The Cat's Tail

Raymond and Oner walked together towards the doctor's car in the parking lot.

"So, how is he doing," inquired Oner as they stood right next to Raymond's car.

"Phillip, huh," Raymond responded. "So far, he's doing okay. At least that's the impression I get from him ever since we landed back here from overseas until now."

"Are you sure, though? You literally just pulled him back from the same situation that made him go away, thinking he is at fault. Only this time, it ended differently for good."

"I know how difficult it must have been for him to agree and help me, and yet he did. For that, I'm truly grateful for Phillip. But..."

"The only way we can make sure about how he feels is by getting him to speak," Oner interjected, speaking the words right out of Raymond's mouth even before they come out.

Raymond nodded in agreement.

"I'll talk to him."

Oner's chuckle spilled from his mouth.

"You better do it before you forget."

"I won't."

Raymond opened the car to the driver's seat.

"I'll leave Callisto in your care, then."

"I got it."

Oner walked backwards, giving space for Raymond to maneuver his vehicle and exit the parking lot.

*

*

*

The sun finally retired. Lights from houses, establishments, and the road had all been turned on, filling the empty darkness that had once been occupied by the blazing star from the skies.

After a while of driving from the district of Silangan, Raymond returned to the Mandjet Medical Center, entering the parking lot.

With a thought of staying in his office for the night, the doctor looked for a vacant spot in the hospital's parking lot.

Almost coincidentally, right at the spot where Raymond chose to park his car...

"Hm?"

... there a stood a very familiar face.

As if collecting his thoughts to formulate the right words to spell out loud, Raymond took a solid moment, staring right at the fierce-looking lady right outside his car, before helping himself out.

"I wasn't expecting you to show up at a place like this," said the doctor, his voice as calm as a calm sea. "Whatever is the matter, Adela?"

"I heard you took some clothes from home," Adela responded, her expression commanding, demanding answer from Raymond rather than a question. "Both yours and Callisto's."

A smirk played on Raymond's lips.

"I didn't expect to hear our daughter's name to come out of your mouth either, at least not right now. Have you perhaps finally come to terms with reality?"

"Quit acting like a kid, Raymond." The fierce look in Adela's feature warped with annoyance.

Keeping the annoying smirk on his face, the husband replied, "You could say the same to yourself. Although it does suit you sometimes."

A slight flush appeared on Adela's cheeks as she gritted her teeth from her husband's teasing remark. Adela let out a sigh to recompose herself, bringing out the fierce expression on her features once more.

"Why did you let her live alone in an apartment?"

"Because it's what she wanted," Raymond answered almost immediately.

"You..."

Adela looked at Raymond in complete disbelief.

"You allowed her like it's not a big deal at all?! Where do you think she got that idea from?"

The doctor proceeded to explain their daughter's reasoning for moving alone. In detail.

"What? Anime? Tooko Towa?"

Adela was certainly beyond perplexed.

In Raymond's defense, living alone could be a very valuable experience for Callisto as it would help her learn a lot of things, especially being an independent individual.

"I agree. Living alone can be beneficial as it comes with learning a lot of things and to be able to become self-reliant."

Adela's response in his defense left Raymond surprised. At least until she continued to speak.

"But that becomes a big problem now because of what you did to her!"

The world has always been a very dangerous place. However, Callisto's peculiar case would certainly make it even more dangerous than it already is for her.

Adela was filled with overwhelming frustration against Raymond that she had forgotten that the reason they were arguing right now was because of the girl she rejected as her daughter. Right now, the only thing in her mind was her concern for her daughter, Callisto.

Raymond looked at Adela, his expression was like a man growing tired of the same thing happening over and over and wanted to move on from it.

"You're still mad at me for saving our daughter?"

Right after hearing the word "daughter," the image of Adela's cherished second daughter, Callisto, before the operation appeared in her mind before it transitioned to her new appearance. It then reminded Adela of herself looking at the lifeless body of her eldest daughter, her unrecognizable face, and the connection that was no longer there.

Grab!

Adela grabbed Raymond by his collared shirt. With all her strength, she tried her best to lift him up. Although realistically, all she could do was just tug his collared shirt up.

"You did not save Callisto! You made a monster!"

A long exhausted sigh escaped Raymond's lips.

"You're probably right," said Raymond as he felt Adela's grasp on his shirt softened just a tiny bit. "Maybe I did turn her into something else, a monster if you will. But what exactly do you expect to do? There's no way I can just ignore my dying daughter's wish, knowing that I'm the only one who could make it a reality."

"..."

Adela's grasp softened even more, not knowing what to do in the midst of conflicting thoughts brought upon by the words her husband spelled out.

Seeing the opportunity to hopefully stir up Adela's thoughts more for good, Raymond placed a gentle hand around her wrists.

"I made a promise to myself before the operation."

The look of frustration disappeared from Adela's features as she looked at Raymond straight in his eyes.

"If Callisto lives after the MDF, I promised that I would do anything for her happiness. I don't care if other people might see it as spoiling her, as long as I can see her smile and be happy."

"Raymond..."

Adela found herself releasing her husband's collared shirt from her hold.

Watching her walk backwards slowly, unable to articulate herself, Raymond could see the wall Adela put around herself after a bitter past beginning to show their cracks.

Raymond opted to push further.

"You should do the same as well, Adela."

Just as he tried to reach out to give her shoulder a gentle pat, Raymond found his wife desperately clinging to the wall that was on the verge of breaking.

"She's not my daughter," Adela declared fiercely as she shoved her husband's arm away.

After that exchange, Adela turned and walked away, her head was down as she disappeared from Raymond's view.

Fixing his collared shirt, the husband's gaze lingered to the direction where Adela disappeared into. A tiny grin sprung up his face.

"Back then, it took a lot longer for her to accept the truth," he spoke to himself. "But it looks like I got nothing to worry about. All that's left is to wait and let the person worthy of breaking that wall to do the deed."

Raymond walked back to the car to grab his lab coat before making his way to the hospital, a smartphone in his hand.

"Hey, Phillip, you still in the hospital? Already home, huh? Well, we can talk about it tomorrow."