22 Again

Chapter 2: 22

The last thing that Vida remembered was the large truck colliding with hers, the extreme pain of shattered glass and mirror shards piercing into her skin, the smell of gas and burning, the sounds of something exploding, the heat of fire burning her, and the wetness of her blood dripping from her head to her car’s floor. It was so painful that she cursed in her mind, heart and soul. She will definitely hold this grudge until her next life. No fool will forget this debt. ‘Whoever did this to me…damn you!!’

However, Vida is facing a dilemma right now. She could only blurt out a “What the hell,” under her breath. She remembered everything that happened to her, but why was she in another car now? And it was eerily familiar.

Vida almost jumped from her seat when the car’s door suddenly opened, revealing a pair of familiar old couples. She turned her head and stiffened. Vida couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Aigoo, why didn’t you follow, ah, Vida? You said you would follow suit, but you didn’t and let us old people carry our heavy things,” her grandma coquettishly complained. Vida remained pale and stiff; eyes and mouth wide open, her grandparents instantly felt anxious. “Vida, you seem to have seen ghosts that you turned pale. Are you perhaps feeling unwell, dear?” Vida’s grandfather asked.

“Y-yes….I’m seeing ghosts…” she whispered unintentionally, which left the old pair confused. Vida stared at them, as if to embed them in her memory one more time than she already did in the past. Vida felt stupid and sentimental and more confused. Why is she seeing her dead people–grandparents?

Irvin Teng, Vida’s grandpa, is a healthy and still vigorous old man in his sixties. Wearing his collared cerulean shirt partnered with comfortable denim pants and men’s sandals. And his cerulean beret was never forgotten either. Just by looking at him, Vida became emotional. This is her grandfather who cared for her more than her own father. Though a wealthy man, his humility and simplicity, whether in his wardrobe, the way he dressed, and in life, influenced Vida in the way she viewed her life and most things. He dressed the same just like the last time she saw him—wait.

Vida remembered that she and her grandparents had gone to the mall to buy her things for her graduation thesis and groceries too. She and Dave lived with her grandparents for two weeks after their marriage, so she usually accompanied and helped them with household chores and groceries. She also remembered that this was the trip that killed her grandparents and crippled her. That meant, at this time, she had already married Dave?!

Did she really come back to the past? Is she really in the past right now? Vida couldn’t believe it.

‘Then that means I can prevent their death?’

Vida suddenly felt alive. Even if she was living in a dream right now or if she really came back to the past, she would prevent their death no matter what.

Vida flinched when she felt a sudden contact. She looked over and saw her grandma’s hand patting her shoulders, as if patting her younger self on her butt to make her sleep.

Suddenly, all her fears and concerns disappeared and all she felt was the warmth of her lost grandparents. Reminiscing on the nostalgia she felt in her past life after her grandparents passed away and realizing that no one would comfort her anymore, she instantly felt that coming back seemed not to be a bad thing. She felt her eyes brimming with tears but she held them back to not worry them more than she already did.

“Dear, are you feeling unwell? You’re making us worried. If you are feeling unwell, then let us go home so you can rest first. It must be because you’re worrying too much about your graduation and thesis. You’re still so young and should enjoy your youth…” her grandma said with concern and a bit of nagging. She smiled but it only lasted for a while when she heard her grandma’s sulking whisper, “...even though I don’t get your early marriage to that Dave guy.”

Vida then saw the troubled appearance of her grandparents. She hasn't yet planned what she should do since she just arrived here in the past. Right now, she can’t do anything but to soothe them first, “Grandparents, I disappointed you. Instead, I will graduate and work hard. If Dave does fool me, I promise, I won't hesitate to beat him and divorce him afterwards. You don’t have to worry about me at all, grandma, grandpa.”

Though the two looked relieved on their faces, inside, they were still worried. That Dave guy is a strange man. They did not even know where their grandchild met such a man. That man, though familiar, and as sharp as their memories can be, tried to remember where they saw him, but, as life is normal and the world is round, they are still ordinary old people, lest the old couple cannot seem to remember and fathom him.

Vida, remembering the words Fretz told her when she caught them doing something atrocious, tried to think of solutions to avoid the accident Fretz staged. From what she remembered after the accident, the brakes and engines were broken and unmaintained on purpose. Maybe they should get a cab.

Vida glanced at her grandparents at the back and saw them waiting for her to move patiently, like kindergarten students sitting behavingly while their teacher is writing on the board. Vida’s lips curved upwards. She then pretended to twist the key in the keyhole and observed the engine’s sound for a while.

She glanced at them through the rear mirror above her forehead and suggested, “Grandparents, the engine seems to emit weird sounds. We don’t know what will happen to us on the road. What if it suddenly stops working or the brakes might lose control? It’s better to be careful. Why don’t we call a cab and leave it here? Let's just call Uncle Sonny to check it out.”

Her grandparents looked at each other confusingly and nodded. She abruptly stepped down from the car and helped her grandma from getting down. They then hailed a cab and got home safely, fortunately.

Vida sighed in relief. While her grandmother and a helper are preparing their dinner, Vida gets her things for the thesis, such as papers, pens, binders, etc. She smiled knowingly.

In the past, because of her accident, she did her thesis poorly and barely passed it. Nevertheless, she still wasn't able to walk on the stage to get her diploma. She was crippled and it affected her so much that she didn't want to even set her foot outside; she fell into depression and barely managed it alive. When she survived, she was even grateful to Dave, whom she thought was with her through thick and thin, but was actually one of the vicious people who orchestrated her misery.

Speaking of Dave, why didn't she saw him just now?

In her last life, Dave would get down from upstairs if he ever saw her grandparents. Back then, she only thought that Dave seemed to like his new family with her. She only realized it after catching him cheating. He wanted to suck up so much to her grandparents, who owned a lot of multinational companies; he wanted them to favor him and give him some of their shares. But now that she's back in the past, she won't let him, them, with that wench Fretz, have their way on her. Now that she realized this, she wondered why Dave was like that when she and everyone knew they were filthy rich.

'What's the use of their wealth that the son of Caesar family has to ingratiate himself to his wife's already old grandparents just to earn a dime of shares? I don't really understand. Perhaps, Dave is not a worthy heir and is reserving it for someone else? Well, who gives a damn?'

Therefore, Vida requested a room for herself to occupy in this house from now on. As for their future house as husband and wife, Vida doesn't give a damn about it. Dave can live there by himself or with his hoes. She doesn't care. As long as she isn't near Dave, then everything can be all at peace.

Vida proceeded on carrying her things. Only the sounds of her steps can be heard as she climbs up the stairs to the room she would occupy starting from now on. Vida noticed that it was strangely silent. It felt ominous. The feeling was similar to when she found out about Dave and Fretz' illicit affair behind her back.

'Is there another secret I have yet to find out?' she thought.

As she walked further on the hallway, she caught a view of their room, her now past room, which was obviously slightly open. The light inside the room passed through the narrow passage of the slightly agape doorway and reflected on the dark walls and other closed rooms of thee corridor. She thought of how she forgot to switch the light on that was installed in the wide and long hallway. She seemed to start hating darkness from now.

Her new room is farther from Dave and her's room, and so, she can pass it by on the way to her new room. The more she got closer of her previous room, the more she felt the foreboding intent inside that room. She doesn't understand how and why it felt like this, she wasn't able to feel it in the past, and it wasn't like this in the past.

'Was it because I changed it and we were safe?' she wondered.

She tilted her head and fastened her pace to her far new room. 'Why did I realized just now how long and annoying this corridor is?' She thought.

As her foot stepped right in front of Dave's now room, it suddenly bursted open like it has been waiting for her to appear in front. She stood there in shock. Shock for the sudden movement and sound of the creepy sudden creak open of the door, and shock for how the Dave in front of her right now, seemed to be so different from the past.

Gone is the Dave with silly and ingratiating smile. Gone is the Dave who looked just a point normal than a mentally retarded person with one lesser point. And gone is the Dave who was unusually slender but tall. But the Dave back then was soooo thin.

But the guy in front of her is... a bit different. She can't seem to find the right word for it. Is it because she hated Dave so much that she tried to forget everything about him, but above all, she almost forgotten Dave's face and now she's thinking that this Dave's face is a little disparate?

'Ummm, how should I describe him in words?' she wondered as she looked at him from hair to toes.

The Dave in front of her looked menacing. His eyes revealed his aloof and distant nature, which was far from the ingrate Dave she knew from the past. No matter how she changed it and how much it changed, it should not be changed too much that it is far from her past memories. The butterfly effect she intended caused such a huge gap that she's doubting how should she enact her desired revenge!

This Dave looked really good-looking and well-dressed. He exudes a noble temperament that she's doubting if he's really Dave. Dave back then was also good-looking, but this Dave right now is the skin-cared type of handsome guy. His skin is milky white that they seemed to be on the same skin tone. His hair is jet black that looks so lustrous and silky. And his body is muscular. She can seem to see some abdominal muscles from his white tees. Thus, he's tall too. Taller than the past him.

His skin, body and everything in him looked so well-taken care of. Just like a little princess in the movie. However, this is a man. A manly man, at that.

The two stared at each other in schock. The more Vida think of his unexpected changes, the more uneasiness she felt scratching her heart. Realizing this, Vida frowned that her face looked distorted.