“I can find my way out. And just to remind you, I know who your General Manager is. One word from me and you’ll be out of your job,” I said with a smug. What could he say about that? I knew who Mr. John Brooks was. And once upon a time, he was once head over heels for me. One word from my mouth and he would be down on his knees.
“If you say so, miss. But I really need to do my duties around here,” he said, a hint of annoyance eminent in his voice.
“I’m just reminding you,” I told him as I read the name in his tag, “Mr. Smith.”
He faked another smile once more as he led the way out. Argh. He clearly wanted me out of here, didn’t he? But no matter how irritated I was, I still followed his lead. What else could I do? Run? For a moment, the thought did occur to me but I was not making myself do anything atypical again.
I had done enough for the day.
We got past the crowd of people flocking around the conference hall as if they were preparing for something big. Out of curiosity, I peeked inside. Was it a wedding ceremony? Well, it was kind of obvious actually. White curtains hanging around, flowers scattered everywhere, and mellow songs which filled the air. A wedding ceremony indeed.
I suddenly remembered Aaron. That guy must be happily married by now with that tramp. Or maybe not, since I would be getting my luck back. And there was this chance that the wedding didn’t happen and he had already realized that he had been wrong all along. And by now, he desperately wanted me to get back in his life again. Aaron could be kind of shy once in a while so perhaps he was kind of hesitant to call me until now. But I guessed I would be hearing from him any moment soon.
As soon as I’d be able to talk with John Brooks.
I walked out of the hotel, still guided by the vexatious guard. After realizing that Mr. Smith wouldn’t leave me alone unless I would get out of this hotel, I yielded to just hailing a cab. Now that Plan A had failed, I had another one in mind.
Ha! Just wait for a moment and I’d be right back.
“Take me to the nearest mall,” I told the driver, adjusting my heels in place. This better not fall or I’d flip. I didn’t bring spare shoes with me. And I also hoped that my luck wasn’t exhausted yet, like the way it was a few days ago when I reached the limit of being unfortunate. I just needed some undisturbed time of being normal.
Not lucky. Just normal.
After a while, the cab driver said, “We’re here, Miss.”
“Oh, okay. Let me just get some cash,” I said, unlocking my bag and counting the exact amount. I wasn’t normally this stingy but having my job cut-off and all my savings gone, I had to be thrifty with what was left. It wasn’t many. I’d be out of money pretty soon. And life in this city without money might as well mean death.
The cab driver didn’t say anything but he looked aloof all right.
“And here’s the last cent. Okay, done,” I said, getting out of the cab.
In front of me was a five-storey building covered with hundred meters tarps. Maybe that was an exaggeration. It wasn’t hundred meters but it was really huge.
And so was the waiting line outside the mall.
I looked at my watch and saw that it wasn’t even ten o’clock. That explained a lot about the line. But why today of all days did these people need to buy whatever they have to buy so early in the morning?
At first, I was patiently waiting as the forty-second person to enter the mall. But as the clock ticked on, I was getting frantic that if I wouldn’t get my hands on John Brooks’ whereabouts I’d be so dead and I’d never be able to get my life back.
Good for them, before I was even able to fake a bomb scare gossip, the double door of the mall opened. I found my way inside in a hurry. Thankfully, the mall was large enough to hold forty or so people without having them to bump shoulders against shoulders.
Going to the beauty section, I hurriedly grabbed a semi-permanent dye and also some cheap hair dryer. I also picked up a cotton sweater, tiered skirt and some new shoes.
“Credit or cash, Ma’am?” the lady behind the counter asked me.
I flashed my credit card and said, “Credit.”
Credit cards were so handy during these dubious times. The magical credit card rescued an almost penniless girl like me. I’d think of a way to pay the bills later.
Hurrying to the restroom, I found the most comfortable spot where I could put my things. Then I started dyeing my hair right away. So this was my plan. It was brilliant. And after totally staining the sink, to which the janitress responded with dismay, I managed to make a descent dye with my hair—all flared up.
Now, I just needed to dry it and it would be perfect. That guard wouldn’t even notice me. No one could ever stop me from rummaging that Burchett Hotel. I must at least find out John Brooks location. I didn’t get all the way from New Waulds to Creeksburg just to go home without any results.
I would see John Brooks at all cost.
After carefully drying my hair, I put on the new set of clothes. Off the rack, but this would do for now. I didn’t have any other choice. I checked out myself in the mirror and saw the new Kayla Wilson. I was better with my light blond hair but this wasn’t that bad either. The flare complemented my eyes, like how it was burning in desire to get what I wanted. And I was beautiful to start with so a little make over every now and then wouldn’t hurt my perfect charms. And it would eventually come off in a few washes. I only needed this for this day.
I looked to my side and saw the janitress still fidgeting with the stain. I gave her a pat on the back and said, “You’re doing a great job. It will come off eventually.”
See? I was the nicest person in the whole wide world. Nothing could beat that. But instead of smiling and agreeing with me, she responded with a frown and an annoyed meet up of her two eyebrows.
Oh, not that nice, eh?
I let off a shrug. She rolled her eyes in dismay. Sheesh, it was her job to clean. Why was she looking at me that way? It was a good thing that I didn’t have the time to inquire who she was or else she might lose her job with my complaint.
With my twenty-eight years of existence, I was proud to say that I had filed nearly half a thousand of complaints by now. How many people learned from it? I had no clue. I was just making this world a better place. If they were doing their job right, I wouldn’t be complaining.
Simple.
I put all my things inside my bag and headed out of the restroom. As I was in the hall on my way outside, I stopped on my tracks when I saw a magazine rack. I couldn’t believe that I almost forgot to look at my horoscope for the day. Hurriedly scanning the pages because I was obviously in a hurry, I flipped the pages one after the other. And then finally, I found what I was looking for.
You might be feeling low today and it seems that quite a bit of the energy you have is taken up on helping others with their own needs. Don’t let it get to you. There’s nothing wrong with getting some good karma!
I already did that. I helped that janitress by boosting up her energy for today, although she wasn’t that fond about it at all. Anyway, I would just help some more people on the way. My pure heart was more than happy to do all that.
And so I inhaled my luck.
After I felt that my luck for the day was regained to a satisfactory level—enough to save me for several hours—I headed out of the mall. And as soon as I got out, I hastily looked for a cab again.
I was quite annoyed about the fact that there were no empty cabs around. I uneasily tapped on my watch as I tiptoed on my heels to see if my cab was just around the block. If I knew that finding a cab in Creeksburg would be this hard, I would have hired a driver. Oh, I forgot that I couldn’t afford it. Unless drivers accepted cards nowadays, maybe there could be someone who could drive the car for me.
Speaking of cars, I heard a loud honking coming from behind. A car almost hit me again but I dodged it just in time. Wow, I was getting better at avoiding my own death. But the notorious driver didn’t let me off the hook that easy. In
stead, he scolded me some more before driving away. I shrugged off my shoulders and continued hailing a cab.
“Burchett Hotel,” I told the driver as soon as I was able to get inside one. “And make it fast but not super fast. I’m in a hurry but not yet prepared to die.”
“Okay,” he muttered, a bit confused.
Shortly after, we arrived at the hotel. Again. I was here once more. Even if I had to change my hair color or cut it, I would do so, as long as I’d see John Brooks right away. I adjusted my hair that was now tied in a messy bun and strolled along pass the guards. I was impressed with my own way of thinking as the one who previously led me out of the hotel—Mr. Smith—now greeted me with a pleasant smile.
“Good morning,” he said to me.
I smiled a bit and adjusted my sunglasses. Then I changed my voice a little to make it sound a little bit low. After which I returned a cheerful, “Good morning to you, too.”
If we were always like this, Mr. Smith and I would surely get along well. I headed for the elevator in a concealed hurry, getting along with the flow of the people who scrunched themselves inside the elevator. Someone already pushed the last floor so I didn’t bother pressing any floor button. After going through several floors, there were only three people left in the elevator, including me.
When we stopped at twenty-seventh floor, someone came in. He was a young man maybe in his late twenties or early thirties with dirty blonde hair that was kept neatly on one side. His face was angular, the rim of his glasses decisively placed on the bridge of his nose. He was dressed in formal clothes that would surely fit in for the affair that will be held in the conference hall, the one I saw earlier. Maybe he was a guest for that wedding downstairs.
He seemed to notice me looking at him and I casually lifted off my sight away. He also did the same. After a moment, I noticed that he was looking intently at his watch although that meant that I was still looking at him. I had this hunch that he looked somewhat familiar aside from the fact that he kind of belonged to the league of guys who deserved second glances. Curious, I stole some more glances at him and tried to remember where exactly had I met this man before. Although the moment ended a bit too soon, that was because as soon as the door opened for the thirty-fifth floor, that man alighted.
“Wait!” I shouted as I promptly put my hands in between the closing doors. It opened up shortly after and I found my way out. As I stared at his back, for no sensible reason, I suddenly remembered who he was or maybe who his cousin or brother was.
I looked around the floor and saw that he was a little way down the hall. Setting my hesitations aside, I called him at the top of my voice, “Mr. Brooks!”
So maybe that wasn’t the most intelligent way to randomly call people. But then I desperately needed to get his attention. And if my wild guess was right, he would definitely have a Brooks in his name. Either be it his middle name or surname or maybe even his first name because he surely did look like Johnny—only way hotter.
He turned back slowly and was quite unsure if he heard me right. At least I had his attention now. And since he halted on his tracks, I was able to catch up with him. I straightened my skirt and the sweater that I was wearing. His eyebrows met in confusion and lines found its way to his forehead, making him age two years at the most.
“Kayla?” the words came out of his mouth which surely caught me off guard. “I thought I was only seeing things by thinking that it was you in the elevator. What are you doing here?”
“Huh? You know me?” I asked obliviously. Did Johnny tell his whole clan about me? Wow! I didn’t quite expect that. Maybe if I’d barge in to their family reunion, everyone would know that I was Kayla Wilson. Sheesh, that boy was surely head-over-heels for me.
He shook his head for a while and let out a baffled smile. I felt my face flushed while staring at him. I must admit that he was kind of cute when he smiled. I hoped that my blushing didn’t show though. It was kind of embarrassing, knowing mine and Johnny’s history.
“Do you happen to know where John Brooks is?” I ardently asked right away despite his laughing. As much as I wanted to stare at his comely face all day long, I needed something real quick at this moment.
His smile turned into a soft laugh. I was confounded by his untimely reaction. Then after a little more laughing, he finally said, “It’s me, Kaye.”
I blinked twice. “Don’t kid me. I seriously need to see him right now.”
His laughter caught up some more tone and it echoed across the hall. We caught three heads who passed by. I sort of joined in and laughed, too. For no reason at all. Seriously, I didn’t even know what I was laughing about. His face turned even redder as he saw what I was doing. He held his stomach as he laughed some more. I kind of forced some more laughs which clearly sounded confused.
After a while, he held a hand in front of me as he got back to his stance again. I stopped my sham laugh right away. The laughing mania must be over by now. Then I heard him say, “So you don’t believe that I am John? The one you fondly called Johnny from way back then?”
“Johnny?” I asked in utmost abashment.
He silently nodded.
“No... don’t tell me...” I stalled with the words, not knowing what else to say. My eyes widened in shock as I came to realize who he was. I was still in denial but then as I looked closely at his features, it was really the same as Johnny’s.
“Yes, it’s me. What do you expect to see? Someone in suspenders and bow tie?”
“Maybe,” I murmured to myself, suddenly feeling bad about the whole thing. But it was that way all along. What else did he expect him to see? Nothing but an older version of the Johnny I once knew.
But as much as I wanted to tell him yes, I’d settled down on not making him angry instead. That would be too much of a tragedy if this whole building would collapse on me. Like only the side where I was would fall down and the rest where John was would still be intact.
I’d seen too many tragedies that I’d easily believe in any.
“That’s alright. We haven’t seen each other for years. What brought you here?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah. That’s right! I’m actually here to ask your forgiveness,” I sputtered the words one after the other.
“Forgiveness? For what?” he asked me, confused.
“I don’t know. Maybe you have an idea?” I shrugged. Well, I had a hunch but it might or might not be right. You know, holding a grudge because I dated Jonathan and not him.
“I don’t have a clue on what you’re talking about,” he honestly told me.
“Don’t you have some sort of hatred towards me?” I asked him once more. “I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”
He thought for a while before answering, “Maybe when we were younger, I used to. But a lot of things happened after that so I don’t think it matters anymore.”
“Really? You did? When? Why?” I asked one question after another. So he did hate me. I couldn’t believe that the kindest person I knew was even capable of that.
He flung his hands as he explained, “It wasn’t even a big deal. And it was like what? Years ago?”
“Oh no, you have to forgive me,” I told him, holding him on both shoulders. “I will do anything I can to make it up to you. Swear!”
He was quite surprised by my unexpected plea. And I also noticed that he shove my hands away carefully. It felt awkward being, you know, pushed like that. Although he had done it in a discreet manner, I felt repulsion with his touch.
“Okay, I forgive you,” he said with a half smile.
“You didn’t mean that. You have to sincerely forgive me,” I said. Then after which, a splendid thought came to mind. “I know! Make me do anything. In that way, we will be even. And I won’t have to feel bad about it. And you don’t have to hate me, okay?”
He was lost in thoughts for a while. Tapping his right foot, he looked at his watch once more before he finally met my eyes and said, “Okay then, be my bride.”
&nb
sp; Chapter 6
“Excuse me?” I replied incoherently.
“You said you’d do anything for me. I don’t have a bride and I have a wedding to finish tomorrow,” the words came out of his mouth way too easily.
“But it’s a wedding! And you’re asking me to be your bride out of nowhere,” I pointed out the gravity of the situation to him just in case he didn’t notice.
“I actually am. But it’s not like I’m forcing you. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to,” he told me. Then shaking his head with a quiet laugh as if regaining back sanity, he ran his fingers through his hair and added, “Oh, forget it. I’m just playing around with you. I’ll find another bride, Kaye. In fact, I should probably get on with that. So...”
“But...” I tried protesting some more only to realize that it was me who offered to do anything for him in the first place.
“Look, Kaye. I seriously need a bride. And if you don’t want to, I’ll just have to find somebody else,” he said to me.
And I seriously couldn’t believe that he was just picking brides out of nowhere. What was he up to? He was like, ‘Oh! I’m having a wedding. Can you deliver a bride to me?’ What happened to the over passionate Johnny I once knew? He once told me that love was a serious matter and it shouldn’t be taken lightly like most people did all their lives.
“Wait. Why will you even throw a wedding if you don’t have a bride?” I incredulously asked him, exasperated. And lacking sane reasons of what could have been really going on.
“My bride ran off this morning,” he said, shrugging off his shoulders.
“Say what?” I asked, baffled.
“Well, we actually don’t know each other. We just met once and his father wanted me to marry her so I agreed. But she ran off this morning saying that she couldn’t do it after all,” he explained.
“Oh.” That was the only word that managed to come out of my mouth. What was with this guy? What era were we in for him to be caught up in an arranged marriage?
My Kind of Perfect Page 6