Rejuvenated by her long afternoon nap and a night of 3 straight DVD episodes of Desperate Housewives, Sara decided to go in early to work on the flowers.
‘Hey, Sara!’ Lily, her colleague who had the misfortune of sitting right next to the door, was there even earlier. ‘You were off yesterday afternoon?’
‘Yeah, I wasn’t feeling well.’
‘This guy came three times to look for you.’
Sam? He must have finally read her SMSes.
‘Emmm… dunno who he is but I think he’s working around here because he was wearing the pass.’
Mr No Ring. She realised then that they hadn’t actually introduced themselves to each other. Did he want her to ‘find him’ yesterday?
‘He’s so cute,’ she gushed, ‘He was, like, looking all over the office and he asked me where is the lady who carries the Bottega Veneta. I told him you went home. And, you know what, he asked me for your name! Eh, who is he, ah?’
There was nothing much Sara could tell, much to Lily’s disappointment. Indeed, she knew next to nothing about him except that he must have shopped online for at least one Gap Oxford shirt, or he did his shopping overseas, or maybe his mother did for him.
But whatever he was looking her up for musn’t have been that important because he never turned up that whole day. Just as she was putting her finishing touches to the back cover of the book, her phone rang. Nigel. Sam’s friend.
‘Sara, I’m at Sam’s place. Don’t worry, he’s ok, I think, but you better still get here.’
Sara grabbed her bag and ran to the lift. Should she now call Dad? She hadn’t dared to talk about it with him last night. From the lift lobby, she saw a cab at the entrance and ran towards it. And who would be walking in but Mr No Ring. But she had no time to stop and chat, which he appeared to want to do.
‘Hi, gotta run,’ she dashed towards the cab. ‘Urgent.’
He just looked at her.
It turned out that Sam had called Nigel in the wee hours of the morning and Nigel found him slumped in a small corner on the pavement near their favourite watering hole. He had been drinking all day. Go talk to him, Nigel told her, he’s really upset.
‘Thanks, Nigel,’ she said as he went off back to work. She sighed and tried to gather her thoughts. What was she to do now?
Just then, Dad walked in. Nigel had had the presence of mind to call him. He went straight to Sam and held him like he was still a little boy. Sara herself cried tears that wouldn’t stop as she watched her brother and father hold onto each other.
Sam agreed to come back and stay with them while he sorted himself out. He felt well enough so Dad packed them both in the car and the three drove home in silence.
When they got back, Dad showed them the card, ‘Look, Auntie Sophie sent this. Now, you go with your sister for the wedding, Sam. The break will do you good.’
‘Liza’s wedding?’ Sara asked, ‘What about you, Dad, she wants you to go too.’
‘No, not me,’ he answered with his sad old eyes, ‘You two go and enjoy yourself.’
Dad never attended weddings and he wanted Sam to go for one just when his own marriage had broken up? Well, Sam didn’t protest, so she would have him for company.
Sara thought they would never make it to Manila. It was only at the last minute tha
t Sam managed to confirm their tickets. And then, he was late, late, late at the airport.
‘You check in first,’ he said over his mobile, ‘I’m on my way.’
Finally he came to her at the Ferragamo shop she had drifted into. She was looking at a tie with golf club motifs on it.
‘You think Dad will like this?’ she asked him.
He gave it a quick look-over. ‘Not bad. Maybe we can get it for him when we come back. We better go.’ And they were on the plane and off.
The bu
s ride to Baguio City was scenic and, of course, hilly. The bumps had a therapeutic effect on her, Sara thought. She felt much better already. And maybe they were working on Sam, too, for he finally started talking about the whole thing. Not much but enough for Sara to know that he was trying to put his life back together.
‘I know I’m not going to be ok just like that,’ he said, ‘But I’m trying my best. I don’t want to become one of those whose lives are broken for good.’
With great relief, she told him that he could always count on her and Dad if he needed them. Soon after, Sam dozed off and she found herself thinking, as she admired the lovely mountain view, of Mr No Ring and their bus ride. What had happened to him? She hadn’t bumped into him again since the day she ran for the cab.
‘Hey, Sara!’ Lily, her colleague who had the misfortune of sitting right next to the door, was there even earlier. ‘You were off yesterday afternoon?’
‘Yeah, I wasn’t feeling well.’
‘This guy came three times to look for you.’
Sam? He must have finally read her SMSes.
‘Emmm… dunno who he is but I think he’s working around here because he was wearing the pass.’
Mr No Ring. She realised then that they hadn’t actually introduced themselves to each other. Did he want her to ‘find him’ yesterday?
‘He’s so cute,’ she gushed, ‘He was, like, looking all over the office and he asked me where is the lady who carries the Bottega Veneta. I told him you went home. And, you know what, he asked me for your name! Eh, who is he, ah?’
There was nothing much Sara could tell, much to Lily’s disappointment. Indeed, she knew next to nothing about him except that he must have shopped online for at least one Gap Oxford shirt, or he did his shopping overseas, or maybe his mother did for him.
But whatever he was looking her up for musn’t have been that important because he never turned up that whole day. Just as she was putting her finishing touches to the back cover of the book, her phone rang. Nigel. Sam’s friend.
‘Sara, I’m at Sam’s place. Don’t worry, he’s ok, I think, but you better still get here.’
Sara grabbed her bag and ran to the lift. Should she now call Dad? She hadn’t dared to talk about it with him last night. From the lift lobby, she saw a cab at the entrance and ran towards it. And who would be walking in but Mr No Ring. But she had no time to stop and chat, which he appeared to want to do.
‘Hi, gotta run,’ she dashed towards the cab. ‘Urgent.’
He just looked at her.
It turned out that Sam had called Nigel in the wee hours of the morning and Nigel found him slumped in a small corner on the pavement near their favourite watering hole. He had been drinking all day. Go talk to him, Nigel told her, he’s really upset.
‘Thanks, Nigel,’ she said as he went off back to work. She sighed and tried to gather her thoughts. What was she to do now?
Just then, Dad walked in. Nigel had had the presence of mind to call him. He went straight to Sam and held him like he was still a little boy. Sara herself cried tears that wouldn’t stop as she watched her brother and father hold onto each other.
Sam agreed to come back and stay with them while he sorted himself out. He felt well enough so Dad packed them both in the car and the three drove home in silence.
When they got back, Dad showed them the card, ‘Look, Auntie Sophie sent this. Now, you go with your sister for the wedding, Sam. The break will do you good.’
‘Liza’s wedding?’ Sara asked, ‘What about you, Dad, she wants you to go too.’
‘No, not me,’ he answered with his sad old eyes, ‘You two go and enjoy yourself.’
Dad never attended weddings and he wanted Sam to go for one just when his own marriage had broken up? Well, Sam didn’t protest, so she would have him for company.
Sara thought they would never make it to Manila. It was only at the last minute tha
t Sam managed to confirm their tickets. And then, he was late, late, late at the airport.‘You check in first,’ he said over his mobile, ‘I’m on my way.’
Finally he came to her at the Ferragamo shop she had drifted into. She was looking at a tie with golf club motifs on it.
‘You think Dad will like this?’ she asked him.
He gave it a quick look-over. ‘Not bad. Maybe we can get it for him when we come back. We better go.’ And they were on the plane and off.
The bu
s ride to Baguio City was scenic and, of course, hilly. The bumps had a therapeutic effect on her, Sara thought. She felt much better already. And maybe they were working on Sam, too, for he finally started talking about the whole thing. Not much but enough for Sara to know that he was trying to put his life back together.‘I know I’m not going to be ok just like that,’ he said, ‘But I’m trying my best. I don’t want to become one of those whose lives are broken for good.’
With great relief, she told him that he could always count on her and Dad if he needed them. Soon after, Sam dozed off and she found herself thinking, as she admired the lovely mountain view, of Mr No Ring and their bus ride. What had happened to him? She hadn’t bumped into him again since the day she ran for the cab.
stay tuned for the final epiosde... :-)
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