Chapter 24

Elena's house is at the very end of Brgy. Loria. She is the mother of Marlon, the woman who asked help from Carla. And because they have to pass through narrow alleys, they cannot take Joshua's car and they had to walk to get to their house. 'I'm sorry for giving you a hard time," Elena said. 'It's okay," Carla said. 'I think this is better than taking Marlon to the medical mission earlier." He might infect other residents who attended the outreach program. Or he may catch other virus since his immune system is compromised. After almost seven minutes of walking, they arrived at Elena's house. They immediately went to the room where Marlon is. The kid was very happy to see Joshua. The nine-year old kid seemed to suddenly recover from fever that he suddenly became agile. If only he is not coughing so hard. Carla was right. Marlon is really having an infection. She gave him antibiotics, and also paracetamol for his fever and vitamins to boost his immune system. She also told his parents what to do to help him especially if Marlon's condition did not improve. 'Thank you so much, Doctor. We will do everything you told us," Elena said. Carla smiled. 'That's good." She looked at Marlon. 'Listen to your mom, okay? Drink your medicines and drink lots of water." Marlon nodded, then coughed again. Joshua winced at the sound of his cough. 'Thank you also, Joshua," Elena said. 'Thank you for visiting Marlon." 'You're welcome," Joshua said. 'I'm happy to see Marlon. And thank you for supporting me." 'It's a pity we can't watch you anymore." Joshua did not comment on that. After giving more instructions to Marlon's parents, Carla and Joshua left. Elena was asking them to stay, as well as Jun, her husband. 'Why don't you stay here for the night?" Jun asked. 'It might rain, and the road is quite dangerous when that happens." 'That's right," Elena agreed. 'You can go home tomorrow." 'I don't think it will rain," Joshua said. He said that even though the sky is telling them otherwise. It's just five in the afternoon but it looks like six already. 'I'll just drive faster," Joshua added. 'We really need to go back because my shift is early tomorrow," Carla said. The couple wasn't able to stop the two. They just gave them an umbrella just in case the rain pours. 'This is the only umbrella that we have, so I hope this will do," Elena said. 'I think we won't be needing it," Joshua said. 'My car is just nearby, so it won't take long for us to go there." 'Bring it just in case," Elena insisted. Joshua and Carla just agreed so that they can leave. The couple let them go, but they were not mistaken about the rain. They were just a few meters away from the house when the rain poured down. The rain was so hard that even though they have an umbrella, it is still not enough to keep them dry. Well, Carla was just a little bit wet. But because the umbrella is quite small and Joshua does not want to get too close to her, his back was drenched in rain. In the end, Joshua has no choice but to hold Carla's shoulder. He did that to make sure he can cover her properly with the umbrella. He tried to ignore the awkwardness he's feeling because the heavy raindrops are more bothersome. At last, they arrived at Joshua's car. Carla was the first to get in, and she immediately felt the hot passenger seat. Maybe it's because it was exposed to the hot sun for a long time earlier. She didn't complain because she felt ashamed, but Joshua also felt it when he sat on the driver's seat. 'Whoa! It's too hot!" he said. He turned on the engine so that the air-condition would somehow lessen the heat. He also opened the window on the backseat for the heat to get out. 'The rain is so heavy," Carla observed. Joshua looked at her. Carla is looking outside the window watching the pouring rain. 'Ria was wrong when she said it won't rain," Joshua said. Carla then looked at him. 'I'm sorry that you were stranded here with me." 'It's okay," Joshua said. 'At least you're with me." Carla just blinked at him. 'I mean, at least, you're not alone," Joshua explained. 'If I didn't stay, you would have been alone." Carla realized what he meant. She smiled and nodded at him. Then she looked outside the window to watch the pouring rain again. Joshua started feeling cold. He closed the windows and turned down the aircon a bit. He can't close it completely because they might suffocate. They can't completely open the windows because of the heavy rain. His wet clothes are the problem. He can't even lean on his back and he can tell he will shiver anytime soon. 'That's a lot of water," he said, pertaining to the rain. It's his strategy – to engage in a conversation with Carla – to divert his mind to not think of the cold. 'To think it's summer." 'Isn't that the reason why the rain is heavy?" Carla asked. 'It's very hot, so the evaporation that took place was also intense." 'Wow! Science," Joshua said. 'Are you implying that I'm a geek?" Carla's eyes narrowed as she looks at him. Joshua felt a little frightened by Carla's reaction. "I'm not implying anything." He suddenly felt colder. Carla slowly smirked. 'It was a joke. Don't be too serious." Joshua just grimaced at her. Carla grinned. 'You know, my dad said that summer rain is a blessing," Carla said. She continued when Joshua didn't react. 'Think about this: It's too hot. The crops are drying up, so the livelihood of the farmers is destroyed. There is also little rice produced, so there is a shortage in food supply. So when it rains and the crops are watered, they do not dry up." 'Yeah, but they can also use irrigation system," Joshua said. 'Well, I was just a kid back then and it's hard for me to grasp that concept yet," Carla said. She once again looked outside the window turning his back on him. Joshua just smiled. He didn't argue with Carla, not only because he can't think of another joke to counter what she said. It's also because of the discomfort that he's starting to feel. He can feel the cold creeping on his muscles and he's not liking the sensation it gives him. Carla continued watching the rain pour down, which lasted for almost an hour. Yes, the sky just stopped pouring water down the earth instantly, as if nothing happened. The only evidence of the heavy rain is the wet ground outside Joshua's car. Speaking of Joshua… Carla looked at him again. 'The rain stopped pou–" Carla paused when she saw Joshua sleeping. She frowned at him. Did he just sleep on her? 'Josh…" she called as she tried to wake him up. 'Hey, Josh!" Since he's not waking up, she decided to shake him. 'Josh, the rain has stopped… Josh!" Carla looked at Joshua's arm that she's holding. She frowned again, but this time, because of what she felt. She touched his forehead, and her suspicion was confirmed. 'Josh…! Josh…!" She tried to wake him up again. And because she is touching his shoulder, she then found out what may have been the cause of his condition. Joshua's shirt is wet. Carla remembered when they were walking in the rain earlier. She was thankful that the umbrella protected them well, but she's the only one who did not get wet. Joshua's back is so damp, and Carla can't help but feel guilty. He protected her from the rain, so he totally soaked. The aircon made it worse. Joshua needs to change his clothes immediately. Carla looked at the backseat. This is his car, so Joshua might have a spare T-shirt hidden somewhere. But there's none. Carla has no choice but to ask help from the residents of Brgy. Loria. She glanced at Joshua, quietly telling him to wait for her as she tries to ask for help outside.