"Don't touch me!" She gasped in fear.
She was ready to use her lungs in its full capacity if she didn't recognize the mole on his nose.
The man became old. He doesn't look like the man she knew from the past. This man lost all of his top hair, leaving thinning white hair on each side of his head.
Era relaxed a bit but kept vigilant. She knew this man but it was a long time ago. Besides, she didn't exactly know what her father told him.
"Emerald, it's been a while. Did I scare you? I'm sorry. I was surprised to hear from Gaston and equally surprised to see you. You grew up to be such an amazing child!"
She forced a small smile so as not to offend the man.
"I'm surprised as well," she said out of nothing to say.
"Did you visit Gaston?"
"Yes," she curtly replied, praying that the bus would come sooner.
It seems that the inspector has the intention to talk to her but she didn't share his enthusiasm in this unexpected meeting.
She kept the small smile on her lips, nodding and answering his questions in one word or two.
After a while, the inspector must have noticed her lukewarm reaction. He drew his brows, clearly unamused.
"It's quite late for you to be out and about. It's dangerous for a woman like you to still be—-"
"I just visited my father after I got off from work."
An awkward silence hung between them. The night breeze could not cool down the heated gaze Era gave the inspector.
"You truly think Gaston is your father?"
Era grunted under her breath.
"Listen, I don't know what you talk to Pa but you don't have to dwell on it that much because it's my choice. It's why I came here to talk about it to Pa. He doesn't have to feel guilt over things. I remembered everything and choose to stay where I am now."
She didn't know why she lied about knowing her past. It just came out of her mouth.
When the inspector gasped in shock, she felt something drop at the pit of her stomach. Her defenses went up.
"Gaston didn't say anything about your memory being back."
"He didn't believe me when I told him."
She quickly turned her head away from the inspector to hide her face. She didn't want him to have a read on her face and found out she was lying through the skin of her teeth.
"Well, that is good news! I remembered Gaston coming to me with you in tow, cowering in fear with the sight of any new face.
I told Gaston it was not a good idea to keep you but now, it seems like things worked out on its own and in the best way."
"I guess you could say that," she said, nodding and still avoiding his eyes.
"My bus is here. Glad to see you and thank you for visiting Pa."
She expected him to say something to her but he remained passive.
She looked at him while she walked towards the back of the bus and he was watching her while puffing a smoke.
His shadow under the florescent lights of the advertisement board behind him, the half-lit cigarette in his hand, and his brooding look were like a reminder of the things she must avoid if she wanted her identity hidden.
Something that is quite difficult to do since even to herself, her real identity eluded her since that rainy night.
The flashes that she experienced was not enough to draw a conclusion of her identity. Besides, she wasn't sure if those memories were real. Because some of them felt like someone else's memories.
When she sat down, she chose a seat that hid her from the inspector's sight. Once she settled on her chosen sea, she inwardly urged the driver to drive away.
And every ticking seconds was like a punishment.
Era found herself bargaining with God to make the bus move quickly and in exchange she would not lie to her father again.
However, God must know that she wasn't serious with her bargaining chip that the bus stopped for the required waiting time which was ten minutes even though no one was getting on the bus.
It's clear that the inspector who was the only person standing on the curb was waiting for a different bus or not probably not even waiting for a bus. He must have just seen her and decided to talk to her.
Era inhaled deeply and clenched her fists on her lap. She's not the kind of person that believe in coincidence.
When the bus finally moved, she exhaled a relieved breath, closing her eyes to shut the worries that started circling her head.
She must not give in to negative thoughts nowadays. She has an incoming race and a skiing holiday to attend to. Both are equally challenging, especially the latter.
She hadn't heard from Ridge and it was to be expected since what they had was a job.
And the call from Dommie about Ridge wanting to get her service again was unexpected. She thought he was just being polite when he said he enjoyed her company and would like to see her again in the future.
But she assumed wrongly. Ridge was being serious and now, she had to watch skiing for dummies for her not to make a complete fool of herself in front of Ridge's associates.
She wondered if the Witch Goddess would be there as well. And if she and Ridge would still be playing the same game they had last time.
She grinned to herself and remembered how Ridge took her first kiss nonchalantly.
It was a good thing she wasn't being sentimental or else Ridge would have lost some teeth.
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