“Are you okay?” Jericho asked after a while, face full of curiosity as he glanced at the lady.
Rhezi nodded. “Dada, can you go with the kids first? I want to go to the restroom,” Rhezi stated.
Jericho immediately removed his arms from her shoulders. He called the kids and talked to them while Rhezi just watched. They were at the lounge of the restaurant which was just beside the receptionist area where the manager and the uniformed staff were at.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Don’t you dare lie!” Jericho asked again, trying to make sure.
“I really am. Just go!” Rhezi shooed, feigning annoyance.
Jericho nodded and guided the kids. Rhezi watched them as they entered the resto and walked in the aisle with people around. The young woman even caught Dos glancing back at her before looking towards his front, walking alongside his brothers and his Daddy Jericho.
As they totally faded from her sight, Rhezi heaved a sigh and calmed herself before walking to the side of the restaurant. Just like back then, the furnitures were still made of wood; the owner still liked flowers and greeneries surrounding the place, giving it a cozy and nature-like vibes. And just like before, she still has to go through a secret passage that only the VIPs are allowed before she could reach the main area of the restaurant.
When Rhezi finally faced the closed door of the said room, she felt her heartbeat accelerate faster than it normally was. She tried to release a heavy breathe just to calm her pounding chest. With a trembling hand, she took courage to open her bag in order to find key to the door. It was a dog tag key that Kraius gave her in the past.
The woman twisted the key as it fitted into the keyhole until she heard the creaking release of the lock, letting her know that it’s now opened. As she pushed the door open, Rhezi was welcomed by the familiar scent of the room. It was still the same, from the interior, the decoration, the carpeted floor and the huge television that was pinned on the wall. But most of all, what caught her attention was the written words on the plain wall.
SENI SEVIYORUM
The words were painted in a blue glittery color. It was italic and was the only thing that outstandingly shone amidst the dark and sombre aura of the place. It was always the word that Rhezi thought completed her but unfortunately, it was also the word that broke her-the words that kept on hurting and hunting her. It was her worst nightmare.
When she got tired of looking around the room, Rhezi immediately walked out of the place while wiping the tears that she didn’t notice was starting to fall. She inhaled deeply to gather her strength, internally scolding herself before striding towards the main dining area of the restaurant. She shrugged those unnecessary thoughts off and tried to forget everything.
Rhezi was walking fast to reach the restaurant when she noticed that Jericho was looking uneasy while talking to the restaurant staff. Her forehead creased and accelerated her pace. She stopped a meter away from them and Jericho abruptly noticed her.
“What happened?” Rhezi cluelessly asked. Jericho instantly approached her, grabbing her hand where she felt the coldness of it.
“I’m sorry.”
“What?!” Rhezi exclaimed loudly. “What’s happening? Where is Dos?” she added when she saw her two son sitting in the table not so far from where they were standing.
“He followed you. I don’t know. I was busy ordering food, Momma. I’m sorry,” Jericho whispered weakly.
Rhezi doesn’t know how to process and absorb the information that was thrown on her. The only thing the she understood from everything the Jericho uttered was that her son was missing.
“Fuck!” she cursed loudly, not even caring about the customers eating in their respective tables.
Rhezi’s head hurt more because of what was happening. She violently removed Jericho’s hand and stormed away. Her chest tightened as it was pounding fast. Her heartbeat tripled and she couldn’t help her tears from falling due to being overwhelmed with worry.
“Dos!” she shouted. It was dark on the street near the restaurant and it was far from the highway so it’s impossible for her son to be far. She knew her kid well. He was smart and brave, and she’s certain that he wouldn’t just suddenly disappear without a reason.
Rhezi formed her hand into a fist, breathing hitched and panting hard. The sophistication that was evident within her a while ago was now gone. She felt devastated for what was happening as she continued to call for her son repeatedly.
“Momma!”
Rhezi instantly shifted her gaze. She immediately saw Dos’ smiling face running towards her. He was the only thing that the woman could see at the moment, her sight blurring the dark parking lot they’re at. She wanted to scold him but the urge to hug him tightly was stronger than the former.
So, she did. Rhezi hugged her kid tightly while sobbing. She whispered words that only Dos could understand. She couldn’t contain the feeling she had inside her heart. Words were never enough to describe how worried she was for her son.
“Don’t do it again, Love. Momma will die if you do that again,” Rhezi whispered.
“I’m sorry, Momma. But, I am fine. Mr. Handsome found me while I am outside,” Dos replied.
Rhezi released Dos from the hug and looked at his little face, confusion evident on her face. “Who was that? Didn’t I tell you not to talk to strangers?”
“But, he’s-”
“Watch over your kid next time if you don’t want them to talk to strangers, Chubz,” the familiar voice of Kraius cut Dos’ words.
Rhezi was appalled. She doesn’t know if her hearing was lying to her, but when Dos moved away from her, she looked up and saw him. Her blurry vision became clear and her heart hammered once more seeing Kraius’ brown eyes intensely looking at her.
“See? You can never run away from me.”