HE WAS A SHE

CHAPTER 12: THE LIFE SAVING KISS

You know what they say, that actions speak louder than words—that when you want to know whether someone is sincere with his words, you just have to look at his actions. You can put some adlibs on your words but not on how you act. You might be able to play some fake act in front of everyone else, but not in the one you love. And at the end of the day, true love will always be bound to blossom, no matter how much you hide it. And sometimes, for love to bloom, it only takes a simple kiss to awaken those deep and buried emotions we are hiding.

***

The following day...

“Good morning, everyone!” shouted the team-building organizer. “Uh! Am I just talking to myself?” He added after not getting any response from us.

“Yes,” we chorused.

“Why do you look so tired?” He gasps. “I mean it’s still early in the morning. And I believe you all have your breakfast to boost your energy. So, why are you so exhausted? Let me repeat myself. Good morning everyone!” He yelled as much louder than his first greeting.

“Yes! Good morning!” We shouted as far as our lungs could go.

“That’s it! That’s the spirit of team-building.” He chuckled. “But before anything else, let me introduce myself first. I’m Mr. Billy Chui, but you can call me Mr. Bill for short. Well, you might ask why this bald and old geezer is doing it in our team building though.” He uttered.

And everyone was laughing.

“It’s okay. I understand your worries. But so sorry to tell you this but I’m your host for today’s team-building”. He laughed heavily.

“As you can see, we are all gathered here today for this exciting event. You might wonder why we’re here. Ah! We’re playing some games. Ah! We’re here to eat. Ah! We’re here to party and stuff. Well, you’re not wrong. We’re here to play, to eat, to party, to have fun. But team building is more than that. It’s more than playing games against each other. It’s more than eating together. And it’s definitely more than having fun. Team building is created to strengthen and unify the team. Well, it might sound easy, right? But in reality, it takes a lot of effort for a team to be one. That’s because every team is composed of different members with different and unique personalities. And sometimes, these conflicting personalities will always try to outsmart each other, leading to a divided team.

Honestly, there are a lot of things that we can do to fix these problems. Not literally to change someone’s personality or character because we can’t do that for sure, right? It’s only up to Him.” Pointing up in the sky. “But we are here to at least train you how to move as one. Well, we all know that the strength of a team or a company doesn’t totally lie in the leadership but in how united members are. And that’s the essence of team building. So, are you all excited about today’s event?” He enthusiastically asked.

“Yes!” We eagerly replied.

“Before we start the game, you need to choose your team members. And to be fair with everyone, you will need to pick a piece of paper from this box. And the number you will get will be your group.”

“What?” Everyone heaved a sigh.

“There’s a probability that we won’t be together in a team,” Kelly breathed.

“How disappointing!” Barb added.

 “I hope we can be on the same team,” Kelly uttered. “I’m so nervous.” She exclaimed while slowly sneaking his hands into the box. “Two! I’m in group 2. You better pick the same number, okay?” She told Barb, who was next to her.

And they cheer happily after Barb got the same number as her.

“Now, it’s your turn, Eli. Pick no. 2, okay?” Kelly nervously commanded. “No. 2! No. 2! No. 2” They both cheered on the side.

But as soon as I saw one straight line, I already knew we were not on the same team. And as soon as I showed the paper to them, their cheerful faces became sour.

“What the hell!” Kelly exclaimed.

“You’re in group 1,” Barb added.

“It’s okay.” I tried to cheer them up. “ It’s just a game. After this, we’re still friends, okay?”

“Hey!” Kelly’s eyes rolled into shock.

“Why? What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Look!” She pointed her hands somewhere. We followed his gaze, leading us to where my boss was.

“You’re the same group as your boss,” Barb uttered.

“What a bummer!” Kelly gasped.

“Okay, everyone. Listen up.” Mr. Bill announced. “Since all of you have already picked your group number, now gather together according to your group. Okay?”

“What is it this time?” I asked myself as I marched towards him. “Is this some kind of joke? I managed to sleep in a different room last night after one of our co-employees suddenly went home after an emergency. Luckily, that person was the only one staying in her room, so after pulling some act that my boss wanted to use the room exclusively by himself, I got the vacant room without any glitches. But the more I distanced myself from him, the more I got dragged towards him.

“Good morning, Sir.” I greeted

But he didn’t respond. He didn’t even dare to look at me. He just dodged away and talked to someone else.

“What the!” I wheeze. “Fine! You won’t talk to me? That’s better.” I annoyingly added while talking to other members of our team.

“Listen up everyone!” Mr. Bill announced. “The first game of our team building is tug of war. With a twist, of course. Just like the usual tug of war, the opposing team will pull both ends of the rope until one team loses the grip of the rope and falls to the ground. But the twist is, you will pull the rope from both ends of the pool while balancing on the narrow piece of wood. That means, you will not only let your opponent fall into the pool, but you will also need to balance yourself at the top of a piece of wood, because once any member steps its foot on the ground, you will automatically lose the game. So, you had better come up with a strategy on how to outsmart your opponent without losing your balance. Well, of course, you have to do it as a team. You have to move as one because just one member making any mistake would immediately disqualify your team. So, are you all ready? Four teams, are you ready?” He enthusiastically screamed.

“Yes,” Everyone was all excited about the first game. And I could see that excitement all over their faces. Some were already exhausted from the heat of the sun. Some were drinking endless water just to cool themselves. Some were busy fanning themselves using a portable mini-electric fan. Some were warming themselves up. Some were busy coming up with a strategy as they were compressing themselves and talking softly. Everyone’s faces all display different expressions, but what’s common among them is the smile on their faces. Well, you can see them wearing those smiles during work. But their smiles for today are somewhat different. It’s pure, sincere and all rooted in the heart. I guess pursuing this team building is not a bad choice, after all, seeing everyone’s faces filled with joy and laughter.

“Hey! Everyone, gather up.” Mikee uttered. He’s a senior marketing staff member in the company who is known for his competitive attitude. He won’t accept any failure. That’s why he would do all his best in any situation. “This is our plan. Since not everyone is required to attend this event. We will use all the boys we had. The one who is stronger and does some work-out in the gym will be in the last part. That would be Ben. While the brain of our team who will command will be at the front. He needs to have eyes like a hawk. He will need to watch the opponent closely and snatch every opportunity the opposing team will show any weakness. In short, he will be the commander-in-chief of our team. And lastly, the core of our team lies in the supporting forces gathered in the center. Whatever order the front is giving, the center should act quickly by pulling the rope as hard as they can. For the last member to fully use his strength in pulling the rope, everyone, especially at the center, should support him.” He thoroughly explained.

“So, who will be our leader in front?” asked the other member.

“Well, it should be someone not just smart but wise enough to come up with useful strategies,” Mikee described. “And that person is…” He added while slowly raising his hand. But someone interrupted and nominated our boss to be our leader.

“Me?” He was flabbergasted. “I don’t have any experience of playing this game.” He objected but almost everyone wanted him to lead us to this game.

“It’s okay, Sir. We don’t need any work expertise here. We just want you to lead us like what you usually do.” Someone uttered.

“Don’t worry, Sir. We will follow you from behind. Plus, it’s just a game. Don’t be too hard on yourself. We’re just here to enjoy ourselves. So, let’s have some fun, okay?” Another employee added.

“Okay, everyone!” Mr. Bill announced. “Are you all set for this game?”

“Yes!” Everyone chorused.

“Good!” He added. “So, our first group who will fight is group 1 versus group 2. Both teams in your respective area, please. Are you ready?” He shouted.

“Yes!” Everyone was pretty excited.

“Grab the rope and place it around your armpit so you will have a strong grip on the rope. You and the rope should be one. One foot should be in front of the other so you won’t lose any balance. Ben, you need to give all your strength. You will be our anchor, so pull the rope just as much you did during your training at the gym.” Mikee ordered.

“Hey! Will you please back off? You are not our leader. So, why are you acting like you’re one? You should give the chance for our boss to speak.” One member commented.

“What?” Mikee was obviously disgusted. “I was just reminding everyone of our strategy. And you’re telling me to shut up.” He raised his eyebrows. “What did you say?”

“Hey! Stop it, okay?” I interrupted.

But they were both fearless and not letting anyone concede. I was pushed to the side while trying to stop them. Fortunately, our boss finally spoke.

“Hey! Will you please stop acting like a child?” He was baffled and everyone was silent. “You know what can make us win this game? It 's not who leads in front nor who is at the back? And definitely, not coming up with outsmarting our opponent. This game is about unity and pulling the rope as one. But we can’t achieve that unless you fight among yourselves. Do you understand? If you want to win, listen to each other. Now is not the time to think solely about yourselves but to prioritize your team members and the team as a whole.”

“Our boss is right,” another member added.

“Whoa! It’s the first time something is right since we started building this team,” I murmured.

“So, let’s forget about our selfish desires and show them what teamwork is all about. Let’s go!” He shouted.

It was an intense game. An hour had passed and yet no one would give the opposing team an easy win. Both teams were pulling the ropes as best as they could. Both leaders were shouting, giving a command to pull harder. And no one would let go. My hands were already aching from pain, so my feet from trying to keep their balance. But I can’t give up now as much as everyone on my team won’t. Looking from his back, I know he won’t quit until it’s over.

But suddenly, he gave out an unusual command. “Loosen up a bit and once we’re about to fall, drag the rope as much as you can.”

“What? Are you crazy?” Mikee asked angrily. “Why would we loosen up the grip? We’re about to win, so we should pull harder until the end.”

“Once we let them think that they’re about to win by loosening up their grip on the rope, they will let their guard down, since they’re also exhausted just like us. And we will use that chance to surprise them by pulling the rope back as hard and as quickly as possible.” Our boss explained.

“Hey! Listen up! We will dare to take that risk. To win this fight, we should pull the rope harder.” Mikee insisted.

“Our boss is right,” another member argued. It’s a bit risky, but tricking them can be our advantage too.”

“That’s right.” Another one agreed. “Winning a game isn’t always about being the strongest, because sometimes it is also about being the wisest. And to win this game, we should outsmart our opponent, and only then can we use our full strength to our advantage.”

“But, the risk is still high. And we couldn’t afford to take the risk.” Another member contended. “Mikee is right. We can win this game once we give our full strength until it’s over. Just a little push.”

“Our boss is right.”

“No, Mikee is right.”

And now the whole team is divided. Instead of coming up with a strategy, we were fighting among ourselves. No one would listen. And instead of pulling the rope harder, we loosen up the grip, leading us to fall into the pool. And just because of divided members, our team lost the game. Luckily, I was second to last, so I wasn’t able to fall into the pool. Because if so, that would be a great disaster.

“Group 1 out!” Shouted the host. “Group 2 win!”

“Congrats!” I greeted Kelly and Barb.

“Thank you,” Kelly replied. “But, you did great earlier. We didn’t know you were that strong either.”

“Here! Take it.” Barb tossed some water.

“Thank you,” I responded.

We were about to leave then, when a sudden commotion was about to explode. It was between Mikee and our boss. I don’t know the real reason behind it but I have a gut feeling that it was about the game earlier. Even during the game, both of them were so bold in expressing their opinions. And I can’t believe that, even until the game was over, they were still bickering with each other.

“Hey! This is all your fault.” Mikee grunted.

But our boss just ignored him and walked away. He didn’t talk about it. But that made Mikee even more disgusted. He approached him and grabbed his hands.

“Why are you not explaining yourself, huh?” Mikee uttered. “Was it because you’re the boss? You might think you can get away with the responsibility of letting our team lose, right?”

“Back off.” He commanded while staring at him with his fierce eyes.

Mikee lost his grip on him. But he didn’t stop provoking him. Well, we both know his personality. He can’t accept defeat. That’s

Why, in everything he does, does he always give his best? But it’s not right as well, to blame everything on our boss. Anyone would agree that we lost because we didn’t fight like one. We were merely fighting over whose idea is better and not. And being divided became the opposing team’s advantage. So, if there’s someone to blame, it’s all of us and not particular to a single person since, in the first place, this is a group effort.

“If you haven’t suggested that stupid idea of yours, then we won’t be divided among ourselves. Everything runs smoothly not until you open that stupid mouth of yours. You might be our leader, but you should also learn how to listen to us. We’re part of the team as well,” Mikee added.

“Hey! Stop it. Okay?” Mr. Bill intervened. “The game is over, but what’s the use of fighting? Plus, there are still a lot of games left. You can do better at those. So, loosen up a bit. And don’t take the loss too seriously. We’re just here to have fun, isn’t it?”

I thought the fight was over after seeing how both parties remained silent for a moment. But I was wrong. Our boss didn’t continue his steps away from the venue and instead turned his body around and faced him directly.

“You want me to take responsibility?” He uttered. “Fine! It’s my fault. Happy?”

But the look on Mikee’s face was not good at all. The more he was pissed off. He was agitated by our boss’s statement. He looked around and found a bottle of water. He was about to throw the bottle of water in our boss’s face when I suddenly interrupted, leading to me getting pushed into the pool and doing an unexpected swim. My body froze for a moment. Luckily, the pool was only five feet deep, so I was able to land my feet at the bottom without losing any balance. Kelly and Barb were shouting on the left side while extending their hands to me.

“Eli, come here. Take our hands.” They shouted.

But my mind suddenly became blank. I don’t know what to do. Everyone was staring at me. I can’t move my feet. If I got out of this pool, they would know I was a woman and not a man. But if I stay here longer, the more they will be suspicious. The more I feel anxious.

“What should I do?” I sobbed.

But unexpectedly, someone jumped into the pool and covered me with a bathrobe. I turned around and it was my boss. I don’t how to react.

“Let’s go!” He whispered while guiding his way out of the pool.

“Are you okay, Eli?” Kelly and Barb worriedly asked.

I nodded. “Yes, I’m fine,” I added while shivering with cold.

“You can catch up later. But now, you have to change your clothes quickly or else you will get sick.” Our boss uttered.

“Yes,” I replied. “I’ll go ahead.”

“Uh!” They uttered. “Go! See you later.”

***

“Get in!” He said. “Take a shower first then change to dry clothes so you won’t catch any colds. Okay?”

“Yes,” I nodded.

“I’ll go ahead,” he added.

But before he completely left, I expressed my gratitude to him. I don’t know exactly why I had to, since I wasn’t really drowning or what, but I just felt like I had to since earlier I was in total embarrassment as I was stuck up in that pool looking so pathetic.

“Thank you so much,” I repeated.

“No worries.” He replied. “I’ll go ahead. Bye!”

“Bye!” I replied.

I remained stuck in my room even after changing into dry clothes. I laid down on my bed while trying to recall what happened earlier. I almost got busted because of being too nosy to my surroundings. But what surprised me a lot was my boss’s actions. “How did he act perfectly like that? How did he know I needed something to cover my whole body? How did he bring that robe right on time?” I asked myself. “Wait! Did he know? My secret? No way! That’s absolutely impossible. Right! It was just a pure coincidence,” I told myself.

“And if he knew my secret already, he would have confronted me about it. He won’t keep it to himself. He has no reason he had to in the first place.” I added.

“Eli! Eli! Are you there?” Someone knocked on the door. “It’s Kelly and Barb. We brought you some food.”

After hearing it was them, I quickly rushed into the door and opened the door for them.

“You’re here!” I happily uttered.

“Are you okay?” Kelly uttered.

“You don’t get hurt, right?” Barb worriedly uttered while checking on me.

“I’m fine,” I replied.

“We were worried about you earlier, especially how you just stood there on the pool like a rock. We thought you were hurt or something.” Kelly exclaimed.

“No, I wasn’t...,” I explained. “I was just too embarrassed to move out of the pool. You know I was just trying to stop my boss and Mikee from fighting, looking so cool and there I was getting pushed into the pool. That wasn’t really cool.” I chuckled softly.

“Hey! Let’s stop this drama, okay?” Barb commented. “What’s more important is you’re fine, right?”

“Hey! You know what’s so cool earlier?” Kelly uttered.

“What is it?” Barb and I curiously asked.

“Your boss!” Kelly replied.

“Huh! What do you mean?” I added.

“Well, it’s not usual for someone like him to just jump out into the pool like that. No one would do what he did just because he is a kind person or whatever. Unless…” She halted.

“Unless, what?” I curiously asked.

“Hey! Why are you making us so thrilled, huh? Speak up! What is it?” Barb franticly commented.

“Unless the person he needs to save is someone important to him.” Kelly giggled softly. “Someone close to his heart.”

“Hey!” I slapped his arms. “What are you saying?”

“Ouch!” She bellowed but laughed mischievously.

“He dared to help because he was kind. Nothing more and nothing less.” I strongly uttered. “So, whatever you’re thinking right now, drop it because that’s not true, okay?”

“Why?” She mockingly smiled. “What’s wrong with having a lover? Plus, there’s a rumor about him being homosexual. It might be that a rumor spreading within the company wasn’t merely a rumor after all. What if the gossip was true all along?”

“Hey! You don't have any jitters about your words right now, aren’t you?” I was a bit pissed off.

“What’s wrong with that Eli?” She added. “I mean we’re living in a different world now and the society we live in isn’t new to that kind of relationship. The more you hide it, the more they will judge you.”

“No one’s judging because no one is hiding, to begin with.” I strongly explained. “If you just came here to irritate me, just get lost. Okay?”

“Hey! I’m just kidding. Okay?” Kelly added. “I’m sorry if you get offended.”

“We’re sorry Eli,” Barb added. “If, instead of checking up on you, we annoyed and stressed you a bit. I’m sorry. We’ll just leave this food for you, okay? We’ll go ahead. Bye!”

“I’m sorry, Eli,” Kelly added. “Don’t take it too seriously, okay? I’m just joking. Know me, right? Bye!”

“Bye! Thank you!” I responded.

I was left all alone in my room while devouring the food Kelly and Barb brought for lunch. I placed it on the side table and took a seat facing the mirror. After taking a few bites, I halted and stared at myself in the mirror and recalled what Kelly said a while ago. “No way! It can’t be. That’s very absurd, Eli.” I told myself. “That’s more bizarre than your boss knowing your secret. That’s way too impossible. So, don’t listen to what Kelly said. Okay? Plus, she was just joking, too, like what she said. So, don’t stress yourself on things that don’t happen in reality. All of those were just purely assumptions,” I added.

***

At 3 pm during the second game of our team building.

“Good afternoon everyone!” Mr. Bill greeted him. “Without doing much further, I do... I will present to you our next game. It’s called… Amazing race!” He enthusiastically added. “For sure, you already know how this game should be played, right? Your starting point will be the questions in front of you and from then you will complete each task. At that very point, the clues will lead you until you reach the finish line. And since this is team building, you will be paired among your group. And every pair, whatever points you get from this race, will be added to your group standing. So, builders, are you ready?”

“Yes,” everyone repeated.

“The game will start at one… two… three!”

And how fate tries to joke on me again. I was paired up with my boss. My eyes landed on Kelly and Barb. And there she goes again with her teasing look and smile. I gazed at him fiercely. I know she was joking around, but knowing her personality, she never gets tired of teasing whoever her eye’s focus was.

Well, everything runs smoothly between us. Despite having some awkwardness at first, we were able to easily find the clues from

every station and bound to our second to the last point. We needed to take a boat to reach another island where the last clue was hidden. At first, he rowed the boat swiftly. But later on, he got exhausted. So, I took charge. But when we were about to reach the seashore—just a few meters away, he accidentally stumbled out of the boat and drowned.

“Hey!” I shouted and was agitated as to what I should do. I can’t swim. Not that I don’t know what I just couldn’t. “What should I do?” I asked myself.

But after not seeing him above, I was left with no choice but to jump off into the sea and save him. Fortunately, I was able to save him and managed to drag him to the coastline. I breathed heavily and lay down on the sand. Then, I checked on him. But he wasn’t breathing. I do some cardio resuscitation by placing my two hands on his chest while doing some counting. But still, there was no sign that he was alive. Then, a memory of my first aid training came to mind.

“If there’s no sign of breathing, the next step is mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Open the mouth slowly and hold it while you blow some air into it. Repeat the process until you revive the person.”

“Kiss?” I whispered while staring at him closely and his lips. “Ah! I can’t.” I hesitated. I continued reviving him through his chest but he was still breathless. I tried to call someone but our phone got lost in the middle of the sea. “What should I do?” I hysterically added. “Ah! Whatever!” I slowly opened his mouth. I slowly drew my face closer to him. Then, I closed my eyes as soon as my lips touched his lips. I blew some air into his mouth until he regained consciousness. Before he fully opened his eyes, I quickly moved a distance away from him.

“Are you okay?” I asked casually.

“What happens?” He asked, looking so clueless.

You were drowning earlier.” I said. “Luckily, I was able to save you right away.”

“Ah!” He gasped and tried to stand up when his hands touched my hands unexpectedly.

He looked at me closely and slowly fixed my messy hair and placed it around my ears. He moved his face closer. And when we're just an inch closer, my heart skips a beat. I couldn’t breathe and suddenly, my heart pounded faster. And gently, he damps his lips on mine. I immediately pushed him away. But he dragged me closer to him and pushed through the halted kiss. I wanted to dodge but I failed. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I just let him kiss me passionately as if he accidentally triggered a bomb inside of me. “I kissed… my boss!” The words ran into my mind.