Hello again, Manila
Chapter Twelve
Hot and Humid
SAL
14 hours later
Theywalkedoutofthe 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 & Willow!<3She looked ecstatic and was waving excitedly.
Sal looked back at Willow and gave her a confused look as Willow grinned back playfully.“I found her on Fiverr!Our very own assistant.Don’t worry about the cost.I’ve got it covered.Let’s go.”She waved back to the girl and urged Sal to follow along.
“Welcomepo!How was your flight?”Her voice sounded sweet and almost melodic.“My name is Theola,” she said, shaking her hand and then Willow’s after.
“It was good, thank you,” Sal responded with a smile.
“So happy to meet youuuu!”she gushed as she gingerly pulled out an envelope from a lilac-colored laptop bag.“And I have your itinerary here, as instructed.”
Everything Theola did seemed to have a lilt of fascination and excitement to it.It was light and refreshing, and what they needed for going up against someone like Harmon.She led them to a cobalt-blue Volkswagen Beetle.Sal knew little about cars, but she could tell it was an older model.The paint job made the car look well-maintained.Theola bent over and waved at someone in the car, mouthed something, and the back door opened to reveal a giddy young man in the front seat.He had reached over from the driver’s seat to open the back door and waved at them to say hello.
After they loaded their luggage and entered the car, the driver greeted them.“Mainit, no?1” he said to Sal, first flashing a wide smile with colorful braces, and then turned to Willow pushing his large aviator-shaped spectacles up his nose and asked, “Is this your first time in the Philippines?”
“Yeah.Happy to be here.”She smiled back.
Theola sat in the passenger seat, and after buckling her seatbelt, she turned to Sal and Willow.“This is my boyfriend and designated driver for today, Nico,” she said in a much gentler tone, and looked at him tenderly.
Nico turned the key in the ignition.His curly black hair draped over his forehead was the only thing visible in the rearview mirror.“Where to,po?”
“Our Airbnb, please,” Willow said.
“I got this,” Theola chimed in as she reached for her phone and pulled up an app for the directions.
With a slight jostle, the little Volkswagen Beetle set off into the bright Manila sun.
***
Willow pulled up the image of the Airbnb on her phone and showed it to Sal.The old walk-up apartment had looked rustic and vintage in the listing, but the only thing rustic and vintage about it was the crawling bougainvillea in the overgrown front garden.
“Maybe give it a shot?”Sal shrugged.
After pulling their heavy luggage up to the fifth floor with the help of Theola and a very sweaty Nico, they finally stood in front of their unit.The other units looked either empty or in dire need of repair.
“The owner said to grab the key from under a dehydrated little cactus,” Willow mentioned, and she did so.
They unlocked the door and slowly opened it.As soon as they did, Theola’s face twisted, and Sal put a hand to her mouth.It smelled like an old sewer pipe had burst and had dried up.
