Morning came quickly, as did eleven "o" clock. Miya had managed to have another quarrel with Jimmy, and now, they were both not talking to each other. It was during this time of crisis, that little Ben came to the rescue.
He noticed as his mother sat on the couch, bathed, and yet, still dressed in her pyjamas. Jimmy was standing near a window and resolutely looking outside.
The little boy huffed.
Elders could be so immature.
So he walked over to the centre of the room, folded his arms across his chest, and called out loud.
"What happened?"
It was as if Jim had been waiting to blast off. He quickly took advantage of the opportunity and turned around.
"Ask your mother, champ," he said reprovingly, "She started it!"
Miya didn"t like the snide undertone in Jim"s voice.
So she approached her son, bent on her knees, and held him close by both shoulders.
"Baby, this man does not know a thing about motorbikes. And yet he insists the Kawasaki Ninja H2 series" bikes are better than my Suzuki Hayabusa. Yes, they are new and modelled better, but the Hayabusa has its own forte that it holds. You see, baby, the mileage and superior quality of –"
And she rambled on about stuff that Ben didn"t understand at all. He did give his mommy the most sincerest expression possible though, as if he understood the matter completely. He even held her hand and nodded his head, silently a.s.suring her that he would take care of the matter completely.
He then turned around to face Jimmy.
Jim had also come to the other side of the boy, and had crossed his arms over his chest. He waited impatiently for Miya to finish off her defence. When the boy looked at him for explanation, he immediately began.
"The Kawasaki Ninja is better, champ!" he said haughtily, "The H2R series that was recently launched has been ranked number two in the world"s fastest bikes list. Hayabusa still stands at sixth! Tell me, how is it better? And really, your mother insists on wearing those torn jeans that are in fashion these days! Can"t she be reasonable? She has wounds on her knees!"
Ben frowned, and shot a look at Miya"s legs. They were covered by her pyjamas. But he did nod at Jimmy in understanding, and then shoved his small hands into his pockets.
Miya had the premonition that the tables could turn against her, so she sprang up into action again.
"My injury is almost healed! And Ben, baby, you know mommy doesn"t like wearing dresses. I look so bad in them! And I have to go to a very important meeting today, and your friend won"t let me have my clothes. Tell him to give back my bag!"
Ben looked at Jim.
Jim shot Miya a filthy glare.
"Why in the world would I take your bag? I just had it thrown out." He said coolly, and Miya wanted to break his face.
What the f*** did he mean, had it thrown out?!
She was ready to holler her guts out at him, when Ben frowned deeply, a valley forming between his slight eyebrows. He then gave both adults an exasperated look.
"Jimmy," he then said in a small voice, "You shouldn"t take other people"s things without permission. It"s bad manners. Say sorry to mommy."
Jim"s face dropped. This mommy"s brat!
Whereas Miya almost danced in joy.
Now that was her son!
But the tables did turn, especially with Ben"s next words.
"But mommy, you looked very pretty in your dress yesterday. You should listen to Jimmy. Otherwise your legs will get hurt."
Miya looked at Ben sh.e.l.l shocked, feeling as if she had been betrayed by the world. Jim"s face was smug, and he was gloating with happiness.
Oh, little Ben! Wasn"t he an angel!
However, the final verdict remained. Ben himself was confused as to it, so he said simply, "And regarding the motorbikes. I don"t think you should fight. If mommy like the Haybike, you should let her like it Jimmy. And mommy, if Jimmy like Ninjbike, you should not fight with him. You both should shake hands."
As Ben made the most reasonable remark of the century and looked at the two adults expectantly, the atmosphere between the three of them grew tense. Miya was suddenly looking at the boy with stars in her eyes, as if she was the most fortunate person on earth. Meanwhile Jimmy was simply impressed.
Should he directly get the boy admitted to Harvard?
When the two adults had shaken hands, and muttered a "Sorry" simultaneously, Ben was satisfied. He smiled at them both, unaware that his dazzling smile had both the mother and his friend slightly dazed. He trotted away happily, picking up Jimmy"s novel to read.
As the clock hit 11, Miya was standing at the entrance of a small café called D"Lite. It was only about a kilometre away from the hotel Golden Compa.s.s, but a rather buzzing place. It wasn"t in a posh area, it was a regular café with several people stopping by for breakfast. Jim had chosen the kind of place where they would be comfortable to meet, without the chances of being overheard.
She had a reservation for table twenty two.
When Miya walked in, she was somewhat nervous. She saw the familiar silhouette of Rebecca, and realized that the older woman had arrived early. When Becky saw Miya approach towards her, she smiled.
A slight surprise also flickered in Becky"s eyes as she looked at the girl from head to toe.
Somehow, Miya"s nervousness grew. She averted her eyes, and then took the seat before Rebecca.
Silence pa.s.sed between them.
Through small glances, she noticed that Becky was again dressed in a black skirt, and a light blue blouse. This time though, she had let her hair fall to her shoulders, and she was using contacts instead of gla.s.ses. She looked stunning.
Miya also noticed how she had covered the marks of her injuries perfectly with make up. If she hadn"t bruised her on the lip herself the night before, she would never have been able to notice the slight b.u.mp above her upper lip, that was now almost invisible.
Miya shrunk in her own chair, somehow feeling smaller.
Due to Ben"s insistence, and failure in retrieving her bag, of course, she had dressed herself in a plain dark-blue dress, the simplest one she could find among the hordes of clothes that Jimmy Hunter had lined up before her. Her knees were visible, and so were the bandages wrapped around them. She was horrible with make up, so the swell on her cheek was showing, even slightly red.
Miya instantly felt uncomfortable.
Becky, however, just gazed at the girl thoughtfully, and then chose to speak first.
"You know, Miya," she said smoothly, "You surprise me. Yesterday, you were ready to rip my throat off, and now, you won"t even look into my eyes."
Miya fidgeted in her seat.
"I was angry," she said.
Becky smiled.
"Because of that guy. I see."
It was exactly then, that Miya decided to get directly to the point.
"Sis Becky," she said rapidly, "Don"t beat around the bush, please. Tell me what"s going on! Why would you ever date a person like that? And the way you cried… you were so weak… it just…"
"p.i.s.sed you off, huh?"
Miya nodded helplessly. Becky"s own face turned sharp.
"I know , Miya," she said, "It p.i.s.sed me off too, especially when you made that comment on not respecting me anymore. A lot has been going on, dear one. And I told you long ago to wait for a picture to unfold before coming to a conclusion. You"ve certainly bettered your skill in fight, but have you forgotten everything that I taught you?"
Miya hadn"t expected Becky to turn master on her so suddenly. She didn"t make a reply. Becky sighed, and then continued.
"I would die before I fall that low, Miya. I"ve done my share of stupidity, but I do know when to stop. If I"m with someone like that, there"s a reason."
Miya"s eyes shot up.
"You"re on to your uncle," she said incredulously, "It has got something to do with that!"
Becky nodded.
That simple nod was enough for Miya to sag in relief. It felt like all weight from her head had been dissolved. That nod was more sufficient than her words. Becky hadn"t totally lost herself after all.
"What happened, sister?" Miya asked her, somewhat weakly, and Rebecca"s face darkened. She shrugged, and then said, "It"s a long story, and I"m here to tell you all details. But you have to talk to me first. Why do you know Jimmy Hunter?"
The question came to Miya as a surprise. She quickly looked away, as her face paled, and began to draw circles on the desk with her index finger. Becky noticed the motion.
Miya was nervous.
"H-He… we"re friends," she muttered in a low voice, hating that her voice came out so weak.
"Okay," Becky said sternly, "Now, the truth."
Miya didn"t know what to say, but she did know that she couldn"t expect Becky to tell her all her truth without sharing anything with her in return. They were meeting after a long time after all.
"We"re married," Miya finally said the impossible words, surprising even herself at the sound of them.
Becky"s reaction was instant.
"What!" she yelled, standing up from her chair. However, when she saw the unfazed sincerity in her junior"s eyes, and the people around that stared at her, she sat back down. Her next set of questions were a rapid frenzy though.
"How? When? Where? Why?!"
Miya looked at Becky helplessly and chuckled. Then she said in a quiet voice, "Can"t say."
Becky looked at her dubiously. She stared at her for a long time, and then finally muttered, "Contracted?"
Miya chose not to respond. Becky knew her silence was affirmation.
The news had shocked her terribly, so she gulped sown an entire gla.s.s of water before asking, "You don"t have a thing for him now, do you?"
Albeit Miya"s heart fastened at the question, but she hurriedly shook her head.
Becky seemed relieved. Then, she shot her another one.
"And he? Does he –"
Miya recalled the numerous incidents of him flirting with her, and last night, when they had talked about her first kiss. She also recalled the several times he had landed a peck on her cheek and the one time she had done the same.
Shrugging uncomfortably, she again shook her head in a "No".
Becky looked at the girl with hawk eyes. Then, she let the matter go.
They ordered coffee, and sipped on it for a long while. In between, they both asked with concern how the other was, if their injuries still hurt, and if they had slept soundly late night. When a half hour had pa.s.sed though, Miya began to grow worried.
Becky still hadn"t said a word about herself.
Just then though, at around 11:50 the door to the café opened again. The place was still filled with customers. But the one who entered this time, was a rather small girl. She carried a drawing book with herself, and headed straight for their table.
Miya"s eyes found the approaching girl first.
When Becky followed the gaze and she saw the little girl coming, her face automatically brightened up and spread into a smile.
"Darling!" she called out.
It was at those words that the girl beamed too and ran towards Rebecca. She embraced the woman with all her might, and then stood beside her chair obediently.
Becky smiled proudly at Miya.
"You remember the man from last night, Miya?" she said with a smile, "This is his daughter."
Miya frowned, unable to understand. But when she was met with the little girl"s beaming face and expectant eyes, she immediately mumbled a "h.e.l.lo".
The girl nodded enthusiastically, and looked up at Rebecca. Becky patted her head, and then said in a soft voice, "That"s Aunty Miya."
The girl looked at Miya again and smiled.
Miya"s eyes fell on Becky, and she raised her brows in question.
It was in that moment that Becky sighed softly.
"She can"t talk," she told Miya, then looked at the girl, "But isn"t she the most adorable little creature ever?"
The girl practically danced at Becky"s words, whereas Rebecca hugged her again.
Miya"s confusion mounted towers.
What the h.e.l.l was going on?