The Subic trip (part 2)

Andie woke up at 7 a.m. to prepare for the market trip with Josh and the cook.

“wake up, wake up
wer goin 2 the mrkt,” she texted Josh.

She was at the kitchen talking to the cook when Josh approached them.

“Let’s go!” he told Andie and the cook.

“Are you sure you want to come with us?” she asked Josh while driving them to Bajac-Bajac Market.

He just nods thinking that there’s nothing he can do already. She smiled at him.

“Parking area on that side, we’ll wait for you here,” she points to the area.

When inside, the cook said she’s going to look for the fresh fishes on the right side of the wet market and on the left side for meat where Andie and Josh were heading.

“Come on let me teach you.” “Here’s how you’re going to check if the meat is still fresh and remember to bargain before you pay, got it?” she told him.

He just nods. He knows it will not be his task in the future even if she’ll teach him strategies about purchasing.

She haggled for every price the vendors would offer her, but she resisted. She insisted her price before she pays for them, and if they don’t give in, she’ll leave the seller then hop on the next one. Nice trick, the vendor would convince her to buy for her price instead. This amazed Josh. He didn’t know it’s a trade trick.

“I thought you aren’t from Ilocos?” he asked her.

“Yeah, why?” she laughs.

“That’s the trick, you know these vendors overprice their stuff, so you have to be very careful about that if you don’t want to go home with a little groceries in your basket.” She explained.

She told him the names of every vegetable and fish he’s not familiar with. “How did you know all of that?” he asked.

“Mom used to bring me to the market every week when I was in high school, so that’s how I learned the trick of the trade and she would enumerate to me the names of the fishes, vegetables, spices and everything. It’s funny coz I dreamt of being a market vendor once in my life, thankfully I didn’t, coz if I do, I think a lot of vendors will hate me for hoarding their customers,” she was laughing.

Josh was amused that at young age, she already had a small dream.

The cook is already waiting for them. They arrived at the rest house and then took out the items they bought.

“Any plan of going out today?” Josh asked.

“Okay, I’m taking over, I’ll tour you around Olongapo City after we’ve prepared the food,” she told him.

Andie is restless. She’s thinking of going back to Olongapo that minute. She felt it’s about time to face her unfinished business back to the place.

“Manang, we forgot to buy “tilapia.”

“Let’s go back to the market, I’ll come with you,” Andie suggested the cook.

Josh told them not to worry about it, but Andie insisted in going back. Josh was at a loss and told her he will come with her instead, but she said she and Manang will just ride a jeep.

“Just help Manong grill the meat, I know this place so no need to worry about us,” she said. Then he allowed them.

She was relieved.

They were dropped at the market area. She accompanied Manang first to buy the "tilapia." She told her she wants a bigger and fresher one so they looked for another stall.

“Manang, will you wait for me for a while? Need to call Josh, I don’t have a signal here,” she told the old lady.

When she was able to go out of the market unnoticed, she walked fast toward East Bajac Bajac St. The place was near Victory Liner terminal. She had to cross the street going toward Jollibee. She walked through the whole street carefully checking every corner looking for the house she had stayed on during her vacation there some years ago. She turned off her cellphone then.

She strolled along the alley next to Advance Olongapo Hospital.

“There it is, I knew it!” she thought to herself.

She then knocked at the familiar house. Somebody went out of the house examining her face. Apparently the lady recognized her.

“Andie!”

“Hello Tita Bella,” she said.

“Come in, who’s with you? When did you arrive? Where are you staying?” she asked Andie.

“I’m with my friend, I’m staying in Subic, how’s everything around here?” she asked the lady.

“A lot of things have changed, why didn’t you inform us so we can arrange the room for you?” she asked her.

“No Tita, I just visited you coz I missed you so much, I wasn’t able to tell Hannah either that I’m coming here.”

“So how are you?” she asked the lady again.

“I think you’re asking about someone else?” the lady said, suspecting another thing.

“Yeah, how’s he?” she shyly asked.

“I heard that you and Luke broke up years ago, I was worried about you two, you were both young then, but I’ve seen you so much in love. What happened?” she was curious.

“I don’t know, even if I love him so much I think I need to give up on him coz we couldn’t continue long-distance relationship.”

“You know what? He couldn’t take it either, he almost gave up on his studies, if you only knew,” the lady continued.

“What?” I didn’t know…..where’s he? I want to see him,” she told her while her eyes are turning red.

“I guess it’s too late Andie. After coping from your breakup, he realized he had to move on, so he studied so hard then he worked, now he’s already in California,” she explained.

“California?” she was surprised.

“Where in California?” “I still want to see him, I’ll be taking my stateboard exam soon and hopefully if I pass, I’ll be working in the states and be able to meet him there,” she continued.

“Too late!” “He got the lady pregnant there so he married her and now has one kid, that’s all I know of,” she told Andie.

Tears rolled down from her eyes after hearing what she said. The lady hugged her. She brought her to Luke’s previous house by her request so for the last time she’d see where her great love once lived. Luke’s family already moved to Tarlac after he migrated to the states. When she realized that she had gone for almost an hour, she then told the lady she needs to go. They exchanged cellphone numbers to get in touch with each other. She walked fast back to the market where Manang is already waiting for her.

“What’s taking them so long?” Josh whispered as he looked at his watch. Then he tried calling her but her cellphone is turned off.

He then decided to go back to the market to pick them up, anxious that they might be lost.

Andie wiped her tears and acted like the dust came through her eyes so the cook won’t suspect something happened to her.

“Manang, I’m sorry, as I was looking for a site where there’s signal, I got lost, I walked all over the place, and I got so scared, good thing there’s some people who helped me locate the market,” she told the old lady.

“Are you all right?” she asked Andie.

“Yes.” “Please don’t tell Josh what happened, so he won’t get mad,” she told her. The old lady just nods.

“Hello, what’s taking you so long?” he asked after he was able to finally connect to her phone.

“Hello.” “We’re going home already,” she said.

“Wait for me there, I’m on my way.”

“Okay, bye.”

She was nervous but still can’t believe what she had discovered about Luke, her first boyfriend, her great love.

******

“You alright?” Josh asked when he noticed Andie was so quiet during their travel back to the house.

“What?” she can’t seem to absorb his words.

“I said, are you alright?” he repeated.

“Uh yeah, yes I’m good,” she’s lost for words.

“But you don’t seem like it,” he told her back.

When they’re all back to the house, she requested Josh that they go to a place she’d like to visit.

“The Coffee Shop in Barrio Barretto?” he was curious. She nods.

“Okay, let me change my shirt first then we’ll go.”

******

“Feels like my first time here in The Coffee Shop,” she told Josh while going upstairs to the newly built pavilion.

“I’ll take your order, my treat!” she excitedly told him.

When the menu was handed to them, Andie immediately ordered two huge tacos on hard shell, a platter of French fries and two milk shakes.

“You want something else?” she asked. “Nothing else.”

They seated near the patio in an open air area where they could see different vehicles passing through the long road heading to Zambales proper.

“How’d you know about this place? You’re really a rambler!” he teased her.

“That’s me for you,” she outwits him.

Josh’s eyes widened when the waitress served the hard taco on their table.

“Wow, this is huge!”

“Yes it is. Do you know that this place was inspired by Americans?”

“Some of them would just sit here for a cup of coffee and a tiny serving of taco, but when they felt they can’t get enough of it, they made a huge one, so this place now is popular for the biggest taco in town,” she explained.

“And you still have that history of yours, huh?” he smiled at her. “Yeah!”

“But honestly, this place was very memorable to me,” she told him while her face turned cheerless then she looked outside.

He’s anxious to ask so he just started to eat.

It’s in The Coffee Shop in Barrio Barretto, Zambales where Luke and Andie used to sneak for their secret date back when they first met. They used to order the same foods Andie ordered for Josh. After their date, they would stroll along the winding road of Subic, Zambales far above the ground but parallel to the coastline below where they found the viewdeck overlooking the whole Subic Bay and the lighted docked ships during the night.

Andie called the waitress for their tab when they finished eating. She looked at the amount then looked at her wallet.

“Gosh, I’m short of 80 pesos,” she thought to herself.

When Josh noticed her calculating, he then grabbed the receipt from her then immediately ambled to the counter to pay for it.

“Josh wait, I’ll pay, I’m just short of…..hey Josh,” he ignored her, then got the bill cleared.

“Where are we going next?” he told her while pulling her out of the place.

She just covered her face in embarrassment.

“You know……I’m really embarrassed.”

“Keep quiet I’m driving,” he smiled at her. “Where do you want to go now?”

“I know this viewdeck, we can see the whole ocean up there,” she told him.

After a few minutes, they reached the viewdeck so Josh parked.

“What can you say?” she asked him. “Breathtaking!” he commented.

“I’ve seen different beaches, I’ve seen Boracay all right, but that one is like a paradise.”

Andie was puzzled by his words. She’s not sure if he really meant it or just overreacting on his description. She didn’t notice he’s referencing paradise because he’s with her alone on that place. Andie, on the other hand, was thinking about her memories with Luke on that viewdeck. She felt guilty that her brain is stuffed with the guy she loved while she’s with Josh.

Josh stepped further forward to look over the place while Andie stares at him thinking how it feels if she hugs him from the back.

Let’s go Josh.” It’s already afternoon when they arrived back to the house.

“You wanna go swimming now or later?” he asked.

“I think I’d like to swim later,” she replied.

Andie went straight to her room still thinking about Luke. She knows she should defy whatever feelings she had for him. She almost risked everything from that relationship and finally realized that’s the closure she’d been waiting for, but she doesn’t know where to start. She’s thankful that Luke already moved on, but she hasn’t moved on yet, more so when it was revealed to her that Luke loved her so much. She can’t expect from an impossible thing of getting Luke back, she knows.

“Andie, Andie,” Josh knocks at the door when she didn’t reply from his text.

She immediately rose.

“I’ll be right out Josh,” she told him quick. She freshened up first then goes down wearing her board shorts and a swimsuit with white T-shirt atop.

“I’m sorry I slept,” she told him. “Yeah I don’t wanna wake you up either,” he said while looking at the length of her nice shape hairless legs. He was distorted. She pinched his arm.

“Oh hey, you wanna eat now?” he asked. “I’m still full, what about you?”

“Later, when you get hungry.” “So you want to swim now?” he asked.

“I think I’ll just lie over the lounge chair, I’ll just watch you swim.”

She watched Josh climbed up the steps to the diving board and executed a perfect dive into the pool. There goes his firm pectorals again that she admired.

“Come on in, the water is cool,” he enticed her, but no clue that she’s moving toward him.

“I’ll just wait for you here,” she waved at him.

“Maybe you just need a little encouragement, maybe I should pick you up and throw you in.”

“No!” she exclaimed.

“Hey, I was just kidding.” “If you don’t want to swim with me it’s no big deal,” he said.

“It’s not that….the problem is I can’t…..swim….” she finally told him.

He paused for a long moment, couldn’t believe what he heard.

“I told you it’s no big deal, let me teach you how to swim instead,” he told her while reaching Andie’s hand.

Andie was relieved that there’s no clue of laughter on his face and he was motivated to teach her to swim and let her learn throughout the session.

“I can’t I’m afraid,” she uttered.

“Don’t worry I’m here, I’m always here, you just have to conquer your fear,” he told her.

As they stepped down the pool, the water lapped at their knees, so he tightened his grip on her hand, “Don’t worry I promise I won’t let go of you.”

She smiled back at him, glad that he understood her apprehension.

When the water already rose to their waists, Andie uttered, “It’s cold!”

“You’ll get used to it in a minute. Now just relax and lift your feet off the bottom of the pool.” He told her.

When she couldn’t assume the position, she grabbed his shoulder immediately as she started to go under. He laughed and held her up in his strong arms.

“You okay?” he asked while fixing the strands of her wet hair on her face.

“Can we go back to the lounge chair?” she asked him. “Okay.”

She covered her upper body with a thick towel to suppress coldness. The stars and the moon brightened the dark night and the cool breeze gave them awkwardness in connecting to each other that instant. No one is speaking.

“How come you didn’t learn to swim?” Josh finally asked to break the silence.

“Ha ha ha, like Michael Jordan he violates the Law of Gravity, but me I violate the force of buoyancy,” she was laughing to hide her anxiety.

“Good one, don’t you know that you’re smart?” he told her. She shook her head.

“But you know I’m willing to teach you until you learn to swim,” he insisted.

Andie just stared at the cool blue water where the stars’ reflections blend into it then she remembered something.

“Josh, why do we always go to Bluewave instead of going to some place like Eastwood or Timog?” she asked incredulously.

He wants to laugh but he resisted himself. “I don’t know, I thought you like that place better than those you mentioned,” he then replied.

“Honestly, I haven’t been to Eastwood or Timog, I just heard it from my friends, but didn’t have the chance to go there.”

“Really?” he looked at her curiously. “Okay, I’ll bring you there next time.”

“I honestly thought you don’t like to bring me there coz I looked too conservative and just an average girl with no class, that I really don’t fit the crowd,” she sighed deeply. (Andie’s opinion, testing her self-esteem)

“Whaaat? Don’t you ever say that! “That idea never crossed my mind,” he genuinely answered.

Andie all of a sudden lost her confidence. Her self-esteem had gone too low after her life without Luke. She always referred him as her wind beneath her wings but when they split, she struggled to fly by herself. Josh’s theory turned so true that she tends to get wasted at the height of a relationship. Now he’s up to be the pristine wind aiding her once broken wings.

“I don’t want to take you there coz the crowd don’t fit you, I’ll let you know next time,” he consoled her. (Josh’s opinion)

“Thanks!”

Another silence.

“Josh, have you ever fallen in love?” she straightforwardly asked.

He coughed dryly then he looked at her. She stares back waiting for his answer.

“No.” He replied.

“Ever?”

“Never?”

“Why?”

“I don’t know?”

“You don’t know?”

“Even when you’re in grade school or high school?”

“Not even once.”

“Why not?”

“Just because I haven’t felt it yet.”

“Yet?”

“Yes, and I’m afraid I’m still capable of hurting my partner’s feelings if I would take a commitment with someone,” he honestly remarked.

“So you haven’t had any serious or not-so-serious relationships ever?”

“I’ve had flings, hook-ups, sometimes I double-dated but I never had any serious one, why did you ask?” he told her further even if he knows it will muddle his pride, he’s just being himself and it’s not on his Lexis the phrase, “putting best foot forward.”

“Nothing, thanks for telling me Josh, I admire you for that.”

Now he had a perfect 10 score for his answer. He didn’t analyze things further.

“Have you ever fallen in love?” he suddenly asked back. Andie is reluctant to answer but she knows Josh needs to hear from her too.

“Yes.”

“And?” he continued.

“He was 18 then, I was 17 and he was my first love.”

“At first, the feeling is great but later we realized we didn’t hit it off because of our distance,” she looked back to the pool.

Andie used to be a full scholar during her first till third year in college, that’s when she gets to save money from her tuition. She told her parents that she only had partial scholarship so she can keep the half amount. But when they broke up, she messed up with her studies. She received below average grades so she lost her scholarship. That’s when she started to jeopardize her life but later she realized it’s not helping so she had to pick up the pieces of her. She explained everything to Josh while he was taken aback by her revelations.

“So what happened to him?”

“I’ve heard he’s already married with one kid and now living in California, so I guess that’s all for us,” she added.

He doesn’t want to ask any further coz he anticipates what her next statement would be.

“But the good part is, the money I’ve saved funded my internship in college,” she laughed. He smiled at her but still thinking about her disclosure.

“You want another round of our swimming lessons?” he sneered.

“No, I think I need to take a shower then change.”

“Wait up, I’ll just plunge for one last.”

She waited while Josh could see how sad and quiet she turned so he decided to get off the pool.

After changing to her sleeping garments, she then stayed at the 2nd floor veranda behind the glass sliding doors. She stood up to see the beauty of the site during the night where the swaying coconut trees were concealing the spot.

Andie jerked as somebody cuddled her from the back. It was the same scent she smelt from him when they first met. She could feel his face rested on her head and tightened his embrace, putting his arms across hers.

“I can feel that you are hurt,” he whispered to her ears while kneading her forearms to comfort her.

Andie couldn’t help but release some tears from her eyes.

“Thanks Josh, thank you for everything.”

He wants to say he’s there to love her, to comfort her and to reassure her that everything is going to be alright, but his gestures are more than enough.