The Town center was a big place. It was outlined with commercial centers and multiple shopping areas. Jane was walking by the garden terraces in the Northern part. She casually sat down on a wooden bench behind a glistening fountain. It was just past noon and she badly needed the shade.
She was enjoying the slight breeze of the wind as she closed her eyes. She was taking a break from all the things that happened today. She looked at the bustling commercial centers and stared at the people passing by like timelapses.
Jane's contemplation was interrupted with a ring from her cellphone. She looked at it. Joanna. She spent a few good seconds trying to make out who Joanna was. She tried to remember but she feared it would cause another headache so she digressed from it.
"Umm, hello?" The uncertainty of Jane's tone was not masked by the noise of the area.
In a heartbeat, a loud voice beckoned Jane's ears. "I've been worried sick. Where are you right now? I've figured you would have woken up by now but you seem to be outside." Joanna's worried voice comforted Jane.
"I'm fine. I just went out to eat some brunch with John." Jane felt a natural intimacy talking to Joanna like a best friend. "Umm, about last night…"
Joanna did not let the piece of juicy information about a guy named John slip away. "John? Who's that?" A wicked smile creased Joanna's face.
"Not important, but he's Brian's friend. Brian's the guy who lives in the condo unit." Jane explained the events of what happened that morning.
Seeming to ignore most of the details, Joanna was curious of only one thing. Brian.
"So, how was Brian?" Joanna cut to the point. "How was the reunion?"
Joanna was frazzled for a moment and instinctively asked, "Reunion?" Her question was responded with silence. Just as Joanna was about to say a word, Jane let out a wail.
Uggghh. Jane was feeling a headache. "Not again." She exclaimed.
"Jane are you okay?" Joanna asked over the phone as she sensed the grunts of Jane.
"Sorry, it's the headache again. I can't talk right now." Jane was in pain.
"Yeah, I heard from Brian. I thought you had a hangover but it does not seem the case. Are you---" Jane ended the call without letting Joanna finish. It was useless anyway. Jane was not comprehending Joanna's words anymore as her consciousness drifted away.
I was crying in a classroom. I couldn't remember why but a sadness was digging a hole in my heart. It felt suffocating. A constant flow of tears streamlined my face. My face was in a woman's bosom.
"There, there." It was a comforting voice. "There are just things that are not meant to be. We just have to accept it and move on."
"But, Joanna. Brian's gone. He's gone."
In a span of three sentences, Jane uttered two names in her dream. Two names that she would not have comprehended a few minutes ago. But now, memories are starting to flood over her mind and she was being overwhelmed.
Multiple people walked by staring at a figure of Jane haphazardly positioned lying on the bench but nobody tried to approach her. Nobody except an unsuspecting dog that was passing by. It was curious at first but ultimately decided to lick her face.
Just as the dog was licking Jane's face, she suddenly woke up. "I remember now." The sudden motion rattled the dog as it barked. This caused her to jump in fright and hit her head on the bench. Ouch, she exclaimed.
Jane looked for a tissue in her bag to wipe off the dog's saliva from her face but she could not find one.
"I have a tissue." Jane turned around to see the same woman she bumped into when she was leaving Oliverde's. It was Erika.
Erika's meeting with Eri ended a few minutes ago. It was a one-sided conversation with Eri talking about her recent trip to the Maldives with her boyfriend. Erika wanted to leave to have a chance to interview Jane. She was a hot topic that could generate some buzz for Erika's agency. Shortly after ending the hangout with Eri, she strolled around until she saw Jane lying mindless on the bench. She could not help but laugh at the site. It was not a good impression but still she was the famous celebrity chef everyone talks about so Erika did not want to waste this chance.
"Did you see that?" Jane was embarrassed sitting beside Erika. "Not that I would like to." Erika jokingly replied. Erika was a charming woman and Jane could see that. She had this sense of style that Jane envied when she first saw her.
Jane was wiping her face with the tissue that Erika gave. But it was not enough. Erika, sensing Jane's predicament offered more tissues which Jane appreciated.
"Can you care to tell me why a celebrity chef just like yourself was seen sleeping in a public wooden bench?" Erika's question contained a tinge of sarcasm which embarrassed Jane.
"I stroll around sometimes to take my mind off things. It just happens that I dozed off while enjoying the breeze." Jane was bad at making excuses. It was almost noon and the breeze was not that cool to begin with. Erika could sense the anomalies but she tolerated it anyway. She was here for another purpose.
"Do you need a drink or something? I know a great café." Erika casually invited. "You can also freshen up there."
Jane understood what Erika meant so she looked at her reflection on her phone. She looked horrible. Understanding this, she took up Jane's offer. She also needed time to process these memories and the café would just be the perfect place.
Counterintuitive office, Makati
A celebration was underway at Brian's office. They just finished the initial launch of the Trek mobile app and the investors were clear of their intentions to fund the project. Brian was sitting in his chair across Gabriel with two glasses of champagne in between.
"Cheers, my friend. To eternity and beyond." Gabriel had already downed a few glasses of champagne as he cheered a toast with Brian. They were drinking the celebratory champagne they saved for these kinds of occasions.
"Thank God punctuality was not a criteria or we would have been toast." Brian was still rubbing in the fact that Gabriel was late.
"Oh, come on. Cut it out already. By the way, you killed it out there with the speech. Even I'd ignore my own speech if it followed yours." Gabriel's compliments were like pinches of delight in Brian's ears but Brian was good at hiding such reactions.
"By the way, how was Erika?" Gabriel nonchalantly asked but was met with a few seconds of silence as Brian took a large gulp of champagne.
"Well, she asked me to catch up." Brian summarized. "But, I refused. Well, technically I didn't. I just postponed." He said in a daze.
"Why, did you have something to do today?" Gabriel asked as he took a sip of champagne.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I met Jane last night." Brian let out a smile as he recalled his experiences this morning.
Gabriel spent a few good seconds trying to remember who Jane was. "Oh, the high school sweetheart Jane." It has been a long time since Gabriel heard that name. It was at the first night they got drunk in College at NYU. Brian was miserable at that time and homesick and at night, he would speak of this girl named Jane. Gabriel asked him about her but Brian was not too keen on talking about it. The only information he could get was that they had a very complicated love relationship.
"Are you ready to tell me about her now?" Gabriel softly asked trying to mask his curiosity under the cover of the alcohol. He wanted to spill some secrets from the half-drunk Brian.
Brian was sober. He was not a lightweight and could sense the leading questions of Gabriel. He was deep in thought. Like he was trying to decide if he wanted to tell him the whole story.
"Sorry I got to leave." But in the end, he was still not ready as he left the office without an explanation. Gabriel was left flabbergasted as she was stunned at his best friend's apathy.
When is that asshole gonna be ready? Gabriel annoyingly thought as he fully gulped the remaining champagne in his glass.