THE NEXT DAY, Meredith was walking to the bus stop when she noticed the old man struggling to cross the road. And when she heard a loud horn from a fast car that might hit the old man, she quickly went to the road and pulled him to the other side of the highway.
“A-are you all right, Sir?” she asked, hurting when she felt a scratch on her elbow but she didn’t show it to the old man.
“I’m fine. Thanks for your help. My vision and hearing are a bit weak that’s why I didn’t notice the car. How about you? Aren’t you hurt?”
She slightly hid her elbow from him. “I’m fine, Sir. Are you alone? Don’t you have someone with you?
“I’m all by myself, Kid.” She felt pity for the old man.
“Where are you going by the way?” she asked.
“Just over there, at the park.”
She looked at her watch and when she saw that it was early she decided to take him to the park.
“Alright, I’ll take you there.”
“Are you sure, kid? Aren’t you going to be late for your class?”
She shook her head. “It’s still early and the park is just nearby.”
The old man nodded. “Let’s go then!”
Then they started to walk.
“Finally, we’re here!”
She was about to leave the old man when she remembered something.
“Here, Sir, maybe you’re hungry,” then she offered her snack made by her mother.
But he declined. “But it’s yours, kid.”
“It’s okay, Sir! I still have some here. That’s all yours. It’s a chocolate pudding. I’m the one who baked that.”
The old man smiled. “Thank you very much, Kid. May God bless you always.”
She nodded. “Well, same to you, Sir! I gotta go. Take care!” She was about to turn around when the old man stopped her.
“Kid, what’s your name again?” he asked.
She smiled. “Meredith. Meredith Ebelte.”
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
His next question surprised her. But she still answered it. “I’m still young, and I have no intention of having a relationship yet.”
The old man nodded. “Good. Be careful on your way to school.”
“I will, Sir!” And she turned her back.
On the other hand, the old man smiled. He finally found the right woman for his grandson.
“HERE!” Meredith was surprised when Randall handed her a piece of plastic, full of medicine. They are now in the library for the research given to them by their first subject. She was alone because Shanaia and Marylex were also busy looking for books.
“What’s this for?” she asked after taking what he was giving her.
He sat next to her and pointed to the wound on her arm. “I noticed the blood on your wound has already dried.”
She looked at her elbow and he was right. The blood had already dried there.
“I can treat myself,” she said, but he took the cotton away from her.
“Let me. You might not clean your wound well. I don’t want you to get infected.”
There was nothing she could do so she let him. And she felt the pain only when the dried blood was removed.
“It’s done,” he announced after placing the colorful band-aid on her wound.
“T-thank you,” she said without looking at him.
She also slightly held her chest when the familiar heartbeat hits her again.
“Is there a problem?” he asked when their eyes met.
They are very close to each other. Suddenly she swallowed. They were unable to break their gaze. They quickly distanced themselves from each other when they heard a fake cough from nowhere.
When they turned back, her two friends were already behind them.
“So what’s the meaning of what we saw, huh?” Shanaia asked with folded arms as Randall looked back and forth between them.
“Ahm. . . He just asked me something about our research study,” Meredith answered instead.
“Yeah! Thanks for the help,” he said then left.
She followed him with her gaze because she should be the one thanking him, not him.
“So, tell me, Mer, do you like him?” Shanaia asked directly.
She swallowed. She knew that what they had seen earlier with Randall meant nothing. She wants to say that there is nothing, but why does it seem like someone is stopping her?
“Hey, Meredith!” Marylex snapped her fingers in front of her face when she didn’t answer right away.
“H-huh?” she stammered.
“I said, do you like Randall?” Shanaia asked again.
She shook her head. “There’s no something going on between us, okay? It’s purely school related.”
They sat down next to her.
Shania shrugged her shoulders. “Well, it doesn’t matter to me at all if you like Randall because when I saw your cousin yesterday, my interest in Randall changed. I realized I prefer a guy who has a matured body and mind. I don’t know why, but I feel like I know him.”
Marylex shook her head. “You’re imagining things again, Shan.”
“Why? I’m just stating what I really feel.”
Meredith doesn’t want to bring back the topic of her and Randall, so she decided to change the topic. “Oh! By the way, I have something for you, guys.”
“What is that?” Marylex asked.
“Chocolate pudding. My grandma’s specialty.”
When she opened the box, her friends immediately tasted it.
“Wow! This pudding is so delicious,” Shanaia commented after tasting it.
“Is this also available in your shop?” she nodded.
“Wait! Why do you seem to have done so much?” Marylex wondered.
“My seniors in the cooking club wanted to taste some of my specialties that’s why.”
“Oh! They are so lucky to have you. If only I had known that you could make a dessert this good, I would have joined the cooking club instead.”
Marylex raised her right eyebrow at Shanaia. “Are you sure?”
“Oops! I forgot that I’m on a diet.” Then she returned half of the pudding she ate in the box, causing them to laugh.
“Who will you give the other box to?”
She looked at Shanaia with a playful smile. “To my cousin, John Person.”
Shanaia looked back at her with shining eyes.
“Omo! Can I go with you, Mer?!” Shanaia sqeaked.
Eventually they stopped their chatter and fell silent when the librarian came out from nowhere to shut them up and looked at the food in front of them.
“Don’t you know that food is not allowed here?”
“S-sorry,” they mumbled then left the Library.