Warmth filled Lamech’s heart as he watched Azora’s serious face. He cleared his throat and caught her hand, lowering it. “You don’t have to do that,” he said.
He noticed her pause, and her expression changed, as if hurt by his words. Silently cursing himself, he spoke again in an uncertain tone, “I should be the one taking care of you, not the other way around.”
But Azora remained silent, withdrawing her hand from his grip. At that moment, Lamech noticed a camera flash. He quickly turned to see a woman with a digital camera. When she saw him looking, she stood up and hurriedly made her way out of the establishment.
Lamech stood up and chased after her.
“Miss!” he called out, but she didn’t look back. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He couldn’t let the photo of him with Azora spread, knowing it could attract unwanted attention. He wished he had been more careful.
The woman had already exited, so Lamech quickened his pace. When he stepped outside, he saw her running towards a car parked not far away. He sped up.
The woman opened the driver’s door, and before she could close it, Lamech stopped it. He roughly pulled her out of the car.
“Let go of me!” she yelled angrily. “Let go, or I’ll scream!” she threatened, glaring at him.
Lamech’s eyes narrowed at her threat. “You’re invading privacy, Miss. Where’s your camera?”
He looked down at the camera hanging around her neck. As he reached for it, the woman blocked his hand. Lamech’s frown deepened.
He saw her lips curve into a mocking smile before she pulled his hand to her chest. Lamech froze in shock, realizing where his hand was. Before he could pull away, the woman let out a deafening scream. “Help! Help! He’s harassing me!”
“What?”
Before he could recover from the shock, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder, throwing him a few meters away from the woman. He groaned in pain as his elbow and side hit a planter.
“Bro, you’re a jerk.”
He looked up at the burly man standing before him. He sat up, dusted off his polo shirt, and stood, ignoring the pain in his side and elbow. “You don’t understand –”
But before he could explain, he heard the car engine rev. He quickly pushed the man aside and stared in shock at the red car speeding away. As it passed, the woman lowered the window and flipped him off with her middle finger, laughing before disappearing from sight.
Lamech blinked. Who was that woman?
“Bro,” the burly man called, scratching his head as he watched the woman flip him off. “Is that your girlfriend?” he asked.
Lamech shook his head, frowning as he returned to the fast food place. The guard had witnessed the incident but couldn’t intervene because he saw the woman pulling Lamech’s hand herself. The guard gave Lamech a weak smile, which he acknowledged with a nod.
Lamech climbed the stairs to the second floor and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Azora still sitting in her spot, staring out the glass wall.
He cleared his throat as he sat in his previous seat. “Sorry for leaving you behind. I just had to catch that…” His face twisted briefly, remembering how the woman had flipped him off. “… crazy woman.”
But Azora didn’t respond. She remained silent, making him frown. “Azora?” he called.
No response. He sighed. She seemed to be in a daze again. He noticed she had eaten half of her food, so he wasn’t too worried. He asked the crew to pack a take-out and helped Azora out of the establishment.
“The sun has risen. You must see its beauty,” he whispered.
He opened the passenger door and seated Azora inside. He fastened her seatbelt, staring at her for a few moments before standing up straight and closing the door. He walked around, opened the driver’s door, and started the car.
Soon, they were driving along the coastal road again. Sunlight streamed through his window, hitting the side of his face, but he didn’t mind. Eventually, they reached the town of Santander, the southernmost municipality in Cebu.
The rows of trees along the road provided shade from the sun’s rays. It was past nine when they arrived at a small mental institution on the edge of town. It was a two-story house owned by a married couple who chose to live a peaceful life in Santander.
They only accepted a few patients, and Azora was one of them because the couple knew her father, Alibata.
Lamech helped Azora into the open house. Suddenly, the couple emerged from the door before they got too close. The woman smiled at them. “Welcome. Are you Mr. Lamech Lepanto?”
He stopped in front of them, Azora still dazed beside him. “Yes, I am.”
“I’m glad to see you here.” The woman looked at Azora. “Is this her?”
Lamech nodded and pulled Azora closer. “She can’t answer you right now. I’ll have to wake her up from a daze first.”
The woman thought for a few seconds while the man invited them inside. Lamech didn’t hesitate to guide Azora into the house.
“I am Eman,” the man introduced himself. “And this is my wife, Hana.”
“I see. Mr. Briones said good things about you two,” Lamech said.
He seated Azora on the sofa and sat beside her. The couple sat across from them, smiling.
“Mr. Briones is a good friend of mine,” Eman said. “I just didn’t expect his daughter to be this beautiful.”
Lamech smiled. “Indeed.” He sighed. “It’s just that she’s like this sometimes. We can’t talk to her in this condition.”
“So there are times when she’s active?” Hana asked.
Lamech nodded. “During our long drive, she was active. But when we stopped for a while to have breakfast, she went back to this state.”
“Is this usual?”
Lamech thought for a moment. “I’m not so sure if this is usual. I just recently met her again for her trial, if you heard about it.”
“Yes. We saw the trial’s result online. I’m glad that Mr. Briones did everything for her to be sent to this faraway town to recuperate,” Hana said, still intently staring at Azora. “Can you wake her up from a daze?” she asked.
“I’m not sure if I can do it again, but I woke her up from a daze once. I’ll try this method again and hopefully it will work.”
He turned to Azora and held her cheeks. Her eyes were staring past him, but he tried to catch her gaze with his.
At first, she remained dazed, but eventually, he noticed her eyes move and her brows furrow.
Azora was awake.