Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Monday, the beautiful sun rise again. Andrew wake up early and went to the small island in Cebu name Malapascua Island it was situated in the Visayan Sea, 6.8 kilometers across a shallow from the northernmost tip of Cebu Island. It was so beautiful, green shade of the beach at the shore and blueish color at the deeper part of the beach. He was ask to take a photo of the event for the whole day.

“This is the perfect view that I saw in the internet” Justine said, “ I couldn’t believe how beautiful it is when I step down from the boat I am so speechless, the white sand was so perfect. I didn’t regret coming here.”

Andrew go to the resort and getting ready his camera for the opening. He was check in the room 10, he change his clothes for a formal attire and put his perfume. Any minute now the opening will be starting and he is ready to take photos. The opening is starting and the guests are coming and the music starts to play. Andrew take a photo of everyone, the smile in their faces show how happy they are. Some guest are couple happy together, there’s some individual enjoying the show. Andrew enjoy the photoshoot until he capture the lovely smile of a woman, Justine arrive at the resort dress like model in her blue gown, her blonde hair with a big curl on the edge that really fits in her bubbly face. Andrew smile in Justine’s photo, this time Andrew smile differently. After the welcoming the guest the staff starts to introduce the history of the island and the resorts as well. Justine sit in the middle of the room and Andrew is in front to take some photo. The food is starting to deliver in every guests, Justine is really hungry as she starts to eat she never miss every single menu, she tastes all the food and she is amaze in the deliciousness of the foods. Every bite of her lips feel her hunger from the excitement. After eating, she starts to walk on the shore and wait for the sun to set, while walking she take some photo of the nature to show it to her family and friends when she get back home to Oregon. While walking she touch the white sand and she couldn’t believe how softly the sand, it’s like a pebbles that really crash into small pieces. As she was amaze in the beauty of a nature a man came and introduce himself.

“Hi I’m Andrew the photographer I think you left your shoes in the shore back then near the resort. “

“Oh I’m so sorry, I’m really excited to take some pictures and I forget my shoes, thank you so much for your help, Justine said.”

“It’s okay I can’t blame you, it’s really beautiful here I hope your enjoy your stay here in my country”, Andrew said with a smile.

“So how’s my pictures in there, Justine pointed in Andrew’s camera,”

“you’re beautiful everyone is beautiful in the event he stutter. Justine laugh, that’s great she said.”

“ you’re done taking a picture”? ask Andrew,

“ yeah but I’m still waiting for someone,”

“someone? Andrew replied.

“ Yeah,

“Who, your boyfriend”? he ask teasing her

“No, I don’t have a boyfriend she slowly said,”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just joking. He said I’m really sorry, “

“No, it’s okay.” She said with a smile,

“So, who’s you waiting for”? he ask again

“Who? Or maybe what.”

“What?!, why what,” he curious

“I’m waiting for the sun to set,” she replied excitedly

“ Oh, really. You like the sunset?”,

“ Sunset is my favorite, it was like a song that means end, like in everything we do for a day a sunset is the sign that it was finish whether we like to end it or not.” I said confidently.

“ well, wow that’s really beautiful, he said.

Andrew said goodbye to Justine a minute. She take a selfie with the sun is set and Andrew secretly take a photo of Justine while looking at the sun to set.

“ beautiful,” he said.

At night, the party of the resort continue with a band singing some party songs. I go to my room to take some rest, it was seven o’clock and I send some pictures of mine to my best friend Melissa. I want to go at the party but I had no friends to go with. And I was so starving I want to eat, I go down and went to Cafeteria to take my dinner. In the middle of my dinner I saw Andrew taking a pictures of a couples dancing slowly. I watch them dancing and I felt really happy for them. They were dancing like they own the night, they were not afraid to show to everyone that they were in love. Suddenly Andrew came to me and make a conversation.

“ what are you doing?” Andrew ask in a loud voice

“ taking my dinner, I replied while looking to couples that still dancing.

“ what are you eating,?.” Cake again for a dinner, seriously, that’s what you eat at your dinner in your country,” he ask.

“ no, I just don’t have to eat right now. No more food to eat here, it’s only they got right now”.

“ ah okay. do you like to dance he ask, because you keep on looking to them.”

“ no. Not really, they just so beautiful to watch” I said with a smirk.

“ you know what, you don’t look happy to your dinner I know a place where the foods are so delicious and so yummy you gonna love it, I promise”

“ no, I’m okay. I’m still full, don’t worry.

“ okay if you don’t want to come I will buy you just stay here, okay.”

“ no, you don’t have to do it. I’m really okay”. I reply with a shy on my side

“ no, don’t worry about it. You’re on our country we don’t want the foreign tourist like you to feel disappointed on our hospitality.” He answer.

“ no I’m not disappointed I just I’m….. i said

“ what, you’re what?!”

“ I just feel awkward when you do something for me, I said awkwardly

“ why do you feel awkward”? He ask seriously

“ I don’t know, maybe because you’re too kind “ I said while looking in his eyes.

Andrew suddenly smile

“ why are you smiling”? I ask him seriously

“I just remember Mrs. Corazon and Henry, I was thinking if they were like this before.” He reply

I didn’t answer him because I was thinking something so I just smile agreeing with him.

Suddenly we both quite for a moment until the host of the party suddenly speak and he was inviting everyone to dance in the next song because it was dedicated to everyone in the resort.

“ everyone should be in the middle of the aisle to dance”, said the host.

“ you’re cake is melting said Andrew, you don’t really want to buy food,” he ask. “Look, he added, “do you want to go somewhere?”

“ what, where”?

“ somewhere out here, he said. “Buy you a dinner”.

“ okay, but we have to go back before ten because I will call my mom later”.

“ okay.”

And we run out while everyone is busy dancing. We go to the other side of the island where a small local restaurant was still open and were walking while talking about our own life. Andrew brought his camera and it’s still has a battery. He told me about living here in the Philippines and I was starting to like how he was talking, he talks like a man with a million secrets to hid, he doesn’t smile a lot but when he do he was like a lightning that will strikes inside of you.

“ so, how about you? Where you from?” He ask with curiosity

Before I answer, we reach the small local restaurant it’s not really a restaurant it was like store selling different kind of things and foods also. There was a old man maybe the owner that assist us and give us a chair to sit. We both sited facing each other and Andrew order a food in their own language.

“ what did you say, I ask

“ I just ordered a soup, they’re soup here is so delicious”, he added

“ okay, I’ m excited to taste it” I replied.

“ so, what’s your story? He ask.

“ I was a marketing specialist in Oregon, USA and I’m here for a vacation.

“ that’s it, that’s your story. No introduction, he said

“ is this a interrogation or something “ I replied

He laugh and I smile, we both silent for a moment until the old man turn the radio on and there was a music, I don’t understand the lyrics but the beat was good, the song was perfect for the night like that.

“ so, do you like taking a pictures? I ask but I didn’t look to him

“ yes, it was my dream job. I always like to take a pictures of things”. He open his camera and show to me his pictures of different people and places.

While waiting for our soup he keep on asking me questions that I don’t know how to answer, it’s not that I don’t know the answer it’s just so hard for me to explain my point of view, I’m not like this before, I was so confident to myself back then. We had a great conversation I ask him he reply instantly, he ask me and I think deeply before I answer him. After of many Q and A for both of us, finally our soup is arrive.

“ I promise you, you’re gonna love it”, he said confidently

“ oh really, are you sure?” I said with confidence too

“ every tourist that come here they immediately love this soup in just first taste”, he reply while getting ready to eat. “

He let me eat first because his wondering if I’m gonna love it in a first try, the soup was from the different sea foods with some onion, ginger, black pepper and some ingredients that I just tasted in that soup.

“ so, how’s the taste?” he ask

“ it was great, it was so tasty it’s kind a sweet with some spice in my throat” I said

“ so, you love it?” he ask me again

“ I like it, I said

“ you like it, but you don’t love it?”

“ well, what’s the difference between like it and love it. I think it’s just the same,” I complain

“ if you like a flower you will pick it but if you love the flower you will let it live”, he said with a smile

“ where not talking about the flower here, where talking about the soup,”

“ okay, you say it. “ he said.

We’re done for the soup and we’re still talking something, it was like unending interrogation for both of us. I ask him something about his job but I never ask him about his personal life, I think it’s being rude if you ask someone you just met about his personal life, so I didn’t even try to bother him and he never ask me about it too but instead he ask me about my family and my work. We had a great conversation again suddenly the song in the radio annoys me because they keep on playing a romantic songs as if we were in a date, that’s really awkward. I hope Andrew never notice that moment. I was starting to make a conversation when a song that I love starts to play, an old love song was on the radio, it was awesome I really love that song. The intro of the song was playing and he starts to say,

“ wow, what a moment. I love that song.” He said while looking at me

“no kidding, I love that song too.” I replied with a smile

“ so, do you like to dance”? He ask me politely

I was shock when he ask me, I don’t know what to say. I just stare in his eyes and wondering if he really meant what he said. I was in senior high when some guy ask me to dance, it was a prom night and I was talking to my friends when my childhood friend John Patrick ask me to dance. It was a wonderful feeling that you are dancing with someone that has something in your heart. My parents never knew that John Patrick and I had a past relationship but it never end up the way my parents do. We dated for three months and I said yes to him in the way home after our school class, it was raining that afternoon and I don’t have umbrella he put his jacket in my head and he walked with me we both get wet but he was so gentleman he protected me and I realized that moment that maybe he could be the man and it could be the right moment to said yes. He was talking and I interrupt him just to say yes to him.

There will come in our lives that we thought that we are on the right direction of our lives, that we thought that everything is alright. We hid our relationship because we’re just getting started and I don’t want my parents to know because I don’t want them to assume that John Patrick and I would be like them. Two days before valentine’s day we we’re suppose to having a dinner at six o’clock in Italian restaurant near our school. I went early and I saw him kissing someone I stop for a moment and I couldn’t believe to what I saw. I runaway as fast as I can be, I stayed at the park thinking what is wrong with me he started calling on the phone but I don’t wanna hear his voice that time so I texted him and say that I was going out with my mom. That was my first heart break.

“ so do you like to dance”? He ask me politely

He lift his left hand and I couldn’t say no because he is begging. I put my hands in his shoulder and he put his hands on my waist. And the song play and both of us looking in each other smiling, we never worry if someone is watching. He hold my hand tightly and never wants to let it go. I’m not in dancing but when we dance, I felt like I was professional dancer. I follow his moves, he lift my hands and he turn me around and hold my back so I wouldn’t fall and his face getting closer to mine and I couldn’t do anything but to fall in love with him. His eyes is the most beautiful eyes I ever seen in my life and his smile makes me feel freezing from nowhere. My heart, I knew is beating so fast that I don’t want to let him go. I want to keep him in my heart but I couldn’t say. While dancing he ask me why I love that song.

“ I love that song because my dad keep on singing that song every night to my mom” I said

“ my parents prove to me that true love exists and every time my father sing that song to my mom I felt the love too.” I continued while we were dancing

“ so do you feel the love now”? He ask quietly

“ I don’t know. Maybe yes and maybe no”. I said.

The song ended but my heart is still beating so fast that I couldn’t control it was my first time feeling this and I don’t know if it’s because of the song or the dance. After the dance Andrew borrow a guitar to some local guy who were having a party together. He starts to play the guitar and I never thought he could play.

“ do you know how to play guitar”? I ask him instantly

“ well, it’s been a long time but I still know some.” He said

“ well , what do you play”. I ask while looking in to his beautiful eyes

“ some songs from my childhood life”. He reply

And he starts to play and sing some song.

“Baby you are the reason of my smile. You are the light of my night and I, I can’t have you in my arms. Baby you are my everything”. His sing.

“wow, I can believe you can sing”. I said

“ my father taught me how to play guitar before he died and I love playing guitar because it reminds me of my time with my dad”. He confess.

That was crazy night. I never thought how romantic that night until I got back to my room and think about it for a moment and my heart is beating so fast that I couldn’t breath so well. I am dancing on my bed feeling crazy about our dance. His eyes while we’re dancing is smiling at me, it’s like a was drowning in his looking at me. I know it’s crazy but I think I like him. I think like him being with me and talking with him is like I am in a different world that I never been before. I keep cuddling in my bed that I couldn’t believe that I met someone that makes me feel in love again.

I love it. I loved that night.

I put my arms in his shoulder and I look in his eyes and I saw my smile jumping with happiness and my heart is running fast to catch you in my dreams. As you hold my hands I put my forehead next to you and you smile and I melted from your love. We dance in the night of love and sings in the night of dreams and I hold you in my arms and never let go of you but the world hold you back away from me but I never let you go. I was shot in my heart but I keep holding on because you are my life, you are my world and you are the best part of my life. My tears fall in my hand and you’re gone. And I was alone again.