Chances (Chapter Ten)

X.  In Nature’s Hands

When the old lady, who introduced herself as Nanay Saling, left them in a small room with one bamboo bed, Devon immediately squared it off with James.

“Since we already have one bed,” Devon said with hands akimbo. “I’m taking it.” Devon plunked her bag on the bamboo bed. But James quickly took the bag off the bed.

“Oh, no,” retorted James. “It was you who got us into trouble. So I am taking the bed.”

Devon’s mouth became wide open and she watched while James sat down on the bed.  “What a gentleman,” Devon said sarcastically. She sat down on the bamboo bed and looked at James. “If you did not insist on eating lunch, we would be in Baguio right now.”

“Well, if you did not insist on hitch hiking, we could’ve gone back to Manila and not in the middle of nowhere without any money,” James answered back.

They were facing at each other, daring each one to come up with a better answer, when the door started to open. James quickly placed his hand on Devon’s waist and pulled her towards him. Devon was surprised with the gesture and was about to say something when Nanay Saling came inside the room with a blanket and two pillows.

“Is everything okay,” asked Nanay Saling.  She handed the blanket and pillows to Devon.

James quickly answered, “Oh, there’s nothing wrong.  Thank you very much for being so kind and letting us stay overnight.”

Nanay Saling nodded and said before leaving the room, “When you’re done changing clothes, join me in dinner.”

Devon immediately pulled away from James when Nanay Saling left the room.  She stood up and said, “Since nobody would like to give in, I say we share the bed.”

James raised an eyebrow. This lady could be shocking sometimes, he thought.  “It’s okay with me.” He got his bag and started to look for a pair of shorts.

What, Devon thought wildly, he was supposed to refuse! He should’ve thought that it is inappropriate to sleep besides a woman who is not his fiancée. This man is so infuriating.  Devon gasped when he saw James taking off his pants and quickly turned her back from him.  “What are you doing? You could’ve warned me,”  she said angrily.

James tried to control his laughter behind Devon’s back. After changing into shorts, he walked towards her and whispered in her ear. “You have to get used to it, wifey. Besides you’ll be snuggling with me the entire night.”

Devon blushed and quickly turned around to chuck this infuriating man but found him already on the door.

“Be quick, my small and morena wife,” James said sweetly. “You don’t want to keep Nanay Saling waiting.”

James immediately closed the door before he could get hit with a flying a pillow.

****

It was almost seven o’ clock in the morning, the next day and here they are in Nanay Saling’s store, trying to sort the fruits in the old lady’s stand.

James dropped a kaing with fruits when he saw Devon sitting besides the stall, trying to take the ants out of a rambutan fruit.  He could not help but smile. Last night at  dinner, she walked into the small kitchen wearing a pair of shorts and red shirt. She has dried her hair and it was flowing freely, untied in her back. She smiled pleasantly when she entered the room. She’s so beautiful, just like a Barbie doll, James remembered. 

After their dinner, they were talking to Nanay Saling and doing their best not to get back into the room.  Eventually, Nanay Saling shooed them away, telling them that they should sleep early since the jeep would leave at four in the morning. James went inside the room first and lied down on the bed. 

He was thinking if Devon would seriously sleep beside him. He was thinking about sleeping on the floor, when Devon came inside the room. Without saying anything she lay down beside James, with her back towards him. 

Last night, he faced Devon’s back and could not help but noticing how sweet-smelling she is.  He wanted to touch her hair, run his fingers through it. His heart was beating fast in his chest, he wanted to turn Devon towards him and kiss her. My God, James thought. He was sweating, this is not good. Think about Allie.  He turned his back and faced the wall.

Until now, James was only thinking about what happened, his heart is still hammering in his chest. Did she feel the same way, James thought while looking at Devon’s quiet figure. These hormones are making me crazy, James started to walk away to carry another kaing.

Devon could not help but notice James. Who would not notice a 5’7” hunk walking around, with the torso naked and sweaty from carrying several kaing of fruits. Devon tried to calm herself and drew several deep breaths.  Stop having fantasies, Devon scolded herself. He is engaged. Engaged! She wanted to shout at the last word.

She had a terrible sleep last night. She was so conscious with the man lying beside her. My God, Devon thought, I could still remember his masculine smell. Devon shook the image and smell out her head. 

This trip is full of bad luck, Devon thought.  They were able to get into the four o’clock jeep, but unfortunately, two blocks away from Nanay Saling’s store the jeep suddenly stopped and they could hear something hissing from the engine.

James and Devon have to walk back to Nanay Saling’s stall to tell her about what happened.  Nanay Saling told them that another jeep would come by.  When the second jeepney passed, the driver refused to take the two for free. My buena mano is not going to be for free, insisted the driver and continued driving.

Nanay Saling remembered that a nephew would be going to Baguio that morning.

“He would be driving an old jeep,” Nanay Saling explained.  “The ride could be uncomfortable.”  James and Devon agreed, reaching Baguio is more important than sparing their butts from some pain.  So while waiting for Nanay Saling’s nephew, they decided to help the old woman first to repay for her kindness.

But Devon is finding it hard to concentrate, she kept on glancing on the finely chiselled torso of a guy who was parading himself in front of her.  She could not help but notice other girls, who kept on passing in front of Nanay Saling’s stall, looking at James.  And the idiot is smiling at them, she thought angrily.

Nanay Saling noticed the creases forming in Devon’s forehead and could not help but chuckle, “You newlyweds were so quiet last night.  I bet you want to be in Baguio soon.”   She loudly called at James, “Put your clothes on and rest, my nephew will be here soon.”

Devon blushed with what the old lady said. James entered the stall and could not help but notice Devon’s red cheeks.  “Why are you blushing wifey?”

Nanay Saling laughed loudly.  A few minutes later, her nephew stopped in front of her stall and kissed the old woman’s cheek.  Nanay Saling told her nephew about the two.  James and Devon looked at the jeep, the old woman was not kidding when she said it was old. There was a couple of men inside the jeepney, probably getting a free ride, too.

James and Devon embraced Nanay Saling hard when they said their farewells.  They would be coming back, they promised. Nanay Saling told them to bring a baby when they got back. Devon blushed, while James laughed so hard. 

The ride was slow and rough.  It was rattling so loudly that Devon was silently praying that the jeep would remain intact throughout the travel. James meanwhile could not help but notice the two men eyeing Devon the entire ride.  They kept glancing at her and smiling at her.  And this woman, thought James, who’s so totally unaware of herself is smiling back.

James scooted closer to Devon and grabbed her hand. Devon looked surprised and was about to pull her hand away when James whispered, “Remember, we’re still married, wifey.”

Devon did not pull her hand away, instead she leaned back towards James.  James smiled with approval, especially when he saw both men noticing how Devon leaned back and started to look at the view outside the jeepney’s window. 

A few minutes later, rain started to fall hard, again.  They quickly pulled the window covers down to keep them dry.   Another few minutes, the wind was howling so loud and visibility was so poor. When they reached La Union, the jeepney pulled to a stop in an gasoline station.  Nanay Saling’s nephew went out of the driver’s seat and ran towards a group of policemen sheltered in station.

James and Devon looked at the driver talking with the policemen and ran back to the jeep.  He started to direct the jeep into a parking space when James finally asked, “Are we staying here?”

“A large tree fell on McKinley Road,” explained Nanay Saling’s nephew. “The entire road is blocked.”

“Is there no other way?” Devon asked.

“Kennon Road,” said the driver. “But I can’t go that way with this heavy rain, this is an old jeep, it cannot make that steep climb.”

“So, what do we do now,” Devon asked the driver again.

“We wait.  Whatever comes first, the McKinley road getting cleared or the rain stopping so we could take Kennon,” explained the driver.  He motioned for the other two men inside the jeep. They got out of the jeepney and started running towards the gasoline station.

Devon and James looked at each other and sighed. “We’re stuck, again,” James said.