It has finally begun. The most anticipated season has finally begun. A tropical cyclone named after a feared antagonist in a famous series has begun storming the Eastern part of Samar. The weather forecast hoisted signal number two to Eastern Samar and Northern Samar due to possible landfall over Eastern Visayas. The people who are not directly affected by the said typhoon rejoiced as they can finally seize the cool breeze of pouring rain in their houses. They started bringing out their thick blankets from their wooden cabinets and felt the warmth of them while having a nice and peaceful sleep.

But Adrienne knows for a fact that the rainy season is only loved in the very beginning of it. Who wouldn’t fall in love with the coldness it brings after a long summer sky? Who wouldn’t want to witness the heavy raindrops that make the window pane blurry due to its moisture?

Adrienne hated the rainy season. It reminds him of the nightmare that he has been struggling to forget for almost two years.

It has been already two years since he last saw her.

That time, he came home drenched by the rain from his overtime at work. As soon as he stepped foot in his apartment, he immediately called for her. He went straight ahead the kitchen hoping she was there, preparing their dinner while singing James Arthur’s Say you won’t let go. He was hoping to surprise her with a hug from her back, and tell her to wash the dishes even though she hated it. When he did not saw her in the kitchen, he went upstairs to see if she’s already resting because she got tired of waiting for him, or if she’s working on with her another novel that she doesn’t even publish. 

She was not also there.

Adrienne tried reaching her thru phone calls but the operator has been telling him that the subscriber cannot be reached; that he should try calling later on. He sat down in the living room thinking where did she go at this point of hour when the rain is heavy, and she did not even bring the umbrella that he gave her as a present last time. After getting his grip, he went back upstairs and opened their cabinet.

Her clothes are gone. She did not leave any single trace of her in that cabinet. His clothes are all jumbled as if someone sneaked out and robbed him. All her belongings are gone. The only thing that’s left is a picture frame with a picture of them taken when they were on a date on their third anniversary. He began panicking, all his thoughts are overflowing through his head. He’s wondering where did he go wrong. Did something happened? Did he do something that he deserves to be abandoned?

He started crying and screaming. Every time he screams her name, an earsplitting thunder strikes. As if the heavens do not wish to let his voice be heard by that person. He went again to the kitchen to see if the dishes last time he was here were already washed by her, and to his surprise, the sink was clean and empty. He looked around the house, and everything was in its proper place. She also did not leave any traces of her footsteps for him to trail.

He sat down below the sink and started laughing while crying like a psycho. It was at that moment he realized that she is not coming back anymore because all her life, she loathed house chores. She refuses to do any house chores, and every time she does, she only does it halfheartedly where you can still see the dirt.

Leaving his house nice and clean is her way of telling him that she’s not coming back. Adrienne saw the picture frame with their picture and began talking to it.

“Why did I never notice? Why did you let this happen to us?” like a torrential rain coming through the gutter, his tears wouldn’t stop flowing. “I thought we already tied the loose strings in this relationship.”

He ferociously threw the frame and it landed near his apartment’s door. After throwing it, he immediately walks towards it to see if it’s severely broken. He picked up the large broken glass and gently holds it. Their memories began invading his head. He closed his eyes and started screaming with anger and unconsciously broke the glass in his hand into pieces resulting in a deep wound.

“You’re a liar, Adi. You’re a cheat.” her mean words are echoing inside his head. Their past arguments are playing like a movie in his memory. “And so are you. And so are you, and so are you, and so are you! You are also a cheat! You cheated on me first!” he nervously defended himself from a thin air. He cried like a child dropping its one and only candy.

“We’ve been through this a thousand times. I’m getting tired of this bullshit.” he began hurting himself by punching his face and knocking some senses into his head. “Loving someone and making them feel loved are two different things, Adi. Two different things.”

And Adrienne finally lost it. This time, he’s not punching his face anymore. He’s hurting himself by punching the broken frame while screaming, “I loved you to death, what is it that you want me to do then?” he’s laughing while crying once again and continuously punching the broken glass, like a psychopath beating its prey into pieces.

Adrienne started to feel dizzy and numb. Before losing consciousness, his last words were, “Where did I go wrong? Tell me, please? Where did I go wrong, Epi?” he was reaching for someone in the middle of nowhere. He thought that he’s finally talking with the woman he has been longing for as his mind projects her standing in front of him, smiling, before he closes his eyes.