It was a sunny morning, Nuala was still lying down on her bed with drapes covering her face from the sunlight that shines through her window. Although the thick windows are tightly shut, you can still hear the birds chirping.
She lazily opened her eyes when she heard a knock on the door, “Babe, wake up..” it was her mother. “Hi, Mother, good morning.” Nuala replied with a smile. “Nana’s here. She wanted to see you.” her mother added.
Nuala sprung up to sit down, “Let me guess, she already knew what happened yesterday?” she asked with an assumptive look on her face.
Her mother smiled sheepishly, “It was your Father, not me.”
“Oh, Mum..” she groaned and frustratedly lay back on her bed again and covered her face with the soft blanket. Her mother patted her thigh underneath the covers and said, “Come on, up, up, up! You said you wanted to spend time with your loved ones. Come on, sweetheart!” Then her mother stood up and walked out of her room.
She opened her eyes again, said her short prayers, and stretched her body, and before she got off her bed, she took her phone and searched for a name again. “Enoch Smith.” but yet again, she got nothing. “Who are you, really? Why can’t I find anything about you?”
But her questions will never be answered until she meets him again.
Soon after doing her morning routine, she went down the stairs and followed the voices outside the garden. “Hello, Nana! How are you?” she politely asked as she lowered her face and kissed her grandmother's left cheek. “Where’s Father?” she added.
Her mother put down the coffee cup and answered, “He left for work just now.”
“Hi, sweetie. How are you? Everyone was so scared when we heard about the hijacking incident yesterday.” her grandmother worriedly replied.
She sat down right next to her grandmother, “I’m okay, Nana.” Nuala said as she looked at the servant who put the breakfast in front of her, “Thank you.” she said to the maid and turned to her grandmother again. “I wasn’t hurt, besides there was a brave man who helped to stop the attack.” But a small smile showed on her face when she remembered that brave man.
Her reaction is something suspicious so her mother and grandmother exchanged glances. “So, does this “brave man” had a name?” Her grandmother asked, stressing the word ‘brave man’ as she slowly put the teacup to her lips to take a sip.
Dumbfounded, Nuala choked on her coffee and looked at the two women in front of her. “Well, yeah?”
Enya, her mother leaned on the table and gave Nuala a scrutinizing gaze, “And his name is?”
The two elders are looking intently at her, as this was the first time she smiled while talking about a man. Nuala has always been aloof and romance has always been the last on her list.
Panic-stricken, Nuala quickly said his name, “Enoch Smith.” Then put a piece of Egg Katori in her mouth as if she’s a child caught red-handed. Well, she’s caught red-handed by smiling when talking about Enoch.
Meredith, Nuala’s grandmother slowly turned to Enya and nodded her head, “Ooh, Enoch Smith..” before turning her head to Nuala again, “Is this Enoch Smith handsome?” she added.
With a scrunched eyebrows, Nuala asked, “What? Why do you ask?”
Ignoring the expression written on Nuala’s face and ignorance, her mother answered, “Nothing sweetie, just wondering why this brave man, Enoch Smith made you smile.”
Confused, Nuala rebutted, “I did not smile.” She pretended to be calm as she took a sip of her coffee. Realizing that the women don’t believe her, she refuted. “I did not.” with a faint smile, she sipped her coffee again.
She denied the truth although she knows that her mother and grandmother will never believe her because they can see right through her.
After their breakfast, Meredith insisted on having a mother and daughter bonding with Enya and Nuala and the mother-daughter duo agreed.
They first visited a bookstore. Meredith took a closer look at one particular book. After looking at the name of the author, she smiled proudly and bought it for her husband as he loves literature.
Then they went shopping for the men of the family. Enya bought a necktie for Lindon, her husband, perfume for her father, and a pair of suits for her brothers.
Nuala just scanned all the items displayed, thinking of which of these will suit Enoch’s taste. She then saw a leather jacket in moss green color with chest and side pockets. Just as when she was about to take it, she remembered that she doesn't know his number or where to find him.
As she’s having a disagreement inside her head, the older woman behind her is observing her. “Look at your daughter, she’s trying to figure out whether to buy that coat or not.”
Enya smiled at the thought and said, “Mother, let her be.” Then she walked towards her daughter, “I think this is nice.”
Startled, Nuala jolted. “Mother..” She grunted. “Do you think so?”
“Yes.” Meredith answered her question. “But why are you hesitating?”
She lowered her head and answered them honestly, “Because I don’t know where to find him.”
Dispirited, Meredith put her palm on her forehead. “Silly girl.” Then she turned her back on Enya and Nuala and went back looking around.
Enya smiled at her daughter, thinking that her baby is all grown up and might already have someone special to her. “Do you think he’ll like it though?”
Without a second thought, she replied, “Yes.” Staring at the jacket she’s holding.
“Seems like you know him a lot, huh?” it’s more like a tease but sounded like a question.
She thought for a moment before answering her mother, “Well, I guess. He’s in the army.”
Now, Enya is certain that her daughter took a fancy to this man because she paid attention to him. But her train of thoughts was brushed off, “Hey, I know what you’re thinking. He’s in uniform that day, that’s why I know that detail.” Nuala said.
With astonishment at what her daughter said, Enya just smiled. “What? Didn’t say anything. But why not buy it now, and give it to him later?”
“Okay. I’ll buy it. But, Mother, this is just to show my gratitude for helping me yesterday.” Nuala said while pointing her finger to the coat before going to the cashier.
Her daughter's denial is cute and amusing at the same time. She’s really an adult now.
After hours of shopping, they decided to have some coffee at the nearest shop. There, the trio talked about a lot of things including Enya’s first love. Meredith is the one to open the topic.
“Enya, I bought a book about literature. And guess who the author is.”
With a confused look, Enya answered. “Who?”
Her mother took out the book and showed the back cover to her. There was a black and white photo of the author. The handsomeness is still there even though he’s already aged.
A sweet smile slipped Enya’s lips as she slowly reached for the book and gently caressed the back cover. She stayed silent for a while staring at the man in the picture.
“Who is it?” Nuala whispered to her grandmother, not wanting to break off her mother’s smile.
Her grandmother looked at her and casually said, “Her first love.”
“Who?” Discombobulated, she asked again. “First love?” Curiosity got the best of her.
Enya looked at her with a gentle smile, “Henry Smith, my childhood and first love.” she said, putting the book to her chest to show the photo of the man to her daughter.
Enya looked at her with a gentle smile, “Henry Smith, my childhood and first love.” she said, putting the book to her chest to show the photo of the man to her daughter.Nuala can’t seem to grasp the new information her mother just told her. Her eyes blinked twice faster with her mouth wide open in shock. “Are you serious? I thought father is the only one, ever?”Enya smiled at her daughter’s reaction and said, “He is the one, my one true love. But Henry, Henry is my first love.” Then she looked at the man in the picture again and continued, “He’s my every first.” touching the cover of the book gently.Meredith squinted her eyes at Enya and aked, “Every first, huh?”“You mean, the first date? First holding hands? First kiss?” Nuala asked, “And --” but she wasn’t able to finish her question as h
Five days after the Flight QR1211 fiasco, a friend of Nuala invited her to join a local group for an animal rescue mission which she gladly agreed to.Nuala woke up 3 hours before the call time. She showered and prepared herself for her activity today. She didn’t put any makeup on since it’s summer and fieldwork.She took out a brown satchel where she puts her phones, wallet, keys, identification cards, and insect repellent inside. She put on a loose maroon v-neck long sleeves shirt and moss green hiking shorts, paired with brown hiking boots. She just let her wavy red hair flow.When Nuala’s done, she came to her parents’ study room and said her goodbyes, “Hey Kawolskis, I’m on an animal rescue mission.” then she winked at them.Lindon, her father waved his hand at her and her mother smiled, “Maroon looks good on you, sweet pie. Take care and have fun.
The laughing Robin and Ashleigh together with the other members of the organization followed the direction where the blushing Flynn went. “Can you believe it? Doc Flynn is really blushing!” Robin said and Katia added, “He must really like her.All of the volunteers are making fun of Flynn as this is the first time they saw his face as red as a tomato. Indeed, Flynn likes Nuala a lot, not just her appearance but also her smile, and the sound of her laughter is like the sound of a wind chime to his ears.Everyone is busy making fun of and talking about Flynn’s childish reaction, the people didn’t realize that Nuala’s standing right behind them. “What’s up? Where’s Doc Flynn?” she asked.Her question made the people laugh even louder, “Doc Flynn! Nuala’s looking for you!” shouted Amara, one of the organizers, and the teasing and laughter make Flyn
Thoughts of Enoch liking Nuala bothered Flynn as days went on but he has no guts to confront his brother, at least until he confirms Enoch's feelings towards the girl he likes."Where’s Enoch?" Flynn asked his father.His father, waiting for his student, looked up to him, and said, "He went to the military camp to report for duty."Flynn nodded his head in understanding. He thought for a moment before speaking again "Dad, do you have time?"His father looked at his wristwatch and nodded his head, "Yeah. I still have 15 minutes of window time. Why?"Flynn fidgeted his fingers and said, "Dad, I met a girl.."Henry stopped tapping his laptop keyboards and smiled in amusement, waiting for his son to continue, "And?" This was the second time Flynn told
After having their dinner where Ashleigh, one of the animal mission volunteers is a Manager, they decided to go home.Flynn went back to his pet clinic after waiting for Nuala to be fetched by her personal driver.When he stepped inside the clinic, “Hi Doc, how’s your dinner date?” asked Reema.He snorted because he knew that the older woman was just teasing him, “It wasn’t a dinner date.” His assistant ignored his sarcasm. “If not a dinner date, then what do you call it?”“Ah…” he thought of the right word to say but he ended saying “...dinner with a friend?”“Come on, Doc, you like her and she took the time to visit you --”He cut Reema, “But she doesn’t l
Flynn went down the stairs and called his brother, “Enoch.” He’s very nervous that he had to stop walking and looked down at his toes. “Yes?” Enoch replied.“I met Nuala today and…” he said before looking into Enoch's eyes.Enoch is looking at him with a cold gaze, ‘Please say she’s fine.’ he thought, waiting for his brother to continue but he lost his patience as it was Nuala they are talking about. “What is it?” he asked in a loud voice.Flynn started to feel like choking, he looked away and pursed his lips.“What?!” Enoch asked in a very loud voice, louder than earlier. His heart is starting to beat faster.Flynn took a sharp breath before looking at him straight in the eyes and said, “We just started dating.”Enoch stopped breathing for a second, he was
Watching the girl he wanted to be with, walked out the door is like watching a tsunami destroying his home.Enoch was stunned in a minute but came back to reality when he felt a heavy tap on his shoulder, “Dude, is that the girl? Are you just going to let her leave?” asked Gino, who witnessed the confrontation.This time, his friends found a table for them, already ordered their food, and are waiting for it to be served.He pursed his lips, “Yes, that’s the girl.”Josh asked, “Then why don’t you follow her?”“Because she’s dating his twin.” said Gino, scoffing at Josh’s words.“No! I bet she’s not.” Josh rebutted, “She said it herself.”Gino and Enoch along with their colleagues looked at Josh in disbelief, “Believe me, I have three
The same night, Enoch went home to their house but he only greeted his father and ignored Flynn’s presence. The lies and argument they had, taken a toll on them.“Hi, Dad.” Enoch said.His father, watching a documentary show about the Mayan Civilization, looked at him in surprise. “Hmm, you’re home!” he said.
Although he was startled, he grabbed her hands again and gently rubbed them against his.Her eyes were wide open, staring at him. “What are you doing?” she questioned, still trying to pull her hands away.He glared at her, “You’ve caught a cold, I’m just warming your hands.” Then, he stopped rubbing their hands, “I will stop if you think it’s inappropriate.”With her eyes blinking twice faster, she was unable to say anything.He snorted and smiled, “Am I that handsome?”Nuala rolled her eyes at him and landed her sight outside the taxi window. “It stopped raining.”Enoch leaned closer to her to look at the sky outside Nuala’s side window. “Yeah, we can get off here now if you want, and then we can walk from here to the place I wanted to show you,” he said with his hands still holding on tightly to hers.She nodded her head and replied, “Okay, that would be fine.”“Okay.” he said and turned to the driver, “Sir, we can get off here.” and the driver nodded.When they got off the cab, the
Nuala sat down beside her mother, “Can’t leave you here.” she said and smiled. Enya smiled back but it was a sad smile, “Oh, honey. Thank you for staying by my side.” Seeing her mother’s sad smile for the first time broke her heart. She has never seen her mother like that; sad, heartbroken, and depressed. She was used to seeing her mother always happy and lively. “Sweetheart..” said Lindon, her father. “Hmm?” “Can I talk to you for a sec?” he asked. Walking towards the corner of the hall. Followed by her daughter, they came to a halt when they reached the farthest corner of the funeral hall. “What is it, dad?” “Sweetie..” but Lindon paused to take a deep breath, “I know you’re smart and I know you’re beautiful..” he said. Wondering, Nuala looked at his father with a questioning face. “What is it?” “I know you can’t control these guys to talk to you, but I think this is not a good time to be --” “Dad, I understand what you’re trying to say.” she smiled, reassuring her father.
After talking to Anna and Meredith’s photo, Magnus looked at Bruce and asked while wiping the tears off of his face, “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”Stunned, Bruce said, “Huh?”“Yeah, the thing you were saying before I twaddled.”Going back to his senses, Bruce remembered, “Oh, yeah, well, I just wanted to ask if we should hold the funeral separately so you can have some privacy and family time?”Magnus looked at Jude, “It’s for Jude to decide.”All eyes at Jude, “I think that would be fine, so you can also mourn for Meredith.”“Okay, I’ll have Thomas and Enya prepare the documents needed.”“Okay then, let me know if you need anything else,” said Jude.Bruce nodded his head before leaving, “I’ll see you later.”As the men of the two families agreed on the next day's setup, Nula and her cousins went back to the bench where they sat a few moments ago.Otis, the six-year-old boy, who was sitting in between his big sisters, Hallie and Maggie, noticed something, “Those men keep on looki
The two families decided to hold Anna Smith and Meredith Riggs’s funeral in one place as they treated each other as real sisters.Three black and white photos were posted in front of the hall, one of Meredith, cheekily smiling, and on the other side is Anna, smiling sweetly while in the middle is their photo hugging each other, sitting on a bench, under a big oak tree; taken when they were still at the boarding school.Many of their friends paid their respect and shared their experiences and stories with these two wonderful souls.“Enya? Is that you?” said one of the guests.Enya turned and smiled but sadness can still be seen in her eyes. “Missus Arnolds? Hello.”“Dear, I am so sorry for your loss. Your mother and Anna were very dear to me and my family.” the old woman said holding her hand.She gently squeezed the woman’s hand to show gratitude, “Our family really appreciates you coming here.”Mrs. Arnolds gently tapped Enya’s hands, “These two, they always say ‘till death do us par
Earlier the same day, Enoch had been struggling to keep his mind off the truth that his father had told him.He tried his best not to contact Nuala. He put her number on the block list.After sending his father to the airport, he went straight to the military base camp and spent the entire day training the newly recruited soldiers and doing the document reports.It was about almost dinner time when he decided to speak to her. He brought back Nuala's number to contact and was about to dial it when he received a text message from his father.Ding! "Have you told her yet?"He thought for a minute whether he would tell her or not. "I'm scared."And that's another truth, Enoch was scared that it would hurt the woman he dearly loves and that might change things between them."You? Scared? Why?"He sighed as he typed down the reason. "I just don't feel like it should come from me.""I understand. Anyway, we're just having a team dinner, and don't think too much about it.""Yeah."His father'
Flynn invited the old man inside a room where he could take a look at the infected cat.Outside the lobby, Nuala and Alice were playing with the bunny toy she just bought for the kid, when her phone started ringing.It was a call from Enoch. Her face gleamed and her smile grew bigger.Holding her phone tightly with excitement, she said, "Uh, let me just answer this call. Excuse me." not looking at Reema.Without waiting for Reema to respond, she stood up and gently tousled Alice's hair, and stepped out of the clinic a little giddy.But not before she could open the clinic door, she already answered the phone. "Hi…" she said in a very charming tone.That action didn't slip into Reema's ears. "Oh my, my. Who could that be?" asked herself. 'Seems like our Doctor has to wait in line.' she thought.Outside the clinic, Nuala stood in one place, far enough not to be heard by Reema or Flynn."How are you?" asked Enoch. His voice was a bit dispirited.Nuala noticed his tone, "Are you okay?"It
Seeing how capable Nuala is, gives him a sense of pride because the girl he’s in love with is not only smart and capable, but she is also independent and can stand on her own two feet.While waiting for their order to be served, he took out his phone with his left hand while his right hand was still holding the little girl’s left hand.Snapping a few photos of Nuala, he smiled and crouched down to meet Alice’s height. “You see that red-haired woman over there?” he asked, pointing at Nuala on the other side of the place.Alice’s eyes wandered and saw the woman Flynn was talking about, “That lady with the pink coat?” she asked.“That’s... That’s my soon-to-be girlfriend,” he said with a wide smile.Hearing Flynn’s claims, Alice looked at him with a disdainful look. “Are you serious?”Flynn was dumbfounded, “What? You don’t believe me?” he asked.She shook her head and said, “She’s too pretty to be your girlfriend. Do you even know her?”He grinned at her answer. Truly, the only honest p
Waking up earlier than usual, Flynn prepared breakfast for his father. “Good morning, dad. Coffee and pancakes.” said he.Seeing his son smiling with his eyes, he asked, “Good morning. You seemed to be a little different?”Flynn scratched his nape, “Well, I am indeed different today. I feel lighter..” and then he smiled an
Enoch and Nuala talked a lot about everything, topic after topic. They laughed, they joked and they even talked about the smallest details about themselves.They showed photos of each other when they were little until when they finished their majors.“I was always a bride’s maid, but you know, I don’t think I’ll be a bride anytime soo