Chapter 3: The Encounter

Natalie's POV

The days passed, and I don't see the scrap man anymore pushing his cart.

It's Monday but I'm not feeling good going to school so I just stayed at home.

It's afternoon I thought about going to the mall. At the exit of my car in the subdivision, I saw a man and I thought he was the scrap man but he doesn't seem to be. He was dressed and only now can I see that he is like that and carrying a big bag.

I just skipped it and when I looked again in the side mirror of my car, I saw his face. I didn’t stop and I just kept going to the mall. I went shopping alone and tired myself then I went home.

The next day I decided to go to school. I will be driven by our driver because I am too lazy to drive.

When the car got out of the garage, the scrap man was there again. He was looking at me and smiled so I smiled back at him.

At school, I told my friends what happened to Jeff and me. They could do nothing and no one was to blame even though they were the ones who prompted me to answer Jeff.

My life just went on, I'm single while the others are in relationships but we have correlations. They make fun of me if I'm not jealous of them.

“What’s, best friend, aren’t you jealous of us? ” Glenny, one of my friends, asked me.

I have friends that are three girls and three boys but they are also lovers, they simply called me, "best" short for best friend. I am I'm the only one without

a mate with them. I don't care!

Glenny Acosta is such a caring, beautiful, and charming friend of mine. Jasmine Bartolome is as beautiful as Jasmine Trias, and so is Jasmin

what his parents named her.

Kind, sexy, and dependable

as my friend. And, Rhea San Miguel.

She is beautiful, and slender in body and she is our leader.

"Why am I jealous of you?" I asked them while inside the classroom waiting for our next subject teacher.

I accidentally looked out the window and was right on the road opposite Jeff's school. I don't expect to see him in the distance with a woman.

"What a pitiful woman," I whispered to myself.

I didn't tell my friends what I witnessed about him. My life as a student continued.

It's been days and months. That's what happens in the morning when I see the scrap man outside our gate.

In the afternoon when I got home early I saw him in our yard. Out of curiosity, I asked Mommy about the scrap man because she was so complacent to be let into our yard.

"Mommy, do you know him?" I was referring to the scrap man and Mommy got what I meant.

“You know, hija, if there is someone

you will be let into your yard, you must recognize them even by name.

"John Dave is good at telling stories. I think he's a good boy, hard-working and working honorably. In the afternoon, he studies, "Mommy explained at length.

"Ah, is that so? I don't know how hard he works, Mommy. "

"His name matters to him." My reaction to what Mommy told me was surprising.

Imagine he can trade while studying. When I get home I always see him dressed as a scrap man.

But I just don't care because I'm not asking. One more thing, I can't talk about it because I'm already in the car when I see him in the morning.

Sometimes, on a Saturday, because

of nothing to do, I decided to

jog outside again. This is just the

second time already I was going jogging after the incident with Jeff and me.

I have already started running

slow. On the side of the road, so many vehicles pass by. While the music was loud on my iPod with the headset in my ear, I didn't notice the passing cars honking.

There aren't many cars here but there are often people passing by. Suddenly I saw the scrap man with the pushcart already stopped at a corner of a store and buying soft drinks to drink. I just kept running when suddenly someone blew a horn.

"Beep, beep!"

Because the horn was so loud I could hear it, even my music was loud. The scrap man immediately ran to get me out of the middle of the road. I didn't even realize that I had reached the middle of the road.

He hugged me and lifted me first, he overthrew his body to take care of my body falling on the road.

The car honked again.

"Beep, beep!"

The car honked again so fast that it would run in the middle of the road.

"Besides you idiots!" Shouted us while the driver was inside the vehicle of the passer-by.

I did not immediately act because of

shock. I was lying on the scrap man's body. In a few seconds, I was able to get up and say thank you.

"Shit! If not for this scrap man,

I’ll probably be in the hospital in the next few hours,” I said to my brain.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you!"

I kept standing but he could not get up immediately and his shoulder was a bit sore. But just a few minutes later he stood up. There were wounds on the arm and shoulders from falling on the road.

He immediately looks for what he is drinking. The soft drink bottle broke.

I didn't know how to get him home to treat the wound. I thought of just saying there are a lot of bottles in the house and I’ll just give them to him.

I saw him stomping while walking and I'm not sure about him. I also couldn't keep up with him while he was pushing the cart so I just said he would go first and I was just behind him.

When we got home immediately

I called my Mommy. She hurried out and was surprised to see the scrap man with me.

“Oh what happened to you, John

Dave?” Mommy immediately asked him.

I was immediately taken by Mommy's clean water and cotton wool as well as the first aid kit. While Mommy was cleaning John Dave's wound. "JD" is his nickname. I am telling Mommy what happened.

The scrap man was silent while Mommy listened. My Mommy was happy with JD's courage.

“Oh, Mommy, where are those

empty bottles, let's just give them to him," I asked Mommy.

Mommy immediately called the gardener and fixed them up. We had a few more accumulated empty bottles. When his wounds were cleaned, he first thanked Mommy and then JD left immediately.

Mommy and I were sitting on the balcony first. I wanted to know something about JD and Mommy got my point.

“That’s really how the accident happened to you, hija. Be thankful that JD is there to protect you."

Mommy told me.

My eyebrows even went up because she was still proud of him, eh, she wasn't like that before.

That same afternoon while in my car, I thought it would time JD out of the subdivision and I did not fail because I saw him waiting for a passenger's car.

"Hi JD, where are you going?" I questioned him when I stopped my car in front of him.

He was not surprised when he saw me.

"Come with me," I said to

him.

"Oh, Ma'am, don't do that

embarrassing! There will also be a passing car here soon," he rejected my offer to ride.

"Asus(an expression), don't be shy. Hurry up, come on it shady you might even catch up with rain," I insisted to him.

By accident, it suddenly rained. JD did nothing but accompany me. He immediately got into my car, adjusted his seat, and fastened his seatbelt.

"Where are you going so that I can bring you there?"

“In public school here with us

ma'am. I'm still teaching

karate before I entered my

class."

“Ah is that so, wow huh?"

"Wait, just call me Natalie."

"I'm not used to ma'am," he said.

in conjunction with my laughter.

I seemed to be happy with my laughter. Suddenly I stopped at what he asked.

“Oh, alright, why didn’t he didn't pick you up? Why can't I see your boyfriend anymore? "He asked me.

“Ah, we’ve been gone since then

happened."

I thought of changing the topic because I didn’t want to talk about that man, Jeff.

"I would ask, why are you always on the opposite side of our house every morning?" I asked him back.

He did not immediately answer me and

it barely even thought.

“Ah, I buy empty bottles and newspapers in the morning and I am happy when I see your beauty. My dream is to have a girlfriend as beautiful as you, but I don't see you at my level," he told me shyly.

I smiled at what he said. What? I think I was fascinated by what I heard but I didn't show it.