Chapter 3: First Date?

Alexis

A SOFT KNOCK on the door awakens me, followed by the sound of notifications on my phone. I groan and stretch on my bed, tasting the staleness of my saliva. Geez, I still feel a little dizzy. And I am also hungry.

“Alexis, are you up?”

It’s my mother. I try to cover my head with a pillow and shout in my usual raspy voice, “Come in, ma. It’s not locked.”

The door makes a creaky sound as I hear my mother’s footsteps. Now she’s standing at the foot of my bed, probably crossing her arms underneath her chest and heaving a sigh. The notification sound of my phone continues popping up.

“Get up before your father sees you. He’ll be home from work.”

I could tell that my mama’s disappointed. She never really scolds me but I know it when she’s frustrated. She’s already 43 and yet she looks like she’s still in her 30’s. She’s wearing a white cardigan and a pair of loose pants. Her feet are covered with planting boots while her other hand is holding a pair of hand gloves. Her forehead is filled with perspiration.

“Were you at your garden this morning?” I ask, trying to change the conversation. I sit on the bed and wipe my face with my blankie. Ewh, this blanket need washing.

“Yes, and you have to help me sell the vegetables. And your aunt Selma wants you to give her some fresh roses for her altar. Remember today is Sunday.”

Aunt Selma is my mother’s older sister living alone in her house at the next town. It’s almost an hour away from home. I always drop by her house since her place is just a few steps away from the school where I work as a private school teacher. My aunt is a devoted Catholic. In fact, she’s the only Catholic in our family because the rest have converted into Protestants. She’s a spinster and every time we have a conversation, she always reminds me of the things that a young lady like me should be doing. Growing up, I always get a handful of nagging from her just because I have always refused to wear skirts.

“Okay,” I groan as I pretend to fix my bed. I then feel uncomfortable when I feel my mother staring. “What now, mama?”

“Gab called. He’s asking for you so I told him you’re drunk. Good thing you came home earlier than usual.”

“I wasn’t that drunk, ma. And yes, I was early because I had no choice.”

“Alexis, look at me.”

I draw another long breath and stare at my mother’s kind face. She reaches for my hand; her lips form a half smile as she rubs a thumb on my fingers. “I like Gab because he takes care of you. He’s being a wonderful boyfriend to you so I really think that you should talk to him.”

“Ma, most of the time he’s freaking possessive!” I blurt out. “I don’t like what’s he’s doing.”

“No cursing, Alexis. I believe that he’s just showing his concern for you. He doesn’t want you to get into trouble.”

“Ma, I’m already 22. Why would I ever get into trouble?”

“Alexis, stop giving reasons. You cannot justify the fact that you went out and got drunk last night. If it’s not because of Gab, I wouldn’t know.”

I pout my lips and decide to keep my mouth shut. My family adores Gab so much that I feel like there’s no point of arguing at all. Uh! I can’t wait to get myself a place of my own.

“By the way, I also want you to go to the supermarket today. We’re running out of supplies.”

We then hear the familiar sound of my father’s motorcycle followed by my sister’s voice calling after him. Mama stands up and hurries to the door to leave me alone, but not before strictly insisting that I should give Gab a phone call.

Pouting, I reach for my android phone and swipe through the notifications on the screen. My friends have bombarded me with messages, mostly from Alexis and Kelly. Fifteen missed calls and 27 messages are from Gab. Facebook also says that I have been tagged on my friends’ posts at the party but I decide not to open any of it. Instead, I stand up and reach for my towel. I better take a bath to wash my hangover off.

~~~

I am welcomed with the familiar scent of the supermarket. The smell of the place reminds me of laundry soap and fabric conditioner.

Not many people are inside probably because it’s Sunday. I only see ten people including the elderly cashier and a petite sales lady who have greeted me with a high pitched “Good morning, ma’am!” I return her morning greetings with a smile, realizing that she is also studying in the school where I am currently employed. I immediately go to the list that mama gave me and read through it. I need 2 kilos of chicken meat, few kilos of vegetables and spices, oil, and some family stuff like menstrual pads, laundry soaps and etcetera. It’s such a long list.

Walking around the aisle and skimming through the list is a bad idea. I accidentally bump into someone in doing so and even knock some canned goods on the shelf. Uh!

“I’m sorry, I—” I stop midway, popping my eyes and gasping for air. I couldn’t believe who I just bumped into.

“Babe? Yes, it’s really you,” she says, taking her sunglasses off and feeling equally surprised.

The last thing that I ever want to do is bumping with MJ in the streets or at the supermarket and yet here we are. It seems like the universe is playing its cliché games at me.

“Sorry, I wasn’t looking.” I get down on my knees and start picking the fallen canned goods.

“It’s me who should be sorry,” she replies as she helps me. We work in silence and hastily stand up when we’re done. I can’t even look at her straight in the eye. “S-so what are you doing here, by the way?” I ask, trying to sound normal.

MJ raises an eyebrow as if telling me that she’s gonna buy something and that her presence in the store is quite obvious. I look at her and a chuckle escapes my lips. Then MJ playfully ruffles my head as she peeks on my list.

“Do you want me to help you with that?” she asks.

“No, it’s okay. I can manage.”

“Okay, well, I guess I’m just gonna get going now.”

I nod my head and smile. “Sure. But wait, I—I want to apologize with what happened.”

“Geez, babe. Get it over yourself. It’s the squad’s fault. Not yours.”

“I just feel like I am the walk out queen of the year.”

“More like the runaway queen,” she counters which makes both of us laugh. Somehow, it has shaken the tension away.

“So, um, see you when I see you?”

I return it with a nod.

Once alone, I can’t help but contemplate how MJ makes my heart race for no reason. I’d hate to say this but every time she’s near me, I just feel like I’m going crazy.

~~~

“Hey, babe!”

I turn around to see MJ standing across the street. I smile at her and drive my motorcycle towards her direction.

“I bought these, care to join me?” she asks. I excitedly peep through the blue cellophane in her hand and gasp. “There’s no freaking way I’m saying no to that.”

~~~

We decide to park our motorcycles at the nearby park and look for a nice bench to sit on.

“Hmm, my favorite food in the world,” I say as I greedily chew on the siomai meat.

“I know,” she says, chuckling. Raising my eyebrows, I look at her with suspicions. “How’d you know? Are you my stalker?”

“Excuse me?” she retorts.

“I’m starting to believe that you’re a stalker. First, you suddenly showed up at the supermarket, and then this—you exactly know my favorite food! So I guess you’re stalking me because when I asked you what were you doing in the store, you couldn’t form an honest answer!”

“Those are serious accusations, woman. You’re assuming things,” she says, chuckling. We both burst into a fit of laughter and put oily fingers on each other’s face. It’s silly and childish but being with her, it’s just fun.

“Come on, you tell me what you bought on that store and I’d shut up,” I press on.

MJ heaves a sigh. “I bought menstrual pads, alright?” she replies with an annoyed voice, making her cheeks turn red.

“What’s wrong with buying pads for your menstrual cycle? It’s the most normal thing in the world of womanhood. And OMG, you are literally blushing!” I say, giggling.

“Happy now? Geez,” she replies, trying so hard to suppress a laugh. She then excuses herself and runs to her U-box and reveals two bottles of water, jogs back to my direction, and handles me one. We stay for a while in the park, teasing each other and talking about girls and other random stuff.

Just then, my phone vibrates and I curse myself when I read mama’s text. “Jesus, I forgot about my errand. I really have to go now.”

“I see. Shall I follow you home?”

I giggle some more, feeling overwhelmed with her concern. “It’s okay, gentlewoman. A woman whose got menstruation should rest at home,” I tease.

She scowls and pinch my cheeks again with her oily fingers. I then wipe my face with her shirt, scowling at her. “Here,” she says, shoving me her phone. I smile and excitedly types my digits on the screen. “Does it mean I’m gonna see you again?” I ask, unmindfully biting my lower lip.

MJ winks at me as she rides on her motorcycle. The sound of the vehicle’s engine roars back to life. “Consider this as the first date. And I enjoyed it, woman.”

Having said that, she waves a hand and speeds away, leaving butterflies on my stomach. First date, huh, I whisper to myself, gosh MJ. What the heck are you doing to me?

xoxoPAxoxo