His Memories of Her

35th

“Can you be quiet for a moment? I just need to call my mom.” He said with pleading tone then putting his phone on his ear.

I nods to him a smile as I keep my head and gaze on his side watching the other side which is pretty slightly visible.

“Hey mom. How are you?” he said. I smiled as to how his voice sound like talking to his mom.

“Yeah, about next week. Do not cook too much. I will also be cooking for us.” He added, responding to his mother that made me smile as I could hear his mom scolding him to the other side of the phone.

And I also heard her say “So, are you coming with someone her?” that I could feel clearly that it is me they are talking about and it is confirmed when he suddenly but quickly he turned his eyes sideways just to me. I wanted to laugh as to how ridiculously funny of how his eye balls moved while his eye lids are open widely that thankfully my reflexes are great as I also quickly turned my head to the other way.

“Yes! So, I will be hanging up now since I have told you everything already. Wait for my call since I will be working in advance so I could take a two-day leave.” He said frantically before he hangs up the call to his mom. I smiled looking at the car window's glass as I see his reflection as he quickly put his phone to his pocket. The sight that I never would have thought I will see.

He is so composed kind of person at work and even though I hate to say this, his confidence is really high which I could see how and why somehow. And this morning when I came to his office, I found everything so organized. Literally everything in their what he calls designated places. And when he told me about how I ruined his schedule, I realized how organized he is. So, him being frantic and nervous is really something I would have never know until this moment.

The drive that felt so long came to an end when I saw a mansion. A mansion that is ten times the size of my house, apartment which is located in the priciest building in the city since it is very spacious but sadly, nothing compared to his which I could only see from the outside.

“Seriously? Why someone like you needs to live in the O.R. everyday when you have something like this?” I exclaimed as we drive down to his basement parking lot.

“I would answer that if you could since I could say everything exactly back to you.” He spoke.

He is not wrong, I hate to admit it but my family, my parent’s legacy is just like his. I am not really familiar of how big our company is, but I know it is big enough to make my brother stop from continuing his prosecutor course and to be away from his family eleven months a year to go on his business trips. And even I have not seen everything we own for the past ten years I am awake; all I could say is I will kill my brother if he has something like this.

The imported sports cars lined up one after another in this big parking lot of his that came into full view once the light has turned on one by one. He has all the brand you could think of, even colors that made me wonder.

“So, how come you are driving this truck everyday when you have all these kinds of cars here?” is the thought that I thought until I said it out loud.

He chuckles as we pass by the cars and park the one, we are riding right now to the last parking space that is near to entrance. He turned off the engine before he said “They are all gifts and some are winning bets. This one is the one I spent my money with.” And climb down the car after he motioned me to wait.

I watch him as he walks towards my side and open my door and lend his hand to me that I took as I climb down after grabbing my bags and followed him when he said “Can you open the elevator?” and points towards the only part of the whole parking lot that is in color silver.

“I could not say anything anymore. I am speechless.” I said as I walk towards the elevator and push its button that made the door opens which stayed open while I stay inside waiting for him to unload the car and put it to another cart.

“You have a cart?” I exclaimed inside the elevator that quickly I feel ashamed as my voice echoed together with his laughter after the first echo was made.

“Ssshhhh…. You will wake my wolves.” He said that made my eyes go wide.

I look around and said as low as I could “You have wolves here?” and full of fright.

He looks at me for a moment as he pushes the cart towards where I am after locking the car and to my guess the entrance to the parking lot. When he is fully in, he took one look around before he pushes the button that indicates the first floor out of a total of four floors with the parking lot and basement which made me wonder to what is in the basement or is it even normal to have a basement.

Once the doors are closed, he suddenly said “What do you think?” in a such low voice that made me shiver in fright.

“Who keeps wolves aside from zoos?” I blurted out as I push myself as close as I could to the back wall of the elevator while feeling his gaze on me.

Soon after he chuckle and said “Relax I do not have them as pets but I guess there are some around and maybe who knows even bears?”

As soon as taking what felt like my last breath, I look at him with fright in my face and said “Why do you have to live in a mountain that is surrounded of trees?”

He chuckles again until the elevator dings and the doors open up as I could see it at the corner of my eyes as my gaze did not leave him and he finally respond and said “Do not have to worry, I have been living here for five years but I have not encountered them even once, it is just that I could hear them howling at night sometimes.” Looking at me with a mischievous smile before he walks out of the elevator making me shift my gaze and blown me away by the sight of the inside of the gorgeous white mansion outside that we passed by before entering his underground parking lot.

Everything is in shade of white, black, gray, silver and brown as the wooden furniture that even from ten feet of distance, I could tell that they are all antiques. It is your typical bachelor’s house, a single man who is earning too much and decided to make his home like a department store of house furniture.

We came to his kitchen which suddenly made me guess why the elevator is in this area, it is just simply because it is easy for the groceries to bring in this kitchen that is so spacious that you could even held a party of the whole hospital staff and would still be enough to double the amount of people. Could accommodate to dine two dozen of people with this long dining table which is made by wood, not just by a simple wood. A wood that is cut half from a big tree's trunk and so it’s chairs that seems so precious enough to not let me put my bags on the chair after walking slowly out of the elevator.

“Make yourself at home.” Henry said which came to me as vague as it could as I am so busy looking around although there is nothing here except the kitchen and everything it could have and the living room which came to view when I exited a certain door from the kitchen. As soon as I came out of the kitchen, what greeted me is the monstrous led television that has occupied the whole wall in front of the accent sofas which made me feel like I made it back in time, as it looks like it is hundred years old and so is the table stand and everything else aside from the television and the cabinets that are full of drawers which are in black modern design. But what caught my attention are the display cabinets that have everything in antiques, such vases and even plates and everything else which I thought it would only that until I came to the very corner where a display cabinet that have pictures in it.

There are pictures of which I guess is his family where his mother and father when they just got married standing in the middle of two middle aged couples at that time which is pretty easy to guess of whose parents is who. Then there is another photo where the married couple is sitting in the middle of his father’s parents holding a baby who looks so handsome even though he was just born a couple of days before the picture was taken. He is so handsome that I want to open the cabinet and take it out so I could take a better look on it, but I could not so I smiled in disappointment. The other pictures were his with different accomplishments of his in schools such as winning as MVP of basketball in his grade school time, then another when he was in middle school and there, I see next to it the one taken from when I guess was in high-school since I see myself beside him in the middle of his whole team while he holds their and his trophy in his hands.

“Just what am I to you at that time?” I mumbled to myself as I stare to this certain picture for a good amount of time before I moved to the layer of his graduation pictures which I see myself once again with him, beside him while we both wear a triumph smile like we have won a lottery or something which is surprisingly gave me a stabbing feeling both in my mind and heart.

“Irene, is past OK with you? It is pretty late so I could not think of anything easier than that.” Henry’s voice that made me turn my head to look at him whose walking towards me or so I thought until he seems to be running.

“What happened?” he emailed with a worried and frightened expression.

“Nothing. Pasta is fine as long as it is edible.” I simply said in slightly joking tone until my voice somehow cracked at the end.

“Then why are you crying?” he said that shock me.

I quickly touch my cheeks and found them wet and made my realize that I am really crying even though I do not really know why so I giggle and said “I did not know. Sorry, I might have scared you.” I said as I wipe my tears that just keeps rolling down and even became unstoppable as my vision became clouded.

“I am fine. I was just looking around.” I said reassuring him who have never shift his gaze away from me.

I look up to him and only now I could see him looking around until his eyes drop to the display cabinet in front of us and said “Why are you crying right now when you were so happy in these photos.” He said with a sad smile.

“Is it because you missed me all these years?” he added laughing awkwardly.

“If that is the case, I am so happy right now I could die. If that is not it, then please do not tell me as I would like to think it that way.” He added again looking into my wet eyes.

He takes a few steps towards me which caught my breath in my throat as his hands, his warm palms landed on my cheeks and his thumbs started to move as they wipe my last tears which I thought would never come until this moment. He looks at me with his eyes full of mix emotions. Sadness, care and longing as they look at me while his lips for into a smile and said “I should have never told you to make yourself at home so that you would have not gone in here where and when you know nothing about. Well, that is one part of me wanted to say and the other part could not help but to be thankful because right now I get to find out that deep inside of you, something still remembers me like how I have been wishing all these years.”

I want to say something, ask him or tell him something but to my surprise, nothing would come out when I tried opening my mouth and so I could not help but to smile a little as I felt happiness from what I just heard from him.

“Well, the night is still young, we have a long night of story telling and listening to do and because of that I need to go back to the kitchen as I feel like the pasta will be over cook.” He said wiping the remaining tears or the wet part of my cheeks as I am not really sure because all I could think of is how his hands feels like on my cheeks which are warm and hot right now.

I smile to him and nod which he took as a sign that I will be fine now so he could let go of my cheeks that made me feel lonely somehow.

“Stay here or you could come with me so we could have a little refreshment.” He said before completely turning his back on me.

“I love the sound of refreshment.” I said, more like exclaimed as my voice went to a higher pitch which I guess made me seem excited. Excited enough to make him chuckle and extend his hand to me. I look at it for a second and without further thinking I took it and hold it tight enough to make me feel the warmth I felt on my cheeks earlier, it feels so warm on my hand, his hand that is. The walk towards the kitchen, feel so short specially when he let go of my hand, when we came in front of the kitchen counter where he let me sit on the counter chair that I did not notice when I was looking around.

The kitchen counter that I thought was nothing special until now that I see the almost invisible fragments of broken glasses. Pieces of broken colored glasses that was put together by the white marble which made it breath takingly beautiful, such a sight that I have never seen. Well, I have never been into this kind of house which everything is just really too much for me to imagine of how they cost.

“White or red?” Henry said that took my attention away from the counter that have received a good amount of friction by my hand rubbing on it.

“Red?” I said seeing him looking to his fridge of wines.

“Red it is, dry or normal?” he said that made me look at him with slight annoyance.

I sigh and walk towards him, look over to almost twenty bottles of wine in different kinds. Red and white, dry and not, sparkling and not which made me feel like I do not want to drink some anymore. So, I look at him and said “You know what? Just enlighten me. I do not know anything towards wine, so, I will just leave it to you.” I said as I walk towards the mini bar counter where his wine glasses are hanging up, I took two and bring it with me to the kitchen counter while he is still dwelling over his bottles of wines.

“Just pick a champagne. No other color and will surely suits whatever you are cooking.” I said as I settle myself on the stall.

“You are right.” He said putting both bottles that were in his hands and pick one black bottle that when it came to my full view given me the chance to know the name of it, written as “Ferrari” making my eyes go wide.

 “Am I that ignorant not to know that even a brand of car has its own champagne?” I thought to myself.

Or so I thought until Henry chuckles while walking towards me and said “I did not even know that I have it. I just feel like it would be something you might like.” Putting the bottle on the counter.

“Well, I am more of a hard kind of drinker but who knows, I might finally find my destined wine.” I said in joking tone while shrugging my shoulder as I watch him opening the lid of the bottle which given me a chance to notice that he has change into a plain V-neck white shirt which fits him perfectly in so many ways.

“Is that so? Now I feel ashamed.” He said in a disappointed tone.

“Why?” I said while my gaze did leave his hand on the lead of the bottle as it went upwards seeing his biceps growing, making a big hump on his arm as he pulls the cork of the bottle while using his bare hands instead of wine cork opener.

The sight of his muscles somehow made my throat thirstier that I feel like I could not wait anymore for the champagne to be poured in my glass.

“Sorry for the wait.” He said when I finally a plopping sound that came from the cork leaving the mouth of the bottle and finally took my attention away from his unwantedly gorgeous biceps.

“It is fine, but I do really feel so thirsty.” I said as I extend my hands towards him with the glasses on it for him to pour for the both of us.

He chuckles as he started pouring into our glasses and lift up his when it reaches the base corner and said “Cheers to our reunion!” giddily making me giggle as well and yell “Kanpai!” the Japanese term of cheers.