Cold Feet (COMPLETED)

Rainflower

"What are your plans?"

"I don't know. I don't know if I even have a job still. I don't want to go back to work and face all the people's questions. I don't know if He would still be willing to work with me."

"Dei, I'm going to Vietnam to spend time with Frank. But I can't leave you like this."

"Go. Don't mind me."

"Don't mind you? Fuck, you have to snap out of this. How are you going back to him looking like this?"

"Do you think we'll ever get back? He practically washed his hands off me."

"I hate to say this but whose fault was that? You made a total mess out of the situation. Oh God, don't start crying on me again."

But that's exactly what she did. Andrew saw Dei slowly losing more and more of herself. Being alone most of the time was not doing her any good. He decided to take matters into his hands.

"Get up, Dei."

"I don't want to."

"Are you getting up or do I drag you to the bathroom and give you a shower myself? I swear I will take off all your clothes and give you a shower."

He started pulling her out the bed and pulled her shirt over her head.

"You stink! When was the last time you showered?"

"Stop it! Alright, alright, I'll shower."

"Good girl. Pack some clothes, maybe two weeks' worth."

"Why?"

"I'm taking you to Vietnam with me. We're leaving in two days."

"But what if Jay comes for me and I'm not here?"

"You can call him if you want."

"Bad idea. No."

"Look Dei. Even if he comes for you, looking like that won't really help. Are you ready to be with him again? Have you resolved all the conflicts within you?"

"I guess not."

"Then you're nowhere near reconciling with him."

-----

February 2014

Dei was pleasantly surprised that Vietnam provided the balm to her spirit that she badly needed. Ho Chi Minh offered her a change of scenery that was not too far removed from home. The food was good and healthy, the people were friendly. At night, she liked going around Ben Thanh Market, because it reminded her so much of the Philippines.

Andrew looked so happy with his new partner Frank. They were every inch the couple in love, and Dei had to admit she envied Andrew. With regret, she now realized how silly she was to let her fears get away with her. But those fears still existed within her, and she knew she must fix herself, away from him first before she could ever go back and claim him again.

For now, she liked it here. Both Andrew and Frank were earning as models, and even she was picked twice on a go-see to appear in a TV commercial. The three of them began discussing the possibility of settling in Vietnam indefinitely. On one of their shoots, Dei had the chance to chat with a client, which led to her first consultancy account for digital marketing. They were shooting a video for posting on Facebook, and Dei could not resist giving advice.

"Linh, thanks for including me in this shoot. Are you using this for a youtube post?"

"It's for our FB page actually. We shoot a new video every quarter to post our latest designs."

"Oh. How's the campaign so far?"

"We boost the video for reach actually, so far so good, we are able to hit our KPIs for reach."

"Yes, but do you measure the impressions too? That would give you an idea if your campaign is creating impact or not."

"Hmmm.....impressions mean views, likes and shares?"

"And comments too. Do you have someone handling your comments?"

"No, I answer the comments when I can."

"Tell your agency to assign someone to handle that."

"We don't have agency we just handle it in-house. Digital marketing is new here, not many practice. You know a lot about it, you like to handle our account?"

"Me? But I don't know if I am allowed to do that."

"I fix your papers to work here. You want? I need help with my brand, I want you to handle."

And so, Dei set up her consultancy for digital marketing in Ho Chi Minh, with Frank and Andrew as her co-owners. After barely a month of operations, they were able to get five more accounts, with Linh referring clients to them. Pretty soon, Linh left her job to join them and served as their Accounts Director. She helped them find other agencies to tie up with for services they could not handle on their own, or hire people to join their team.

All this helped Dei survive the pain of losing Richard. Her end goal was still to go back to him, by the time she was mentally and emotionally strong enough to face him. She knew she had a long way to go, she was aware it was a gamble, that he might meet someone and marry while she was away but it was a chance she was willing to take. Maybe the time apart would tell if they were really meant for each other.

And then one Saturday morning, as she was having coffee in her favorite coffee shop, she suddenly felt a strange awareness, the kind she felt only when she was with Richard. She looked around, her heart hammering, her breath catching in her throat.

He was here in Vietnam, and he was looking straight at her.