by Rute Canhoto
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
They ate quickly. After giving the trays to the canteen employee, the friends ran to the stone bench in the school yard where they usually sat, so that they could enjoy the warm shining sun. Luckily, it was empty. Ana took the opportunity to stretch out. Since it was long, it still had plenty of space left over to allow more people to sit there with them.
It was nice to be chatting while appreciating the gifts of the sun. Ana was about to fall asleep, when she remembered that they hadn’t yet talked about what had happened the previous afternoon. In fact, Marina had disappeared with Joshua and she didn’t hear from her until that morning.
Out of the blue, Ana began, “Yep, I gotta confess that yesterday your marginal buddy impressed me. He did well. He was the only one able to calm you down and to convince you to go in a canoe and even row. I saw you paddling and my jaw just dropped! I even thought that he could have magical powers indeed, after all he led you to do what you most feared.”
Marina was reticent about what to answer. In fact, it must have seemed ridiculous that she begged so hard not to get into a canoe, and then changed her mind with the arrival of Lucas. But she didn’t go back on her decision with a single breath of wind in her ear. It was true that Lucas was behind her resolution, but it was because he transmitted the security she needed.
Hiding her face in her hands, ashamed, she asked, “You saw me? I was rowing terribly wrong. Better say I was randomly beating the paddle in the water. Not to mention the fright mask I was wearing. Î hope I wasn’t seen by many people.”
“Compared with the bundle of nerves you were before that instant, you didn’t do that bad. You did what you had to, there’s no reason to be ashamed.”
She had done it to ensure she would pass at that modality. However, if Lucas hadn’t showed up to support her, maybe she wouldn’t have left her safe place despite the insistence of the teacher. Lucas was truly responsible for the magic that occurred within her.
Marina’s thoughts were interrupted by Ana, who proceeded with her remarks. “I was astonished when he jumped into the water as soon as he saw you falling. I never imagined he would react with such immediacy to anyone, since I thought he was too egocentric. And the resuscitation maneuver? Cough-cough... Not sexy at all! It was better than a rescue on the series ‘Baywatch’. Very caliente, ma’am.”
Marina blushed with that news. Well, news to her, since the class would already know that. It never crossed her mind that Lucas had given her CPR, but how could she know if she was unconscious?
Before Marina could try to mend the situation, presenting arguments like ‘I passed out’ or ‘I don’t even remember it’, Ana underlined, “It would have been a very hot scene if it wasn’t for the drama surrounding the situation. You know, I was so affected by the behavior of Lucas that, at night, I remembered him. As I couldn’t sleep, I ended up devising a new theory about his nature.”
Fabulous! At least Ana would stop speaking about that embarrassing moment that she didn’t even remember about. Still, it was curious to know that Lucas lips had been pressed against hers and that it had been that touch to bring her back. It was best to forget about it before she turned as red as a ruby, denouncing the libidinous contours of her thoughts.
Back to the fantastic theories, Marina recalled, “We know that he’s not a vampire, as he walks in sunlight and has no fangs. How am I sure? I was fool enough to ask him to open his mouth to check it. When he inquired what I was doing, I slipped and I told him I was trying to see if he was one more Cullen. Of course, he laughed at me.”
“I would taunt you too if you told me to open my mouth to see if I had red snappers. You could have disguised it,” Ana criticized as she entwined her hands behind her head.
It was obvious that Marina wished she had invented a plausible excuse for what she was doing, but the confrontation was so unexpected that she had answered with the truth. Despite the mocking, it had been pleasant to hear him laugh with pleasure. His laughter was a rare and precious thing.
Ana returned to her reasoning line, “Last night, I cogitated until my neurons almost burst, and note that I treasure them a lot, since I haven’t many left working properly. This time, my theory points in another direction.”
Other direction? What mythical proposal would follow? Elves, fairies, werewolves, ghosts or aliens? Maybe government secret projects in the style of an American conspiracy? Ana was very creative, so it was best to prepare for what was coming. She settled on the bench and put on a serious face.
Ana savored every moment as if she was creating more suspense around a supposed bombshell revelation. She turned and sat face to face with Marina, until their noses almost touched. Bearing an expression of austerity, she exploded, “Lucas is... a fallen angel.”
Huh, what? Marina remembered having heard of that concept before, but she couldn’t recall what it involved. Unsure of what it was, she couldn’t refute her theory. Noting her disorientation, Ana exclaimed a "Duh!" as if what she had affirmed was easy to understand. What did she expect? Marina didn’t walk around with a book of definitions of fantastic figures under her arm.
With deliberate slow speech, Ana inquired, “Have you forgotten about the book you lent me on Monday? You must be getting amnesia… Anyway, it talks about fallen angels and the notion got my attention.”
So it was from that saga she remembered the concept. Although she was a big girl already, hers mother insisted on continuing to offer her presents on Children's Day. That year, the gift was Becca Fitzpatrick’s book, ‘Hush, Hush’. Marina had loved it so much, that she had bought the second volume. That week, she had loaned it to her friend so that she could read it. Although she had just read the book, with the long list of setbacks in the last days, she had forgotten about the narrative. Still, there was something she remembered: she herself had placed the hypothesis of Lucas being a fallen or a guardian angel, but refused both options.
Frustrated, she protested, “That doesn’t count! You can’t just dump everything and hope that I’m able to bounce your arguments in a flash. To be honest, things have been so bad lately that I don’t remember the story very well. I must first ascertain what these angels are and only then I’ll say if you're right or not.”
“There’s not much to check. From what I understood, they are angels who decided not to be angels, because they want to live like humans. I guess… but you go ahead and confirm. My intuition assures me that I’ll win. Let's make a bet?” proposed Ana with enthusiasm.
Marina wasn’t sure of what to answer, so she stammered, “I-I don’t think that’s a good idea, because you’re at an advantage.”
Ana broadened her smile and said, “Maybe. But after you verify what you want, you’ll see that I'm right and you'll have to admit it.”
“Or you'll have to swallow this theory, like the one about him being a vampire,” refuted Marina.
Ana shook her hair, confident, and lay on the bench again. Marina shut her eyelids and turned her head upward to absorb all the possible solar energy. Her friend’s theory throbbed in her head, whereby she rubbed her temples for a few seconds with light circular movements. She needed to discover more things before giving Ana the final answer. If they had Informatics in the afternoon, she would take the chance to research on the Internet. Unfortunately, they had French and English – it would have to wait till later.
Joshua's voice sounded very remote when it reached their ears in the form of a harmonious melody. Both opened their eyes lazily, surrendering to his charms. Sighting a resplendent Joshua, with the sun focusing on him creating a magical aura around him, was an authentic breathtaking vision. His skin glistened, his hair seemed to merge with the rays of light, and he transpired perfection as if he was a masterpiece carved by the best artist of all time.
Ana clung to that terrific image. Marveled, she whispered, “Wow! You look like a Greek God! I just died, went to the Heaven of cute guys and I met the best of all of them…”
Joshua released an astonishin
g laugh that echoed through the school yard. Ana had already made it very clear that she considered him desirable and this made him shy. That’s the way Ana was - direct. She said what she thought and didn’t beat around the bush.
“Thank you Ana, but that’s too much. I'm going inside. Are you coming, girls?” asked Joshua.
The friends stood up. The lunch hour was over and it was time to go to the lockers to get the material for French class. Joshua went with them into the lobby, but he preferred to sit there on the benches to rest, while they went to get their books.
While rummaging in her locker, Ana commented, “Someone is in a good mood today, huh?”
Marina knew what she meant and agreed, “Yes, and I'm happy about it. However, I know that he’s only that joyful, because Lucas didn’t come to school. When he returns to sit behind us, you’ll see what happens. There will be more explosions fireworks on the 4th of July.”
Ana nodded her head. Most likely, Marina was right, since boys were very possessive. Once they felt the presence of another male around the same piece, they would put their claws out. The thing was, who would have to put up with the consequences, it would be the so called ‘piece of meat’.
Ana took the chance to tease her friend. “I believe you. And after that delightful kiss yesterday with Lucas... You cannot imagine how exasperated Joshua was! Of course the concern with your state was bigger, but when Lucas held your hand when you were lying on the pier, Gosh! He seemed like he wanted to jump over him and begin the fight of the century.”
Marina repressed Ana's comment with a blue pencil of censorship. She had been unconscious at the time, had not kissed anyone, and Lucas had done that only to help her breathe. It was no smooch, it was CPR.
With the rucksacks on their backs, the girls joined Joshua in the lobby and slid over the tiles of the hall to the classroom.
The sunny afternoon went well. In French, they made revisions of tenses in Imparfait and begun to learn the Subjonctif, which earned them plenty of homework exercises. The English class proved to be more discrepant than what they were used to. In the previous years they studied grammar and analyzed texts on generic issues to learn new words related to them. Now they were studying matters related to historical aspects. That afternoon they had begun to read about the policies of Margaret Thatcher, the famous ‘Iron Lady’. Fortunately, the English teacher didn’t ask them to solve exercises at home, much in part thanks to Joshua, who distracted her in the final minutes of the lesson.
At the bell, Marina and Ana ran to the gate. Joshua caught them moments later. He approached Marina in a retracted way and, after greeting her, asked in a low voice, “Do you remember the boxes I still have in my bedroom to unpack? You may find it a big insolence, but do you want help me? I could use a female opinion.”
Marina blinked. She remembered them perfectly; she had been next to them the night before.
Before she responded to his not innocent proposal, Joshua hurried to complete, to prevent Ana from destroying him with her sharp gaze. “Sure you can come too, Ana. Then, I’ll have two female opinions at once.”
At last! Ana was thinking that he would forget about her. Woe him if he did that! Nevertheless, the more she wanted to join them, she could not, since she hadn’t told her mother that she would be late.
“My brother should also be home, he may even give us a hand to be quicker,” added the sublime Adonis.
The utterly gorgeous number two would be there? In that case, Ana could not miss the great opportunity to ‘check the waters’… and maybe a bit more. In a flash, she took her phone and called her mother, telling her that she would be late. As justification, she stated that she would pass by the house of a colleague who had just moved; he had missed the first classes, so he was a bit clueless. She and Marina would go and help him.
They hurried to get to Joshua’s home. Ana didn’t have much time, and when she had to leave, Marina would go with her to avoid her from meeting her mother alone.
The house looked different to Marina. She had to admit that the day before she hadn't noticed anything, as she was too confused for that.
The front door gave access to a small hall that had nothing separating it from the division that followed - the living room/ kitchen. The kitchen and the living room were practically the same place and only the couch separated them. The living room was dominated by a huge piece of antique furniture with glass doors. Its shelves were populated with books and decorative elements. The TV occupied a central place in the cabinet. Behind the couch was the kitchen, with a long bench that had everything incorporated: sink, stove, oven, washing machine and dishwasher. The microwave was installed above the black marble stone that covered the bench. On top of that, there was a cabinet with various doors where they stored food, condiments and utensils. A few feet away from the bench was the table, that resembled a surfboard, surrounded by swivel seats bolted to the ground.
Joshua made them pass the kitchen door and they arrived in a hallway that Marina recognized. To the right, the door in the back would belong to his parent’s room. Still on the right was the bathroom, where she had bathed the previous day. To the left were, on opposite walls, Joshua and Dennis’ bedrooms.
A true gentleman, Joshua opened the door of his chambers and invited them in. Ana peered in sneakily, entered and snaked through the place, evaluating everything she saw. She was preparing to share her first impression of the space, when she was startled by the sound of the bedroom door opening. Ana froze, hypnotized, when she saw Dennis crossing the jamb. She could only cry out a resounding "wow." Dennis was wearing shorts, flip-flops, and he was shirtless, showing his abdominals even more prominent than his brother’s. If Ana thought Joshua worthy of the maximum note in the scale of perfection, his brother was not behind him at all. She had given up on Joshua when she noticed that his preference relied on Marina, but she had no reason to decline that celestial offer called Dennis. Marina could stay with Joshua, but that sample of Paradise was hers.
Dennis turned to Marina and quizzed, “How are you feeling today?”
“Hello, Dennis! I'm fine, as if nothing had happened.”
Ana cleared her throat loud, while she stared at Marina in a sharp way to remember that she had to do something important, like introducing her to the guy who put the statue of David in a forgotten corner.
Realizing what her friend wanted, Marina stood between them and said “Have you met my friend Ana? Ana, this is Dennis, the brother of Joshua I told you about.”
“H-hello. Nice to meet you,” stammered Ana, unable to reason.
Dennis and Ana greeted each other with two kisses on the cheek and Marina could have sworn that she had seen sparks jumping. If she noticed it, Joshua did also, so he hastened to say, “My brother has a nice collection of t-shirts. Do you want to see them, Ana? Go ahead Dennis! Show her.”
Dennis was a little fussy with that almost imposition, nonetheless he didn’t mind having a pretty blonde parading in his room. He made a bow at his bedroom’s door and invited her to come in. Ana smiled at him and amused him.
Joshua placed a box on the bed and took things from inside, separating them by type. Soon there were three stacks of books, CD's and DVD's that threatened to topple and fall on the quilt. Marina let her backpack slip to the floor and approached the books. She checked and found the one translated of the series True Blood.
“No way,” Marina exclaimed as she sat and began to revolve the remaining volumes.
He had every book of the series that had been put on sale in Portugal. Sure she could buy them in English, nevertheless she felt that her language skills were too poor to unravel the meaning of every word, so she preferred to wait for the translation. She opened the first page and started reading.
Joshua settled beside her. Their heads nearly crashed when he tried to peek at what she was reading. Clearing his throat and stepping away, he picked up the stack of CD's and started to evaluate them. Some were pretty old; if he put them on the ste
reo, most of them wouldn’t play. It was best to try them.
While Joshua was heading to the stereo to test the first CD, Marina looked at the book cover: it had a red rose in prominence, which made her remember the one she had found on the doorstep that morning. Although Joshua said he had just arrived, that cover asserted itself as a possible inspiration for the gesture. Would he have been the one who put it there?
Justin Timberlake, with ‘What Goes Around, Comes Around’ made her return to the present in an instant. He liked that kind of music? Joshua sat down next to her with the stereo remote in hands. She gazed at him, stunned.
“What?” he asked noticing her intricate expression.
“Nothing. I just didn’t know that you liked Justin Timberlake,” she replied, trying not to giggle
Joshua stared at the floor and explained, “These lyrics and the one of ‘Cry Me a River’ are fantastic. They were the soundtrack at the time I discovered that my ex-girlfriend was cheating on me.”
The sudden confession hit Marina like a painful blow in the chest. How to respond to that information that had caught her unaware? Of course he had had girlfriends, but to approach that issue wasn’t part of Marina’s plan, nor had it crossed her mind. And yet, there he was, revealing to her that he had been betrayed.
Joshua was looking at the CD cover, that he grabbed with both hands, and his facial expression was impenetrable. Marina wanted to tell him something nice, like ‘she was a loser’ or ‘never mind, she was a jerk’, however she feared his reaction. She was someone he had loved and, although they weren’t together any more, he could still nurture special feelings for her. Marina had never been in love, but she had listened to her colleagues certifying that a true love would never be forgotten. Would this be that case? Unsure on how to proceed, she reopened the book she was holding and pretended to be reading it.
It took several minutes for Joshua to be aware of her discomfort. He smiled, embarrassed, and muttered, “I forgot that girls don’t feel comfortable when guys tell them about their ex-girlfriends.”
What chutzpah! Marina thought to herself. “Maybe we feel as comfortable as you when we talk about our ex-boyfriends.”
Marina was right. Only by hearing the word ‘ex-boyfriends’ Joshua turned pale and fidgeted busy in place, seeming not to find a suitable position. An annoying bug was gnawing inside him and it went by the name of ‘jealousy’. Both decided, in a silent mutual agreement, that it was fair that the theme was vetoed, at least for now.
Joshua leaned back and folded his hands behind his head, exhaling a long sigh. “Sorry,” he said. “The words just came out, but the truth is that I can’t help but to be reminded of that when I hear the songs I mentioned.”
Trying to remain neutral, Marina asked, “If you’re aware of that, why did you play the music?”
“Because that was the CD on top of the stack and the first one I grabbed. It was she who made the mix of the songs and offered it to me. I think that's why I kept it, as a reminder of a good period.”
Marina frowned in suspicion. It was easy to get attached to what brought us good memories. However, that was a poisoned gift that outstood thanks to its bad side. “If it is a recall of a good time, why did your mood change instantly when you set the CD playing? I don’t think you got very happy about it.”
“Everything has a good and a bad side. Do you want to know the irony related to these songs that I mentioned?”
She didn’t seem to have much of a choice. He wanted to tell her what had happened and he wouldn’t give up, even if she answered no. Would he be that blind not to notice that she hadn’t the slightest interest in the story of his traitorous ex-girlfriend? As for his pain, he would have to overcome it himself. People said that time healed everything.
Joshua stared into emptiness and went on calmly. “The irony is that she cheated on me with my best friend. I found them kissing in the living room of my own house. To her misfortune, he was a womanizer and betrayed her with another chick that same night. ‘What Goes Around Comes Around.’ After that, she spent three weeks chasing me and reiterating how sorry she was. For her, the only words I had were ‘Cry Me a River’. There was no turning back. The confidence had been shattered like a mirror thrown to the floor.”
Irony: she had cheated on him and was betrayed too. Karma was a bitch. Marina also understood his inflexibility on the broken trust. If the same happened to her, she wouldn’t forgive the person either. For her there were links that, when broken, could not be reattached.
However, she needed to clarify a very important question that throbbed in her head. She moistened her lips, and almost, in a whisper, questioned, “That happened a long time ago?”
“It happened about two months before my parents announced we were coming to Portugal.”
Marina was petrified. Those cruel marks were recent. Without explanation, a spark of mutiny began to take over Marina. Would he think that she was a plaster that would heal him? She would not gather the pieces of his heart; she had her own to look after. She never thought that this could irritate her so much.
The atmosphere between them froze more than a winter day at the North Pole when Marina realized that, despite everything, he didn’t stop the music.
Annoyed, she stood up, but Joshua held her by the elbow before she could escape. She stared at him with austerity, showing her displeasure. In a dry tone, she stated, “I think you need to be alone to solve a few unfinished business.”
“No. Don’t go. Stay here with me.” His bright eyes begged her to seat again, so she acquiesced, even though contradicted.
The silence between them was embarrassing for Marina, who snorted.
Joshua turned to her, held her chin gently and made her look at him. Hurt, he tried to justify, “Please don’t misunderstand me, Marina. I just wanted you to know that I suffered a lot recently. I don’t know if I’ll to be able to take a new disappointment so soon...”
‘New disappointment?’ Would he be referring to her? How, if they were just friends? She liked his company, and considered him an admirable person, attractive in every way, but would that be it? She had to be sincere: the thing was she hadn’t asked her heart if she was being honest with herself.
Marina wanted to get out of there. The atmosphere in the room was cutting like a knife. She thought of calling Ana, but she would be too happy with her Greek God II, so it was better not to bother her. She had to get free by herself.
With slow movements, Marina tried to rise. Joshua rolled over and knelt on his knees in front of her, almost gluing his face to hers. With his voice threatening to fail him, he questioned, “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
He took her hand and led it to his chest in an intimate gesture.
Marina felt the bewildered beat of his heart as if it had unlearned the correct rate. Startled, she studied him. She found a pair of gentle and anxious eyes, and an appetizing mouth ajar, hiding his fast breathing. Having that piece of Heaven in front of her, almost begging her to kiss him was the dream of every girl. She was tempted to take the next step, but for giving in to temptation, Eve had received a free pass out of Eden. She inspired slowly, trying to control herself.
Always regarding his feelings, she pushed him away in a tender way. In the first moment, Joshua withstood in the hope that she would change her mind, but noting her insistence, he let himself go in the direction she was pushing.
Marina knelt like him and their eyes got to the same level. She exhaled and tried to explain herself, “Love at first sight is an idyllic concept. I don’t believe in it. I do believe that, in a first instant, a kind of chemical reaction between people might be triggered and that leads them to approach each other. Love is something that grows gradually. First comes the chemistry, next you work on a solid friendship and then it evolves into love.”
Would he have understood? She was trying to make clear that it was impossible that he ‘loved’ her. At most, he could feel attracted to her, perhaps bec
ause she resisted his charms, which made her the forbidden and the most appetizing fruit. Boys liked challenges.
Joshua’s pride was wounded. He had exposed himself to her, opened his heart, and now he felt like he had taken a monumental blow, though he had asked her not to reopen his love wound.
It was then that he ruined everything. Raising his voice in a sarcastic tone, he alleged, “You don’t believe it, but that’s what happened with my ex-girlfriend. It was love at first sight.”
“Oh, yeah? How lovely. And just look how it ended!”
Soft words wouldn't solve the problem. Joshua was annoyed, but if he attacked her, she would fight back. That way, the next day he wouldn’t speak to her... again. Would this be his routine? To talk to her on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and being angry on the remaining days of the week? She felt that she was about to lose a friend she'd like to keep. The only way to avoid it was to give up somehow. Marina groaned and stood up. She grabbed Joshua’s hands and pulled him up too. When the two were standing, Marina hugged him tightly as if saying goodbye. She had no idea what the next day reserved, so she held him like there was no tomorrow.
With tears looming to his lash line, Joshua replied in a harsh tone, “I don’t need your pity.”
“But I need you,” replied Marina, surprising him with a long, slow kiss on his chin, almost skimming his lips. She parted from him and went to get her rucksack. One last time, she faced Joshua, looking decided. In a secure intonation, she announced, “I’ll wait for you tomorrow at 10a.m at my place and you better be there on time. And Joshua, just reflect on the words I said and you’ll understand that you haven’t heard me asking you to stay away. If you do so, the choice was yours, not mine.”
In a continuous act, Marina shut the door and went to Dennis's bedroom. She knocked on the door and seconds later Ana came out, all smiles. She figured that she would be in seventh heaven while she had sailed through turbulent seas. Marina pointed to the imaginary clock on her wrist, and Ana slammed a palm on her forehead. She was so engrossed in conversation with Dennis that she had lost track of time. Her mother must be going nuts! Ana took her things, said farewell to Dennis and joined Marina in the hallway to leave.
They got to the settled place at the same time as Ana's mother. Ana got into the Jeep and waved a cheerful goodbye. Marina returned the gesture in a less energetic way and was left alone. It was time to go home.
She climbed the arcade stairs, entered the house and found it deserted. That meant two things: first, her mother was still working; second, it was up to her to cook dinner. She threw the backpack onto the bed and went to the kitchen. She had no great ideas for cooking and was still stunned by what had happened. She didn’t expect Joshua to almost make a love declaration. Love... how could he talk about that? As most, it was an infatuation or a mere attraction. How could she keep him around as a friend without hurting him?
With the supper ready, she went to her bedroom, put on her pajamas and did homework. She was in the middle of her duties when her mother got home and saluted, “Hello, dear. How are you?”
“Fine,” responded Marina. “I'm just finishing the exercises and I'll meet you soon in the kitchen for dinner.”
Her mother assented and went to her own bedroom to change clothes, while Marina finished conjugating verbs. In less than fifteen minutes they were both seated at the table, enjoying dinner and watching the news.
“How were classes today?” asked her mother as she put a fork full of mash to her mouth.
“They went well. After school, I went to Joshua’s place with Ana, and we helped him to finish unpacking a few things that he still had in boxes.” She swallowed hard after having verbalized the last sentence.
“Really? It was very thoughtful of you. And did you get all the work done?”
“No. He has many music CDs and wants to listen to them all, because if they aren’t working, it’s not worth keeping them. Whatever...”
Mom coughed and took a more serious expression.. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and spoke, “I got a phone call from school moments ago.”
Marina trembled. Why had the called? She hadn’t misbehaved nor did anything that merited reprisal. In a split second, she recalled the consequences announced that morning. There was only one issue left to be solved - Joana. It seemed that the teachers had already decided her punishment. She prepared for what her mother had to tell her, as she could deduce from her tone that Joana would get away with what she had done. “What did they decide?”
Putting the fork down, her mother answered, “I proposed her suspension, but teachers thought it could prejudice her. They decided instead that, over the next three months, she will help with cleaning the school.”
That wasn’t a big penalty, but at least Joana didn’t escape unpunished. Analyzing it at best, if Joana had been suspended, she would go home one week ‘on vacation’. Having to clean the school would be a greater reprimand, as she would be at the same level as the employees that she seemed to despise. However, to be a real chastisement, students had to witness it, otherwise she would deny the facts. Honestly. Marina preferred to ignore it - she was sick of that chick. She focused on finishing her meal and uplifted the shoulders to her mother in a gesture of helplessness. The decision had never been in her hands.
After cleaning the kitchen, mother and daughter went to their bedrooms. Marina watching of one of her favorite series when her phone rang, indicating that she had a message from Joshua. She opened it and read, ‘Hi! Don’t wait for me tomorrow. My mother is going to take me and my brother to school. See you in class.’ Would that mean that the next day he wouldn’t speak to her again? The last time he was upset he didn’t bother to say anything. Maybe that text was a good sign… She placed the device on the bedside table, programmed the TV to shut down automatically and lay down. Sleep came soon after.
There was another Friday, her favorite day for preceding two of rest. She would get in 10.30, but, as at 9.20 she was awake and sleepless, she chose to get up. She got dressed, sorted the room and went to the kitchen to have breakfast. Around 10a.m, she snagged the backpack and opened the door to leave. Suddenly recalling that the day before she had found a surprise there, Marina checked the step at a glance before going out. She was glad she did it, otherwise she would have stepped on a rose. Another one? she commented to herself. She bent down, grabbed the flower and put it to her nose to smell its scent. She went back in the house, to place the flower in the glass where she had put the other. Heavens! If her mother saw the flowers, she would want to know the whole story behind them and she wouldn’t know what to say. It was better to keep mom away from her chambers.
On her way to school, her thinking split between the possible ownership of those presents, the absence of Lucas and the possible disagreement with Joshua. There was no room for doubt - boys were trouble. Since those two had pierced her cosmos, she was in a whirlwind that kept her too busy and sidetracked. She found Ana sitting in the school lobby at the usual table, and joined her. “Good-morning”, she greeted. “So, where does all this joy come from? Is it because of a certain beautiful boy that makes poetry seem insufficient to describe him?”
Ana outlined a smile from ear to ear and her cheeks changed to red. Was it that obvious? She had to work harder at her skills to disguise her feelings.
“Someone is impressed with Dennis. Someone is impressed with Dennis,” sang Marina childishly in order to goad her.
Ana put both hands to her face to hide the blush and, in a whisper, admitted, “Yes, it's because of him that I'm happy. Now shut up; other people don’t need to know this. What do you want me to tell you? He's cute and has interesting conversations. I think he's worth taking the risk.”
Marina joked, “Ah, the hunting season has started!”
Ana raised her shoulders in a slow gesture and lowered them again. She could weave several panegyrics to Dennis, but her feelings were private and she didn’t want to share them with anyone, not even with her bes
t friend.
Marina recoiled in the chair. Speaking of Dennis led her to recall the embarrassing scene of the previous day with Joshua. She released a sigh and mourned, “At least your Greek God speaks to you. As for Joshua, I'm waiting for him to find out if he’s upset with me or not.”
“Again? What happened now?” asked Ana, incredulous. Those two wasted all their time in tiffs. Wouldn’t they have more to do than that?
Marina didn’t want to tell her what had happened in the bedroom, and didn’t even know if she should, since the ‘ex-girlfriend’ topic was a subject of Joshua’s private forum. In a visible effort to find the right words, she debited, “Yesterday, when we were setting things up, he asked me if I believed in love at first sight. I replied that I thought that first there was attraction, then friendship, next passion and love was the last stage. Do you understand? I wanted to tell him that I don’t believe that a person falls in love just by looking at another, that it’s something that emerges slowly.”
“And he got sulky,” certified Ana as she grimaced.
“Yes. What did he want me to tell him? He has to learn to restrain himself a bit. I’m not like jelly that just has to go to the fridge and ‘wham!’, it’s at the perfect point. We must go softly and see what happens.”
“God, why do you give a sweet to someone who has diabetes?” dramatized Ana, as she shook her head by way of disapproval. If it was her, she wouldn’t have thought twice. She was no slut, but having someone beautiful to die for offering himself as a gift to her... come on! How could she think about declining the offer?
At the bell, the friends went to the locker to the classroom and hurried to take their seats. On the opposite side of the room, Marina found Josh seated, with the English teacher melting over him. Get real! she thought regarding to the professor’s behavior. Marina made her eyes roll in their sockets, took the notebook and opened it. Shortly after, the professor returned to her desk and began to write the summary on the blackboard. Marina didn’t dare look at Joshua.
The lesson was over fast, with another dose of Margaret Thatcher. It wasn’t an issue that particularly pleased the girl, but that's what was in the manual, so it was what they had to deal with. Before the bell, the teacher marked homework: they had to read the text on page 32 and to answer the interpretation questions. Nice. History even at dinner time...
The friends took their things and left, taking the opportunity to settle right away at the door of room number two. The next class was Philosophy and they knew that with Manelito they had to hasten. As they didn’t need to go to the bar or to the bathroom, they decided to wait there. Marina thought that Joshua would join them, but he came out chatting with another guy and didn’t even look at her. Yep, it seemed that everything was going back to the ‘dark period’. His inconsistency was becoming a constant bother.
She forgot about him for an instant and focused on the other man in her life: Lucas was absent once again. Why would he miss school that much? What scared her most in this absence was the knowledge that he dealt with negative forces of great power. Could something bad have happened to him? The Professor of Philosophy awakened her from her reflection when he simulated clearing his throat, making a noise that sounded like a croak. Seeing him, the friends moved away, allowing him to open the door. After crossing the jamb, they sat down in place. Classmates didn’t take long to join them and soon the teacher was writing the summary on the board.
Marina stared at the empty seat beside her. She couldn’t wait to see Lucas again to ask him how she could contact him. She didn’t want to go through all that trouble when there were so many ways in the modern era to prevent it.
Her inner monologue was suspended by a persistent clatter, which she took a while to identify as the voice of Manelito. “Marina, didn’t you hear me? It's your turn. What is a dogma, in your opinion?” he questioned.
She was alarmed. The teacher was talking to her? And it seemed that it wasn’t the first time he had put the same question. Damn, she had to be more careful. She tried to think fast. She pondered a bit and finally stated, “I think that a dogma is an unquestionable truth. For example, religion is quite related to that concept.”
“Well done, religion is a good example.”
The teacher spoke up from there, to her relief. He'd better not interpolate her again, since she knew nothing about that. She only gave that definition because she remembered that the Philosophy teacher of the previous year had raised that issue in a superficial way, though it wasn’t part of the program. Despite having ordered herself to pay more attention to avoid unpleasant surprises, such as sporadic sudden inquiries, Marina’s brain decided not to accept the command and ignored everything till the end of class.
As soon as the bell was heard, Ana rushed to pack her things and left, barely giving time for Marina to collect her things and follow her. Where would she go in such a hurry? Marina walked at an accelerated pace and found Ana in the locker area.
“Why are you in such a hurry? We have two hours to have lunch. Sheesh, you even made me come running after you!” complained Marina.
“Yeah, about that... Sorry, but I got a text from Dennis inviting me to go with him to Kira Kafé and he's waiting for me at the gate. Do you mind having lunch alone?”
Marina made a gesture that it was okay. What could she do? Ana was going to have lunch with Dennis, her source of inspiration, and she would eat unaccompanied. She didn’t mind, as it was for a good reason: the happiness of her friend. The girls said goodbye and Ana left running, nervous. Marina could be mistaken, but it seemed that there would be news when Ana returned.