A hush fell on the crowd. They watched her dazzling white-clad form slowly ascend the dais and seat herself on the throne. A “cherub”, who is actually a dwarf wearing a cloth diaper, hastily arranged the flowers at her bare feet. He sat on a footstool at her right and strummed on his harp with more enthusiasm than skill.
She lifted her face to the expectant crowd. It was quite unremarkable save for angry red marks on her cheeks and forehead. There was a collective gasp from the barrio people presently sitting on wooden makeshift benches in her living room.
“It’s going to rain!” Murmurs erupted as farmers discussed the news in low voices.
Lea lifted a bony wrist and wiped her eyes at the back of her pristine white sleeve. A smear of blood stained the garment.
“A storm is coming!” One farmer’s wife wailed at the sight.
People who had patiently waited for her daily appearance in the “throne room” where she held court jumped up and started for the door, anxious about their crops and livestock. But not one left without leaving an offering of fruit, vegetable, or meat on the dais.
When the room cleared and the door firmly shut by Benjo the cherub, Lea abandoned the serene pose and started scratching wildly at her neck and nose.
“Auntie!” She cried, rubbing her red eyes furiously.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” A fat woman, also dressed in white, entered the room with a tablet in one hand and a glass of Coke in the other. Lea grabbed at the pill and swallowed it, washing it down with the Coke. She continued scratching for a few minutes before the medicine took effect and her skin returned to normal.
“I hate rainy days.” She sighed.
A year ago, Lea was one of the young aspiring actresses in ABS-CBN’s Star Circle stable. She appeared in several films cast as the neighbor’s daughter, or the second cousin, and once as the lead’s fellow fish vendor. Quite an ordinary girl with ordinary looks but with a burning ambition to be a star. She took acting and singing lessons to improve on her skills but to no avail. It seems that ABS-CBN is determined to make Heart Evangelista the next star, and not Lea Querubin. The world crashed around her ears when Heart was designated VJ for Myx despite the panel’s glowing praise about her audition tape. Lea walked home dejectedly and it seemed fitting for rain to start pouring down while she was indulging in her more dramatic moments.
That night, she had the flu and suffered severe chest pains. Her aunt, who was also her manager, rushed her to the hospital when red marks started appearing on her skin.
“She’s an actress, you see, so she really can’t afford to get these rashes on her face,” Aunt Celia chattered as she hovered over Lea and the doctor. The doctor nodded non-commitally but wondered who the “actress” was. Certainly not someone he recognized.
He prescribed anti-histamines and painkillers and subjected the young lady to a series of tests. Everything appeared normal, her x-ray, her ECG, even her blood and urine sample. Except that when it rains or even when it becomes cloudy, she goes into scratching frenzy.
The doctor’s verdict: “You’re allergic to rain.”
“What?!” Lea shrieked. “How can that be possible? That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Nevertheless, that’s our diagnosis. Just pop some antihistamines when it comes on and you’ll be fine.”
“But, I’m never going to be a star if I keep on like this!” Lea wailed to her cousin Benjo. He looked at his mother and they both shook their heads in sympathy.
“We’ll think of something, dearie…” Aunt Celia patted her shoulder.
The next day, Aunt Celia bundled her son and niece into a train and set off for the province, promising Lea that she’ll be a star as she always dreamt she would be. She rented a cottage in a remote barrio and started a rumor that a goddess was among them. She dressed her niece in long flowing white robes and her son was subjected to wearing something akin to diapers. She never let them socialize with the neighbors but gave the barrio folks tantalizing glimpses of the two at dusk (apparently watching the sunset on a hilltop) or at dawn (walking amongst the trees). The goddess was believed to have powers predicting the weather, while the cherub was “sent” to protect her. The farmers appealed to her to help them with their crops, offering to pay for her services, but “Manang” Celia was adamant.
“She cannot use her powers for profit. It is a gift from the gods,” she told them. “But since we are poor, I think the spirits would understand if you gave her donations.”
And so it started. Everyday, Lea would hold audience in the throne room while the farmers stared eagerly at her face, watching for any sign of blemish. A small pimple would send them scurrying to the fields to check their crops. Lea reveled in their worship while Benjo just shrugged his shoulders (after all, it was better than his old slapstick routine at the circus). The people sent Celia their donations and the family thrived.
There were times though when Benjo wondered if Lea would tire of it. Certainly she looked wan now, but then storms are particularly itchy for her. He was sorry for her but agreed with his mother that it was extremely profitable.
Lea sighed again and played with a daisy at her feet. Then she looked up at him, a pensive look on her face.
“What are you thinking?” Benjo asked, apprehensive.
“Young male studs as offerings,” she smiled. “After all, goddesses don’t have to be virgins.”
Benjo breathed in relief. They don’t have to lose their bread and butter after all.
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