Of course, after a near perfect day, things were bound to go crumbling down. Law of nature na siguro. Dapat balanse palagi.

It's two days before the wedding anniversary of Cyrus's grandparents and Lena still wasn't mentally prepared. If she were Lacey, it would probably be a walk in the park. They'd be all over her, probably admiring every little thing she does, no matter how ordinary. Swerte nga ng kapatid niya sa parents ni Martin, e. Dahil sa matalik na magkakaibigan ang mga magulang nila, hindi na mahirap kay Lacey na pakitunguhan ang parents ni Martin.

Her godmother, Janelle, adores Lacey so much. Parang anak na talaga ang turing nito sa kapatid niya at minsan ay mukhang mas mahal pa nito si Lacey kesa kay Martin. Kapag nag-aaway ang dalawa ay sa kapatid niya ito kumakampi.

She already met Cyrus's dad. Medyo may pagkaseryoso ito pero mabait naman. She didn't know what to expect with his mom and sisters, though. To add to the pressure, hindi lamang pamilya nito ang dadalo sa anniversary. His grandfather's friends will be there too, along with their families. Parang isang komunidad nga raw sa dami, palibhasa'y lumaki ang mga anak ng mga ito na malalapit sa isa't isa. It's like she's meeting the whole clan!

She was tempted to borrow a nice dress from Lacey. At the same time, gusto rin niyang bumili na lamang ng bagong pantalon dahil sikip na iyong ilan. Kumakain na kasi siya kapag umaga at kapag wala siyang magawa, imbes na tumunganga maghapon sa TV ay naghahanap siya ng kakainin sa kusina. It was definitely Cyrus's influence. He might be happy that she's eating well pero siya naman ang namumroblema dahil umuunti ang mga damit na pwede niyang isuot. Mabuti na nga lamang at maluluwag pa ang mga pang-itaas niya.

Yesterday, Cyrus surprised her with a huge Baymax stuffed toy and a bunch of Hershey's kisses. Halos hanggang madaling-araw si ito sa bahay niya. He thought it was a good idea to scare her.

"Bakit ang lamig sa bahay mo? May multo ba rito?" she remembered him asking. Naturally, she will be scared. Malakas pa naman siyang mag-imagine lalo na't mga nakakatakot. So she made him stay until she fell asleep. Hindi niya sigurado kung anong oras na ito nakauwi. She assumed that it's already morning dahil medyo late na rin siyang nakatulog.

They were going to dine out that night. Susunduin na lamang daw siya nito pagkatapos ng trabaho nito. She had nothing to do so she fiddled with some stuff to kill time. Dahil sa kakakalikot ay nakabuo siya ng isang miniature na kalesa yari sa lumang gears ng isang sirang music box at soldering wire. She decided to give it to Cyrus. Wala pa kasi siyang naibibigay dito. Nahihiya na siya dahil tanggap siya nang tanggap.

She sighed when she looked up at the clock. There's still a lot of time before dinner. Halos tatlong oras pa. Kanina pa siya nakaligo at nakapag-ayos. Ayaw kasi niyang pinaghihintay ang kausap kaya maaga siyang nag-aayos.

"Wanna play?" she asked Bailey. Her dog wagged his tail when he saw her pick his toy ball. Naglakad siya papunta sa back wall kasunod ito. She threw the ball and Bailey instantly ran to pick it up. Nakailang bato siya hanggang sa magsawa. Bailey still wanted to play but her arm was starting to get sore from all the throwing. Ikinuha niya ito ng pagkain para ma-distract ito.

"I'll be going out again," paalam niya sa alaga. "Be good, okay? You can play with Melissa and Kiel later."

Melissa and Kiel, the neighbor's children, loves Bailey. Tuwang-tuwa ang mga ito kapag may lakad siya because they get to play with her dog. Kahit nga siguro hindi na niya kunin si Bailey ay ayos lang sa mga ito. Awtomatikong nakaabang ang mga ito sa labas ng bahay kapag paalis na siya. She'll probably give them some chocolates later. It's time to lose the rest of their baby teeth.

She laughed at her own wicked scheme.

--

One hour before their dinner, Cyrus called her to tell her that he can't pick her up.

"Something came up. I'm sorry," he said.

She can't hide the disappointment in her voice. "So hindi na tuloy?"

"If it's okay with you, magkita na lang tayo sa restaurant. Pero kung ayaw mo, set na lang natin sa ibang araw."

"Okay lang," sagot niya. Marunong naman siyang mag-commute. Libre naman nito ang dinner kaya pamasahe lang ang gastos niya.

"All right. I'll see you there."

Pinili niyang mag-dinner sa restaurant ng daddy nito dahil nami-miss na niya 'yong paborito niyang steak. The food was pretty expensive and she knew that Cyrus will still pay kahit tatay nito ang may-ari ng kainan, but he's okay with it. She's been craving for the food there for weeks so she's really looking forward to this dinner.

Agad siyang umalis pagkatapos ng tawag. Halos 45 minutes din siyang nagbyahe dahil sa traffic. When she got there, the place was pretty crowded. Good thing a staff recognized her. Itinuro nito kung nasaan si Cyrus.

He's sitting at a table for two, malapit sa kusina. But to her surprise, he wasn't alone. He's talking animatedly with someone. Mukhang galing airport ang kasama nito. May maleta kasi sa tabi nito. Maybe that's why he couldn't pick her up. May iba kasi itong sinundo.

She couldn't understand why he didn't mention it to her when he called, but then again, he was ready to cancel on her. Siya lamang itong nagpumilit na ituloy ang lakad nila.

She didn't know what to do. Ayaw niyang lumapit sa dalawa dahil nahihiya siyang mang-abala. At the same time, para rin siyang tangang nakatayo sa tabi ng pintuan. Nang lapitan siya ng staff at akmang tatawagin nito ang atensyon ni Cyrus ay lumabas na siya ng restaurant.

Nilakad niya hanggang sa may sakayan, ignoring the ringing of her phone. Pinagtinginan siya ng mga tao sa jeep dahil sa ingay ng phone niya, pero wala siyang pakialam. She was so upset.

Nang makauwi ay agad niyang kinuha si Bailey sa kapitbahay. Nagtataka man ang alaga ay sumunod ito sa kanya papasok ng bahay. He followed her to the back wall when she went there, leaving her phone on the kitchen table along the way. She found the basin full of paint-filled balloons. It's been a while since she used them.

She picked one, squeezed it so hard it almost burst, and then threw it against the wall. Bailey sat by her feet, watching in silence. Kumuha siya nang kumuha hanggang sa maya-maya ay wala na siyang nakapa sa planggana.

Frustrated, she threw the toy she made earlier. Saka siya sumalampak sa higaan ay nagtalukbong ng kumot. Bailey pressed his snout against her cheek, as if asking if she's okay. Yumakap siya rito.

"I don't know why I'm upset, Bai," she told him.

He whimpered in response.

"Why am I upset? I shouldn't be upset, right?"

Kumahol ito ng mahina.

"I should have said something. But he should have told me that he's meeting someone else." She grunted. Wala siyang gana pero kumakalam pa rin ang sikmura niya sa gutom, which made her more frustrated. Gusto talaga niyang kumain noong steak!

Her phone began ringing again. Bumangon siya at hinintay na matapos ang pagtunog noon. Then she put the phone in silent. Itinago niya ang phone sa loob ng closet at saka binuksan ang laptop para umorder ng pizza.

The pizza came 30 minutes later, but she had no appetite to eat, so she left the box on the table after giving Bailey a slice. Thinking that Cyrus would probably come over later, pinatay na niya lahat ng ilaw pagkatapos kumain ni Bailey. She laid there on the bed, with Bailey on her side, and stared at the glow in the dark stars Cyrus helped her put on the ceiling weeks before. She wished she could take them down so she won't have to look at them. They remind her of Cyrus. And it's making her more upset.

Bandang alas diez nang marinig niya ang pamilyar na tunog ng sasakyan ni Cyrus. Hinigpitan niya ang yakap kay Bailey nang iwagayway nito ang buntot.

"Don't get up," she whispered. Bailey whimpered but stayed in bed.

"Lena?" Cyrus called.

Kumatok ito nang ilang beses. Nakailang tawag din ito sa kanya. But he eventually gave up. Maybe he thought that she's out somewhere or asleep. Whatever it is, nakahinga siya nang maluwag nang umalis na ito. But a part of her was disappointed because he left so soon.