Chapter 4 - He’s missing in action.

She’s excited to go to her classes that Monday morning as she’s certain that she will be seeing Josh later in the afternoon. She felt that moment with him at her house is so precious but seems too short for her. She didn’t hear from him in two days, Saturday and Sunday.

“Hey Jane, do you know who paid for my dues last week, have you asked the name?” she asked the registrar.

“Oh, no, I forgot coz I honestly thought you knew each other,” she said.

“Can you describe him to me please?” she added.

“Okay, he’s about 5’8” tall, fair complexion, nice built, with a short hair.

”I think I know who he is, thanks for the info Jane,” she said.

“By the way, don’t forget about your special class later in the afternoon, it has all been arranged by him also,” Jane added.

“What? Really?” she said in a surprised voice. “Then how much did he pay for that?” she asked. “About 10 thousand all in all.” “Ten thousand?” Oh my God, where am I supposed to find that amount to pay for him?” she whispered.

“Tell me, is he not your boyfriend? It seems like you don’t really know the guy yet?” Jane asked in curiosity.

“Oh, he’s just my new friend,” she said.

It’s already noon, she’s excited to see Josh waiting for her outside the center. She also wants to thank him for saving her but she doesn’t know how she’d be able to pay him.

She waited for long but he hasn’t showed up. It’s already 3 p.m. when she realized it’s already her special class schedule.

The following day she still waited. She got out of the building a little early just to catch him up, but to her dismay, she didn’t see him where he used to park.

Same routine on the consequent days, but still he’s not around and it made her so disappointed. She thought that he’s tired of her at all. She even thought that he has changed his routes and he didn’t even care to visit her anymore. She thought also that maybe he has found someone else to date already so to please his dying uncle. She doesn’t want to entertain her thoughts, as she knows that will be the consequences to it. She thinks he’s so unfair that after that moment in their house, he’s all of a sudden missing in action to her.

“This is really what guys do when they know that ladies are entrapped on their baits.” “Loser guys do it, hope he’s not one of them,” she said.

That’s the same line she wrote in her notebook. Now she misses her notebook again. “But in spite of this, I really need to thank him for saving me,” she whispered.

She’s confused why he settled her dues when he couldn’t get anything from her and suddenly gone astray.

Knowing herself, she’s really insistent in finding the answers, so after her class, she took a ride toward his house.

“Hey Manong, remember me?” he asked the guard as she stood in front of the gate of Valle Verde.

“I want to see Manang, can you page my name to their house and tell her it’s Andie Dancel,” she said.

“Okay let me call Manang,” he said. The guard then called Manang and she ordered him to let Andie pass.

“Thanks Manong,” she said.

She finally arrived at her house after walking a couple of blocks from the village’s gate.

“How are you Andie?” asked Manang.

“I’m fine, what about you, how’s your knees?” “It’s still acting up sometimes, they’re been looking for you,” then she smiles.

“I’m sorry, a lot of things happened to me lately.”

Manang just smiled at her and she can sense that there’s something she wants to ask her about.

“What is it that you want to ask Andie?” she added.

“Hmm, how did you know?” they both smiled. “I was wondering where could Josh be, I haven’t seen him at the center lately and I didn’t see him stalking me, I’m just”……

“Worried?” she interrupted.

“Uhmm yeah, I guess, but there’s one thing I really like to talk to him about,” she said.

“Josh got a call from the officers in the Homeowners Association in Baguio and he needs to attend the meeting in Country Club. He got up there Sunday morning but I don’t know what’s taking him so long, and he hasn’t called yet.” Manang said.

“Really? He also has a house there?” she asked.

“It’s more like a rest house. He developed it some years ago but he’s not really staying there. He has to check the poultry and all his men there if they’re taking care of the house well,” she added.

“Now that explains his entire missing-in-action thing,” she said. “Yes I guess that’s it.”

“You want me to massage your knees again?” she asked Manang.

Their conversation took so long. She learned a lot of things about him and his family. She learned that his parents are both living in Canada while his older brother is working as business consultant in Seattle. He’s the only one left so that explains why he doesn’t stay at his house all the time. He thinks he’s alone so he always bugs his friends to accompany him everywhere. He seeks attention from everyone else. Andie realized that, that is the reason why he’s always up to be so crude sometimes.

She also learned that Manang is not really their relative. She’s not his grandmother at some point but he treats him as his own relative. She told Andie how thankful she was that he met her, because she can see him come home early and he didn’t hang out with his terrible friends anymore. She knows the good effect of Andie to his life now and hopes that it will really last.

Andie went home already. She couldn’t take away Josh’s thoughts off her mind. She knows that he can be irritating sometimes, he is naïve in some aspect of his life, but is mature otherwise.

***

“Hello Manang, how are you?” Josh finally called Manang the following day.

“Oh I’m fine, what took you so long to call?” she said.

“I’m so busy these days and I forgot to call you.”

“You know everybody is so worried about you.”

Everybody?” he asked. “Yes, everybody.” “If only you just called a little early you could as well speak with Andie, she went here yesterday and it’s obvious that she’s worried about you, being missing in action on your stalking game,” she said.

“Really? How’s she? I missed her so much, if only I could go home already, but a lot of things needed to be fixed here first before I go and the meeting was postponed for tomorrow, those old men were just pain in the neck,” he said.

“You better hurry up or else you’ll lose her quickly,” she said teasingly.

“Yes, that’s why I’m rushing things over here. You take care okay and if Andie came over again, please watch her for me,” he said. Then they hang up the phone.

The meeting at the Country Club was finally over. This made Josh so irritable whenever they set appointments for meeting they just end up having nothing accomplished.

“Can you drive me down the town?” the lady asked Josh as she sticks her face at the rolled down windshield.

“Hello Amanda,” he said.

Josh has known Amanda for quite a while, as they’ve been together during meetings in Country Club. She is a tall, slender 26-year-old rich lady originally from Fillinvest.

Like him, she owns a huge rest house located in pine wood areas, in Southdrive, Baguio. They tend to spend intimate times whenever Josh comes up to Baguio. Sometimes she invites herself to Josh’s rest house and they would do things real partners would do intimately. Josh knows he can let go of his sexual urges with her but nothing serious, nothing like what she feels for Andie already, even if he knows he couldn’t even touch Andie’s fingertips.

They pulled over at the dark area across Brent Street. He could see how good Amanda as an intimate partner. She is caressing him real good. It’s the thing he misses about her but he’s as cold as ice on her at the moment. He wants to respond on her acts but he feels like he is nailed on his seat. He’s thinking about Andie at that time. It seems like he can’t think of anything but her. He didn’t even realize how close they would get into making love but he resisted.

“What’s wrong?” Amanda asked. She stopped and rested her head to the seat and fixed her hair.

“Nothing, it’s just that, I think this is not right and fair, don’t you think so?” he said.

“Have you met someone else already?” she asked in curiosity.

“I had to say yes, I’ve finally found her,” he told her honestly. He just said so even if he’s not sure what Andie really feels about him.

She slapped his face after hearing his confessions.

“Why didn’t you tell me so?” she asked. “All along I thought I was right for you, I gave you everything, and everything you want from me,” she said while starting to cry.

“But you know, you have a boyfriend, and I know he loves you so, I just found someone whom I can truly love and I felt I just loved her so much,” he said.

“Please, please, let me make it all up to you, did I do something wrong, or did I not do it all, come on tell me?” she said.

“You’re such a fine lady but I know you won’t be happy with me and neither do I. I just found someone whom I can be happy with,” he said while embracing her to keep her comfort.

“I guess we need to say goodbye then, wish me good luck with my boyfriend as I wish you luck also. Please tell the lady that she’s lucky, she’s really lucky,” she said while stepping out of his truck.

He nods in disgrace but he knows it’s a better thing to do. Good thing the lady accepted it quick. They know that they’re just using each other, no strings attached. But he couldn’t be truly happy if he’s hiding something from Andie.

Right that moment he gets his things at the rest house and talked to the caretaker to report everything to him when he goes back to Manila already.

He then drove at 8 p.m. that same night after that incident with Amanda. He passed by Marcos Highway. He’s stuck in heavy traffic at Urdaneta City and after 3 hours he arrived at Isdaan in Tarlac where he ate late dinner. He ordered kare-kare, which is Andie’s favorite dish. He smiles whenever he thinks of her and the kare-kare. Another 2 hours at exactly 2 a.m., he finally arrived Balintawak toll way. He then turned to Quezon Ave. area going to North Fairview. He’s surprised why his hands on the steering wheel are bringing him toward Andie’s place. After a while, he ended up parking across the street in front of Andie’s house. He is looking everywhere and inspecting, hoping that she might still be awake and would go out to see him, but after an hour of his stay he decided to go home. He wants to sleep for longer hours so he could at least stop thinking about her even for a short period of time.

Monday morning, Andie’s excitement seems to go behind her shoulders. Josh first went to his gym and started to work out, after that he played basketball with his friends from the village. When he goes home, he then checks if his business is doing well. He wants to get so busy for no apparent reason at all. He felt so confused about his feelings for Andie even if he only spends a little time with her. He knows he can be bad sometimes so he is not so sure if he can be serious with her, but things run through his mind telling him that he should stop seeing her as he is starting to fall for her, but his heart tells him otherwise. He is in a dilemma which to choose.

Exactly noon, he is already parked at the street across the center. It seems like he followed his heart this time.

His heart beats fast as if it’s about to explode. Andie went out of the building and he sees her exactly how her head turned toward the area of his parked truck. He also sees her face lightened up. He got out of his truck immediately. He then waved his hands and came rushing across the street toward her direction. Andie smiles when she sees him waving at her. But things turned wrong for Andie. Josh came past her as if he didn’t notice her. Josh then shook the other man’s hand standing behind Andie, it turned out to be his old associate. She didn’t realize that it’s him whom he was waving at. She just felt so mortified. She walked away with her head down unable to retract his embarrassment.

“Hey, where are you going, didn’t you see me?” he asked.

While she is about to turn around, he quickly hugged her.

“I missed you so much,” he said. Andie was very shocked by his acts again.

“Why did you do that?” she asked. “And you embarrassed me!” she added.

“I was just pulling your legs, I just don’t want you to notice how much I missed you but I can’t hide it,” he said.

When she just can’t stand on his acts, she then walked toward the cafeteria leaving him alone.

“Hey Andie, wait,” he said. “I’m sorry, I just like to play with you, I didn’t realize how dense I was to embarrass you,” he said.

“You know I was worried about you but all you had to do is to annoy me,” she added.

He then held Andie’s hand and walked her toward the passenger seat of her truck. He drove her to Bluewave along Macapagal Highway for the first time. They just sit there, ordered a coffee and talked about what happened during the weekend. He revealed to Andie his rest house in Baguio. She’s expecting that he’s going to invite her there but there’s no clue at all.

“Oh hey, I forgot to thank you first, about saving me to my review, I couldn’t afford to pay for it now, but I promise, I’ll pay you soon just give me enough time, okay?” she told him.

“Did I ask you to pay for it?” he told her.

“What? You really think I will take that for free?” “No, of course, I will pay you, just give me more time,” she said.

“Okay, I only know something you can pay me for,” he said. “What?” she asked while getting nervous about what he might suggest.

“My offer for a date is still open,” he told her while grinning.

“Why do I get the feeling that I have no choice here?” she asked.

“Because it’s the best thing you can do for me and nothing more I could ask for,” he said.

“Okay, I will only say yes if I get to see your uncle,” she said.

Josh felt a choke on his throat after hearing it. “Lagot!” he mumbles. He knows he’s not telling the truth so he’s thinking where in the hell he’s going to look for a dying uncle.

“Okay, let’s go to the hospital tomorrow after your class,” he confidently said. “And what’s our deal?” he added.

“Then we’ll resume your plan on date,” she said.

“Yes!” all he could say, feeling so happy about her statement.

“Can I go home now, same routine okay?” she told him. He just dropped her to a place near hers.

***

After her class, they went straight to the hospital where Josh’s alleged uncle was confined. He knows he’s not sure what he’s doing but it’s a matter of life and death situation for him at the moment. He held her toward the elevator and walked along each department not exactly sure where they’re going.

“Are we lost? Why didn’t we ask the information area where your uncle is confined then?” she told him.

“No, no, I remember now,” he said while pulling her toward the Cardiothoracic Unit.

He finally found a room where a man in a monitor is confined. The man seems to be in distress. His room was covered with all monitoring devices and safety covers so they couldn’t see his whole face. They could only see him through the half-covered glass door. Good thing he picked the right patient.

“God, he looks so bad, I’m sorry about your uncle, hope he gets well,” Andie said while tears are starting to flow from her eyes.

“I couldn’t seem to think if my dad is lying there with all those stuffs like that,” she added.

“You want to come near him or speak to him?” he said confidently.

“No, we can go now, I just don’t want to see your uncle in that situation,” she added.

“Then let’s go out,” he said.

Andie is still sad thinking about the man’s condition.

“I shouldn’t have let you see him like that, it’s my fault,” he said.

“No, thanks for letting me see him,” she said.

“What can I do to cheer you up?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I guess I owe you that date, when will it be?” she asked.

Even if it made him extremely happy that finally she said yes yet it made him so sad that she just agreed out of her pity and not because she wants to.

“You know, I will not force you to do that with me if you don’t want to, you can always tell me, I can accept it,” he told her.

“Huh, I’m confused, I thought you told me this date means a lot to you for your uncle even if we just pretend then why are you telling me that?” she asked. “Or perhaps you want to date someone else, you can tell me,” she said.

“Of course it’s not true, God knows how much I want to go out with you especially with this real date or serious date,” he said.

Andie’s eyes widened when he heard the words he said, it feels like he’s reading her mind.

Andie’s head lowered down as she feels the same way too, but she knows she couldn’t blow it all away. She needs to think about her board exam that will be due in 4 months.

“Let’s postpone this date first after you made up your mind,” he told her.

Andie knows it’s the right thing to do even if it hurts her more because she knows how much she wants to go out with him on a real date also.

“I will drop you at that place now,” he said. They both separated ways upset by the outcome of their talk.

One thing is certain to Josh, he will pursue her whatever it takes him. Andie is not sure what will happen the following day. She knows what hurts the most is if she finds out that Josh turned away from her, stop stalking her and never want to see her. She gave him just one more chance that if she sees him on the ensuing days, she will then accept his invitation for a date and shall cross out her rule of no dating until she passed.