I stop the squid in mid air then drop it. I look at my intruder. I haven't thought that the whole time we were eating she's thinking of changing my name. Is she really that affected? Am I really distracting her? I wonder what happened to her. And God, why does it have to be my tukayo? And why I am bothering myself with that fact? It's as if I can do something about it. Okay. Change my name. If that would make our trip go without disaccord, for once.
"What name do you want?" I try to sound annoyed. I don't know if it was conveyed that way. I'm really a born angel, I know.
"Let me think." Alright. Se's thinking. Seriously changing my name. I chuckled with the thought. She's pressing her lips in thin line. Elbow prop on the table. Her fingers tap her chin. She frown. Then squint her eye. Then she's making air balloon inside her mouth. Then she grin at me and giggle. I stare at her the entire time. I can't seem to look away since I met here at the elevator. She stop the air-mouth balloon. Think she have a name already.
"What's my name now?" I ask.
"Nothing comes in my mind but Angel." she said laughing. How apt. I smile and bit my lower lip. God. This is not a nice joke. I look away and focus my face in nonentity. Then I froze. I look back at her. She's back on her thinking stunt. I clear my throat.
"I already have a name." I said playing the squid's head with my fork.
"What?"
"Ethan." I said in a low voice.
"Come again?"
I move my eyes around the place. Searching for a familiar face. When I see none, I scoot forward and slightly lean my head towards her.
"Ethan." I said louder but made sure she's the only one hearing.
"Oh. Ethan. Nice name." she repeated aloud. I almost roll my eyes. Somebody harrumph from my back and I find Mark cleaning an imaginary specks on the table. I look at him resentfully. He look at me disgustingly then scooted away. I smile then face.. God. I don't know her real name yet.
"By the way, what's your real name?"
"Karina. Karina Sapenas." she said.
I chuckled. Karina Sapenas? Her parents' are witty. She roll her eyes when she catch me laughing.
"Oops. Sorry." I said still chuckling.
"It's okay. I'm used to it. And besides, I've grown to love my name before I suss the meaning of it." Oh. She's cooler that I thought.
"And what did you feel when you knew your name is a slogan?" I lean back in the chair.
"Err. Bit of awkward especially when I start to introduce myself in class', she cock her head and smirk, I groan inside. She do it perfectly than I think I do.'But, kind of amaze. I mean, I realize what smartass of a parents I've got." she added cooly while chewing her squid.
I just stare at her. I realize that most of the time I'm only staring at her. And some of the time, I'm reminding myself not to stare. Holy God. Karina Sapenas. The beautiful and creative name of my intruder. I'm almost a month here and never once had interest for my opposite sex. When Samantha told me I've got a client, I knew she's not making me a tour guide, nor a gofer for that matter. She simply wants me to be with this girl and prove her theories right. I'm beginning to believe her.
Shit.
No.
I look at Karina.
She's occupied with the Adobo in her bare hands. Spoons and forks seem out of place here. I look away when she licks her fingers smeared with sauce.
I focus my gaze to the passers-by in bikini. Some foreigners wear see-through gowns. Not bothering to wear their bikini top. I live with this. Dad bought a land here when my brother was a year old. I was 10 when I first came here.
And never once these scenery gave me feelings like what my intruder do. And God, bless your will, I've only met her 5 hours ago!
"Are you okay?" she's done eating. She's washed her hands already. I never even see her stand up.
No. I'm not okay.
"Yea. Just thinking 'bout something." I said instead.
"Shall we go?" she ask. But she's on her feet. So I just stand up.
We head outside as soon as she paid. I find it awkward to let her pay because in the first place, I'm not a tour guide here nor a gofer. But concede without opening another skirmish. Tita Lea, Marks's mom, insisted that we shoudn't pay. I told her that Karina is just a client not a friend. He give me a motherly embrace.
Just when we're about 5 feet away, Mark called me. He's my best friend for 20 years. I met him back in preschool.
"Hey Mark. What?" I said turning around. I motion Karina to wait for a while.
"Let me guess. Samantha put this up right?" Mark greets.
I nod. I know where he's heading.
"Cause why don't you just listen to her? She knows you better than I do Dee. So I believe her when she says something's going amiss with your decisions." I close my eyes. Wishing I could close my ears too.
"Mark please. Samantha is playing a game to prove her theories. She's been doing this every summer. This is just one of it."
"Really Daemon? Well let me tell you this. From what I have seen today, your atras abante, you're making a huge mistake. Didn't I tell you you're the most terrible liar because your face always give it all away?" he's hands rest on his hips like a father scolding his son. God.
"Come on Mark. You're hallucinating. I just met her 5 hours ago." I'm really annoyed now. I rub my temple.
"No. Come on Daemon. Weren't you're the one who lectured us that we'll know what our heart wants the second we lay our eyes on it?" he stares at me so I instinctively look away biting the inside of my cheeks. He snorted then tap my back."God, bless his will, is not selfish, you know, Ethan." he adds emphasizing the last word then walk away. Leaving me completely dumbfounded. I'm indeed a bloody lost soul. Karina kind of nailed it earlier.
...
"So Ethan, how'd you got your work here?" Karina ask. We're now in the middle of the ocean. Waiting for the approaching sunset. I taught her how to row to the paddle earlier because she insisted on going without another person's help.
"Well, basically, I'm not actually working here. Just every summer."
"Oh I see." she said concentrating on her paddle in the clam ocean. "So how did you meet Miss O'Pretty?"
"Miss O'Pretty?"
"Yea. The receptionist? Is she working there part-time too?" I laugh.
"Yes. And.. her name is Samantha. And.. I've known her since, hmm, let me think, since I was 5 years old."
"Oh. A childhood best friends turned lover?" she look away after that remark. Her voice subtly lowered down.
I laugh hard.
"What?" she frown.
"Well, actually she's my sister."
"What? Really? So both of you are working here?" I look at her confuse. She's really innocent? "What's with that look?" She asked.
"Karina, didn't I introduce myself earlier?"
"Yea. You're name's Damon. Damon Salv-- OMG! You owned the place?" she exclaim. Okay. She forgot. That's why she didn't fuss when Samantha ask me to be her tour guide. I thought she's getting even with me because I'm ruining her solitary moments.
"Not exactly. My parents do. Samantha is manning the front desk because she needs the money for.. well, she just needs the money." I said grinning.
"Oh." she said looking at the sun.
The sun starts to kiss the horizon. I stare at it then remembered something. I look at her. Her face reflects the sun. She's stares at the sunset but I can't decipher what her expression convey. She's like in a deep thought. She looks at me and press her lips. She has the resentful look in her eyes. For a second I thought she would cry. She lowered her gaze.
Silence.
I panic.
No.
I dreaded the silence back in the restaurant. I'm afraid I'll get use to it's euphoric effect and concede. God Daemon. Get a grip.
No.
Ethan.