Chapter 7

“YOU don’t remember me?” the woman asked Benjamin in disbelief. “Seriously?”

Benjamin hesitantly smiled at the woman and shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, my God. I’m Emily!” she said in a shrill. She gestured her hand in her face and fluffed her cheeks. “We’re classmates in college.” She chuckled, then flipped her hair. “OMG. Did I lose weight that much, and it changes my face?” Her eyes flutter while pouting her red, painted lips.

Benjamin studied her face. Now he remembers her. But her looks changed a lot. Now, her eyes were bigger, and her lips were plumper. She did lose a lot of pounds in her weight. “I remember now… you’re Emily Watkinson?”

“None other than,” she said and winked at him. “I live in New York, and just came home for my Father’s birthday. Our classmate Mateo told me that you’re here at Pampanga also. Oh, by the way, how’s Camille? Since you got married after college, we didn’t receive any news about the two of you.”

Benjamin hesitated to answer, or he just couldn’t. He glanced at her daughter Anastacia on his side before he started to reply. “Ah… Camille is…” Anastacia held on his hand, and that gesture broke Benjamin’s heart.

“Benjamin!”

A woman in casual linen-blend shorts paired with a white tie-collar cotton blouse was running towards them. She stopped a few meters when she noticed he’s talking with somebody. Benjamin waved at her. She smiled shyly and slowly took the final steps forward. He smiled, Caroline saved his day.

“Hi,” he greeted her, and nod at her friend who just approached them. “How’s your feeling? Did you and your friend get enough sleep?”

Emily seemed to catch the signal. With a visible frown, she excused herself from them. “Let’s get some drinks some other time, Benj. Keep in touch, okay? `Bye!”

Benjamin released a deep sigh of relief when Emily started to walk away from them. His tensed muscles relaxed, and his heartbeat returned to normal again. When he looked at her daughter, she was giving Caroline a wide smile. Benjamin thought that maybe her daughter also feels that Caroline saved them from that chest tightening moment.

“I saw you at the Korean store yesterday,” Anastacia said, beaming at Caroline. “You and your friend were talking about celebrities.”

Caroline and her friend gasped and then laughed at the same time. “You heard us fantasizing about them in broad daylight?” Caroline’s friend asked Anastacia, who nodded her head in response.

Benjamin touched his daughter’s head. “Anastacia, you shouldn’t be listening to other people’s conversation. That’s not a good manner.”

“Oh, so it was you?!” Caroline blurted out. “I saw you at the store yesterday…” Her voice trailed as her gaze fell down at her daughter. She studied her face for a few seconds before returning her eyes to him. “Is she your…?”

Benjamin nodded and put his arm on Anastacia’s shoulder. “She’s my daughter. Her name is Anastacia.”

“Oh…” Caroline’s friend behind her studied Anastacia’s face. “She’s pretty. She must looked-like her Mom.”

Benjamin noticed Caroline’s smile slowly fading off while she was looking at her daughter. He wondered what’s on her mind. He’s not really good at reading women’s thoughts.

“So, she must the girl you met at the bar last night, Dad?” Benjamin heard his daughter’s bland tone. When he turned to her, she was already studying Caroline’s facial expression.

“Wait… they looked alike.” Caroline studied Antonette’s face, amazement in her eyes was apparent. “They’re twins?”

Antonette snorted. “Great, you got it right,” she said sarcastically.

“Antonette…” Benjamin warned his daughter. “She’s Antonette. She’s a bit…”

“I understand,” Caroline said and smiled at them.

“How can you understand? You know nothing about us.” She then turned her back at them. She started to walk back to their spot. Anastacia followed her sister, but before she runs, she waved at Caroline and her friend.

“I’m sorry, Caroline. She’s just bored. She really doesn’t want to go here,” Benjamin told them. “So, how’s your hand? Does it still hurt?”

Caroline blushed. She looked at her palm, wrapped with white bandages. “Just a little… Oh, I forgot your handkerchief. I’m not expecting to see you here, I didn’t bring it with me.”

“It’s fine. You can keep it,” Benjamin said and smile at her. She was prettier in daylight. Her smile was brighter, and her rosy white skin looked softer and warmer under the sun. “I was actually hoping that I could see you here.”

“OMG,” Caroline’s friend whispered. When she caught him looking, she smiled awkwardly. “By the way, I’m Hyacinth. Caroline’s best friend—and confidante.”

He accepted her hand and shook it briefly. Benjamin can sense something between these two women. Or, maybe they’re just feeling awkward because of what happened last night. Benjamin suppressed a smile as he remembered how talkative Caroline was while he’s driving them home. He left his friend Mateo at the bar to help the two women get back safely. Their landlady took care of them when she saw that they were both drunk. Even before he leaves their apartment, Caroline kept on saying that he really looked-like her high school ultimate crush. Benjamin booked a cab on his way back to the Rotten Roses, but his friend Mateo was already drunk and making out with some women when he got back.

“I went home shortly last night,” he said. “I wasn’t really into drinking beers and clubbing.”

Caroline chuckled. “Thank you for driving us home. Our landlady told us about it… and it’s quite embarrassing.”

“Do you remember that I invited you last night to watch the balloon festival?” Benjamin asked, studying Caroline’s confused expression.

She gasped and covered her mouth. “Did you? OMG.”

“She forgot,” Hyacinth laughed. “We’re supposed to go jogging this morning, but we woke up late. Then we saw on a social media post that there will be a mini balloon festival today.”

Benjamin chuckled. “I’m expecting that she won't remember it. She was so busy saying that I looked-like—”

“I remember it now,” Caroline cut off. She cupped her forehead. “This is so embarrassing…”

“Really embarrassing,” Hyacinth said. “So, I think we should go?”

“No,” Caroline refused. “I-I mean—”

“We went to the same school, right? In high school? I remember you and your eyes.”

Those sad eyes of Caroline. And the loneliness that he saw in those beautiful eyes fourteen years ago was still there. Benjamin smiled at her, just like he smiled at her every time he caught her staring from the corner of the bleachers.

“Fourteen years have passed, Benjamin.” Caroline returned his smile. “I can’t believe that you still remember me…” Her voice suddenly changed its tone. From soft and unsure to surprisingly steady. “I see that you have kids… So, you’re married?”

Benjamin doesn’t know what to say. He didn’t expect that sudden change of topic. “Ah, yes, I’m married…” He scratched the corner of his brow. He was about to speak again, but Caroline’s friend butt in.

“I see. Benjamin is married,” she drawled, tensing on every word.

Benjamin finds it weird and unusual. He looked at Caroline, who was still staring at him as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t let it out. “Is there something wrong—”

“Yes,” Caroline said quickly while looking straight in his eyes. “`Cause you know, I thought you’re single.”

***