Blue Hour

Chapter 2

The next day, after packing for the things that he needs to carry, Ray headed to the location where he and Miko would meet up. It was raining so bad that day, but Ray still decided to continue to travel to his farm. He already settled the arrangements for his arrival and they were also expecting him. After driving for about an hour, he arrived at the cafe where his friend was waiting. 

It was still raining heavily as Ray went towards the cafe. His friend Miko was waiting at the seat near the counter. He was looking at Ray like he made a very grave mistake. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and hair as he walked towards him. 

“What took you so long?” Miko said grumpily. 

“Haha, are you my girlfriend or what? Don’t get me started, remember, you had a lot of instances that I was like waiting for centuries for you to arrive. I made sure that there will be no issues before I leave here. I also made arrangements for the farm that I will be working on from now on.” Ray said and headed to the counter to order some coffee. 

After a few minutes, he was carrying the tray for what he ordered and sat down in front of Miko. 

:”Are you sure that you want to go with me? Look, Miko. I will be staying there for some time. Can you live on a farm for a long time? Knowing you, you will last at my farm for only a few days.” Ray said, laughing. 

“Shut it, Ray. Haha, I am being considerate about your well-being. I’m just worried, and you are like me, you are not used to living a life like that.” Miko said while pointing his fork at Ray.

“Earlier, you were my girlfriend, and now, you are my Mom. Well, I am just telling you about my plans. I don’t want to stop your own plans by coming together with me at the farm.”

“I know, but I also don’t want to miss the fun. Well, it will be the first time for both of us. I also heard that the women there are really pretty.” Miko explained, laughing. 

“Oh, such a playboy. Now I know why you wanted to go with me. It’s because of the girls. Haha.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Still, I am really curious about life in a province.” Miko said, chomping on the chocolate cake. 

“Well, if that’s what you want to do, I can’t stop you. I warned you already, my dear friend. Haha.” Ray said and took out the phone. 

He scanned his phone and read the messages. Most of them are reports about his other business, others are some random stuff. There were also notifications that his share from his father’s company has been cut off. Well, he can’t do anything about it because it was originally owned by his father. He also saw articles about the incident the other day. A lot of reports were made against his family, trying to ruin their reputation. But a small scandal like this cannot destroy their empire. 

“Hey, Ray. What are you looking at? I was asking you a question but you are not talking. Are you okay?” Miko said after tapping the table to get my attention. 

“I’m sorry about that, Miko. I was reading the articles about me. So, what’s your question?” Ray said and placed the phone on the table. 

“I was asking when are we going to leave? The rain is still pouring heavily. I don’t want to get wet.” Miko said, making weird actions as if he was drowning or something. 

“Silly, why would we go with this kind of rain? Do you want us to get sick? We will go after the rain stops, okay?” Ray said and continued to check on his phone for updates on his business. 

After half an hour, the rain slowed down and the two decided to leave for the farm. It was located in the province of Albay, situated at the southern part of Luzon. The reason why he chose this place is because of his late mother. Her mother was born in this province. Also, he was very attracted by the places, especially the very famous Mayon Volcano. Ray wanted to explore nature and the simplicity of life that’s why he chose this place. 

“Where’s your car?” Ray asked, confused. 

“I asked our chauffeur to drive me here. Of course, I don’t want to drive alone so I did not bring my car.” Miko said laughing. 

Ray’s face began to change after hearing his friend say that he did not bring his own car. A very mischievous friend. 

Before he could speak, Miko butted in already.” Don’t ever give me that look, Ray. I’ll flick you on your forehead if you do. Don’t worry, I’m the one who will be driving your car,okay? So stop being grumpy. Haha” 

“Okay, fine. I don’t wanna argue, so you win your piece of s**t. Let’s go.” Ray said, laughing. 

The two left not knowing what was awaiting them at the farm. To reach the town where the farm was located, they need to travel for 12 hours from Manila. At first, Miko insisted that they should travel by plane, but Ray doesn’t want to do that. What he told his friend was that they need to enjoy the scenery travelling to the place. Also, he wanted to experience having a long ride that he cannot do in the past. The two friends argued at first, but Ray won so they are travelling by land. 

Ray did enjoy the trip going to the farm. Every time he saw something interesting, he would tell his friend to stop the car. So instead of arriving at the farm early, they arrived there late in the afternoon already. 

As soon as Ray stepped out, the smell of nature welcomed his nose. He began to feel calm as the gentle breeze hit his face. He cannot himself but to feel happy. 

Ray slowly walked towards the entrance of the farm. At the very front of the gate, there is a huge arc that says “Wish and Fly Farm.” He can still remember when he decided to choose the name. 

During one of his field trips when he was a kid, most of the people would not dare approach Ray. First, it was because he was the son of one of the most successful men in the country. Next is, there were a lot of body guards that accompanied him. Also, other kids think that he is a scary person. That was also the time before he met Miko. 

Ray can see the other kids playing and walking with their parents happily. He also wanted to play with them, but every time he would do so, the kids would stay away from him. Then, while busy eating alone, a pretty kid approached him bravely. 

“Can I play with you?” The kid said and walked towards him. 

Ray was surprised and delighted at the same time that someone approached him to play with him. He looked at the bodyguards, but there was no response so he decided to go with the kid. It was the first time that he really felt happy, as if it was a magical moment. The guards did not even bother while he was playing. 

“You know what, I have a dream someday. I want to reach the sky and fly. So, promise, let’s meet again?” The kid said. 

“Yes, we will.” Ray said. 

Little did he know that was the last time he would see the kid that approached him. Ray promised himself that if ever he owns a business in the future, he will name it Wish and Fly. 

Then, he suddenly snapped out reminiscing about the past because Miko kept on shouting at him. “Ray! What are you doing there? Are you not going in?”

Ray just smiled at Miko and answered. “Yes, coming!”