Secrets of the Cactus Men
14| Husband and Wife

Philip was sitting behind the house, he was aloof amongst the deserted. Philip looked at the dark night sky. Accompanied by cheap cigarette butts, he tried to understand his current state.

"Thinking of something?" Flores' voice broke Philip's daydream. Flores approached her with a medicine box for Philip.

Philip smiled kindly. He shifted, giving the seating gap to Flores. "Why not sleep?"

"You alone?" Flores immediately replied. She placed the medicine box on the table, then looked at her husband's wounds. "I've guessed .. You'll just let the wound go."

Philip felt a wound at the corner of his eyebrow. He simply covered the wound with a wound plaster, as it were, not treated properly.

"Just a scratch." Philip reasoned. "It will heal itself."

Flores refused. He put Philip's hand in his way. The woman carefully opened the plaster of her husband's wounds.

"Geez!" Flores. "You're saying it's just a scratch?" He protested against Philip with a fierce gaze. "Omong empty!"

Flores patted Philip's shoulder. "You always do!" whining Flores. "I'll treat your wounds, so just shut up. This time you must obey what I say!"

Philip chuckled at the look on Flores' face at this moment. The way Flores sulked always stole his attention. Philip fell in love with this side of Flores' personality, not many know that Lady Flores Lottie is a super spoiled and chatty woman. People only knew Flores as a great and extraordinary woman.

"Honey," Philip called in to interrupt Flores, who was treating her wound. "Something I want to ask you."

Flores simply glanced at Philip, then cleared his throat without words. Flores' head nodded confidently. He had been trying to forget the conflict between himself and Philip, giving them a moment's pause to breathe.

This is how household life in big cities, especially based just because of love alone. Flores was always stupid and Philip became weak because of his love.

"Is there a problem in Lottie Harlow?" ask Philip. "I mean .. If you have a problem with your company, I'll help you as much as I can."

"Nothing." Flores said casually. The lies were so comforting to the woman. "Everything's fine."

Philip doesn't know since when Flores has been this smart to lie. His wife was always honest, as is.

"You sure, Honey?" Philip tried to press. "I won can't help you financially, but I'll try ...."

"Everything's fine." Flores chimed again. Philip's sentence was never finished because Flores tried to cut the conversation. Flores doesn't want to talk about this anymore.

Philip's away from Flores. Slowly, he lowered Flores' hand from before him.

"Why?" flores asked while researching the change in the look of her husband's face. "Is it still painful? Should we go to the hospital?" Flores is getting worried for no reason.

Flores rubbed the side of Philip's face. "Looks infected. The wound's red."

"Honey," call Philip then. "Actually I met with Marc today."

Flores was instantly mute. Philip looked at him without pause.

"He told me about Lottie Harlow's state." Philip bluntly.

Unfortunately, Flores was caught lying.

"Why are you lying?" ask Philip.

"Can't I be trusted to keep your secrets and problems?" Philip became softer. He resigned, unwilling to argue, but circumstances had forced him to do so.

Flores sighed. "Philip, I just ...."

"Is it because I don't have money?" ask Philip again. Philip started to fret, whether from when, he was always worried. "Is it because I can't afford a lot of money to cover the company's debt?"

Flores shook his head. "It's not so, Philip." Flores grabbed her husband's hand. "I just don't want to share this with you."

"Why then?" ask Philip again. "Do I not deserve that from you?"

Flores shook his head. "Love, listen to me carefully." Flores tries to prevent misunderstandings from developing between them. "Lottie Harlow is fine. Everything Marc says is only a possibility in the future."

"Philip, I never considered you low. You are my husband." Flores said as he tightened his hand. "I put you higher than my own parents."

Philip remained silent.

"Please don't think so again, Love." Flores closed his sentence. He rubbed Philip's face gently. "My love for you will never change."

Philip smiled kindly. He returned a gentle swipe at Flores' cheek then hugged her warmly. "I'm sorry, Honey."

"You don't have to apologize." Flores. He returned Philip's embrace. "You never let me down, Love."

In between their arms, Philip's cell phone ringer interrupted. Philip let go of his embrace, gesturing for Flores to wait for a moment as he read the incoming message.

"Philip Sherburne, read this message carefully."

Philip frowned. "Who is this?"

A message from an unknown number entered his phone. The opening message with a strange sentence, then followed by a new message.

"If you're with Flores or anyone else, go to a quiet place to read my message again."

Philip looked at Flores who was busy arranging the medicines and put them back in the box. His wife had not yet realized this foreign message.

"It's about your parents."

Philip straightened his eyes. Surprise along with a passionate curiosity has attacked him. Philip won't lose any information about his family.

"Who, Love?" ask Flores suddenly. He was about to grab Philip's phone to join him in seeing the messages that continued to be sent to Philip's phone. "Looks like spam messages. Your phone just kept ringing."

Philip shook his head. He took his phone back. "The co-worker was a prankster" Philip said.

"Give me some time, Honey," Philip said as he moved from his place.

Philip was about to leave, but Flores prevented him. "Why would you have to move places to get back at him?" ask Flores. "You can reply beside me."

Philip remained silent. His eyes were unsettled, looking for reasons to justify his current suspicious behavior.

"I have to repay him personally" Philip said. "My friend asked for a private chat with a fellow man" the man added.

Philip smiled awkwardly. "Go to the house first. After replying to the message I'll catch up."

Flores may have been suspicious, unusual for Philip to hide his phone when he got a message, even from a foreign number. However, the debate has just finished, Flores is reluctant to add to the problem again.

"alright. I'm waiting for you in the room." Flores picked up the medicine box on the table and smiled stiffly as she looked at Philip. He went and left Philip.

Philip turned away. He walked away and stood in the corner of the garden behind his house.

"I'm already alone. Tell me where my parents are?" Philip replied to the message. "Don't try to trick me."

Short messages are answered in lightning. The sender gave Philip an address.

"Philip, come to this place. An old woman looks for you by saying 'where are the boys just my way?'"

Philip frowned. "Mother?"

For no reason, Philip smiled. She didn't know whether or not, but found herself still with a real mother, Philip's happiness had been on her mind. "Is he really alive?"

On the other hand, Flores looked at her husband's strange behavior. "What's wrong with him?" flores Mummings. "So he kind of dodged me and panicked. Now suddenly smile that happy?"

"Don't he ... cheat?" Flores shook his head quickly. "What do I think I am?"

Next.