ASYMPTOTES

Chapter 3.3

She was giddy with excitement. They were trying to look normal but it was all they could do stop themselves from doing backflips and cartwheels.

They entered the Candy Fair venue and immediately immersed themselves into the beautiful chaos. The place was tastefully decorated in line with the Candy Land theme. They wandered around for a bit and visited booths which sells various stuff, from adorable trinkets to the latest swimwear.

After a while, Maine was getting antsy. They were late going to the event because they were stuck in traffic. The Candy Fair is due to end anytime soon and tatay will be here to pick them up.

She just wants to have a photo with her ultimate crush, is that too much to ask?

"Oy, guys. Hanapin na natin si Daniel," she pleaded.

One of the event organizers overheard her. She tapped Maine on the shoulder and said, "We're sorry but Daniel will not be able to attend today's event. His management informed us just a couple of hours ago. Anyway, you can still have your photos taken with the rest of the Candy Cuties."

Maine could not believe her ears. She purposely went for Daniel Padilla but she ended up disappointed. Her shoulders slumped.

Her friends were quick to come to her rescue. They immediately led her to the booths were several good-looking guys were assigned. After a few minutes, she was back to her bubbly self. She decided she'll just make the most of the opportunity.

She approached each Candy Cutie and her friends took photos. They brought a Candy Mag with them so they had those signed, too.

They were lining up at the photo wall when she felt her phone buzz with an incoming text message. She read it and then told her friends, "Papunta na si tatay para sunduin tayo. Labas na daw tayo in 15 minutes."

They were about to leave the hall when Kat spotted yet another Candy Cutie quietly standing at the booth. A group of girls approached him and he accommodated them with a friendly smile.

"Tingnan mo yung dimples niya, friend. Pwede na tayong mag-scuba dive dahil sa sobrang lalim," Ola remarked which sent them laughing. "Pa-picture tayo sa kanya, last na."

Because her friends where insistent, she agreed.

They took turns having their photos taken. The guy named Richard Faulkerson Jr was cute, and charming, and yes, cute. They said thank you when they were done.

As an afterthought, Maine took out her Candy Mag and asked Richard to sign it for her to which he readily agreed to do.

"Name?," he asked.

"Maine. M-A-I-N-E.," she replied.

He obliged and soon they said goodbye.

In the car, Maine read what Richard had written:

"Dear Maine,

Thank you for coming to Candy Fair 2010. It was nice meeting you!

Richard"

She paused for a bit.

Why was his handwriting so eerily familiar?

-----

He was looking at the girl named Maine and her friends as they were walking away.

He met a lot of people today but only one girl left a lasting impression.

He is bothered by one thing:

Why does her voice sound eerily familiar?

-----

The two women were exchanging high-fives.

Mommy Rio was wiping tears from her eyes-tears of pride and joy. She just saw how much the crowd loved her son while he was performing onstage.

Lola Mameng, on the other hand, was beaming with happiness, her hands clasped in a position of prayer.

"People back on Earth say that Math is an exact science. It is constant and formulaic. Its rules are unbendable, and there is no room for flexibility," they heard a gentle voice behind them say.

"Asymptotes, by definition, they never meet," the voice continued, "Fortunately, the rules are flexible in heaven. In here, nothing is finite. We believe in infinity. We believe in love and all its possibilities.

So when people say Asymptotes never meet, I tell them: On Earth, they don't. But in heaven, love always find its way."

Lola Mameng and Mommy Rio smiled.

They just found their third partner-in-crime.

~ End of Chapter ~