Toria was waiting for Reyona at the rented house.
"You have this here, and you were camping out at the office, Rey? Why? Tell me why you had to make me go through this trauma." Toria asked dramatically as she came to meet Reyona at the car.
"Oh, I am sorry. I had no idea I was the wicked witch. I guess you won't want these yummy cookies then," Reyona said with a smile as she pulled back the box she was about to hand to Toria.
"What? No. Did I ever mention that you are the best sister in the whole world? No? Well, I am saying it now. The very best. Nobody can compare to you."
So saying, she had snatched the box from Reyona while simultaneously reaching for one of the chocolate chip cookies.
"Ooohhm," she moaned as she crammed the whole piece into her mouth before carting the box off to the porch.
"This is life. Come and enjoy life with me, Reyona," she said in a heartfelt tone.
Reyona merely shook her head and continued on her way to the door.
"I am not sitting out here to give our neighbours a chance to raise an alarm because of two noisy sisters. Come in or enjoy yourself alone out here."
"What neighbours?" Toria asked innocently as she looked around like she couldn't see a thing. "I swear this place is more set apart and silent than your place. I mean, how can people live like this? My future husband had better be ready. I want a place where I can tell the kind of soup my neighbour is cooking just by the smell of it. I want a place where we can all get into each other's business and I can gossip about the neighbour's silly kid and the dog that wouldn't stop peeing in the garden, and... Rey?"
Toria stopped her list of wants when she realised that Reyona had entered. "What a spoilsport," she said loudly enough for Reyona to hear.
Then, as she carted her box of goodies in, she muttered, "I still need to ask mom and dad a serious question. One of us must be adopted. The question is, Which one?"
A few minutes later, she was laughing loudly while scattering the crumbs around.
Reyona was telling her about what happened at the restaurant.
"Oh, my God. Why is it that you don't do all these things when I am there? Come on. It is not fair!"
Reyona smiled and said, "Don't worry. When next I want to let loose on someone, I will give you heads up first."
Toria laughed and sipped her wine.
"We should be out celebrating and painting the town red tonight. I mean, why on earth would you choose to cook after such a day that you have had? I would be jumping in my skin!"
"Well, cooking relaxes me. Also, I like my vegetables as fresh as possible."
Toria made a gagging sound. "I want my vegetables cooked and ready to be served to me. Cooking relaxes you? Why? I am a disaster in the kitchen."
"That is why I am not asking you to help me here. We both know how that would end."
Toria stuck her tongue out at Reyona and then sighed. "I will probably starve to death or depend on you forever."
"Yeah, right," Reyona snorted.
"You should pity me and swear to cook for me for the rest of your life, you know. You are my sister. That should be your duty."
"No, my duty is trying to show you how to cook. You almost burned down my kitchen the last time, remember?" Reyona said with a laugh.
"That is because..." Toria gave up and playfully threw her napkin at Reyona.
Reyona laughed harder as she snatched the napkin mid-air and threw it right on the cookies.
"Just watch out for me. I am going to marry a world-class chef. I won't need to cook, then I will send you every picture of every meal he makes for me just so I can oppress you with my good fortune."
"Good luck on that, Cinderella," Reyona threw back.
As they sat down to a dinner of well-garnished brown rice pasta, herbed shrimp, and watercress salad later, Toria gave Reyona a thoughtful look and said, "You know what?"
"I am sure you are about to tell me."
Toria rolled her eyes and continued, "I think you have been holding back on yourself."
Reyona raised her brows as she drank her water and said, "How is that?"
Toria heartily gulped her wine before she continued, "I think you have stiffened your emotions for so long that these recent..." She trailed off as she tried to find the best word for it. "... should I call it an outburst? Anyway, you are the one with the big words. Pick one for it."
"What is your point?" Reyona asked.
"My point is, I think you made yourself into this calm, cool, collected version who is always so careful about everything she does or says. That is not all there is to you. You have the spontaneous, daredevil part to you as well, but you wouldn't let it out."
Reyona leaned back and said, "Oh, wow. Look at you going all philosophical on me."
"You are welcome. No need to pay for therapy," Toria crooned, and they both laughed.
Reyona knew there was some truth to what Toria said.
She didn't know how it had started or when exactly, but she really hadn't always been this... Stiff was the only term that came to her mind at that point.
She was not a woman who had an identity crisis or didn't like who she was, but her baby sister was right; she had let go of a lot of herself just to be the perfect businesswoman.
She had swallowed a lot of words and smiled instead, just to be the virtuous wife.
She had let go of a lot of things even in her childhood just to be the desirable daughter that her parents wouldn't wash their hands off by foisting her on her grandma.
Reyona's fork paused on the way to her mouth as her mind snagged on that.
Has that really been the root of her change of personality?
She could remember that she had once been a very bubbly girl before her parent's divorce.
The change had started when her parents dumped her on her grandma.
Grams had been the best thing that happened to her then.
Still, the change had happened anyway.
Was she still trying hard to be accepted by people?
Was she still unconsciously believing that she had to act in certain ways to be accepted by everyone?
To be loved by her husband?
Has she kept Thomas around for this long, even after finding out about his deception, because she somehow blamed herself for his action?
"Uhmm, Rey? Tell me you are not zoning out on me."
"What?" The veggies on Reyona's fork clattered to the plate as her hand jerked.
"Are you okay? Did I say…?"
"No, I am fine," Reyona said as she stood up from the table.
"We can clear this up later. Do you want some dessert?"
"More of those heavenly cookies?" Toria asked with a smile, even as she gave Reyona an assessing look.
"No, chocolate mousse. It is in the fridge."
"You are my goddess!" Toria said as she hurried towards the kitchen.
"Oh, my, look at these!" she exclaimed as she came to the living room to join Reyona. "This is just..."
"I am going back home tomorrow," Reyona blurted out.
And she had to quickly save the glasses of chocolate mousse before her sister could drop them in her shock.
What?!