12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Hot and Humid
SAL
They walked out of the airport and into the arrival bay with the afternoon heat to welcome them. Sal forgot how humid her motherland was, but it was a welcome change from St. Stephenshire’s forever temperate climate—save for Cedarthorne, of course.
“Ah, here we go.” Willow exhaled as she set her bag down. The redhead stuck out now that they were in the Philippines. With her big hair and statuesque figure, people would no doubt stare at them both. But Willow didn’t seem to mind. She looked eager to be at a place she had never been to.
“I’ve missed Manila.” Sal sighed. True, she lived in New York for the past decade and was now living in Oregon, but it was different here in ways she couldn’t possibly count.
Her train of thought broke when her phone pinged, and it reminded her of something she needed to do.
“Oh, I should book a Grab car for us before the rush hour traffic,” she said as she put on her sunglasses and opened her phone.
“No need!” Willow replied almost immediately.
“Why not?” Sal asked as she looked up from her phone.
“I wanted to surprise you,” she said as she hoisted her carry-on bag and gestured for Sal to look over her shoulder.
Sal saw a young lady standing a short distance away, and judging by her crop top, baggy ripped jeans, heart-shaped sunglasses, and colorful accessories, she was probably around Auden’s age. She held up a colorful sign that said: Welcome Sal this is your first time here after all,” Sal said with a kind smile as she patted her friend’s arm. “We can always find another place for the time being.” Sal closed the door to stop the smell from leaking out.
“I live nearby!” Theola said in a chipper voice. “You can spend the night until you find another place?”
Sal and Willow looked at each other and nodded.
There were flights of stairs again to climb down with their heavy luggage.
It’d be easier to bring them all down, but they were both exhausted from their long-haul flight.
Sal turned to Willow and tilted her head while flashing a knowing grin, submitting to their situation.
Willow shrugged. “When I said adventure, I meant the whole thing that comes with it—good and bad.” Sal loved Willow’s optimism.
As her friend started down the stairs with her luggage, Sal viewed the dehydrated little cactus from the corner of her eye. “I’ll follow down soon!” she called out. Willow let out a thumbs-up sign and began her descent down the stairs.
Sal approached the parched little cactus, unscrewed her tumbler, and watered it. She whispered kind words to it and went on her way. The day wasn’t over yet.
1.
. Translated from Tagalog to “It’s hot, isn’t it?” — pertaining to the weather.