Chapter42

Rita could see that the woman was moved to tears. She quickly walked over to her side, handing her a tissue. She comforted her as best as she could, vowing to find Rodrigo at all cost. She couldn't stand to watch the woman in pain knowing what she was going through. "Please, stop crying. Rodrigo wouldn't want to see you like this, we need to put heads together to find your son". "First it was Sophia, now it's my son, Rodrigo. Oh Lord, would I be a childless widow before I die" she sobbed. Rita fought to keep the tears at bay. She couldn't cry knowing fully well that it wouldn't solve anything. Her best bet was to find ways she could find Rodrigo and she wouldn't hesitate to use every available resources within her hands. Camille stopped crying soon, dabbing her eyes with the tissue Rita handed her. When she certified that she wouldn't cry again, Rita went back to her seat. "He always talked about you. Everyday, he talks about how pretty and caring you are", Camille smiled. Rita blushed at this. She didn't know that Rodrigo talked fondly about her to his mother, she was secretly glad that their relationship didn't just end within the four walls of the office. "I know that the two of you are in love. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me", she smiled. Rita was beyond relieved after hearing this. She had been thinking of ways she could break this to the woman and here she was telling her not to worry about it. "Thank you ma'am, that means a lot", Rita smiled. "Please, call me Camille" she said. "Okay. Camille, we need to find ways we can employ to find Rodrigo. Just like you said, I don't think Rodrigo would willingly leave us blank knowing what he means to us", Rita said. "You're right. The last time I saw him which was the day you said, he appeared normal. The last time I saw him was when he said he'll be going to the mini Mart to get some groceries. When he didn't return, I panicked but I decided to remain quiet being that he's a man and maybe needed some time to think but it's over a week now and still no sign of him", Camille said. "I think the first place we should start looking is from the Mart. It's a good thing tomorrow is a Saturday. Would you be strong enough to accompany me?", Rita asked. Already, a plan was already taking shape in her head and if all goes well, Rodrigo would be back in no time. "Yes, it's for my son", she said. There was a grim determination in her eyes and Rita heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that she wouldn't have any problems with the woman. "Okay but if you don't feel up to it, you can always stay back. I love your son too much to risk your life", Rita said. "Don't worry about it. I know that you love him and I can't wait for everything to work out well", she smiled. "Thank you. You don't know what this means to me, I'll find your son even if it's the last thing I do", Rita vowed. "Thank you. You know, when his sister died, Rodrigo was a shadow of himself. I watched him go on for days without food and the only time he ate was when I threatened to disown him", she chuckled. "He told me all about it. I'm sorry for your loss". "It's been a long time. Sometimes, I hardly remember it. I've come to learn one thing about him, when he loves, he loves wholeheartedly", she said. "He talked about it and you and I can say that Rodrigo has a heart of gold. Please, if I'm not prying, what happened to his father", Rita said. Camille remained quiet for a long time. Rita could see the wheels in her head spinning as she tried to form a sentence. "Rodrigo's father didn't die as you've been made to know" Rita sat up upon hearing this news. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, all her days with Rodrigo, she's been made to believe that his father died. Hearing this from her had her feeling confused. "You mean, his father is alive!", Rita stuttered. "Yes... Somewhere", she said vaguely. "I don't understand", Rita said with a confused expression on her face. "In due time, everything would be revealed. Please, don't inform Rodrigo about this. I never told him that his father isn't dead. If I did, I'm sure he'll go looking for him. He's always been so inquisitive. Let this just be between us please", she said, dabbing a rouge tear from her eyes. "Your secret is safe with me Camille. Even though I don't know the reason behind keeping it from him, I trust you", Rita said. "Thank you. I knew I could count on you. What time do we go to the Mart tomorrow?", she asked. "Okay, just write down your address. I'll come pick you up", Rita said. Camille nodded, scribbling her address on a piece of paper Rita handed her. She rose to ger feet, ready to leave. Rita felt sad at this. She had come to love and respect the woman and she renewed her commitment in finding her son. "I forgot to thank you for saving my life by including me into your health care system. Through this, I've been able to get on my feet", she smiled. "You've thanked me enough Camille, please it's okay", Rita said. She escorted her towards the door, promising and reassuring her that Rodrigo would be found. She was a bit happy knowing that she had found a friend in her. "Would ten a.m be okay tomorrow?", Rita asked. "Yes, I'll be ready. Thank you Rita, see you tomorrow", she said before leaving the office. Rita sighed as she went back to her seat. She had a lot of work to do as regards finding Rodrigo and if she was to succeed, she needed to begin early. Delay was dangerous especially since she didn't know where he could be.