by Ora Wilde
“What about it?” she quickly snapped, angry still.
“Well...”
I knew I had to say something, but at that exact moment, I struggled for words. I didn’t know what to tell her. Should I explain that it’s how I deal with girls? That it’s part of the culture I have become accustomed to? That it’s just who I am?
What should I say?
“Well what?” she impatiently asked. “If you’re going to apologize, just do it!”
Apologize?
No fucking way!
Why should I be sorry for something that I just... do? I don’t cough and say sorry. I don’t snort and say sorry. I don’t fucking fart and say sorry. That’s just too... too.. too feminine!
“I’m... sorry...”
Shit!
That word just escaped my mouth despite the arguments that were running in my head. I didn’t even mean it.
She looked straight on the road, but I saw her previously tensed face ease up. Her brows palliated into a more relaxed state, her eyes widened a bit, and her frown gradually disappeared from her face.
Sorry. That word, even though it was a lie, meant something to her... something that seemed very important.
“Okay,” she replied. Short. Succinct. But at least, it was devoid of the fury she previously displayed.
Sorry.
Fuck!
I’m not one to accept defeat, especially from a broad like her!
“I still think that you’ve got the hots for me,” I told her. I just wanted her to know that that sorry didn’t mean anything to me.
“What?!” she asked, visibly appalled. She was angry again, and her eyes left the road for a fraction of a second just to look at me and show her horrified disbelief.
I gave her a shrug, then rested my hands behind my nape.
“You’re a girl,” I said very calmly. “Girls and me... components of an infallible mathematical formula.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked once more, shaking her head in disgusted astonishment.
“It never fails,” I answered. “Me plus girls... equals sexual attraction. Almost always on their part though. You’re a girl... ergo... you know... you do the math.”
“I can’t believe you!” she yelled at me incredulously. “What makes you think so highly of yourself? What makes you think that I’d actually go for someone... someone... someone like you?!”
“Beats me,” I said before yawning. “Aren’t you the one who should be asking that question?”
I couldn’t help it.
Messing with her was too damn fun.
But she ended our nice colloquy by keeping silent... an enraged kind of quietness, the type that would make you feel that it was just a matter of time before she’d burst into a fit of rage.
As we turned right on the bend that led us back to the school where she worked, a familiar sight greeted me by the roadside.
“Isn’t that the little kid earlier?” I asked my dearest stepsister. “What’s the little runt’s name? Chloe? Dewey? Whatevery?”
“Zoe,” Margaret answered coldly. “Her name’s Zoe.”
“Zoe it is then,” I said. “But why the fuck is that brat alone on the sidewalk?”
“Oh my God!” she uttered with worry, belatedly realizing the predicament her ward was in. “Her mom was supposed to pick her up after school. Zoe probably looked for her and left the premises...”
Margaret immediately pulled over at the other side of the road. She hurriedly went out of the vehicle and waved at the kid.
“Zoe! Don’t move! I’ll go there and accompany you!” she instructed.
Stupid! That was a very stupid thing to do!
The kid didn’t hear her. From the look on the booger-eater’s face, she was even happy to see her teacher. It didn’t take a genius to know what she’d do next.
I went out of the car and ran towards Margaret.
True to what I expected, the girl started to cross the street. She was too young to know how to do it properly. She didn’t look left nor right. She just started running towards us... towards her teacher... with a ridiculous looking smile on her face, completely oblivious to the tragedy that was about to happen.
A van.
Speeding from her right.
The driver wouldn’t be able to see her on time, more so avoid her.
Margaret started to scream in horror as she realized the bloodbath that was imminent.
I dashed towards the middle of the road... towards the damn kid who was stupid enough not to know that she was about to die...
The van honked. The driver saw her. But the vehicle’s speed was too fast. It won’t be able to stop on time.
But the breaks...
It would at least slow it down... slow enough for me to reach her...
Just a few steps more...
The tires screeched. The driver stepped on the breaks...
But it was still speeding towards her...
It wouldn’t be able to stop. The vehicle steered left, but it was too late. It would still hit her.
Just a second more...
Too late...
I was too slow and the van was too fast...
I will never reach her...
Unless...
With all the strength that I had, I jumped off the ground, lunging myself towards the girl. I caught her arm and embraced her. Then I shifted my body in midair, turning my back against the vehicle, shielding the girl from force of the collision.
A loud thud. Just before I heard the piercing sound of the van making a full stop.
I fell on the ground, still holding the girl in my arms. She gave me an innocent look. She didn’t even have the slightest idea that she could’ve been squashed to death.
“Hey, Mr. Peeh-neez,” he greeted me.
I wanted to curse her for making me do what I just did.
I tried. But nothing came out of my mouth. I felt the pain in my chest as if it was being crushed. I wanted to stand up, to shake it off. I’ve been in such a situation before. Winded by a blow that penetrated my defenses. Just a few seconds and I was back to normal.
So I tried to get up...
But I couldn’t.
I tried to push my body with my arm...
But I couldn’t move it...
I couldn’t even feel anything with that side of my body!
Two familiar voices.
“Shit, Conner... oh shit... shit shit shit shit!”
Low. Trembling. Panicky. Undeniably Artemis’.
The other...
“Oh God... Conner... I... I...”
Warm. Concerned. Terrified. Margaret’s.
I tried to get up once more. The same result. I couldn’t move.
Fuck!
Fuck this fucking fuck!
I rested my back on the pavement and looked at the clouds in the sky. Relax, I reminded myself. Everything will be alright.
Then a thought entered my mind that made me so mad...
It wasn’t about the possibility of a spinal injury and paralysis.
It was about something else...
Something that was more important to me than anything - or anyone - else in this world...
Chapter Ten
MEG
“You seem preoccupied.”
Lucas gazed at me earnestly as he cracked the claw of the lobster he ordered for us. His comment yanked me from my musings. For minutes now, he’d been talking about his work... how new markets were emerging and old empires were crumbling, how we were at the midst of a new .com bubble burst, how venture capitalists have shifted their attention to non-digital enterprises, how the Dow Jones Industrial Average has went up and down like a see-saw in the past week, more than usual.
I would’ve found them interesting. I would’ve found delight in the way he animatedly shared and explained what could’ve been some very boring subjects. I would’ve savored his passion for his industry as I reveled in the idea that the man I love was so driven to succeed.
/> But that night...
That night, my thoughts were elsewhere.
“No, no... I’m not,” I lied as I picked up my fork and poked the meat he placed on my plate.
“You sure? You seem very... distant,” he continued to express his observation.
“It’s just been a... taxing... day,” I told him, hoping that it would help assuage his worries.
“Ah... kids... your students are the cutest angels, but they can be little devils at times, huh?” he responded with a smile... a charming, disarming smile. “One moment, they’re all quiet and behaved in a corner, the next second, they’re running alone and unsupervised, crossing the street on their own.”
“Errr...”
Zoe was alright. Not a single bruise. Not a single scratch. We were able to bring her back to school until her folks arrived. They were so relieved to know that she was safe and unharmed, considering everything that happened. It turned out that their car broke down and the wheeler they called took some time to arrive. Zoe was a strong and smart girl. She remained calm, showing no signs of trauma from the incident.
Conner didn’t come out of it unscathed, though.
He used his back as a shield to protect Zoe. The force of the collision threw them around five feet from the point of impact. Luckily, his spine wasn’t broken. The x-ray showed no damage.
His wrist, however, suffered a fracture and his shoulder got dislocated.
Taking into account the grave nature of the accident, Conner was fortunate to have avoided more serious injuries. The doctor kept repeating that fact. But Conner, well, he just showered the poor doctor with rude words and unrestrained anger.
But he showed a different side of himself that afternoon.
He showed that he was not only brave. He was noble and caring as well, despite his incessant effort to hide those virtues.
When Artemis and I got the chance to be with him in private, he was still showing the effects of the anesthesia they used on him. He was a bit groggy, and he wasn’t talking straight.
Yet he kept mumbling something, over and over and over again.
Don’t let them know...
Don’t let them know...
Don’t let them know...
And I was left wondering why.
“Anyway, you’re probably wondering why I invited you out for dinner tonight, right?” Lucas asked, as if he read my mind, though he repeated my question under a different context.
I looked at him and smiled. I always did that. I was always excited about anything that he was willing to share... more so when it concerned us. But at that moment, I pondered on a rather disturbing thought: was my smile sincere, or was it merely a force of habit?
“Well, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, sweetheart,” he continued to say.
He was most probably referring to an investment he wanted to make. He never wanted his money to sit idly in the bank, earning meager interest.
“Let me guess,” I said. “A mutual fund?”
He let out a half laugh.
“No, no... nothing of that sort,” he uttered as he took a sip from his glass of wine. “Listen, Baby... we’ve been together for a little over three years now...”
“Three years, two months, and eleven days,” I specified. I always did. For the past couple of months, it seemed like he had stopped counting at the three year mark.
“Wow! Really? We’ve been together for that long, huh?” He seemed surprised, the same as before whenever I reminded him about the factual length of our relationship.
“Yep,” I responded with a grin, wondering, still, where our conversation was headed.
“Well, we’ve been together now for three years. two months and eleven days,” he emphasized, “and I’ve been doing some thinking...”
My heart started to race.
Oh my God...
Was he going to say what I thought he would say?
“Being together for that long, well, it does something to a man,” he continued as I looked at him ardently. He had my complete, undivided attention, so much so that I probably forgot to breathe. “It makes him realize what’s really important in his life... and for me... what’s really important is you.”
Omigosh omigosh omigosh....
I thought I was going to faint...
Was there a ring somewhere? The ring he saw me gawking at when we passed by the jewelry store beside Kenny’s Barbershop? The ring studded with a simple but very nice diamond?
“I guess what I’m trying to say is,” he proceeded to express, “Margaret Elizabeth Wilson... can I be your husband?”
And before I could react, the waiters who earlier served us went to our table. One of them was playing a ukulele while the others burst into a song. I Swear, by All 4 One.
I swear by the moon and the stars in the skies And I swear like the shadow that's by your side
I see the questions in your eyes I know what's weighing on your mind You can be sure I know my part 'Cause I'll stand beside you through the years You'll only cry those happy tears And though I make mistakes I'll never break your heart
It was an... interesting... choice, though at that instance, I was too busy catching my breath to give it much thought. The singing waiters caught the attention of the entire restaurant. Soon enough, every person at Mr. Ginger’s Crab Shack was looking at us.
And as the waiters continued serenading our table, Lucas’ hand went to the pocket of his coat.
Omigosh omigosh omigosh...
This is it...
Should I say yes?
Duh, Meg!
Of course you should say YES!
He’s Lucas! He’s the love of your life! The one you’re fated to be with! The man who’ll be a good father to your children!
Lucas smiled at me, a grin wider than before, then he removed his hand from the pocket and extended it towards me.
I gasped.
Then he showed me what he was holding.
It...
It wasn’t a ring.
“Margaret Elizabeth Wilson... will you marry me?” he asked, loud enough for all the restaurant to hear.
Say yes, someone yelled from the other corner of the establishment, which was followed by a polite but enthusiastic applause from the other customers.
“I...”
Just say yes, Meg!
“I...”
Stop overthinking! He wants to marry you, for God’s sake!
“I...”
Would you rather grow old alone?
“I... okay...” I finally uttered.
Lucas raised his hands and screamed, “she said yes!”
Everyone in the restaurant clapped their hands. As if on cue, the waiters sang even louder. Congratulations, some of the people shouted. A couple even stood up to tap Lucas’ shoulder and congratulate him.
As the excitement settled, Lucas extended his hand towards me once again. He was still holding the thing he showed me earlier.
“Here, keep it,” he requested. “You know how bad I am with stuff like this. I’ll just end up losing it.”
“O-Okay...” I tentatively agreed.
He continued to eat the chili and garlic lobster on his plate. The waiters finished their song and left us. I hid my hands below the table and, with a heavy heart, looked at what Lucas gave me.
A hotel reservation.
For two.
Two months from that day.
In Vegas.
Chapter Eleven
CONNER
“You do know that you’re risking your career by doing this stupid, stupid thing, right?”
Whenever Artemis talks to me contemptuously as if I wasn’t his number one client - his bread and butter, as he once described me - I knew that he was worried. Not just for me. For his business, most especially. I was the most prominent member of his clientele. He represented other athletes too, but they were nowhere close to the stature I have built for myself. His stable included David Lebeau, the pinch hitter for the Marlins (he was on t
he field for all of nine minutes last season); Greg Garner, a defenseman for the Bruins (who the fuck watches hockey?); and Axl “The Mauler” Mulligan, a professional wrestler (is that even a fucking sport?). No wonder I accounted for more than ninety percent of Artemis’ annual income.