void of everything

"Sir, Ms. Trisha is outside. She said she wants to talk to you," Christine informed me when I answered the phone.

I put down the cell phone I had been staring at. It was a photo of Fem and I with our tongues out. She insisted on taking it after we failed in attempting to bake some cookies. Flour was all over our faces while we posed for a shot. I never knew it would be our last memory together. After that stint in the airbase, she disappeared like a bubble without even a single trace. It's been two weeks and I can't reach her. No calls and no texts.

I went home on my pad with a hollow feeling. No one will meet me to argue with me on why she can't complete the puzzles. No more snoring every night and I no longer have someone I can debate with anything under the sun.

All because of something I don't know.

"What is it that she wants this time? Tell her I'm busy."

I shook my head remembering Femella's sister. Trisha has been insisting to get back where we started eight years ago. She wants me to take her back as my girlfriend. I find it incredulous. I can't even remember the events of those years and I can't feel anything for her. One more thing, if we really were in a relationship back then, it was a very long time ago and we both should have forgotten our feelings. Eight years is a long time. A man’s heart changes and we have no interaction and I also don’t remember her even though I found out that she was with me in the car that night.

I also did the math and I was shocked to know that if it's true that we had a relationship, then I dated a minor back then. It was unthinkable on my part. Yes, I knew I was a playboy until before I met Femella but I knew it would never get to the point where I would date a minor.

"Sir, she insisted on talking to you. She just wants to give you something."

I sighed. What else does she need from me? I gave her a place to stay because she said she has no money. I've given her a hundred thousand pesos because she said she needed to buy things. I did that because she was Femella’s twin and not because I wanted to add to whatever we had before.

"Alright. Let her in."

I massaged my temple and then glanced at the phone. I was waiting for updates from Jex about his search for Femella.

"Where are you, Fem?"

The door opened and Trisha entered with a big smile on her face. She rolled around on my desk and reached out to kiss me on the cheek but I raised my hand to stop her. Disappointed by my behavior, she moved away from me and sat down in the chair.

"This is the last time I'm talking to you, Trisha. Now say your piece."

She crossed her arms and looked at me.

"Don't you really remember me, Maverick?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't have any recollection about you. If that is what you only want to say then you may go."

I turned my attention back to the papers I should have finished yesterday if only I hadn’t been too distracted in finding Femella.

"You mean you don't remember Femella either, am I right?"

"Why? Is there a part of Femella and me that I need to worry about?"

She didn't answer immediately.

"Nothing. Nothing. I'm just asking because I introduced her to you once."

"I don't have any memory of that particular part of my life other than the accident itself."

I studied Trisha's face. The woman is beautiful. She has some resemblance to Femella. She is also a little bit taller than Femella.

"What do you really want, Trisha?"

She shot me a serious look. "You. You're the one I want, Maverick. Did you know you've never left my mind and heart for eight years? I've cherished the memory of the two of us. I think of you every day. You're the reason I'm not discouraged by all that has happened to me. "

I let out a sigh. "I don't want to appear cruel but I don't feel a thing for you anymore. It's useless for us to get back to that kind of relationship if I can't even remember what happened back then. One more thing, I love Femella. Forget about me, Trisha. "

A pain cut off her face. Her tears flowed. I averted my eyes. I feel sorry for Trisha but I can't just say yes to her.

"Femella again." She wiped away the tears. "What I'm doing is embarrassing but what can I do? I can't forget you. Can I ask Maverick?"

"What is that?"

"Let me live in your unit for a week so I can find time to move. Don't worry, I'll pay you with my money. Just give me enough time."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I also realized something from what she said.

"Don't bother about the money. It's okay. And Trisha, I believed you needed to hear this. I know if a woman has feelings for me. I can read in her gesture, how she looks at me and the emotion in her eyes. It's the way Femella looks at me. It's as if I'm all that she's got. And I don't see that in you. Stop pretending that you still feel something for me. The more you do, the more you hurt yourself. "

She grimaced in pain but immediately hid her reaction. She stood up and shot me a sharp look.

"It's my feelings and they're valid so you have no right to tell me that. It's true that I still love you up to this day Maverick. Believe it or not. Don't deny me that."

She turned her back.

"Your sister loves you, Trisha. Live your life now. Don't waste her sacrifices for you. She'll be happy to know that you're happy."

She didn't respond. She just opened the door and slammed it. I was left wondering how Lagma could handle the woman. Just like Femella, she is also stubborn.

"They're really twins."

With that in mind, I picked up the cell phone again and went to the gallery to look at the photos of Femella and me again. Looks like I can't finish any work for today.