"Are you okay?" Reyona heard faintly through the ringing in her ear.
It took her a moment before she could look up at the woman.
Concern was evident on her face, and she had even raised her hand as if she wanted to support Reyona, but when Reyona looked up, she quickly drew her hands back.
Reyona nodded, or at least she hoped she managed to do that much.
She held on tightly to the chair, made her way around it, and then sat down carefully.
She set her walking cane aside and just took a minute.
"What is wrong with me?" she thought in worry as she remembered that she was supposed to see the doctor that morning too.
She had cancelled it because of her change of plans.
Was this her punishment for ignoring her health for something that shouldn't be her concern?
Her head was pounding terribly, and it seemed like there was a naughty nymph in there doing salsa in her brain.
She felt clammy and thought she might pass out after all.
"Way to go, girl," she thought to herself sarcastically.
She would have to call Toria back and chalk this whole trip as a big waste of time after all.
Something cool nudged her hand, and she slowly looked up as fast as her head would allow her.
The tall, cool glass of water in Fiona's hand beckoned to her like a panacea.
The woman must have silently called the waiter over and requested it while Reyona dealt with the few-second, semi-blackout.
She held the cool glass with both hands, and the chill penetrated her skin and somehow helped her clammyness even before the water cleared her head a bit as she sipped it.
"Uhm, are you fine now?" Fiona asked again.
Worry was still evident on her face, but it wasn't just that; there was also a strain on her face.
Even as Reyona nodded and the concern reduced, the strain was still there. Her sombre dress only made the slight paleness on her face stark.
Fiona Carvalho looked around, then back at Reyona "I don't know. If you want, I have aspirin with me." Reyona's speculation must have shown on her face because she immediately added, "I take it about with me because I have some... pains these days and I need them handy."
Reyona nodded and stretched out her hand for the aspirin.
The woman showed her the sachet as if she wanted Reyona to see that it was really aspirin, and then she shook two out onto Reyona's outstretched hand.
Reyona took the medicine, and while waiting for it to kick in, she slowly drank her water while thinking.
Even though she didn't make it obvious, she studied the woman's countenance.
Though she couldn't remember her, she could see how thin the woman looked beneath those mounds of black she had on.
She wasn't slim; she was just emaciated in that way, which suggested that she used to have more flesh on her, but she had drastically lost it.
Her hair lacked the lustre of the natural blond sheen; it looked like a ghost of itself.
Her eyes…
"Are you better now?" Fiona's breathy voice pulled Reyona out of her thoughts.
She smiled at the woman as she responded truthfully. "Yes, I am better now."
She truly was.
The aspirin seemed to have kicked in, and the headache had slowly reduced.
Though there was still a lingering weird feeling vibrating beneath her skin the more she looked at the woman, the clamminess had stopped altogether.
"What happened to your legs?" Fiona asked again. "I am so sorry. I had no idea you were unwell; I wouldn't have brought you all the way here. I have no idea where you were staying, so I could only call."
"No, don't worry about it. It was just a little accident, but I can assure you that I am better now. I missed my step the other time, and I guess I am a little tired too."
The woman looked like she didn't believe her but she nodded. "Okay"
"I am sorry about your loss," Reyona said to prompt whatever the meeting was about.
"Thank you," Fiona said immediately. Then, "I am sorry about your loss too."
Then, immediately after she said it, she added, "Though I don't know if it could be much of a loss to you because of what my aunt and Thomas did to you."
Reyona had no idea if the woman was subtly making a barb at her colourful dress, so she only smiled.
But then she realised she was wrong when Fiona moved closer to her on the table.
She reached out her hand like she wanted to take Reyona's hand, but then she pulled her hand back again and placed it on her lap as she said urgently, "I know it is shameless of me to come to you like this, but I have no other options. If I were you, I wouldn't even want anything to do with this family after what they did to you. I can't imagine what I would have done if Fabiano, bless his soul, ever did that to me."
When the woman paused and reached for her teacup, Reyona thought she was supposed to say something, so she simply said, "Thank you for telling me about it."
Fiona's lip hardly touched the cup before she placed it back on the table and said, "It was the least I could do. I fought with my aunt about it, and I had no intention of coming back here again, but then..."
"Then she died," Reyona completed.
"Actually, I was thinking of coming here even before Mary called."
"Oh?" Reyona said as she leaned back in her chair and adjusted her slightly aching feet.
"Yes, but then Mary called, and I had to come immediately. Then I realised that the kids were at her place, and Thomas had not been found yet. You are an angel, Reyona. I have no idea how you could still be generous enough to pay for the care of those children, despite how their existence must remind you of what happened."