And then he said, “Zita, how come your lips are so red?”

“Because I’m trying to hide my true feelings,” she said, with much pain in her eyes.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong?” Reteche asked in obscurity, as his face turned serious.

Dreary tears fell from Zita’s eyes and she fell silent as her body grew numb.

“Even though we’re going to be miles apart, I will always remember the times that we were together,” Zita whispered her voice almost inaudible.

Faintly knowing what was going on, Mr. Reteche held on tight to Zita as if he knew exactly what was going to happen next.

“Go away! We just can’t be together anymore,” exclaimed Zita with tears pouring heavily from her eyes showing the grief and devastation that she felt.

Hurriedly running to the door, Zita disappeared, leaving Mr. Reteche alone in the dark and quiet room.

Immediately after, everything about Mr. Reteche changed; his usual gentle smile had vanished and his blissful aura vanished.

Just as he thought that he needs to devote his time to work, he found out that he cannot concentrate on anything at all; from the paper works he had to finish to the lectures that he needed to accomplish.

Keeping it all to himself seemed to be the only thing he did perfectly.

Looking back at the moments he spent with Zita, he remembered how Zita would look at him with much endearment.

“My life now is all about you,” he remembered her saying those sweet and lovely words.

“Night after night, I think about you and I want you to know that my life too has been and always will be about you,” Mr. Reteche would always respond to her.

Oblivion fell on Mr. Reteche as he withdrew from reality.

Painstakingly, he suffered from the memories he had of Zita and it brought him much agony.

Queries were addressed to God by Mr. Reteche on why he and Zita had to part; sadly no signs of answer from the divine.

Reteche constantly avoided people and drowned in pain.

Soon after, he decided to exile himself to Anayat to somehow forget about his dappled past.

Tormented by his memories, he kept himself busy by staring blankly at the beach and having continuous sleepless nights.

Unsure of what destiny wanted from him, he met another girl also named Zita.

Vexed with what he just found out, he felt uneasy every time he saw Zita.

Wondering why Mr. Reteche looked at Zita with much perplexity, she began to love him herself and did everything she could to please him.

Xanthium flowers filled Zita’s mind as she compared them to Mr. Reteche’s seemingly pleasant scent when he came to Zita’s home and asked her to marry him.

Yearning for Mr. Reteche, she waited for him with much uneasiness, until Turong came and handed her a blue envelope.

“Zita, I’m sorry, but I have to go back to the city. I hope you understand,” she read the letter Mr. Reteche left him, and as she began to be filled with much sorrow, she despairingly tore the letter into pieces.