Oct 1, 2010

Chances (Chapter Eleven)

XI. Goodbyes


James was lying on the jeepney seat.  The rain was still drumming loudly on the jeep’s roof.  He looked at his watch, they have been waiting for almost two hours, but the rain looks like it is not stopping.  There are no news about the road clearing, either. 

“This is the worst trip ever,” James said loudly.

Devon was watching the rain near the jeepney’s door.  She looked at the frustrated James. “Think of it as an adventure.”

James laughed. “We should have this documented and written. We would earn bucks from this,” James said.

Devon laughed. “Look at how beautiful the rain is.”

James sat down and looked outside. He saw Devon’s profile looking outside. Not as beautiful as you, he thought. He shook his violently with that thought, think of Allie, he told himself.  “You call that beautiful? That is why we kept on getting nowhere,” James said exasperatedly.

Devon looked at James. “Sometimes is not about the getting to the destination, it’s about the trip.”

She got off the jeepney and stood in the middle of the pouring rain. “What are you doing,” shouted James.

“Standing,” Devon answered. 

James answered crossly, “I know you’re standing in the middle of rain. Get inside, you’ll get wet!”

“When was the last time you played in the rain?” Devon asked.

“I never did that,” James answered.

Devon looked at him and walked towards the jeep’s entrance. “You have never played in the rain?”

“Not because I wanted to,” James said. “I get caught in the rain and I had played a few soccer matches while raining, but I never played in the rain before just because I wanted to.”  Devon was looking at him, bewildered. “In Manila, it’s acid rain,” James explained.

Devon shook her head and pulled James out of the jeep.  “We’ll get wet,” James exclaimed and tried to get back into the jeepney.

“You’ve got spare clothes, why do you have to worry about getting wet,” Devon pointed out. 

Devon jumped into a water puddle, making James pants entirely wet. James looked at Devon incredulously.  “You will be paying for that, wifey.”

A few minutes later, there are two adults frolicking in rain, jumping on water puddles and trying to get the other one wetter than the other.  It looks like the rain has no plans to stop. In was a downpour, but James and Devon were totally enjoying themselves.

James sat down on the jeepney step and watched Devon who was standing under the rain. Her hair was completely wet, plastered in the back of her head.  Her face was directed upwards, her eyes closed and her lips moving. Is she praying, thought James, or was she calling on the spirits.  She looks like a nymph.  No, she looks like an angel who landed in the middle of the rain.

 James smiled when he saw Devon opened her eyes and started to walk towards him.  She sat beside James and sighed.  James got a whiff of Devon’s sweet swell of rain. He never knew that rain could smell so sweet.  James doesn’t understand if it was the rain that got through his head, Devon’s sweet scent or the craziness and happiness that he felt when he was with her. 

James pulled Devon towards him.  Her body close to his.  Devon looked at him surprised, but anticipating. Devon’s mind was telling her to pull away. He’s getting married, her mind kept on telling her. But she could not pull away, his intent gaze was on her. James held her chin and started to inch towards her rain-kissed lips.

When James’s lips touched Devon’, he thought he heard thunderclaps. She  thought there was an earthquake.  His hands gripped her shoulders, and he kissed her. Really kissed her. The kiss was hot and passionate. Wanting for more.

James did not expect that Devon would kiss back. But she did. He certainly did not expect passion, not from either one of them. When was the last time a  kiss left him reeling? When was the last time a kiss left her clinging for dear life?.  Both of them could not remember. Both of them suspected that no kiss has ever made them feel what they are feeling now.

No, stop it Devon. Devon heard her senses telling her to stop and she did. She pulled away and was breathless. She does not know what to say. James was staring at her, still holding her shoulders.  They did not notice the rain has finally stopped. They barely heard the driver who was noisily clambering into the jeepney. 

“They cleared the tree in McKinley,” he said loudly. “You could change clothes now, lovebirds.”

Devon grabbed her bag and quickly walked towards the gasoline station’s comfort room. She needs to be away from James. We can’t be together, Devon thought painfully.

****

Devon’s eyes are closed, James can’t say if she is sleeping or feigning sleep. When he got back to the jeepney, Devon was already in that position, her head resting on the jeepney wall and asleep.

James does not know what to say to her, after the kiss. What could I possibly say to her, James thought. I don’t want to apologize. Should I apologize for something that wonderful?

When the two men got off the jeep, Devon woke up. But she was not looking at James. 

“Where am I taking you?” asked the driver.

Devon let James told the driver that the next block would be fine. They could both walk towards their hotel after that.  When they got off the jeep and after fervent “thank yous”, Devon started to walk away fast. James ran after her.

”Devon,” James called.

Devon took a deep breath and turned to James, with a smile. “What?”

“What hotel are you staying,” James asked. Is that the only thing you could say, James want to hit himself.  Devon told her the hotel, and he was surprised.  “I’m staying in the same hotel.”

He walked next to her. Nobody was saying anything, until James decided to break the silence. “Devon, I just wanted to say that…”

But Devon cut him off, “There is nothing to say. You don’t have to explain anything. It was just a spur of the moment.”

Devon faced him and extended her hand, “So this is it. We’re both here. Thank you for the adventure.”

James shook her hand. He wanted to do more than shake her hand. He wanted to hug her and tell her that he felt different when he’s with her. But instead, he just held her hand.  Devon pulled her hand out of James’s clasp and started to walk towards the hotel again. James followed behind her.

As they neared the hotel, James saw a familiar figure standing in front of the hotel. A minute later, Allie was already hugging him tightly.

“Where have you been,” Allie asked who’s in the verge of tears. “I was so worried.  I was about to call the police so they could look for you.”

“Just had several mishaps along the way,” James explained simply.  He looked around and saw that Devon was already walking towards the hotel the lobby.  He saw her disappear in the hotel’s entrance.

“Just when did a Baguio trip took two days,” Allie demanded.  She started to walk with James towards the hotel.  She was explaining what she has done and what they would do today.   She insisted that James should visit a doctor to make sure that he there’s nothing wrong with him after James “disappearance.” But James’s mind was somewhere else.

James was busy the entire day, he had a doctor appointment. Allie has arranged for food and cake tasting, as well as checking on the flowers.  She also arranged for short meeting with the wedding planner and a dinner date with her several of her family’s friends who are staying in Baguio. James wanted to look for Devon and talk to her for the last time but he could not do that with Allie by her side.

The next day, after having breakfast with Allie and another group of family friends, Allie and James went to the church where they were getting married. Once they were back in the hotel,  James went to the reception counter and asked if there is still an ongoing seminar. The receptionist said that the seminar has just ended and the delegates have already left.

7 comments:

echuserangfrog said...

hang ganda .nakakasabik mga susunod na chapters. .cant wait already

Marisa said...

"It was just a spur of the moment."

the best spur of the moment kung ganon!!
waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!

oh-oh! malapit ng i-call off ni james ang wedding!!
di na ko makapaghintay miss bite!
woof woof!! haha...

bitemegenesis said...

kalerkei! ngayon ko lang narealize na may nagko-comment pala ditembang! hawawawawawaa..

ako din.. gusto ko din ng "spur of the moment."
bwahahaha!

Ms. Angelican said...

OH MY GOSH! di ko naexpect ang mga pangyatari... This story.. 3k for me again... Kakakilig, Kakainlove at kakahimatay...hayyyyy! Can't wait for the next chapter...

Unknown said...

next chapter pls..
atat?? hahah
kalerkei nmn itechiwa..

xcited n ako s nxt chap... ^_^

gling.gling mo ms. bite

Marisa said...

@miss bite saka mo pang nagawang malurky after 11 chapters ha!! bopbop...

gora na! next chapter na!
excited na ko sa kabiguan ng isang nilalang!!
nyahahaha.... :)peace.

Marisa said...

miss bite..bakit waley pa next chapters?? akala ko every other day yung pagpost mo... :)

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