SEVENTEEN years to Live

2 ●○► DISAPPOINTED

CHAPTER TWO

●○► DISAPPOINTED

 

Kevin takes a deep breath and says, “Uhm.” He looks down at the grass and then clears his throat.

“What?” I ask, anticipating his answer. “Is it alright with you?”

He chuckles softly. My heart begins to pound inside my chest and every beat is chasing each other. I don’t know what Kevin is thinking right now. What’s his answer? Will he accept my offer? Or will he reject it because I’m not the girl he wants to have a baby with?

“Uhmmmm,” he says again, longer this time. “What?”

I don’t know if he is requesting me to ask the question again. But he is, I don’t think I still have courage to do it. I just chuckle under my breath, then repeat the same question to him:

“Can I have a baby with you?”

A smile spread widely on his face. He opens his mouth and there is a low grumbling sound producing at the back of his throat.

Then I hear a familiar voice call my name behind me.

Kevin’s mouth closes. He and I turn around and see Heather jogging toward us. Oh, no! She can’t be here, I think. My moment is happening here! My moment with Kevin is happening here!

“Heather.” I say her name like I am scolding her. “What are you doing here?”

“You don’t want me here?” She stops walking for a second, making a face. I am supposed to answer her question but then she speaks again, cutting me off. “Oh. Goodbye, then.”

She turns around and starts to walk back.

“No,” I tell her before she gets far. “I didn’t say I don’t want you here. I’m just asking what you’re doing here.”

She turns around and looks at us. “Oh, well,” she says, treading toward us then sitting on the other side of Kevin as she arrives. “I came here to flirt with Kevin.”

“What?” Kevin blurts out, jerking his body away from Heather. “You two are here to flirt with me?”

“No!” I say automatically. “I’m not.”

“I’m sorry, Mary, but I will,” says Heather. “Oh, Kevin. I know you want a baby. Pick me. Pick me. Pick me, please?” Her voice is the sound of child demanding something from his parents.

Kevin laughs sarcastically. Heather crosses her arms on his and leans her head on his shoulder.

“Heather,” I say, in my scolding voice again. “You are unbelievable!”

For a second I get to my feet. Then I walk away from the lake.

***

“What were you doing?” I tell Heather as soon as we reach the house. She followed me just after I got seventy meters away from the lake. “You completely ruined my afternoon!”

I don’t know if Kevin is still there. I never looked back because I am so mad at Heather I can kill her right now. I can and I will. I want to know so desperately what Kevin’s answer is.

“I’m so sorry,” says Heather. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

“Well, you’ve done it already. You meant to do that!”

“No, Mary. No.” I can see Heather is really sorry for what she did. I can it in her face.

“Whatever!” I mutter through clenched teeth.

“For God’s sake, Mary! I was just joking that time.”

“Joking?” I question, raising an eyebrow at her. “It’s not a good joke, you know! When you called my name, Kevin was about to answer my question. And he’s about to say yes.”

“So”—she smirks—“did you ask him out?”

Honestly, I don’t know what to say. Heather looks at me like she’s digging the truth out of me. I take a deep breath. And I stammer when I reply. “Y-yeah.”

I don’t know what I feel after that.

“Oh, that’s good.” She laughs a little.

I suddenly forget about our argument. She walks to me and pats my shoulder as if to calm me down. Then she pulls my wrist and drags me out the door.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask.

“I’m taking you to Kevin,” she says excitedly. “We’re going to ask him again. Having a baby is like having gold.”

I roll my eyes and let her drag me. When she closes the door behind us, we half walk, half run toward the lake. Seventy yards away, we see Kevin walking back home. His head is bowed down and his hands are stuffed inside his pockets. His checkered shirt remains unbuttoned he looks like a model when he walks.

“C’mon,” says Heather, pulling me faster. “We need to get to Kevin!”

“Why can’t we just wait him here?” I suggest. “You’re getting on my nerves, you know.”

“I don’t care,” she says quickly. “I want you to have a baby. Baby is gold!”

Baby, I think. Why is she always comparing baby to gold? I’m so irritated of her I want to slap her face. I want to, but she’s holding my slapping hand and I don’t feel like slapping her with my other hand.

After we walk another twenty meters, I hear a female voice call Kevin’s name. Heather suddenly stops dragging me and I look at her in wonder.

“What is it?” I ask curiously.

“Look.”

She points a finger thirty meters ahead of us at the girl who jogs toward Kevin. The girl throws her arms around him and Kevin wraps her into an embrace. For a second, I think, What a flirt. The girl is as tall as Kevin’s shoulders. He lifts her up from the ground and spins her around.

“Eww,” I hear Heather murmur in disgust. “That’s totally not good. I bet the girl’s ugly. Do you agree?”

I shake my head and watch what happens next.

When they stop spinning, they exchange a couple of words first.

Then . . . their lips meet and they kiss.