CHAPTER: 06
FRIEND
❝shall we be friends?❞
"FRIENDS?" Can we be? My hands shake in anticipation to hold her extended hand, my heart yearns for the care she reflects through her honey eyes.
"Shall we be friends?" The question is thrown to me but I am unable to dodge it and maybe, I am thankful to it. My eyes glimmer in happiness to see that someone like her is befriending me but another question arises, is it anything connected to my class and standard?
She looks at my hesitation which somehow disappoints her but she quickly hides it by saying, "You may be thinking I am trying to befriend you because you are rich?"
My eyes widen, does my face shows what I think? I shyly nod my head looking down due to embarrassment.
Her giggle make me look at her. She looks so cute with her beautiful skin flawing, sometimes her skin makes me jealous. A Korean- Mexican son got a beige skin, neither from my mother nor my father.
"Hey, never think that I am going to befriend you just because you are rich. Instead, I am glad to have a shy male friend like you." She mutters lowly, her smile still plastered on her heart shape face. A blush coat on my face making me to look down again.
"Aww, you are so cute when you blush." If she continues saying like that I am going to die after becoming red as tomato.
"너 정말 나쁘다." I lowly speak, folding my hands looking at anywhere but her.
( translation: You are very bad.)
"Aww, you look so sexy when you speak your language." She gushes like a fangirl clapping her hands.
"Are you sure you really want to befriend me?" I again ask her.
She smiles at me. "Yes, I am very happy to be your friend. Now let's start." I squint in confusion. What to start?
She facepalms herself. "I mean the school is over so let's visit."
"And where will we visit?" I ask her and she gives me her mischievous grin.
She too fold her arms like mine and replies. "Mr. Rodriguez, it's for me to decide and for you to find out." The stern voice soon turn into giggles and I playfully glare at her. The sudden flow of wind cause her to shiver.
"Let's get you to your house." She shakes her head rejecting my offer which somehow punch me, ouch!
"You just consider me as your friend and now you are rejecting the offer which saddened me, Sapphira." Her honey eyes widen at my pained face and she quickly takes the offer.
"Your acting will be the death of me." She murmurs huffing. She fold her arms and look outside. I smile at her. I ask the chauffeur to turn into the direction and Sapphira gives her address.
"So you always work here?" I ask her.
"Yes, but like on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I work after 3pm and on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I work from 4pm where I complete my task by 7pm." I nod my head trying to memorize her schedule.
"I never saw you in this cafe? Oh my God." She put both of her hands on her mouth and with her honey wide eyes glance at me.
I soon get alert. "What happen, Sapphira? Did you miss your bag in the cafe or something?"
"You are a stalker." Huh?
"What?" I furrow my brows into confusion.
"Don't tell me Theo, you are following me."
"어이,이 여자." I glare at her.
(Gosh, this girl)
"Do you think that low of me?" Now I am fully hurt. I never thought that this is what a friendship will cost to me and rather quickly.
"Hey Theo, fine, I was just messing with you, please accept my apology." I don't reply to her.
"Fine, when we reach home I will give you something and promise me you won't reject it." I scowl at her.
At last I grumble back. "Fine, I promise." She smiles and whispers lowly to herself, "too stiff."
-
"I won't drink coffee." I state refusing to have it.
Sapphira glares at me while Mr. and Mrs. Ortega stand behind the wooden door smiling at us. "Why won't you drink? Do you have allergy on coffee beans?" I shake my head and she pushes the mug of mocha to which she said its her famous type. Yeah, the whipped cream do tell me how much calories I will have to burn later.
"Yeah, burn the calories later and yeah if you don't live once. Whats the use to get a life?"
"So you want to make me look like Antonio." She slaps my arm.
"Antonio isn't fat, its just that his muscles got expanded but dude, he eats so less and Theo, it's very bad to hear that from you."
"Hey, even Wilson says that but that's okay, isn't it?" What? Don't we say our friends are fat, thin, ugly or super ugly?
"Who is this Wilson boy?" I chuckle pointing at her.
"Gosh, girl, you scold the guy without knowing where he came from?"
"Well it's not my first time." She murmurs lowering her head. "However from next time if I get to know you are speaking like that, I will bring a wooden shaft and hit your back."
"Okay, mommy." I mimick like a child. She rolls her eyes and hands me the mug.
"Tomorrow complete another kilometer or call me I will cover it for you but now have it." I grumble while taking it but the sweet and rich aroma of the liquid urge me to inhale it more.
"Wow, the smell is so good." I say to her. She flips her hair winking at me. "I know." She giggles.
I blow the hot liquid pushing the cream a little further and then took a sip of it. Shall I say the true words? Heaven. I went to heaven after taking a sip of it. I didn't care whether the cream turned out mustache on my upper lip. I blow it again and take another sip. "Gosh Sapphira, I am in love with it." I say to her.
She giggles. "Of course, after all you are talking to the chef Sapphira?" We both chuckle but the nightmare soon arrives as I have to cover another kilometer tomorrow. "You will come with me to cover another distance." I grumble.
She waves her hand back and forth. "Sure sure. I will. Oh, give me your phone." I nod my head and unlock my phone screen by using my fingerprint and hand it to her. She types quickly and a ringtone from other side starts blaring loudly.
"I gave you my number, your welcome." She bows down dramatically making me grin a little.
"Get ready by tomorrow you will definitely enjoy it but next day you just need to cover two to three more kilometers as fat globules will burn just as you need."
"Woman are you trying to kill me?" She giggles and nods her head. I shake my head chuckling.
-
I bid goodbyes and gave back their box. I requested Maria to make a good dish which was kimbap, a Korean dish which we also known as sushi rolls consisting of rice, varieties of fillings such as meats, crabs, ham, eggs and cheese.
Maria placed a small plastic container and said that she didn't need it anymore and filled the container with kimichi and send them through chauffeur by noon. At first, she was kind of doubtful towards me as to why did I request such things but when I told her she beamed in happiness and quickly made it for them.
Mrs. W- sorry Juana strictly told me to call by her name and eventually I did. When she opened the box after scolding me as to why I again filled the empty cans, she gushed in happiness and says, "Oh my God, Ricardo, look what this boy brought for us? Sushi. My God thank you so much son."
Whenever she tells me I am her son, a small part of me gets giddy. I just hope that one day my eomma too says that I am her son.
Ricardo, Sapphira's father peeped and smiles warmly at me. "Thank you son."
"So you are Korean?" Juana asks. I nod my head. She claps her hands.
"Wow. I never thought about you to be Asian." What's wrong with being Asian? Even Sapphira too asked the same diabolical question.
"Is it bad?" The consecutive displacement of me being half Korean always triggers outsiders and sometime I really feel pathetic.
Juana quickly shakes her head. "No son, its just we never had Asian that to Korean. We are so glad as we will be able to know more about your culture. Will you teach us?"
I nod my head sighing in relief and now here I am smiling like a school boy, which I am and right now I am heading back to my house which is three streets ahead of theirs. "Where were you?" You didn't need to watch any drama because now I am going to show you.
I sigh tiredly pulling down my earphones down. I look at my father followed by my mother. "Yesterday I was nearly robbed but was helped by a guy who took me to his house and yeah I stayed there and they even gave me cookies so I gave them back the container for which I was late." Telling them lie is practically a part of my life.
"Who is he?" Now investigator number 2 came aka my eomma. I look at her and reply lowly, "Jonathan Ortega." Their eyes widen and both of them look at each other.
"Isn't he the son of Ricardo Ortega?" I nod my head in return confused by how come she knows him?
She glances at my expression and says, "He is an employee in our office. He is quite hardworking and we are grateful to get such an honest and hardworking man like him, right Daniel?" He nods his head sipping green tea for sure.
She looks at me. "I didn't raise you to be that irresponsible where you take help from others. Next time do remember from which family do you belong. What would happen if media was there? All our hard work reputation will be drowned by your careless attitude." I know all these words by heart. Even if I strip down and get wounded she still care for the camera if shown towards our direction.
At first, her repetitive words always did hurt me but now its just a few deaf words to me, nothing new. No new supports, no new lines. I aimlessly nod my head and head toward my room. The once sullen mood is immediately thrown off when I find Sapphira giving me a message.
Received:
Hey Theo, I am sorry if I disturbed you but tomorrow is Saturday and we will have half day. I even talked to the owner of Sunshine Cafe, the place where work and I will spent my four hours after the class that means from 11am to 2pm. I will take another hour to rest and then we will head out on 3:30pm. Wbu?"
-Honey eyes
I smile at the message, I never had such a surprise planned from my friends and to get from someone whom I recently met gives me really an excited vibe.
Sent:
Hey sorry for the late reply and its great but can't you tell me where are we going? Also another one if you don't mind why tomorrow is half day?
I wait for a few minutes and another message pop out. I quickly throw my clothes on the laundry basket. I open my closet and take out a t-shirt and joggers, I wear them and plop down in the bed and eye the message that I received.
Received:
Hush please tend to put a stop on that sorry button. Also your first question is nope and the second one is- we will have seminar for the senior students and our classrooms will be used but I don't know about sophomore students.
-Honey eyes
Sent:
Ok sure 친구 야 고마워. Good night
(Thank you my friend)
Received:
Are you mocking me because I don't know the language cause boy I will take every pie's revenge from you.
-Honey eyes
I laugh imagining her beautiful face with taut voice. I calm down and smile, "오 사피라 나 한테 뭐하는거야?"
(Oh Sapphira what are you doing to me? )
Sent:
No not at all if you insist I will try to make you learn Korean language.
Received:
You better and Good night Theo.
-Honey eyes
I place the alarm at 4am instead of 4:30am. Gosh, I need to burn those calories I got today. I walk toward my secret cabinet where the hidden cookies are stored.
I gave a small portion to Maria and she stored them in the fridge while the remaining were kept by me. I eat one and moan in delight by the crush of chocolate chips hidden beneath the baked batter.
Maria later called me and informed me about the dinner. I walk down and eat silently ignoring all those business chats my parents held between them. They already hate me as I shall take CJ (Criminal Justice ) instead of BA (Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration ) while choosing in general electives.
My dream is to get selected in Mexico's Federal Ministerial Police (PFM) agency while my parents thought its better to be in business field but after a huge argument we are here, me who will be taking part in CJ and them snickering and bickering about my future profession but do I care? Well may be a little bit but now that too got abolished by their constant nagging.
Currently I patiently wait for tomorrow and the surprises, I have a gut feeling that tomorrow will bring a new change, well a good change I hope.
-
Classes begins with it's usual tone, the birds chirping on the branches of trees waiting for a slight peek of warmth from the sun. Today is somehow the coldest day of the entire week.
I had to wear a double sweater to warm me inside but what made me feel more colder was watching Natalia wearing blue deep-V cut frock, like seriously? We are all shivering from cold and she wore such a dress. I shake my head and quietly draw doodles.
Out of six subjects I hate the most is Social Studies, the nonsense history classes about the useless wars and dates that I could never memorize and the weather too didn't let me stay calm, I felt more sleepy during the first class. I looked beside me only to find Isaac snoring in his sleep.
I chuckle quietly but when I find someone's eyes on mine. I raise my head and find Natalia smiling at me in a seductive way. I scrunch my nose in disgust, the smell of her overheated Chanel perfume doesn't help me at all. I quickly look at the teacher who asked a question to the class.
"Can you repeat the question, miss?" Someone asks. The teacher glares at the student who was laughing silently at her and now stayed quiet.
"I asked : Which of the following do you think is the best documented in the archaeological record. Option A: gathering ; Option B: tool making; Option C: use the fire?" She eyes the whole classroom and I slowly go down the desk just when she is about to ask me, another voice replied to her answer.
"Option B: Tool making." The teacher smiles at the student and when I look at the one to say thank you, my eyes find it's none other than but Sapphira.
"And why can you tell me?"
Sapphira smiles saying, "The evidence of making the tools came from Kenya and Ethiopia. It's also said that the makers were Australopithecus makes it the best documented in the archaeological record. I hope it's right." The teacher claps and nods. Before she can say anything, the bell rings and sigh of relief can be heard.
We rush towards the next boring class that is Mathematics, thank God Jack will sit beside me. My life savior.
-
"Hey Theo, why did you call me?" Are you serious, woman? It's twelve past three and yet Sapphira didn't call me and here I am as ready as I could be. I sigh.
"Where are you Sapphira? Or are you in any danger?" I ask in concern.
She laughs and later huffs as if she is still running, "Are you robbed?"
"What? No Theo, it's just that I didn't find your house quickly so yup now I am in front of your giant house. Can you open this huge gate. Hey I am a friend of Theo. Yes, yes... you nonsense, talk to your master."
The phone is handed to my guard and I told him that she is my friend. I chuckle, walking down the staircase but pause when Maria eyes me skeptically. I shrug and rush to open the door.
There she is shivering in cold standing outside the gate, just one day I will hit the bodyguard by myself. He even didn't let my teacher to enter thinking he was an imposter. I will cut off the line of tv shows he uselessly watch doing absolutely nothing.
The once cold blow of wind slowly turn out to be warm. The sun that hid behind the dark clouds appear towards right. Sapphira smiles at me waving her hand as I rush toward the gate.
"Next time, do pay attention on the guest not in love making scene." I growl at the guard who quickly nods his head and scurries off.
Sapphira's giggles snap me out from my trance of thoughts. "You are really bad." She says.
"Oh, believing on rumors Ms. Ortega?" I playfully scowl at her. She smiles shaking her head.
"No Theodore, I don't and its good to be bad. Even the Gods' works not always are good. Take for example Zeus, gosh no need to tell anything about him. He too is a God but just because he is a God doesn't mean his works will always be good and fruitful. Well one thing he did was good. Europe was formed from his enormous love affair, Europia."
"You do believe on those Greek myth." She shrugs. "I thought you are a gentleman guess not allowing your first time guest to enter." She rolls her eyes. I smack my head and welcome her to my house.
"Welcome to my house."
"House? Its a mansion, Theo." Her honey eyes widen in awe as she tries to grasped as much as she can through her eyes. I smile at her and we entered the house. "Who is she?" We both look at the direction of voice and I sigh internally in relief.
"Maria, meet Sapphira and Sapphira meet Maria." Sapphira extends her hand and shake Maria's hand. "Its nice to meet you." She turns to look at me with a question clearly visible 'Who is she?' I smile at her and make a round toward Maria, I hold Maria's shoulder blades and introduce, "She is my second mother. After I was born my parents got promotion, left me with Maria and she took it herself to teach me whatever she knows. So basically she is my mother not a maid of the house."
I still remember the numerous times she came between the argument of me and my parents only for a purpose to save me from those devils. I sighed and looked at Maria who was crying emotionally. I hugged her closely. She never had any child so I took the part of being her only child, she treats me like her own son and I am so grateful to get a woman like her.
She quickly wipes her tears away and the past seventeen years of fake smile takes surface on her beautiful face. "Silly me, its your first time and look at me showcasing all those melodrama." When I look at Sapphira feeling embarrassed of being vulnerable. My parents taught me never to showcase any signs of vulnerability as the others will take advantage of it. I hope Sapphira doesn't.
Sapphira quickly wipes the tears away from her eyes and smiles at her. "At least somewhere the emotions reflecting are real Maria." The words may be light but has such a deep meaning to it. "Oh, and I guess its you who made the sushi. Theo did you give her cookies?" I nod my head, the box of cookies were for her that I gave and she stored in the fridge.
"Oh, so it's you whom Theo was talking about?" The suggestive smile from Maria doesn't calm down the blush coated on my cheeks. Sapphira smiles and look at her watch and widen her eyes. " Oh crap, we have now only ten minutes to visit the destination. Bye Maria, it was nice meeting you and don't worry your son will arrive before 8pm and Maria your cooking was amazing ,thank you and bye." She waves her hand while with the other she dragged me towards the exit. I turn back waving at Maria who waves back smiling contentedly at us.
-
"Now can I open my eyes?" I grumble getting irritated by the black cloth wrap around my eyes. "Sa-" The cloth got removed and now we are here in front of a Ferris wheel? "Ferris Wheel?" I ask to which she rolls her eyes.
"Ferris Wheel. What did you think, Merrie-go-round?" I shake my head but a part of me is excited. I never went to any site like this. My eyes wander around, the crowd shifts from right to left. The street vendor giving the requested food to his customers, children playing those ring to gain their respective toys, mothers strictly ordering their children to choose any one toys and so many movements surrounding us.
"You brought me to fair?" I ask her. She nods her head slowly. "Why, don't you like it? I thought the first step will be from here. I am sorry I didn't ask you earlier. Damn I am so stupid sometimes I should have asked Agustina since she has a boyfriend oh f**k I am not talking to her these days I need to talk to her, stupid me. So where I was oh yeah, I am sorry I thought my surprise will make you smile and see what did I do?" I wait for her rumbling to end which thankfully happened.
She quickly takes two tickets and pays the owner before I could even say or act. "Next time, I will pay." She rolls her eyes saying, "Let's see."
I smile but did shiver by the blow of cold wind. Due to the still ongoing winter months the days are cut short and nights prolonged and now the the sky is covered with black silk and slowly appears the golden sapphires like an embroidery placed on it.
"Wow, I thought you will puke like my best friend did. However let's go to another." It feels like I am in a new life. I smile wherever she dragged me with her. The touch of her pleased my new thundering heart.
We shifted from here to there. Ultimately, she exclaimed of that fluffy toy. We got there and this time I paid the sum to the shopkeeper. He gave us six rings, three she took and I the rest.
She attempted to hit the huge one which she deliberately failed and ultimately she good a phone ring holder. I chuckled, may be it was my ego I tried to hit the target she made earlier but failed and lastly I hit a small pink toy.
"I am sorry I-"
"Hush, this boy! Here we go again. How many times do I have to tell you don't say those words between friends. Yeah if I were your girlfriend then it was a different topic but we are friends and whatever you offered me, it only matters that it should be from heart." I look at her with awe.
Her smile is like those stars above us, shining with it's own pattern and decorating my world. I nod my head and smiled at her. She smiles back but with a huge one, I just pray to God she doesn't break her jaws. Her smile slowly fades away as she sees something back and when I was about to turn back. She quickly grabs the stuffed toy.
"Let's click a photo." Her happiness swarm around me letting myself drag towards the photo booth. I smile at her and we clicked photos but what was my position? Nothing except looking at her warmly while she changed after every clicks.
"Theo, I have a question but I am not sure how to ask?"
"If you want some motivational regards I am not the one." I am not good at those s**ty words.
"No no not that I mean it may be stupid but damn I re-" I cough slightly.
"I got the medicine of your rambling not again Saph." She huffs like a child, well she is.
"Okay okay, blame it on my wild imagination but suddenly a random thought appeared and since Agustina isn't here to be my vocal cord I th- leave it, it's useless." I sigh and we again start to head toward the bus stop.
"What will happen if a girl eats lots of junk food before her exams?" Where do these words appear?
"So?" I shrug nonchalantly.
"And what if she farts during her examination?" Instead of asking where the thoughts appeared from I laugh loudly. God, she is so wierd.
-
Tonight was the best night I ever had. I open my phone screen and let out a small huff looking at the several messages given by Isaac as to where I am and Jack. Well these two are the only one I can somehow say are quite close to me.
"Where were you?" Ok I might not have the best night tonight. Sh*t.
-
SECRET FACT:
I don't know what studies do Mexico Uni offered but by searching in Google I got the required info, till now I am not sure whether they do have what I have written here. So if you are a Mexican do help me through this obstacle. However if its right then well n good.
And we hit 4000+ words finally.
DO VOTE SILENT READERS!
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