred normal delivery?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes, this is my first time, so I want to fully experience how it is going to be to be a real woman. And giving birth normally would be the finale." She replied smiling.
He couldn't believe it. She wants to experience all the pains of giving birth.
"Okay." What else could he say?
---
They just finished eating when Andreas arrived and gave her an envelope.
"Why don't you let him in?" He said from behind her.
"By the way, Andreas, this is Thorne; Thorne, this is Andreas." She introduced them.
"Nice to meet you, Thorne." Andreas shook his hand.
"Likewise!" he replied.
"Come in first." He invited him.
"Thank you, maybe some other time; my aunt is waiting for me down there," he said, pointing to the car on the road.
"Okay, some other time then," he said.
"Thank you!" Ayinah said, lifting the envelope in her hand.
"My pleasure. I'll go now; see you later," he said to Ayinah.
"Nice meeting you." To him, and he turns to go down to the waiting car.
"What's that?" He asked her.
"The ninth month," she said, walking to her room.
He followed her. The last frame is quite high. He saw her pulling the chair.
"I'll take it for you," he offered.
This is the woman that never bothered to ask others for help. If she can do it by herself, she won't ask for help. She's very independent.
"Thank you," she said, moving away so it gives him space to take the frame off the wall.
He detached the frame from the hook and gave it to her. She unfolded the fastener behind and took out the temporary pictures and replaced the new picture she had in her hand. Then she put back the temporary behind it and fastened it back. She handed it to him to put it back on the hook.
"You look great in this," he said.
"Thank you!" She replied.
"Are you going somewhere with Andreas later?" he asked.
"His aunt invited me to join them to celebrate their wedding anniversary," she replied.
"I see, so you know his family?" he asked.
"Only his uncle and aunt. I always came over there, especially when I'm not this huge." She said, looking down at her huge baby bump.
"Maybe after you give birth, you can join them often," he said.
"I'll be staying with Mom, and maybe I'll go on with my passion," she replied.
"You mean the fashion design?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied.
He knows with the skills and attitude she possessed, she will succeed.
He put the photo frame with the new photo in it back in its place. Once again he looks at every photo on the wall. He wished he had seen them personally. When he looked at her, she was staring at him.
His heart skipped like a teenage boy.
She's so beautiful.
But their deal is only for the child.