Random Stories: A Hidden Life

A black car pulled up. A tall guy in a suit stepped out of the front passenger seat.

The tall guy opened the door and said, "Ma'am we're here.".

She replied, "I know. Please get my bag and jug, I need to change".

From the outside, people are looking at the car and the tall guy walking towards the trunk. The tall guy picked up a black bag and a red Coleman. He handed those to her and closed the door.

After a few minutes, she opened the door, held the bag and the jug, and got out.

The tall guy asked, "What time should we pick you up?".

She said, "Be here at 5. Please bring me a bath towel. Thank you.".

Then she turned around and saw the people still looking. She smiled and walked away.

Recounting every contact

It started with team huddles, waiting for him to put his hand on top of every one's stacked hands so she could put it on top of his. Not listening to the team captain's words, only the light buzz of electricity she feels between their skin. All she could feel was the back of his hands.

Sometime she would put her hand first, secretly hoping he would put his hand on top of hers. During those few times that he would, she would hold her breath, enjoying the feeling, and letting her breath go not knowing that she was holding it that long.

This one team huddle, the first time the team were holding each other side by side. He was on her left, her hand was on his back, holding a patch of his shirt. His hand was on her back, a little lower even. She couldn't stand not to break a smile. Her hand was shaking and she couldn't contain the electricity running through her. She kept sighing and sighing until the team shouted their chants and jumping up and down that both of them finally let go of each other.

At an after party, right before capping the night off, he was sitting on her chair, she approached him and rubbed his back, intending for him to go back to his seat in front of her so she could sit down. Instead he rubbed her back and told her they we're ready to leave. She couldn't shake the thought of him caressing her back that way. It was almost out of instinct of a guy rubbing his girl's back.

She left recalling those moments, hoping that he was out there somewhere recalling the same moments too.

She slept with a smile on her face

They we're travelling home from a surfing trip. The van wasn't crowded but she couldn't sleep. She wasn't comfortable.

He saw that she couldn't sleep. He offered his bag on his lap, put a pillow on top of it, and told her to rest her head there.

She did.

She rested her left cheek on the pillow, facing away from him. He put his hand on her shoulders and sighed.

She slept comfortably with a smile on her face.

He Sang to Her

You know how little things make more meaning than most? Like a line in a song? This time few lines did.

He sang along to this song, and sang it to her:

Why can't it be?

Why can't it be the two of us?

Why can't we be lovers?

Only friends..

He sang with conviction and intention, or maybe he was a little carried away by alcohol. Either way, it still puzzles her to hear him say those words as though he really meant every word of it.

If he only knew she felt the same way. Or maybe it's the other way around?

She wanted to say it back, she wanted to tell him that they can be together, that they can be more than friends. But I guess he can't do it. He has someone, and, probably, she doesn't want to be a part of another triangle where she loses.

If only he saw in her eyes that what he sang meant more to her than a mere drunk singing along to whatever song the band plays. 

She accepts the situation, that they can't be for now. But why does he hint things he shouldn't be hinting? Torture? For her? Or for him?

Their story isn't going somewhere if someone doesn't step up and take the lead. And she's probably waiting for him to do it.

He Said 'I Love You'

On the eve of knowing that the spear head of the company you work for died, it calls for celebration. Well, not really, it was just an excuse for all you to get together because you missed each other. Imagine 4 long days without access to every thing you crave. 4 days is enough.

~

She came back from visiting her family for the holidays. From where she comes from, its not really a holiday, but a time for every body else to plea for something in exchange for trying to suffer on something that isn't worth suffering for.

She had dinner with him and the others. Not that others are not as important as him. They are, she knows that. She didn't want to drink that night because its a work day after. But he insisted. I don't know why she can't even try saying no to him. Sigh.

The place was closing but they haven't had enough yet, so they decided to go continue the party at her house. They had a contest on who gets to the highest level of 4pics1word. She was with him on this one. They eventually beat the other team, a 3 vs 2 team. They were on the same team of 3.

As they said goodbye, he suddenly said " Bye, I love you".

She wasn't stunned at all. She thought it was some kind of a joke, and that it was funny. They were drunk after all.

The next day, she couldn't think of anything else but that moment. She hadn't had the chance to see his face when he said. She didn't know if he meant it. She's holding on to the thought that if you're drunk enough, you can say things you aren't able to when you're sober. But she's not hoping for anything. At all.

But she can't stop smiling. :)

How she survived being broke

She went out with her friends and him. As most of the time, she wouldn't go out without him. It was a lousy week for her but the opposite for him. She only saw him during lunch breaks and shuttle bus rides. Nevertheless, those little ticks of time where she can see his face were enough for her.

They went out to a wooden-bench type of bar where people get served with ice on plastic bowls with spoon to serve them. That type. It was enough though, since it was just a normal Friday night.

She had too much to drink. She left her wallet on the table together with her phone. When she came back, the bill was there with 100 peso bill on top of it. She decided to give 500 bucks. She did not notice that her wallet had a 500 peso bill missing which would mean that she already paid, but she did not know. So she still gave 500 bucks. 

He was holding her wallet. Her memory of it was a bit blurry that she only remembered telling him that she only had 20 bucks left in there, and that she did not know how it happened. She wasn't angry, which she would normally be after realizing that her so called friends tricked her into paying that much without her consent.

She went home, got her keys, opened the locks by herself, with him watching her by the open gate. She went inside and slept on the couch.

She woke up at 6 am thinking she wanted to play Frisbee that early, but decided not to since she had no money left. She went to sleep in her room, on her huge and comfy bed.

Until he texted her asking if she had eaten. She replied with a no. He asked her to come eat with him at a nearby store. She didn't want to because that would mean that he will be paying for what she ate. But he insisted, and so she went out and ate.

That was brunch. For dinner, she cooked spaghetti for some of her friends. For breakfast, she slept, for lunch she ate corned beef out of the can, and for dinner she had take out using her credit card.

And that's how she survived having no cash for the weekend. Thank goodness for the credit card. And she decided to cut back on those night outs. And cut back on the trust she gave her so called friends. Because they thought that it was funny but she thought otherwise.

Her First Encounter

February 2012

She added him as a friend on Facebook. He accepted. The next day, she PM'd him to say thanks for accepting.

Then they started talking. He was in a class but he couldn't concentrate because he doesn't have a clue of what the trainer was teaching. So he replied to her PM instead.

He described how she always has her head down when she passes by his group. He looks at her every time she goes their way.

She replied that she was shy for there were a lot of them on side of the hallway. 

Their first eye contact was in the hallway too, right outside her office. They both smiled at each other.

After a lot of conversations, he told her that she was a snob because every time he looks at her, she looks away. Or that if they come across each other in the hallway, she always looks away.

He invited her to a practice game at an open field near their office building. He told her that it would be fun, and so that they could also talk. In person. She melted.

It was the first time they spoke face to face. She was so nervous that she wanted to run away when she saw that he was walking towards her. He said hi, and shook her hand.