40. Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty
Curiosity Killed The Cat
RAFA
The blazing sun made Sal glow in her opalescent gown as she stood before them. Her round, dark, soulful eyes, shaded only by her thick lashes, looked forward, and she set her red-painted lips in a soft smile. Rafa could not look away.
“Welcome,” she began, her voice calm and firm.
“Thank you for being here. The past two months, I have been the art director of this show, and I’ve struggled with the question: Where does one really belong?
I am constantly torn between two worlds.
The world from which I come from”—she held up one hand—“and the place where I live and create art,” she said, lifting the other.
“I have been straddling the middle of both, trying to gather inspiration, thinking that I cannot possibly enmesh them. But today, I come to you celebrating both.” She clasped her hands together and intertwined her fingers.
“Because I believe humans are complex and fascinating beings. We are not just one thing; we are many small, often conflicting details that make us whole. We have the capacity for so much love and expression. It’s possible to cherish both things and allow space for the other, even when the future seems to favor only one.
“Each piece in this art fair celebrates the things that make us Filipino and the things that offer us possibilities if we can see things with a broader view. When Magic Meets Home is a celebration of two worlds: the magic of the unknown, and the comfort of home.” She paused and looked at Rafa, and then at Harmon.
“Please enjoy the festivities, take pictures, and soak it all in. Welcome again.”
A riotous applause followed. Rafa placed a hand on his heart and smiled widely.
Sal made eye contact with him, and all he could do was nod and smile.
Well done, my love, he thought. Of all the moments in life when he had witnessed Sal, he had never seen her more radiant and stepping into her true self.
After the speech, she disappeared into the house, and everyone went back to their activities.
Rafa moved through the crowd and entered the Wedding House, hoping to see her once more and congratulate her.
Once he stepped foot in the house and climbed up the grand staircase, he caught sight of Sal; she was laughing and smiling while speaking to Harmon.
Rafa paused at the threshold, unable to look away.
His mind finally registered that she was laughing and happy with someone else.
He tried to move his body forward, but he couldn’t, so instead he turned around and took a deep breath.
I have to let her go, he thought as he descended the grand wooden staircase again, his head down and his heart heavy.
After leaving the heritage house, he walked down the road and returned to Tampuhan BnB Café.
Unexpectedly, a vibrating sensation in his pocket cut off his train of thought.
He cupped his pockets and pulled out the phone to see Auden’s name on the screen.
“Hello?” he said.
“Rafa, I have the provenance documents ready…”
His fists clenched, and he shook his hands with joy. “That’s perfect!” Rafa exclaimed. This was earlier than he expected, but he wasn’t about to complain.
“But there’s something more,” she said, a graveness to her tone. “You need to bring the grimoire back.”
“What?” Rafa asked, breathless from happiness. “Why? Sal’s exhibit literally just launched.”
“I know that, but the grimoire isn’t just a book, Rafa.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think you dug up something you shouldn’t have.”
With that, Rafa’s mind went blank.