[ONGOING] Love, VE

Prologue

It all started on a random Thursday morning. Mr. Vern Rugue decided to bring his family to the beach, as advised by their marriage counselor in order to try and fix his marriage with his wife. They've been married for 7 years now with two lovely twins aged 5, both oblivious of the impending divorce of their parents.

Mrs. Rugue was trying to calm Vernie, who's been crying since they arrived because she wants to go to the beach immediately, but Mrs. Rugue insisted that they would eat lunch first. Vernice, on the other hand, found a way to have fun by herself by playing with the sand. As always, she's inside her own happy bubble. 

It was always Vernie that the couple had a problem with. At one point, they even thought that Vernie had a problem so they brought her to a child specialist who later denied the couple's assumptions. Vernie, unlike her sister, is just naturally energetic, adventurous and hard to control.

"Daddy! I finished my food. Can I go swim to the beach now?" Vernie happily jumped while pulling her father who's still eating his sandwich.

"Sweetie, can I at least finish my food please?"

"But Daddy! The condition is that I can go to the beach once I finish my food. Not yours!" Vernie insisted and all his father can do is to shake his head and laugh. Vernie is really smart. Both the twins are.

"Okay, fine." Mr. Rugue stood up and looked over Vernice. "Are you coming baby?"

"No, daddy. Mommy will be lonely if we leave her alone."

"Aww.. you are so sweet, baby. Can I have a kiss?" Mrs. Rugue asked. Vernice went over her mommy and leaned to kiss her.

Mr. Rugue, tried to meet his wife's eyes but since morning, she never looked at him. Obviously, she hasn't changed her mind about the divorce.

"Daddy, come on!" Vernie pulled her dad and they left to swim.

"Mommy, why do you look sad?" Vernice asked her mom who simply smiled at her, but her smile did not reach her eyes.

"Mommy is fine baby, but I'm tired from the road trip. Can I take a nap for a bit?" Mrs. Rugue asked her child. She knows Vernice isn't someone who'd just go anywhere so she did not have to worry.

"Of course, Mommy. I'm just gonna play with the sand."

Mrs. Rugue kissed Vernice's forehead in response and laid down to take a nap. Just by looking at Mrs. Rugue figure, no one can tell that she had kids. Her uptight boobs and flat stomach says otherwise.

A few minutes later, Vernice was having the time of her life playing with the sand when a boy came over her.

"Hello. What is your name?" The boy had a huge smile on his face which brought his deep dimples to life. He extended his hand to Vernice.

"Sorry, Mommy says never to talk to strangers." Vernice turned around and continued to play with the sand.

"People call me JL." The boy went in front of Vernice. "You know my name now so that means I'm not a stranger anymore, right?"

Vernice looked at him. Besides Vernice, she never really liked playing with others but he doesn't seem like a bad guy, she thought. "I'm VE!" She smiled and extended her hand.

JL shook her hand in response. "So can I play with you, VE? Look, I have paint." JL took a couple paint bottles from his shorts and showed them to VE.

"No, let's build a sand castle. Like those that you see in TV! The big ones!"

"Okay, but let's make something bigger!"

Vernice has always been the shy kid and rarely talks to the kids in her preschool. For some reason, she does not feel uncomfortable playing with JL because JL does all the talking. She simply had fun listening to him while he shares to her his love for arts.

"When you grow up, what do you want to be, VE?"

VE thought for a while and her face lit up when she finally had an answer, "When I grow up, I want to live in my own castle."

"Can I live in your castle?" JL asked.

VE titled her head as she thinks of a response, "But why? You can build your own castle and live there." she suggested

"But I want to live with you. You're fun to be with!" JL excitedly explained.

No one really thought of Vernice as fun before. Vernie was always the fun one. So to hear it from someone made her very happy.

"Okay! But only when we grow up!"

"Sure. Will you marry me?"

"Okay!" Vernice replied without thinking. She's too happy to think about anything else.

"Pinky promise?"

Vernice shook her head. 

Vernie always makes her pinky promise, but at the end of the day, Vernie breaks her promise.

 "Let's not do pinky. People always break promises."

JL thought for a while. "How about paint? You paint something on my arm and I'll do the same for you."

"Okay."

JL took a yellow paint bottle from his pocket, opened it and dipped this finger. He then took out Vernice's hand and drew a flower. Vernice watched in awe.

"My turn!" Vernice dipped her finger in the bottle and took JL's hand.

She did not really have something in mind, but then she thought about the new word she learned in her preschool yesterday and wrote it in JL's hand.

"Love, VE?" JL asked as soon as Vernice finished.

"Yes. My teacher taught us to write that yesterday. Do you like it?"

"I DO!" JL jumped in excitement.

All of a sudden,  there was a faint call from a distance, "JL! Where are you?"

"Oh no, my mommy is looking for me. I got to go!"

"Okay, will I see you again?"

"Sure!" JL smiled as he ran away, but he has not gone far when he turned back and ran towards Vernice.

"Did you forget something?"

Instead of responding, JL leaned over and kissed Vernice's cheek. "Byebye!"

Vernice absentmindedly caressed her cheek as she watched JL ran away. She looked down and smiled as she watched the yellow flower that JL painted on her arm.

"I'm fun?"

She giggled.

This is the best day ever!