章節 9: Chapter 7.2: A Lifetime of Friendship
He was unusually quiet and visibly dejected as we walked. I secretly took a few glimpses of him. His eyes were really sad and even those frames of glasses could not hide his real feelings.
Admittedly, it was my fault for calling him a "masterpiece". It was not appropriate for me to say that as no one would be pleased to know that their entire life is "pure fantasy".
Bad, bad me.
"Is there something wrong?" I attempted to appease his sadness. "We could go home if you're tired."
"This is nothing." he denied while looking away. "Just a mild case of mood swing, perhaps. Please be patient with me, Miss Author. You know everything about me."
I pulled his sleeve to stop. With a wide grin on my lips, I held his cheeks. "No need to be gloomy!"
"I am not being gloomy." he muttered nervously.
"Let me see." I gently pinched his cheeks to force him to smile. "Now you look a lot better, lonely one."
He remove my hands away from his face and held them a little longer. For what seemed like a hundred years, he just observed me quietly.
"How can I be lonely when you are just so persistent, Bianca?" he finally broke the silence.
"That is just ten percent of my attitude. I could be very feisty too, you know!" I giggled. "Ooh...maybe, we can now proceed to the park?" I reminded as I pulled my hands away from him.
"Sure."
After a few more meters of walking, we reached our destination. As expected, there were a lot of Chinese merchants with various goods parked in there.
One stall caught my attention right away.
A store of combs! I ran towards it forgetting the company of Antoine in a whim.
Sandalwood.
Ivory.
Jade.
These were the materials the combs were made of. A middle-aged Chinese woman spoke to me in broken Filipino language.
"How can I help you?"
"Is that jade comb real?" I could almost feel my mouth hanging wide open with amazement while pointing at the one displayed.

"Yes! Do you know that legends say that it brings good luck to its owner and a lifetime of friendship with the one who gives it?" She opened the glass container, took out the wonderful comb and handed it to me. "That one came from China and carefully carved by our Buddhist brothers. I can tell that this one called for you."
"How much?" I eagerly asked, wanting to buy it as I felt a deep connection to it.
She told me a price I cannot convert from my time's value. All I knew was it was worth a two months salary from Antoine.
"I still need to save." I sadly admitted to her while returning it on its case. "I'm so sorry."
"I will give you half the price." she offered. "Someone like you must own this."
"Thanks for the bargain. But I've made up my mind."
Antoine took the comb and handed it to the seller.
"She'll take it. Wrap it. I'll pay for it."
"This is embarrassing. I don't need it."
"And, that blue satin shawl too. I think it will look good on her."
"This is too much!" I tried to stop him. "These are priceless."
"Consider those as fiesta* gifts. It's San Isidro's day so we must celebrate."
(Spanish word for "feast")
The shopkeeper instantly handed the box of comb and shawl to me. As a bonus, she gave me a butterfly clip which she carefully placed on my hair. He seemed so pleased with how I looked.
I shyly put the goods inside my bag.
"Thanks. Maybe I should work overtime for these."
"No need, the house is too clean. I never expected that you scrub a lot. The floor is impossibly shiny that I could almost see my reflection on it."
"Ugh. I do hope you won't see anything else when I pass by..." I covered my mouth, stopping myself from telling him that he might be seeing my flashy underpants in white.
Seriously.
I made the floor so shiny that it could pass as a blurry mirror.
Scrubbing wooden floors to perfection is really my exceptional talent.
"See what?" he cluelessly inquired.
"Nothing!"
"Nothing?"
"Yes. I said "nothing"!" I repeated.
"Antoine!" We heard a man call, interrupting our awkward conversation. The voice was familiar, making me want to run and hide.
He is the man I bumped into while I was running in the Church.
Mariano.
Again.
Why, heavens, why?
Upon seeing my face, his expression lit up. He flashed me a winsome smile and waved his hand excitedly at me.
Due to his naughtiness and reputation of being a playboy, I must avoid him at all cost.
Unluckily, he is Antoine's close friend and a fellow hunter.
"Stay here for a while." he told me. He walked briskly, meeting Mariano at the middle of the road. He put his arms around his shoulder, leading him to a corner.
"Who is she?" I heard him ask in a jovial manner as he was led away from me. He kept on turning his head at my direction. "Won't you even introduce her to me?"
"A friend...by the way...have you..." Antoine tried to change the subject.
Suddenly, a man from behind bumped my shoulder.
"Hey!" I shouted. "Look where you're going!"
Another man snatched the bag from me and ran.
"How dare you!" I screamed and darted towards their direction.
Even in the 1900s, thieves were already prevalent.
I hate these low lives to the core!
I will make them pay!
They ran on separate streets. My sharp eyes easily caught the man with the bag.
He scampered like a rat running away from one furious cat.
"Oh, my jade comb. I'll be jaded if I lose it!" my mind screamed in desperation.
Luckily, the man tripped on a rock. I had my chance to pin him to the ground.
"Give me back my bag!" I demanded while stepping on his back and holding his arm up.
"You're doing this for one bag?" he asked with a look of contempt. Annoyed by his stupid inquiry, I twisted his arm, making him scream in pain.
"That is not an ordinary bag! Someone special gave that to me!"
Antoine was quick to take me away from the thief while Mariano grabbed the man's foot and dragged him mercilessly on the stony path. He proceeded to tie him on a post.
"You should have not done that." he told me as his eyes moved to observe my entirety. "Are you hurt? How do you feel? Next time, stay close to me. "
"He took my bag!" I reasoned. "No need to worry. I am stronger than how I look. And besides, this is my baby. Mwah!" I playfully kissed the bag and hugged it like a teddy bear.
"It is not worth your life! I would have just bought you another!" he spat out with a tone of exasperation.
I could tell that he was annoyed by my carelessness.
This is the first time that I saw him like this.
He is usually calm yet he seems to be deeply troubled when he sees me in danger.
"No money could buy me something like this again." I held the bag to my chest, close to my heart. "I won't let him take it because you gave it to me...and the comb...with the lifetime of friendship with it...I don't want to lose it..." I told him with a lump on my throat. One more word from my mouth and I will unleash the Drama Queen in me.
The bag and the comb might be trivial to many but for me, they are worth the universe because a dear friend, my masterpiece, gave them to me
Antoine's annoyed eyes warmed in an instant. He carefully fixed the butterfly clip on my hair and removed a few dried twigs stuck on my skirt.
"I...I'm sorry. I was just concerned for you." he said apologetically. "Maybe, I should have bought you a hundred jade combs if that would mean a hundred lifetimes of friendship."
I laughed at his suggestion and gently punched his arm.
"You should! But I would like it more if you could get me more chocolates so that I will treat you like my BFF!"
"BFF? What is that?"
"Best friends forever! That's how we call it in my world."
"I see. I thought it meant "Best female friend. As you can see, I am male..."
"Silly! No!" I uttered with a shudder. "Maybe I should change it to BMF for best male friend."
"That sounds better." he agreed with a sweet and boyish smile.
"E-hemmm..." Mariano interrupted while squeezing in, between us. "How sweet!" He faced Antoine and tactlessly asked, "Is she...your wife?"
"No!" I replied for him hysterically. Blood came rushing up to my cheeks.
"Mariano! I will finish you off on my next story." I thought with violent themes on my mind.
"Lucky, lucky you! Now I know why you avoided hunting all the time. A family is on the way!" He gave Antoine a hug and messed up his hair. He looked at me pitifully as if trying to say, "Help!"
"I am one of his servants." I explained. "I just ask him to accompany me because it's the town's fiesta..."
"Nah! I don't believe you. I saw you two hold on to each other like it is your honeymoon!" he said with a chuckle. "So lovey-dovey!"
"We are not lovers!" I snapped.
"Oh, really?" he questioned with his eyebrow slightly raised.
"Yes!"
"As in really, really, really?"
"How many "reallys" do you need to hear?" I answered with clenched fists, fed up with his pestering. He smiled at me like an idiot enjoying his time annoying me.
"We are good friends." Antoine spoke, noticing my irritation with this notorious man.
"Then, fine! Great!" Mariano blurted out. He put his hands on his waist and scrutinized me from head to foot. "I like you. A lot."
"H-Huh?" I mumbled in disbelief. "T-That quick?"
"You look feisty and strong." He took my hand and kissed it. "Mariano at your service, Señorita.*"
(Spanish term for "Miss")
I gently slid my hand away from him.
"Should I introduce myself too?" I asked. Antoine shook his head "no".
He smiled mischievously as he stroked his dark brown hair gently. This is an act he usually does when trying to impress a girl. This Filipino-Spanish mestizo* could pass as a male supermodel if only he knew what the words "silence" and "behave" mean.
(A man of mix race)
His street manners are a big turn-off for me, making his handsome meter fall into negative one.
"What a pretty lady! Can I snatch her away from you, Antoine? As you can see, she already stole my heart. This might be "destiny"."
I cringed with his flowery words.
So did Antoine.
"You had three girlfriends. Leave her alone."
"Do you need to say that?" he frowned with Antoine's revelation. For a moment, I noticed a little shame on his countenance. As expected, he is quick to regain his confidence back. "Nah! Past is past!" He held out his hands in surrender and leaned closer to me and whispered, "Lady, what have you seen with that boring creature? Get a life!"
"Mariano!" Antoine called impatiently. "Aren't you going home?"
"You spoil the fun all the time. Can't you see that I am getting to know this beauty as you are too selfish to introduce her to me?" he replied mindlessly because his full attention was on me. "Do you want to go to River Cut-Cut-Boom-Boom? It's nice to have a picnic in there."
"Cut-cut-what?"
"Cut-cut-boom-boom."
"I bet you should just go home." I stopped him from saying anything more as I found his manners too smooth and fast when I only knew him hours ago. And who would like to stay in a river called "Cut-cut-boom-boom"? With the way it sounds, it spells "D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R".
His smile was quick to disappear yet he still tried to sound pleasing.
"Uh. Wait. I almost forgot." To my surprise, he pulled out a jade comb from his pocket. "I assume that this is yours."
"My comb!" I grabbed it from his palm and pressed it close to my cheek. "Where did you find it?"
"It fell from your bag so I picked it up."
"Thank you." I gratefully told him. "I almost lost this precious one."
"You're very much welcome. Well, I have to go now." he bid farewell as he slowly moved away from me. He was about to turn on a street when he took another glimpse of me and winked. He mouthed "bella dama*".
(Spanish words for "beautiful lady")
I rolled my eyes as his casanova moves have no limit.
Mariano's name is synonymous with "flirt".
"Good riddance!" I mouthed back at him which made him laugh.
I sighed with relief as he left for good.
"Bianca."
"Y-Yeah?" I absent-mindedly responded.
Antoine playfully attempted to snatch the bag from me.
"What are you doing, Sir?"
"Starstruck with Mariano?" he joked. "Don't be. You've been warned."
"No! Never! Eeew!" I opposed strongly. "Let's go home! Oh no! I changed my mind! Buy me some cakes, please." I pointed on a pastry shop to divert his attention away from making fun of me.
"Go ahead and choose." he gestured for me to proceed. I ran towards the store and entered it in haste. Minutes after, we came out with a bag of assorted cupcakes and macaroons. We sat on a wooden bench to rest.
"This pink one is so tasty. Yum! Do you want some?" I offered and placed the macaroon near his mouth.

"No. I am not into sweets that much." he refused.
"Eat." I nudged him as I took out a less sugary cupcake. "I don't want you to get hungry. This one is not too sweet, I swear."
"Do you think so?" he hesitated to take it.
"Yes! It smells milky to me."
"Alright." he took the cake from me but instead of eating, he just watched me pop another macaroon inside mouth. I turned a little on my side, embarrassed by my appetite for pastries. "You eat nicely."
"You might mean, "I'm a glutton. Sorry, not sorry. I eat a lot! Haha! I don't care."
"Just enjoy eating, don't mind me." He took out a handkerchief from his coat. "You might want to wipe that icing on the side of your lips. Or, would you like me to?"
"Don't." I stopped his hand before it could even touch my face. I took the cloth and removed the icing from my cheek. "You remind me so much of a dear friend. He does that to me all the time."
"Who's that friend?" he inquired with so much curiosity.
"Ah...secret!" I answered while busy munching on a chocolate cupcake. "He is the happiest yet saddest part of my life. Let's not talk about him, please."
"I understand." Being too considerate, he did not pressure me to say any more details. "But, can I ask you something that you could answer me frankly?"
"Go on."
"A lifetime of friendship. Did you really mean that?" he started.
"Ahm...of course!
"Can I be your best friend from now on? Even if I am just fiction to you?"
I stopped chewing and looked up to him. His eyes were focused on mine, obviously awaiting my honest reply.
He looked at me with such care that I felt a tug inside my heart.
A part of me really wanted him to be my "best buddy". I admit that being with him makes me feel safe and happy without any care in the world.
But my mind says that my dear Anthony should always have the honor of being called "my best friend" even if he is already long gone.
Would he forgive me if I find another one who is "fiction" and was based entirely on him?
My heart says, "yes".
"For now, you are real to me." I opted for the safest response that would not betray Anthony yet will never hurt Antoine's feelings. "We could be friends."
A strong wind blew in our direction, making some dried leaves fly around. He closed his eyes briefly as if savoring the reality of the moment.
"Then, I am glad." he whispered.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票