Remark

Six Degrees of Separation II

At the strike of five, I was surprised because we finished everything without over timing today which I’m thankful for because I don’t think I can handle more burning the midnight oil. I think my eyes can no longer tolerate more nights without the right and favorable amount of sleep. I just want to sleep. I need sleep.

When I reach out of the department, Mark would normally stand outside waiting for me but he wasn’t. I frowned and checked my phone if ever he left any message but he didn’t so instead, I decided I wanted to surprise him by going to his department this time. It’s always been him seeing me in mine so I figured it’d be cute and romantic – not Romeo and Juliet romantic but you get what I mean.

I walked to his department building and wait for him outside. I took a seat over the staircase comfortably and wait, and wait, and wait. I’ve been waiting for minutes but no one hasn’t even left the building since I got here. Are they really working this much for the booth? They even started doing it earlier than we did but why are they still on it until now? I expected them to finish last Friday.

It was starting to get really dark and I couldn’t reach Mark’s cellular. I would casually go up to peek inside their territory but I couldn’t see anyone – only dim lights were on and I’m starting to get worried about him. I feel like he’s overworking for his department. I sit back down the stairs and hugged my bag tight. It would sound weird to say that I was imagining it was Mark but I think that way either.

I looked around me and I can almost barely see my surrounding. I pressed my lips together and look at my phone still hoping I’d receive a message from Mark but my screen tells me nothing because I see myself and Mark in my lock screen.

“Don’t tell me you’re waiting for your boyfriend again?”

I looked up and the familiar voice tells me it was Jonah. “And if I am?” I stood from the stairs and wore my bag to my back. I see him walk closer to me. It was dark but it’s surprising that I can still see these details.

“And if you are, I’m going to call you martyr.” I squinted my eyes and wondered why and how I’m the martyr. “Guys should be the ones waiting for their girls. A man can’t let a girl wait and your boyfriend needs to learn that.” I hear him chuckle but failed to see how bright his smile was like how I normally see during the daylight. “Are you sure you’re still waiting for someone here? I don’t think there are still people inside this department. Thalia told me they worked outside the school today.”

At first, I wondered who Thalia was but I figured he wouldn’t just blurt out a name if he didn’t know that person. At least that’s what I think but other than that, Mark did not tell me they’re going out today and aside from that, he told me he’d walk me home today and he wasn’t doing it. I’m feeling my blood getting warmer now that I’m learning things I know I shouldn’t mind unless Mark starts talking about it.

“Thalia is someone I know from the Journalism department and I think I remember her telling me that? Mark is from the same department as her right? Journalism?”

I nodded and I’m not even sure if he would see but that’s all I can answer him. I couldn’t think of anything besides how disappointed I am right now. He failed to meet me during lunch when he basically offered that and now he was doing it again – for the second time. “I’ll just go home then. I can talk to him when I see him tomorrow,” Maybe. If he still plans to show up or if he still has the face to show up after standing me up twice.

“I can bring you home?”

I think of the offer. I don’t know if I wanted to walk and take a long time to think about Mark or if I wanted to walk because I didn’t want Jonah to think that I was giving him a chance but right now, I just felt devastated that my feet were declining my immune system to walk. I wanted to just get home and rest. “I’d love that. Thank you,”

“Great. You can wait for me here if you want so I can go get my car?”

“I’ll wait here,”

The drive back to my apartment felt like three minutes even if it was fifteen minutes in reality. I wanted the drive to take longer but we arrived sooner than I thought the moment I told Jonah to pull over my destination like an Uber driver. I was so absent minded that I felt like my soul was out wandering around the city, trying to find Mark and it wasn’t planning to come back.

“Thank you for the ride. I really appreciate it.” I turned to him and see him smile before I stepped out of his luxurious car. The roof was so low I can almost touch it with my head when I sit inside – not really. But the roof was low.

When I stepped out, Jonah came out with me and walks towards me. “My birthday’s coming up on December and I wanted to invite you if that’s too much to ask.” I stopped walking and turned to him. “You can bring Mark too if you want,”

“So December is your birthday,” I bobbed my head as if it was a fact I’ve been dying to know. “Yeah, I’ll come. You’re inviting the others too right? I’ll come, sure.”

“I’ll send an invite,”

I nodded and started walking to the gate only to step back in terror when I see Mark standing across me. He turns to me and looks at me before looking at Jonah who apparently walked me to the gate. I couldn’t call him out – God, I can’t even look at him because if I do, I won’t be able to stop myself from being violent over again.

“I’ll see you Monday, Nami.” Jonah did not greet or acknowledged Mark’s presence but I don’t blame him because I couldn’t bring myself to do the exact same thing because of this over-pouring anger I was feeling. For some reason, I felt the need of hearing Mark but my hormones couldn’t stop me from feeling whatever I was feeling right now.

“I thought you went home already. We worked somewhere else and my battery was dead.”

He’s at least telling the truth like what I found out from Jonah. “So I heard,” I replied coldly and was about to walk pass him when he spoke again.

“Why did your president bring you home? Does he bring everyone home too? Or is it just you?”

“Jonah’s more than a president to me. He’s my friend now.”

“Because you’re always friends with everyone you think is fitting for the role.”

I turned to him and finally met his eyes. “I went and waited for you Mark. You told me we’re eating lunch together then you ended up not coming, then you tell me you’d walk me home only to find out you weren’t in school.”

“And here I find out you ate with that guy and now, I see him taking you home.”

“Because he surprisingly appears every single time you leave me hanging,”

“And I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you call me? Text me, even.”

He walks closer to me and hold my hand. “If I called you from a different number through other boys’ number, they’d get to keep your number. I’m not risking to call you from another cell and they end up stalking you.”

I looked down and my shoulders sagged. I actually felt relieved now that I was hearing him and his defense. “We’re still going tomorrow right?” I looked at him and he smiles at me. He suddenly lifts up a transparent bag of gummies and brushes his fingers across my face.

“Of course, princess.”

Sunday came and I never felt so excited my entire life. I felt like it was a time for me to finally relax after finishing our booth yesterday and no take home plates for the weekend. Everything about the museum turned out great and I hope students will buy a ticket for it. It wasn’t professionally done but it’s going somewhere. We’re going to be professional architects pretty soon after all so might as well just consider this their free pass to our future projects.

Mark and I agreed to meet in the park where he first took me on a date. I arrived there ten minutes early so I had no choice but to sit over a vacant bench and watch every minute pass by like an hour. Every time I think it’s a minute less, it was only ten seconds less. I sighed stomping my feet over the ground furiously. The end of my dress already crinkled up because I couldn’t fidget anything that would help me release all the anxiety I was experiencing. Calm yourself, Nami. This is not the first date you’ve been to with him.

My heart raced in anticipating the moment my clock read 8:59. I turn my head to different directions looking for any signs that could tell me his presence but there was none. I couldn’t see the familiar brown, goldenish hair he had. I can’t hear him calling me princess anywhere.

I thought I was exaggerating when I told myself a minute of wait is like an hour but I wasn’t. I felt so hopeless when I read my clock for the nth time which said it’s been thirty minutes since the time he and I agreed to meet each other. I couldn’t help but check my phone every minute waiting for his call and I have been calling him only to reach his voicemail. He never told me that’s he’s going to be late so I’m still waiting for him. Mark wouldn’t tell me to meet him and not show up. He wouldn’t. Not for the third time, at least.

By the time my clock read 9:30, I gave up. I gave up but I couldn’t leave the bench I was sitting on. I gave up but my heart was still hoping he’d come. I gave up but my head was still somehow convincing me that he will show up. I leaned my back against the bench and I let out a sigh. I’ve probably left him a thousand missed calls but none of them, he accepted.

“Nami?”

I slowly lifted my gaze lazily knowing that it wouldn’t be Mark across me. I know his voice too well to mistake him for someone who just called me right now. It was familiar to me though so I figured it was someone I knew.

Tyler stood across me, his hands over his pocket, the other one holding a Starbucks cup. He was with a few guys I didn’t know and I don’t intend to know. “What are you doing here? Where’s Mark? I thought he’s going out with you that’s why he’s not doing the show with me today,”

Now that he mentioned him again, the more disappointed I felt. It was disappointing to think that the man you liked bailed on you – for the third time. I feel so embarrassed of what he did me. “Funny. I thought I was going to meet him today too.” I let out a sarcastic wheeze.

“I’ll meet you guys later,” I heard Tyler tell his friends and sat next to me. His friends started walking away from us. “Why isn’t he here? Where is he then?”

“I don’t know, Tyler! I don’t know what’s wrong with him anymore.” I finally exclaimed unable to control the anger building up inside me. “If he loves his work so much he should just marry his freaking department and I’d gladly come attend their wedding!”

I hear him snort which makes me dart to him. “Sorry. That came out really f*****g funny.” I groaned and looked away from Tyler before he start pisses me off. “But I think Mark’s been really busy recently. He rarely joins us since last week but I see him quite often with his affiliates in their department.”

Am I standing on the wrong side here? Am I getting mad over him for something he’s not responsible of doing. Maybe I should start understanding him more which I’m slowly accepting every time Mark does this to me. “He’s been pretty busy with their department, really.” That’s right. Understanding is the key to a successful relationship. I need to control my temper starting today so I don’t ruin what’s precious to me. “Are you going somewhere?”

He looked away, peering his eyes partly closed. “Later seven, I’m performing at the Town Square but for the rest of the day, I think I’m only scheduled to space out and walk around the city with the guys. Why’d you ask?”

“Can’t you be my friend today and pretend we’re still co-captains of the seniors dance team?” I turned to him and looked at him with piercing eyes of desperation. I needed to have a companion today or I’m going crazy. Hikaru wasn’t available today. Unfortunately, their department – yes, Hikaru is an officer of his department as well – decided to finish their booth Friday to Sunday. “I don’t think I can leave the day sane without having to spend the day with someone I can pour out my anger to.”

“And you’re really telling me that?” He glares at me making me press my lips together in realization of what I just said.

“No, I mean—”

“Do I look like a punching bag to you?” He arches his brow at me and I laughed.

“You know that’s not what I mean. I just really want to go out and forget this day ever happened. It feels really heavy in the chest you know. I’m sure you’ve experienced bad days like these and you’re lucky you have your friends to make up for it.”

He laughed. “Which is which are you really appointing me to do here?”

“Everything?”

He crossed his arms. “How much are we talking here?” He asked and I was startled when he suddenly talks about getting paid for comforting a friend for just a day for once. I think of a fair amount but all I could think of was a thousand bucks. “I was kidding, Nami. Still as gullible as you’ll ever be. Are we getting our a*s off or the plan’s to sit here for the rest of the day – because I’d be down for that shit.”

“Getting our a*s off,” I answered and stood.

He stood up after and turned to me with a questioning look which I didn’t know what to answer. “What do you want to do? Jump down a waterfall or—”

“That would be cool actually. Can we?”

“No, we can’t.” Oh. “Unless you really want to shatter that ankle of yours and never get to dance ever again.” He smirked and I rolled my eyes. He was still as caring as he was when we were still working together. “Why don’t we start by eating because I am hungry as f**k?”

“Now that you mention it, I am hungry”