Remember That

The Present December 2015 New York City, New York “Hi. Good morning! I am Bo Dylan from Iris Arts and I am looking for Mr. Frederick—oh, it’s you! I am so sorry, Mr. Frederick, my mistake,” I chuckle softly as I talk over the phone while standing at the sidewalk with a camera hung around my neck, dangling over my stomach. Our car just broke down in the middle of the street and my two boys, Douglas and Bruno, are still trying to fix it at the nearby shop. “Yes, yes. We are supposed to be on our way but our car broke down. But you don’t have to worry because we are fixing it now, so we’ll be there at exactly ten—oh, okay. The bride’s not ready yet?—ah, and so are you. Okay sir—yes, we’ll be there at ten. Thank you.” And the call ended. I thought I’m going to lose that client… again. I find a park bench under the tree behind me so I sit down and call Douglas. “Yo, Dug. Where the heck are you?” “Miss Bo, not yet.” I can hear the sounds of metals and screws. They’re just few blocks away from here but I am just too tired to walk. “Dug, I promised the client that we’ll be there at ten. I cannot lose a client this time. Ms. Iris will surely kill me!” I exclaim. I already lost two clients a month ago, one for a debut party and the other was a memoir for their dead grandmother. May she rest in peace. Iris Arts, the company I work in, creates photo shoots and video shoots for any event. And now, I am shooting a prenuptial video and I should not be kicked out from my work just because of this wrecking car. “Okay, Miss Bo. I understand. We’ll reach at ten,” he promises and drops the call. Sighing and brushing the phone back to my side pocket are the only things I can do for now. I stand up, turned on the camera, position it on my eye and adjust the lenses. I press the shutter and a view came out from the traffic in New York. It’s a good picture and it should be titled Business: Busy-ness. This has become my habit, taking pictures when there’s nothing to do. I have grown to love photography so much. I love taking glances of every moment. I love looking at the beauty of a simple place. In photography, I realized that every part of this world is a beautiful miracle. Photographs don’t change. They remain the same even if the world changes. Becoming a doctor, like my mom, was my dream until it changed into this low-paying job. It changed because of someone that I just happen to meet for one day. Maybe I am just living up someone’s dream until it really became my own dream. I click the shutter again. Click. Click. Click. I feel so much better now. It’s like every worry is gone. Click. Click. So much better. I turn sideways and found a tree with falling leaves. I decide to take a picture of it but when I clicked, someone passed by. I groan and just press the preview button to delete the picture… but, suddenly, chills run down my spine as I see the picture of the back of the person. I let go of the camera, letting it dangle around my neck, and hurriedly run towards the direction where the man in the picture went. It’s him. I know it. Even though I only get to capture his back and his neck, I know that it’s him. It’s the same back that carried me out of the flaming bus. It’s the same neck that once wore this necklace that I have. It’s him. I could not be mistaken this time. I stop running and look around the sea of people. Nothing. I can’t see a guy wearing a white shirt. He’s gone… again—like he did before, like a bubble that just popped. Honk. Honk. I turn behind me to see our car. Bruno, a skinny man, came out. “Do you plan on running all the way to Manhattan?” I choke back my tears and sigh deeply. “Almost.” I enter the car, trying to prevent my tears from falling. That jerk… why the hell do I miss him so much? December 2010 San Francisco, California This line is taking too long. I am waiting for my turn to get the train ticket and I am so tired this day. It’s Friday and I’m supposed to go to my hometown which is New York but I have a research paper to pass. But when I went to the university, our professor was not there. Turned out she would never really come until next week. I really hate that teacher. She’s famous on changing her mind. My phone rang. “Yes, Claire?” Hello’s really not sold out for me. “Bo! You have to come back as fast as you can, as in right now. Mrs. Kovacs is here and she’s collecting the research papers!” “What? I thought she won’t come!” I did not notice it until now that we were both actually screaming over the phone. “Well, turned out she did! Hurry up!” “But I am already at the—“ “Stop whining and be here!” Claire’s mad. “She’ll only wait until three!” “Is she crazy? Oh I hate that woman!” I dropped the call and ran like mad back to my track. I have to ride a bus again then a taxi. She is really crazy, no doubt of that. I arrived at the bus stop and a bus just drove off so I ran even faster than I have run before to chase after the bus. “STOP! I am begging you! Stop!!!” I managed to slap the side of the bus many times until it came to a shocking stop. “Oh, thank God!” I hurriedly entered the bus and found the only empty seat on the back. I’m feeling like a dog right now and my tongue is about to stick out. I think all the eyes are stuck on me. They might be wondering if I am still in my right mind. “Water, water… where’s my water?” I mumbled under my breath while I brushed everything in my backpack to find my tumbler. “Water?” a boy’s voice spoke to me and his hand was handing over a mineral bottle, still dripping cold vapor. I gulped at the sight of it. I’m feeling so thirsty. I looked up to him to see his smiling face. What did I do right to deserve a seat beside a hot man? If I don’t have any papers to pass, I will consider this day as one of my luckiest day. Eventually, it’s not. “T-thank you,” I stammered as I grabbed the bottle from his hand and drank from it. I groaned loudly. It’s brain-freezing. “Your sweat…” he pointed awkwardly on my face. “Oh,” I hurriedly wiped it with my sleeves. “Thank you for the water.” “You’re welcome,” he said and put back the bottle inside his bag. “I see you’re very busy. Do you mind if I ask where are you going?” I just shook my head. I never mind at all. “This professor of mine suddenly wanted us to pass our research paper. Her changing mind is just too confusing,” I sighed. Just the thought of Mrs. Kovacs changed me into beast mode. “She was not there but when I am about to leave, she suddenly came. Stupid.” “College?” he asked while looking at me in a very charming way. His eye-to-eye contact is bothering me. “Uh… yes. I’m studying medicine, by the way. How about you?” I turned to him, clutching my papers on my lap. I have to look calm… and beautiful, of course. “Can you guess?” he showed me his sly smile, the curve of his lips is too alluring. “Uhm…” I gulped and observed his face carefully. He has a clean cut and a very slim figure. He must be… “An army?” He nodded. “Wow, you’re good. You must have noticed it on my cut. I only got this this morning. I’m entering the army today,” he proudly said but his face was an opposite of what his voice was portraying. He turned his head to stare out the window. “So you’re going to protect our country then?” “Well, somehow, yes.” “Somehow?” I repeated. If he’s into army, there’s no in some way and in one way or another. If he’s into army then he should protect the country. Somehow? His face turned bitter while his eyes were still glued outside the window. The surrounding became dark and I realized that we just entered a tunnel. This is awkward. Like just a moment ago, we were talking like we’ve been friends for a very long time and now we were silent like the both of us never met. I clutched the papers even tighter; lowering my head to, somehow, get away from the embarrassment. I needed to start a conversation, that’s what I thought. I don’t know why I needed to but this moment won’t last forever and I wanted to just grab it while he’s still sitting beside me. “Y-you… umm… do—“ I stuttered. IN. FRONT. OF.HIM. In front of him! I am such a humiliating person; I could just die right now. He suddenly turned to me that made me jerk. “Sorry, I am being rude. My name’s Gran—“ And our supposed—to—be perfect conversation ended quickly when the bus suddenly shook like we were in a bump car and the passengers are screaming wildly with fear. “W-what’s happening?” I nervously asked to just anyone who can hear to give me an answer. I heard cracks from the tunnel and I saw swirling cars beside us. Before anyone could answer me, I already knew what’s happening. It’s an earthquake. The bus was swirling too and I am covered with nervousness and I’m shaking badly. The honks and crashing metals were ruining my eardrums until I couldn’t hear anything anymore except the cries of the passengers. From my seat, I saw bumping cars and smoke almost covered the whole dark tunnel. Hot sweats trickled along my spine and I’m too damned scared to say anything. “Move!!” the hot guy beside me suddenly shouted close to my ear and the last thing I knew was that he wrapped his arms around me so tight. We were rolling, bumping… and it hurt like hell. Then, darkness consumed us. I opened my eyes slowly. My back hurt and I couldn’t feel my legs. I couldn’t even move it. I tried to see the scene I am in now but my vision was too blurry because of the ashes that almost covered me. I was alive… but I felt like dying. Ugh. I groaned as I tried to move my body but I realized that my legs were under a pile of dented metals. My whole body was so numb and my brain seemed to be not working properly. I’m inside of the bus, I am sure of that. How far am I from the entrance? The bus was turned upside down. I managed to turn to my left slowly but I didn’t see anyone. My vision had become clear and I saw clearly the fire just meters away from me. The smoke was almost getting to my lungs. Any minute now, that fire will surely swallow me whole. Oh no… I’m gonna die. I’m gonna follow Mom to heaven. I’m gonna leave everything in this world. This is so unfair. I found myself crying helplessly. I couldn’t even scream because my throat felt like being lumped. My legs are stuck. My hands are numb. And I taste blood on my lips. So is this how I’m going to die? So dramatic. I cried again, hoping someone could hear and help me get out of here. “You’re a cry-baby for a doctor.” Out of shock, I hastily turned right. That’s when I just felt the pulsating pain in my neck. “Uhh,” I whimpered. “Any-anyway, y-you’re alive.” “That’s a mean thing to say,” he chuckled weakly. The boy from moments ago, sitting with his back leaning on a big rock and with his head covered with blood, had survived too. He’s only feet away from me and I can see him clearly with the light from the flame—that will swallow, not just me, but the two of us. “Is… Is everybody dead?” I asked, sobbing. “This is the worst, this is totally the worst. I couldn’t even feel my legs!” He sighed. “My legs are trapped in these chairs, too. And I’ve been trying to move these many time already,” he said with such laxity. I whined and cried again. I couldn’t help it. Death is scaring me so much. And the blood I saw on him made me very scared even more. I knew he’s trying to calm me down but I cannot calm down under such circumstances. He was touching and twisting something below the chair which I did not know what but he was talking to me while doing the fixing. “So, you’re studying medicine?” he asked, busy with his hands. “You’re pretty scared of blood and… death.” I didn’t stop crying. Like I said, the tears just kept on falling. And once when I start crying, it’s hard for me to stop. He scoffed, probably at me. “You should stop crying because I am obviously talking to you. How could you answer me at that state?” I tried so hard to swallow back my tears, trying so hard to stop crying. I inhaled deeply but coughed afterwards because of the smoke and low supply of oxygen since we’re under the tunnel. “Uh… y-yes. I am studying medicine but I’m still in my first year so I cannot treat or just stop the bleeding of your h-head.” He chuckled again. His voice was somehow, slowly, calming me. “I am also supposed to be on my first year now in the army. I heard the training’s tough. I really don’t think I could do it.” I jerked when he suddenly groaned very loud and sent the chair flying across the area like a satin thrown away in the wind. “Shoot…” he murmured under his breath. He turned to me with his smile, “My legs are free now. Do you want me to free yours?” “Uhhh…” I turned to the growing fire then back to him. “C-can you do it faster? That fire is making me crazy.” He crawled slowly to me, the metals were creaking at each step he did. He groaned whenever he moved nearer to me. But I do not care about how I am supposed to be saved. I just needed us to be saved. But it’s strange… I feel safer now. “What’s your name?” he diverted the topic while he’s doing something with the metal. I do not know where he’s touching. “Oh… oh… don’t answer yet. I will try to move these scrap metals.” He half-stood and tried to lift the metals upward with so much effort. I can see it on his face… and sweat. “Uurrgghhh! This. Is. Heavy!” “Ah! O-ouch! My—my leg, my leg!!” I yelled at the top of my lungs until my throat hurt. It felt like my left leg was pierced or something. He stopped, anyway. The metals didn’t even move an inch so he just started to look for solutions again. “It’s Bo Dylan. My name’s Bo,” I answered his question before, panting. “You have a weird name. Who named you?” he said that sounded like an insult but I never felt like being insulted. This guy had his own way of saying things in a special way. “My mother’s doctor is Chinese and she heard the Chinese doctor said ‘bo’ when I got out. Well, the meaning turned out really well. It means precious.” “Your mother has a good sense, huh.” “Yeah. My Mom’s a doctor, too. But she’s already dead so I’m fulfilling my promise to her that I’ll be a doctor, just like her.” He brushed off the stones under my legs. It’s a good thing I wore jeans. “I guess we’re on the same state.” “Why?” “I’m also into army because my father was the General Commander. But he was already dead so, like you, I’m continuing his journey.” I examined his face. “You look like you don’t like your choice. Do you not want to protect the country?” “Well, that’s totally a different question because all of us wanted to protect our country… but there are many other ways than entering the army.” Okay, I get it. He doesn’t want to be a soldier; he just couldn’t say it straightly. “What do you want to do then?” “Photography,” he sighed at that word. He tried to lift the metal again but it didn’t move. “Photography?” He turned to me with a hint of disappointment. “Even you? Is it really hard for me to love photography so much?” “N-no… I mean, why?” “Photographs don’t change even if the world changes-- that’s the fact that I like. When people change and places were not the same anymore, the photographs still remain. I love how every moment performs a miracle,” he elucidated with a glint in his eyes. He sat down on the dusty metals and brushed his fingers through his hair. We locked our eyes to each other for very long seconds. I noticed through the red flame that he has beautiful blue eyes and a very lean figure. I don’t even know what went in my mind that I lifted my hand to meet his forehead and settled my hand on it. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I couldn’t treat this one.” He just smiled and put his hand on my knee. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, too. “I couldn’t get you out this damn thing.” I bit my lower lip and tried to give him a smile. “You know you can get out now. Find an exit and call some help. I’m sure outside they are all looking for survivors.” “I know very well that I can do just that, but there’s no way that I’m leaving you here.” We are both like reciting a script from a movie, the most clichéd ones. But I do not mind at all. This maybe the last day of my life and this may be the last time that I get to spend it with a charming and very hot guy. He lifted his hand to cover mine that’s still on his forehead. He didn’t lose his smile. Just when the time came that I get to meet a perfect guy to date, that’s when I get to die. The irony of this world is making me crazy. He put my hand on his chest, like in slow motion, like in movies. My heartbeat went racing with each other until I couldn’t feel that I’m breathing at all. “Can you feel how nervous I am right now?” he asked. He’s still smiling but when I looked right into his eyes, I saw that there’s fear, too. “So death feels like this, huh?” He gently put back my hand on the ground, and then we both chuckled awkwardly. We were both scared to death. We were both dying in here. But we decided not to freak out, or maybe I did… earlier. He is brave and he gave me strength I needed for this. Oh… I should have met him earlier. “You know, if you love photography so much, why won’t you do it? And if you don’t like being like your father, then why would you keep on doing it? We all seek for happiness, anyway, either happiness for you or happiness for others.” He came even closer and sat beside me. “Finally, a person who says I need to pursue photography. Where have you been all my life? Why did I just meet you now?” I scoffed. “I wonder, too.” “Grant.” I turned to him with a question mark on my face. “Grant,” he repeated. “I realized you haven’t asked for my name yet so I just decided to tell you. Grant Gregory.” “Hi,” I said back. “Grant.” “Hi… Bo.” Silence filled us again. I don’t want to think that I’ll die at this very moment but reality sucks. It always does. The place shook wildly again and I immediately gripped his arm. “What is this again?” “Aftershock,” he said hoarsely then he covered me with his body, especially my head. Small rocks kept on falling on us and we heard creaking sounds. “Ow! M-my leg! Ahhhh!” I screamed as I felt the metals shaking and moving against my flesh. “Arrgghhhh!” “N-no… don’t move. Don’t move!” I embraced Grant Gregory as tight as I could until my fingers dug through his shoulder. “Grant, my leg is—ah!” The shaking came into a halt and stones were falling little by little on our heads. I let go of him and we both stared at my trapped legs. The metals were shifted slightly that made it easier to move them. I’m also feeling the air against my legs now. If my leg has a nose, it could be breathing by now. He huffed. “Well this somehow a blessing. Don’t move, okay? I’ll try to move the metals.” I just nodded. I was supposed to be happy but I felt the pulsating pain in my leg and it hurt like crazy but I couldn’t tell him about it because I don’t want to complain anymore. I’m seriously feeling like a burden. “You have to endure the pain, okay?” I nodded again. Please let us live. Please, Lord, I know you are up there. “When it really hurts a lot, bite your lower lip and think of something beautiful,” he suggested. His smile at me was so reassuring. “Is it effective?” I asked with a shaking voice. “Yes! That’s what I usually do when I’m afraid. Are you ready now?” I closed my eyes tight and bit my lower lip just like how he told me. Think of something beautiful. Think of your happy memory with your mommy. Think of her. “This is it,” I heard him whispered close to my ear in a very gentle voice. He grunted, groaned, grunted again until I can feel the metals moving away from my leg. I gulped really hard to keep myself from squinting because of the hurt. Don’t cry… don’t cry. “AAHHHH!” I couldn’t help it anymore. I screamed at the top of my lungs because I just felt a sharp metal harshly pulled from my flesh. I stopped screaming and slowly opened my eyes when I realized that I can feel my leg again. I was panting like I just came back from a long run. Grant moved closer to me and cupped his palms on my cheeks. “You’re a brave girl, Bo,” he said with a smile. “Oh my gosh, I can totally feel my legs,” I wailed. I looked down onto my leg in which I pointed out and shrieked. “It’s bleeding! Why is my left leg bleeding?” Grant quickly tore a part of his white cloth and tied it tightly around the wounded part of my leg. “A triangular metal pierced through your flesh. I’m afraid that will leave a mark.” “Can we live now?” I asked him, feeling so innocent right now but I seem not to care anymore. I turned to the side where the fire once was but it was already put out because of the rocks that had fallen earlier. He smiled, the kind of smile you want wake up every morning with. “We’ll live and that’s a promise.” But maybe, promises were really meant to be broken.