The Cat's Tail

Chapter 30 - A Needed Push?

One day in the month of May, just a few minutes before Callisto and the others' shifts end, the other workers taking over were arriving one by one.

"Heya, Calli," a lady in her late teens greeted as she walked past the counter where the young lady was at, a soft smile tugging the corners of her lips. "Looking cute today as usual, huh."

Callisto smiled back at the woman as she watched her walk towards the personnel only door.

"Heya, Josephine!"

A couple more people entered the establishment at the same time. The two guys greeted Calli with the same bright expression as her.

"Hey there, Mandjet."

"Afternoon, Callisto."

"Shino, Hugo, good afternoon."

Just as the two guys entered the personnel only door, the last employee of the next shift came in. A girl seemingly as old as Josephine stopped in front of the counter.

"Hi, Calli!" A cheerful expression was plastered on the woman's face. "How's the novel I lent you yesterday? Was it to your liking?"

The mention of novel always seemed to bring out the most joy in Callisto. It showed how much she loves reading.

"Yes, I like it a lot. But if there's one thing I can critique about it, it's the fanservice, I guess. The story is great, but it feels like there's too many fanservice."

The girl belted out a hearty laugh, as if she was expecting to hear exactly the words Callisto spouted just now.

"Don't worry," said the girl, shooting a playful smile at the silver-haired girl. "There will be more fanservice in it. Really spicy ones at that."

Callisto could only force a chuckle at the woman's words. "Do you have any more recommendations, Pat? Ones with a lot less fanservice?"

Before Pat could name another novel, Hinata inserted himself into their conversation after reorganizing one of the shelves nearby.

"I think you're asking the wrong person, Callisto," he said jokingly, drawing the two girl's attention and a laughter out of the silver-haired girl.

"What do you mean," Pat looked at Hinata, clearly offended by his comment. "I only give the best recommendations!"

"I wouldn't call a book with 80% of its content as fanservice a best recommendation, Patricia."

"Haa? For your information, young man, that's what makes a good book!"

"I'm gonna disagree on you on that. Besides, can't you see how uncomfortable Callisto is about it?"

"That's a normal reaction for first timers in the genre!"

"Fanservice is its own genre?"

Callisto could only laugh her heart out as she listened to the banter between Hinata and Patricia.

Meanwhile, not far outside the convenience store, in the corner of the street parked a white car. Inside that parked car, seated in the driver's seat was Adela, her unreadable gaze fixed towards the convenience store.

What brought her here?

*

*

*

A few days prior to Adela's mysterious visit in Barangay Silangan...

Knock, knock!

... Having heard of the knocking noise coming from behind the door to her office, Adela looked straight towards it.

"Come in," she commanded, and the door was pushed open from outside.

Her assistant came in.

"It's me, Miss Adela," Karen spoke, shutting the door closed behind her. "I'm done with today's task."

"I see," Adela returned her eyes on the paperwork atop her desk, resuming her work. "Then take some rest before you go."

"Yes."

Karen sat down on the sofa in front of Adela's desk, her movement slow and proper. With her eyes closed, she turned silent.

For a solid moment, the office was filled with an air of silence, though it was far from an awkward one.

This silence between Karen and Adela was not uncommon. If it wasn't Karen quietly resting on the sofa before heading out to watch Callisto, it was her doing paperwork in the same office with her boss.

However, today was rather different compared to the last few days.

The tip of Adela's pen stopped from scribbling the paper atop her desk as she glanced at the purple-haired woman.

"What's the matter," Adela asked, breaking the silence in the office with a low and calm voice. "Something in your mind?"

Karen finally opened her eyes, but they remained fixed not towards her boss.

"No," answered the purple-haired lady. "It's nothing, Miss Adela. I'm heading out to Silangan."

Just as Karen stood from the sofa and took the first step towards the door, Adela placed the pen atop the paper on her desk.

"Wait," Adela called, halting her assistant. "Spill it, already. You know I can tell if you have something in mind, right?"

Karen knew about it as well.

It had been more than a couple weeks since Karen was tasked to keep an eye on Adela's daughter. Karen went in and out reporting everything about Callisto's well-being, even that time when she was watching Callisto alone with what she described to Adela as a handsome young man, studying together after their shift in the convenience store.

Karen could tell that information sent a shiver down her boss' spine. It was Adela's protective instinct kicking in before deciding to put that feeling aside.

While giving her boss exactly what she wanted, Karen had also been setting herself up for this very moment, for when Adela finally noticed the burden of Karen's thoughts.

The assistant turned to face her boss. There was a fire in her eyes and Adela jolted upon seeing it.

"Adela," Karen spoke, dropping the honorifics and addressing Adela not as her boss, but as her friend. "What is stopping you from admitting the truth?"

Adela creased her forehead at her assistant's words.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," Karen hit back, striding toward her boss. "It's because of what happened to Leona, right?"

Adela shuddered at the mention of her late daughter, Leona, countless memories came flooding in like tsunami in her mind.

"When you look at Callisto, you're being reminded of that exact moment," Karen added as her stride finally stopped, now standing before Adela across the desk, her serious eyes not leaving Adela's sight. "That time when you can't recognize Leona while looking at her body. When you couldn't feel that connection that should have been there in the first place."

Adela finally stood up, her forehead creasing even more as her patience was slowly peeling off thanks to Karen reiterating what her boss told her back then.

"That's enough from you, Karen." Adela's voice was sharp and commanding.

But, Karen refused to back down. She knew this was exactly what Adela needed. For someone to point out the obvious.

A needed push.

"Until now, you still believe that the body Raymond and Phillip showed you was not Leona's, even though you knew deep down that it was her. You're afraid of coming to terms with it, so you pushed Callisto away and called her a monster."

Adela's breath was caught in her throat. She got off her seat, but all she could do was ball her hands into fists.

For a reason she couldn't put into words, Adela couldn't find it in herself to bark back at her assistant.

After belting out the things she wanted to say to Adela after all this time, the flare in Karen's eyes finally subsided. Replaced with a tenderness. A look that seemed to be hoping to reach out to her suffering friend.

"I'm not a mother like you, Adela, so I can't fully comprehend what it feels like to lose a child. But you should know by now that you've been clinging on nothing but false hope."

A shocked gasp escaped Adela's lips.

Her assistant's words was like a hammer crushing her heart, an extinction level event causing her world to lose every single foundation keeping it afloat except for one that was barely holding on for dear life.

Karen's gaze searched Adela's. Her expression softened and looked as if she was pleading for her friend to listen to her, to reach her.

"Don't you think it's about time you let it go? They're waiting for you. It's your turn to be brave, Adela."

After imparting those words to her boss, Karen turned and started walking towards the door.

Fixing her necktie, she spoke one last time to Adela.

"I'm heading out to Barangay Silangan, Miss Adela. Excuse me."

The sound of the door slamming shut echoed in the office before a defeaning silence followed suit.

A conflicted expression spread across Adela's features, her breathing labored. The world felt like it went into a stand still along with herself, her eyes darting to the family photo on top of her desk.

She looked at it with longing eyes. Almost as if she was hoping to return to the days when everything was all right.

But reality would not allow it.