Playing with the Player
Chapter 7 – A New Found Friend
I have never had much experience my whole entire life about decent parties and all those meet and greet with the people whom your parents work with. As I’ve told you, our life in Singapore wasn’t as interesting as what my mom and I have here. So everything fancy and extravagant that would happen in my ‘here for good’ stay here in California would definitely be written on my long list of firsts.
My mom introduced me to different kinds of people. There were people my mom’s age, there were people who were even way too old to work and there were people probably the same age as me. I met Dr. Buenavista who is a psychiatrist, Dr. Tan who is an anesthesiologist and more, more people labeled as doctors.
As the usherette ushered us towards our seats, my mom’s face beamed with excitement and enthusiasm.
“Oh Christine! You look so gorgeous. And is this your husband George?” My mom says with excitement as she flung her arms around Gloria. Gloria looked a little younger than my mom and she was really pretty with a very vibrant façade. She seemed nice and so as her family. George, in the other hand looked stricter but young.
“And so are you, Lea. Yes, this is George and my children.” She pointed at the two teenagers beside her and continued. “This is Grace and Charlie.” Charlie stood like 3 inches taller than me while Grace was an inch shorter than me. They both held a pleasing demeanor but then I would bet Grace didn’t like me so well.
Charlie extended his hands towards me and I shook it delightfully. “Name’s Kaye.” Grace didn’t extend any hand so I didn’t bother extending my hand either. If she doesn’t like me, then hell like I care.
All of us squeezed into one table and mom and Gloria kept chattering just about different things, well mostly about how things are working out. Gloria seems so familiar, but I still can’t guess where exactly we’ve met. Even beyond that jolly façade I could sense that she is going through something bad. What could it be? Well, it’s none of my business, I guess.
I was in between mom and Charlie and beside Charlie was her quite-evil-ish sister, Grace. She didn’t really care much about what was happening since she was just on her phone probably texting someone or not to mention, her boyfriend.
“So, tell me, how exactly do you survive being in one roof with her?” I whispered to Charlie knowing that it wasn’t any of my business at all. But what do you expect? We didn’t have anything to talk about. If it means backstabbing – well not really backstab – his sister just so I can talk to this handsome guy beside me, why not?
Charlie laughs at what I just said and whispers back, “It’s just the patience that matters.” He winks at me and I sure as hell was about to melt.
I position my hands as if I was reading a book and says, “Patience, hmmm.” I acted as if I was scanning the pages of this “pretend” book of mine and finally said, “Nope, patience not found.” And closed the pretend book.
“I, a person with anger management issues showing patience? Puh-lease, are you kidding me?” I jokingly said.
He laughs again and I swear, I could record his laugh and put it on repeat for a whole day until I finally declare that it sucked which, for a fact won’t even happen because it is undeniably good to hear.
“Well, I’d suppose you get mad easily, huh?” He says it in a tone where he just concluded something out of the blue.
“Duuh. Do you even have to ask?” I joke in a duhh tone.
“You know, we should hangout more.”
“If that would increase your level of ego chuchu whatever that is, sure, why not?”
“In all serious cases, I can help you out with your anger issues. I’m being a friend here.” He waves both his hands up in the air.
“It’s about to start so can you guys please shush now?” It was Grace who interrupted our talk, rolling her eyes. If she was jealous about how his younger brother made friends so quickly, she could just let down all that pride and talk to me ya know.
I wasn’t able to retort since the emcee started talking to begin the ceremonies. I wasn’t even sure why I was here but to make myself not to leave, I am here because of a) my mom, b) the palatable food and c) this extremely handsome gentleman beside me.
***
It was now dark outside and everyone was on the dance floor and even my mom, who wasn’t much of a fan for dancing was dancing. I felt so proud for her because this was not just her dream; this was our dream for her.
Since the dance floor was too occupied, I asked permission from my mom if I could just take a walk at the garden located just outside the multi-purpose hall of the hospital and she delightfully allowed.
I propped myself on a chair and dropped my shoes off.
“Damn these shoes. These are too tight!” I half shouted.
Do you ever get that feeling where you get very enthusiastic buying a new pair of shoes? So you try to fit every pair on the racks until you finally end up with something good and with something that is perfect on your feet. Your mom says, “Go walk with it.” And it fits perfectly as if it was literally made for your feet. But then when you use it every now and then, you get the realization how imperfect it was on you.
It sucks, doesn’t it?
“Boo!” a very deep voice startles me and as I look back, I sigh, when I saw who it was.
“Wait – is today called startle-the-sht-out-of-kaye day? First, that Narnia guy, then my mom and then you.” I enumerate the people who have been giving me ‘startlebumps’, as if that word exists.
Thinking about that Narnia guy, I wonder what has happened in school now. Probably lots of murmurs about my game with Carson or maybe they think I’m that badass kind of girl for skipping school on its second day.
“You have to relax.” He said sitting on the bench next to me.
“Okay, so next time someone freaking frightens the sht out of me, I just have to relax. Is that what you’re saying?” I say sarcastically. This guy has been getting on my nerves, if only he wasn’t this gorgeous, I could have kicked his friend right down there.
“God, you really have to control your emotions.” I was thinking that he was going to flame up but instead, he let out the words without any hint of anger. He said it peacefully.
“Well I’m sorry for having anger management issues.” I was becoming too sarcastic and he was definitely right, I have to control these stupid emotions.
“Really, I’m sorry.” I repeated. “I’m such an –“
He placed his finger on my lips to hush me and so he talked, “I like how you’re so honest on things.”
I showed him a quizzical look. And with that, he continued, “I mean, others won’t even admit that they have anger management issues – Wait, let’s call it ANI for short. It’s too long to keep repeating it. –Anyway, going back, I just like how you’re so honest on things and I appreciate that but sometimes, we have to control our emotions just so not to hurt others.”
I snicker a little and then hide it using my hand. But even with that move, I still can’t hide my laughter. “Are – are you a haha life guru haha or something?” I say in between laughs.
I think about it much deeper. This guy actually is right. I just have to control my emotions, and that’s it. But who is Katherine Wattson without her short temper? Maybe it’s just a matter of time and I’ll be able to get the hang of this.
“Again, I’m being a friend here.” He repeats the gesture he did earlier, throwing his hands up to the hair and waving them.
“I’m sorry. I’ll keep that in mind. Anyway, if you don’t mind, can I ask about your sister?”
“What about my sister?” He questions giving me a quizzical look.
“You guys don’t act as if you really are siblings.” I say moving in much deeper on the conversation.
“Because we fully aren’t.” He softly says as if he was whispering but he really wasn’t.
I give him a surprised look; Lots of questions have been circulating my mind but anyway, when was I so eager to know about other people’s lives? Bianca, I guess, has influenced me big time.
“Fully? You mean just half? But you guys look exactly alike. Well not really exactly but almost exactly alike. Does that even make any sense? Almost exactly, just pssh nevermind. Going back, you mean just half?” If I hadn’t put my hand on my mouth to shush myself out, I would have been talking up to then.
How shallow of me, I was just thinking that they just had a few arguments back at home but I didn’t know it could be this deep. Grace and Charlie being just half siblings. Why am I even surprised?
Come on, Kaye. This is California, what do you expect? My inner voice snapped out of me.
“It was just Roger, Grace and Grace’s mom in the picture. When Grace’s mom passed away because of her heart problems, dear Lord may she rest in peace, my mom came into the picture. Mom became dad’s shoulder to cry on and vice versa. Mom just told me that she had quite some problems with work which explains why dad became her companion. But I know there’s something deeper that she doesn’t want to tell me. And that’s when Charlie Hastings get into the picture. So, can you now imagine the photograph?” He breathes after a very long statement and smiles. I like how Charlie genuinely smiles. It reminds me of Singapore.
“Yeah.” Was all I could say processing all the things that he has told me. “I’m sorry for being too surprised. It’s just that I’m not used of hearing about broken families and stuff.”
“That’s fine. I love my sister although she could be such a bitch at times.” He chuckles and I highly agree with him but I can’t hate Grace for that.
“At times!? You kidding me? She just shot daggers right into my eyes.” We both laugh and when silence takes over, it was him who asked. “So, tell me about you now.”
“About me?” That was such a stupid thing to ask, of course the dude wanted to know about me. So I continued, “Well, I’m from Singapore and we just moved here a few weeks ago. Well, just my mom and I. Dad died as well as – yea dad died in a car crash. I don’t like talking about it so can we skip this part?” I frown. He surely heard the bitterness in my tone and he just nodded reassuring me that it was okay for me to skip it.
When I was about to continue, he moves closer to me. Close enough for us to kiss but then I washed away that thought. As he moved closer, he positions his hand at the back of my left ear and I was sure to myself that we both could hear the loud thumping of my heart beat.
When he shoved his hand away from my ear, he shows me a coin and enthusiastically says, “Magic!”
I smile. Genuinely.
I didn’t know he could do magic.
“I didn’t know.. I mean, how – how did you do that?” I say stuttering my words out; I was too impressed to let out a coherent sentence.
Instead of answering my question, he smiles back at me and says, “You should smile more. It suits you.”
“Thanks.” Was all I could mutter and I sure was so red.
But NO. As what he said, I have to control these emotions. And maybe that’s what I should do with Carson as well.