I'm waiting outside the coffee shop. Any minute now. Are should be done with her shift and then we'll go to the frame shop. I'm glad she allows us to do this. The sun is setting down and the people around me. Just enjoying the view of the sky. It always remind me of her. “You should take a picture of it. It's pretty.” Era comes out of the door with her usual after-work outfit. She looks so good in white shirt and a jeans on. It always gives me of a different view on this Era right now. She looks more pure and a definition of feel good. I take my phone and capture the pink sky. Then I grab her hand behind, “Hurry up, it's getting dark. I need to get home early or else your father will scold me getting you home late.” “Yeah.” She stomps on her feet. “He never changed. He's still pretty much the same.” “That's my favorite thing about your dad. He's protective.” “Way over protective sometimes.” She fold her arms like a mad little girl once we get in the car and I start driving off to
Happiness is a motion of moments. It happens when you see someone you love smile at certain things that both of you used to know and now still remembers. It's when you find this one place that reminds you of pure joy and freedom and innocence. It feels like you never wanna get back home anymore. It seems like the problems are gone. My broken family is forgotten and now I'm sitting to the person that makes me forget I was ever lonely or messed up. Happiness is when that person makes you feel valued. Era makes me feel valued. “So how long was it with you and Brad?” I finally found the courage to ask because I've been trying to avoid it but also I've been thinking about it. Era licks on her ice cream before she answers me. “It was that night when I told you I didn't want to fix things with you. That was... the night he ended things between us.” “How so? I mean you were so in love.” My eyes find the sun setting.“I was.” She purses her lips. “He was the one who was no longer in love
Simon uses the small stairs hanging the frames in the walls. We can only put up five pictures since I we couldn't print some of the pictures I needle out. Most of them are my pictures and me and my mother and father. It makes feel so old knowing how man years have passed since she passed away. I wish she's here and feel her embrace around me. I make us some snack for tkogiht so he could fill his fuel. He's been so considerate. “Here drink some of this.”I hand him an orangey glass juice. His sweats are dripping out of his forehead all the way down to his chest. He has a white polo on so his sweats marks are visible outside. I kind of stare a little at his chest showing a little. But I promise myself that I won't start much before he could catch me. That would be so embarrassing. “Its really hot in here.” He complains putting his glass to the table next my window. He stsrtts to unbutton his polo shirt and I have to look away like a girl from high school in front of their crush. Well
It's Sunday afternoon. I haven't seen Simon for two days. Aside from I was busy with loaded tasks in the work, I have to take care of my father. He has high fever for the past few days. I guess Simon did not know, but he never once came over or something. There wasn't much that I was expecting from him at all, I just hope that he would want to see me. I push open the door with my foot as I balance the box of dirty useless stuffs of our aging house that has been stored in for the past years. There were tissues, dusty teddy bears that to never be owned by anyone, there were papers with randoms things written in it. I decided to clean up for more since dad is out for work today. And of course, I've got the whole house. The only last thing left to do is hanging the rest of the frames on the wall. “Era!” I look around, but I could not see anyone then when I look up, Kim is waving her two hands at me. “Kim, hey,” I wave back.She gives me a full smile. “Can you come over tonight?” I d
Maybe we tend to forget how someone loves us. Why they love us. And just the fact that simply love us just because they do. I think I didn't care much about Simon as much as I do now. I do care a lot of about him that's why I came back. I used to care much of him however when we grew older, we've met different people, had different paths of experiences, and changed.That's why I am here to let him know that I care and I'm going to show it to him. Just when I open their front door, I meet Kris on the way. She's holding a black plastic bag of garbage. Her forehead is dripping of sweat.She raises one eyebrow at me, “Era? What are you doing here? Simon's not home yet.” She lifts the plastic to her side.I help her with the door so she can step outside. “I know he's not here.” I tell her. She gives me a look of saddening. “Why don't you call him or text him? Tell him you wanna hang out or something. You know just to distract him from all those rebellion friends he has.” I almost laugh
Three rings. Five rings. Seven rings.Ten rings. No answer. I've been trying to call Simon's cell for the last thirty minutes and still he's not picking up. I'm getting annoyed by the fact he's ignoring my call. What's up with him? I lean my arms to the edge of their balcony and press on his numbed again. I tap the green button. It starts to ring. I fold my free arm under the other that is holding the phone. On the first ring a car screeches on the hard break. It passes the yard a little than it moves back toward the exact parking lot of where Simon would park his car. It is his car. I put down my phone and watch as he rolls down the window. I could barely see him inside. I think he's struggling, trying to unbuckle his seatbelt. Before he could slips out of his car, I quickly make my way downstairs. Nobody is found in the kitchen nor in the living room. Kim and Kris are perhaps in bed now. I asked Kris earlier if I could stay in until I can talk to Simon. I know I'm always free
“Hey,” I open the bedroom door of Kim's and insert my head in.She has one earphone on while writing something on a notebook. “Yeah?” She looks up, reaching to her phone, I'm assuming she's pausing the song, without letting go of my eyes.“I didn't know you're getting into writing now.” I open the door further wide and step in.She puts on a knowingly smile. “It's because you're always out partying.” She then rolls her out. Its a quick change of mood. I don't get girls nowadays. “Because I have more friends now than I did before.” I reason out which is I know she considers lame.“You were better off with one friend than twenty, Simon. Trust me.” She looks away and plays the song the again.“Whatever. Hey, I won't be back until lunch today. I will be having a picnic with Era in the beach.” “What?” She exlaims. “You and Era? Without me?” She presses her palms on her chest on a lame dramatic level. I hold the knob ready to close it. “Yes, without you 'cause you're annoying.”“Wait, wa
“Kim!” The house is so quiet. I stumble to her empty room like every corner of this house is dark and lonely. “Kim!” I go back downstairs and struggling to compose myself on the stairs. I keoe falling on on effect and then finally I reach the living room. There is the same darkness I follow. I had ten or perhaps fifteen beers tonight. It's not that much. I'm still pissed at the way Era is acting earlier. She can't blame me if I have to walk away. She's right. She didn't know me anymore. I already told her that. I kept thinking about her statement. Until I come to realize that telling me that is just the simplest other way she can do to tell me she doesn't like me anymore. She doesn't like my drinking my happiness my voice, my presence. She hates me now and I understand that she feels that way. You really can't like someone the same way you did. “Where have you been?” She asks. “Where's mom?” I fall to the single couch behind me.Kim give me a sturdy look in the eyes. “She's out o