Dan has been on a business trip to Canada with Michael for weeks now. The house was empty, leaving only Celia at home.The loneliness was killing her; she wanted company. She was bored and missed her son and nephew. The urge to do something to kill the boredom began, so she went on a shopping spree and then on lunch dates with some of her friends.In one of the conversations she had with her friends at their previous lunch,One of her friends, Martha, kept bragging.“My son’s wedding would be the talk of not only the state but the country. We plan on having it on for a week; the first day would be a welcome dinner at a scenic outdoor venue for all our guests; the second day would be rehearsal dinner; and the…” Celia cut in.“Oh, that would be lovely, but when is this wedding?” Celia asked; she knew she was lying. Her son was recently rumored to be gay, a rumor that she started when she saw them kissing at one of the bars her cousin owned.“Well, some time this year.” Martha said, avoi

Unlike Dan, who was Mama’s boy, Michael preferred to stay in the hotel. He lived there most of the time. His parents disowned him after he made a terrible mistake that ruined his family’s image and company. He didn’t reveal the whole story to his aunt Celia, but she still welcomed him and tried to help him anyway she could.His Interests were always peculiar and weird. When he was a teenager, he hated wearing boxers because they felt uncomfortable when he wore trousers, and he’d prefer pink pants to other colors. He likes bright colors and would want to try them out at school, which got him the nickname rainbow.Michael had a hard time adjusting to school; he was always picked on, and when he reacts, the other person gets hurt, and his dad punishes him at home.He had to put up with everything because he didn’t want to ruin the family image. Even when he graduated from high school, his dad decided everything for him. From college choice to career, and also hired a woman to check if

Someone knocked at Dan’s office three times.“Come in.” He approved, but didn’t look up.No one came in. After a while, someone knocked six times.He got irritated and bit down on the urge to curse out loud.“If I hear that knock one more time, You will lose your job.” He almost raised his voice to a high pitch.The door slightly opened after the threat. A man appeared, smiling with open arms.“Guess who’s back?” It was his younger brother.“Pascal? You have got to be kidding me.” Dan stood up and went straight for the hug.“You infected me with your hugs before you left the country.” They both laughed.“My big brother’s company is growing.” He praised.“Yes, yes. When did you get back?” Dan asked. Going back to his seat while Pascal looked around.“A week ago.” He answered, looking for a place to sit.“Does Mom know?” Dan asked, aware of the answer.“No, and I don’t intend to let her know.” Pascal answered with a grin.“You need to settle things. I’m tired of being thought of as

Michael woke up an hour later. His eyes were struggling to open, and he couldn’t process where he was. The lights were too bright to adjust to, so he looked around instead; he was lying on a soft, big bed, and decorative dark portraits were hung on three sides of the walls. He managed to lift his head when a knock followed by a twist on the door knob caught his attention.The door was pushed open slowly, and someone appeared. It was Sarah holding a tray with both hands, with a cup of water and a bowl of porridge on the tray.He saw Sarah and he couldn’t believe in was in her houses. The room didn’t feel like a lady’s room; it was too plain to be Sarah’s house. ‘Where was he’ He thought; he could barely remember anything that happened after he blanked out.It was obviously not Sarah’s room; he knew from the paintings that the room was all white, and the portraits captured more buildings than flowers that girls would have.There was nothing girly on sight, and he knew Sarah wasn’t the

“Mom? Why are you up?” Dan met his mom in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee. He glanced at the time; it was 5:40 a.m. His mom wasn’t the type to be up so early since she was a late-night sleeper, but for some reason he knew he was probably the reason she was awake so early. It was the weekend, and he was up getting ready for his 6 a.m. exercise (jog).He thought his mom was still asleep; since she was up, he knew the next thing from the way she frowned and her lack of response to his greeting. He knew he was right. What she was going to say about him was going to be about her women’s club or about Belinda. Though for some time she hasn’t spoken about her, he figured she had accepted that he didn’t want her.The thoughts of what his mom was up to caused his memory of his last encounter with Belinda to suffice; leaving her in the middle of nowhere and leaving her was supposed to engrave guilt and regret, which he didn’t have, especially after confirming her safe arrival at home.“Mo