Chapter 18
***Afternoon party*** The kids were running around while the elders snack and sat down to talk.
Kob sat at a rock and threw leaves into the creak, she watches the leaf flow down the river, no point of return. Arisa came to bother her.
Arisa: “I knew it. No one wants to marry a person like you. A person like you even turn a man gay.”
Kob: “Haha…” She laughs hard. “What a funny joke. Never knew you had it in you.”
Arisa: “If I get marry” she changes the topic. “My wedding would be bigger than this.” She was criticizing how the wedding was outdoors and had insect. She swayed her hand around.
Kob: “Assuming? Or there will be one?”
Arisa: “I’m not assuming.”
Kob: “Why did you say ‘if’ you should had said ‘when’ this means you’re doubting yourself.”
Arisa: “Don’t be so cocky just because you caught my wrong usage of words.”
Kob: “I want to know did Tik propose to you yet?”
Arisa: “….” Even if she said yes, she didn’t have a ring to prove it.
Kob: “First comes the kisses then comes the pregnancy. You’re mother wouldn’t like that. You still have to learn your mother’s con-artist skill.”
Arisa: “How dare you?”
Kob: “I’m just looking out for my step. One last thing I do in my father’s respect.”
Arisa: “You’re being sarcastic. Mocking me. You think I need someone to look after me.”
Kob: “Of course you do, that why your mother is always tailing you around. Is so she can clean up your mess.” Arisa raises her hand at her. “What’s wrong? I’m just speaking the truth.” She swung at Kob but she ducks, causing Arisa to fumble onto the ground. The green grass stain part of her dress. She gets up again and this time more angry. “Don’t slap me. You’re going to wound the same area, which the kettle burnt. Aren’t you afraid of touching that raw and melted skin.”
Arisa shudder is disgust as though seeing the images of when the heat of the kettle did damage to Kob’s right cheek. She stomps away. Kob hears a croak nearby and felt something slimy when she fidget her toes. She screams, jumping into the air, to be caught by Tik.
Kob: “Fr….og…” She was in a nervous wrecked as she continue to hide her face into Tik’s chest, not knowing how’s arms she had jumped into. A boy came by and picked up the frog, holding it up toward them.
Boy: “Cool.” He pets it. Kob looks over to the boy below her.
Kob: “Ahh…Don’t bring it so close, put it back into the water…” she orders the boy. She clutched onto Tik as she squints her eyes at the frog. It looked like it was going to leap at her.
Tik: “A frog can’t bite it doesn’t have teeth.”
Kob: “But it has a long tongue.” She looks at the person carrying her. “Tik?”
Tik: “You were expecting someone else?”
Boy: “It’s harmless, lady.” He had his hands gently wrapped around the frog and raised it toward her.
Kob: “Keep it away…” She was beginning to shriek.
Tik: “Ah…ah…” He moans when Kob clutched tighter onto him, her fingernails were drilling into his skin. The boy’s parents call him and he puts the frog back into the stream before leaving. “It’s gone.” Kob looks over and gives out a sigh of relief.
Kob: “How long do you think you can carry me?”
Tik: “I would expect you to ask me to let you down.”
Kob: “Ha.” She chuckles. “I know. Until you see Arisa then you’ll let me off the hook. Why is it that way?”
Tik: “What are you implying?” Tik quickly puts her down when Arisa barge over demanding to know what happen. “You’re creating a scene, darling.”
Kob: “See what I told you?” She told Tik. “I came on to him, so don’t scold him.” Kob walks over to Arnus who had just came out from the house.
***Later in the afternoon. Kob and Arnus sat in the bench outside***
Arnus used a toothpick to stab a piece of fruit and offer it to Kob. She declines the offer. She watches the two grooms relatives interact with each other. She looks back at the area she was standing with Arisa and suddenly she saw another scenery. Everyone was gone, she was standing near the creek alone talking to Arisa. Arisa fumbles onto the ground and her mother comes to help her up. “You’re not running away this time.” Both mother and daughter’s voice echo. Kob backs up and could felt her arms being held by someone with strength. “Yeah. Take your last breath.” Tik chuckles loudly and evilly with the other and daughter. She could hear her voice repeating in agony “No…no…” Kob quickly shake her head to get the scene out of her head. She looks into the distance and see Tik and Arisa standing together, they seem to love each other’s company. Kob leans back on her chair and looks into the sky above. “Even when I told him my side of the story. He still stuck by their side. The only person who I wanted to believe me didn’t.” She remembers her father rejecting her explanation, exactly like Tik. “Déjà vu all over again. Things repeat themselves. When will this nightmare be over.” The laughter of children who were playing tag with each other distracts her, they were so pure and innocent, lighting up the whole area.
***Kob and Arnus went to snacked table, Kob poured herself some punch where she bumps into Tik and Arisa***
Tik: “Are you going to introduced us.”
Kob: “Sure. Arnus, I give you the honor.”
Arnus: “I’m Kob’s fiancée.”
Arisa: “Really? But Kob just gotten over Tun. Are you that desperate?”
Kob: “We were betroth to each other when we were children.”
Arisa: “What about Tun? Why did you decide to date him?”
Kob: “So many questions.” Kob gulped her punch. “Ah. Groom and Groom.” Tun and the singer approach them.
Tun: “My ear is burning, someone’s talking about me.”
Kob: “Since you’re here, you have some explaining to do.” Tun gives them an easy explanation. About pretending to date Kob so it will minimum his family’s suspicion about his sexuality.
Tik: “Everyone knows except us?”
Tun: “You know now. Isn’t it a sense of relief, Tik?”
Kob: “Good. Now everyone is on the same page.”
Arisa: “Everyone is not on the same page. You’re engage to Arnus, why do you still bother with Tik.”
Kob: “I was always the first to take the initiative. Maybe because I have more guts than the other person.” She pats Tik’s cheek as in mocking him. He clutches it before she could move away, then uses his other hand and place his palm over Kob’s neck, pulling her over. He remembers the times, Kob’s spirit made the first move on him. Tik kept on a stern face as he close in on her. Everyone was still, waiting to see the outcome. Kob takes her eyes off Tik as she took a long gulp, tense. Tik’s hand caress her hair then took out a thin leaf that was stuck in her hair.
***Arnus cellphone rings. Interrupting the silence***
Arnus is called in for an important meeting. Tun insists to leave Kob and he’ll order his driver to send Kob home. Arnus looks over to a man in the far distance and nod to his undercover partner who was keeping an eye on the mother and daughter.
***As the evening progresses***
The mood changes as the children’s laughter dispersed. The kids were inside the house while the teens and elder were outside enjoying some wine.
Kob had gone to the lake area to get quiet time. She sat in the white row boat for a long while. She rested her arm on the railing and rested her head on her arm. She skim her other hand through the surface of the water and watches it ripples.
***When the rowboat rocks she looks behind her and opposite of her, Tik was seated in. He grabs the paddle and starts rowing the boat.
Kob: “What do you think you’re doing?” She tries to grab onto the paddle. It was only when they reach the middle of the lake that he stuck out the paddle at her, when she reached for it, he threw it into the water. She could see it floating in the far distance. “Now how are we going to get back?”
Tik: “Swim.”
Kob: “You should stop doing this.”
Tik: “Doing what?”
Kob: “Sneaking to meet me. It’s obvious you don’t want anyone to know this.”
Tik: “Having an affair adds the suspense to my life.”
Kob: “Do you know you put yourself out like a maniac.”
Tik: “Perhaps, I am one. Are you afraid?”
Kob: “No.” The fireflies began to come out as night fall and the water began to ripple to the blows of the wind. “It seemed you’re denial that a women doesn’t remember you or the love she once had for you.”
Tik: “I’m over it.” He thinks what she said was something Tun told her.
Kob: “So…what gives you the right to continue and harass me?” The sentence makes him silent.
Tik: “You don’t believe in fairy tales.”
Kob: “Fairytales are for children, no one really believes that stuff because it never happens.”
Tik: “People think you’ll have to see it to believe it, but it’s believing that’s leads to seeing.”
Kob: “I don’t want to waste time, what are you here for?”
Tik: “You said your going to tell me who the men was.”
Kob: “You already know.”
Tik: “I didn’t listen to his introduction because I was opening my ear only to you.”
Kob: “You haven’t answer me…What gives you the right to constantly badger me?”
Tik: “It’s the only way I can get close to you.” The fireflies began to surround the lake. Their lights flick and reflect in the surface of the water.
Kob: “I don’t want to be part of your affair.” She swayed her hand into the water trying to paddle with her hand.
Tik: “I never said you were part of my affair. You’re the victim here.” Indicating he was cheating on her with Arisa. “When you bump to me earlier at the altar, the sparkle in your eyes, what did it really mean?” He thinks to himself then gets interrupted by Kob’s laugh.
Kob: “Haha.” She laughs hysterically. Kob continued to laugh until she covered her mouth and took a few slow breaths. “I feel sick.” He just realizes there was a bottle of champagne on the floor of the boat.
Tik: “I have been talking to a half conscious person.” Kob cross her arms, rocks back and forth. She bumps her forehead into his when he came near. “Ouch!” Kob rubs her forhead.
Kob: “Oh no…it’s still there…Go away. Away.” She urges as she gets up and covered her ears. The boat was rocking violently as Tik tries to get her to sit. “Don’t touch me!” She shoves him and he flips into the water. Once the water splash into her face she sits down and waves over to him. “Since you’re in there push the row boat toward shore will you?” She leaned over the boat.
Tik: “You’re not drunk at all.”
Kob: “Yes. So?” The champagne bottle wasn’t even open. When she raise it for him to see. Tik puts his hand on the railing of the boat and start shaking it. “Stop.” She yells as some water was spilling into the boat. “Tik. The boat is sinking.” She saw water pumping in through a little whole. Pull me back to shore, right now.”
Tik: “Why should I?”
Kob: “Hurry.” She lift her feet and put it on seat she was at. Tik swims to the paddle which was a feet from him. He throws it into the boat.
Tik: “Row yourself out of there.” He swims to shore first.
Kob: “I’ll get you when I get there. When she put her feet down the water was up to her ankle. It was hard for her row the boat, standing up with the short paddle. Her back ached because she was leaning down to row. When she reach shore the boat was half way sunk. The water soaked the feet to the knee length of her dress. As she got out of the boat she squeeze the water out of the dress because it was so heavy for her to walk in. She finds Tik lying near by. “Don’t pretend to be asleep. Ouch.” She shakes her head when a memory zaps her brain.
***Flash back***
It seem she had been swimming for a long time when she saw his body floating down. She had taken him to shore, the moment she took a breath into the air, she felt as though a new life was created*** Ends***
Kob: “Are you ashamed of me, that’s why you don’t want others of knowing about me, and only write me out as unknown character in your story.” She lets out how she really felt when she first found out he was writing about her. “I can drown myself in the tears you force me to shed.” She mutters quietly. “I despise you so much…during that moment.” She kneels beside him. “Why don’t you think that the memory was a dream, now it’s over, you woken up. What happened in the fairy tale land are all lies, lies, lies.” She said as though it was something easy to do. “There is no angel, no prince, no happy ending.” It was almost as though she was telling herself as well. Tik pulls her down toward him, their eyes met.
In the far distance, the piano began to play. In the distance they both can hear the piano continue to make it’s way to the high notes. “Tong Hua (Fairytale)” was played.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***The lyrics***
I forgotten how long it has been
Since I’ve last heard from you
Telling me your favorite story
I’ve thought for a long time
I’m starting to get worried.
Have I done something wrong again?
You cried to me.
Fairy tales are only a lies
There is no way I’m your prince
Perhaps you don’t understand
Since you said you loved me,
My skies, the star started to twinkle.
I'm willing to change into,
The angel you love in those fairytales.
I’ll open my arms wide,
And turn them into wings to protect you
You must believe
Believe that we'll be like the fairytale
With “happily ever after” as the ending.
You cried to me.
Fairy tales are only a lies
There is no way I’m your prince
Perhaps you don’t understand
Since you said you loved me,
My skies, the star started to twinkle.
I'm willing to change into,
The angel you love in those fairytales.
I’ll open my arms wide,
And turn them into wings to protect you
You must believe
Believe that we'll be like the fairytale
With “happily ever after” as the ending.
I'm willing to change into,
The angel you love in those fairytales.
I’ll open my arms wide,
And turn them into wings to protect you
You must believe
Believe that we'll be like the fairytale
With “happily ever after” as the ending.
Together, we’ll write our own ending.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tik: “You finally remember.” He now understood the sparkles in her eyes. They were hidden tears. A droplet slid down her cheek. Tik cups her face with one hand and rub his thumb across her cheek, wiping away the tear. He arched forward and was about to give her a kiss.
Kob: “Even if I remember, it won’t change a thing, we both had moved on.” She gets out of his hold. “I’ve seen you and Arisa on many occasion, it seem you two really entrust each other, even after what I had reveal to you. It makes me realized, you won’t give me back my ownership paper, and there is no use fighting for it back. So...I'm made my decision.” She gets up. “I will leave abroad with Arnus when he gets promoted. Goodbye.” She lifts her dress and runs off. Tik took a moment to think of what he should do next. His heart trembled.