Then he came even closer to me and took my hand. “I am wrong and I admit it, but I have never lied to you and how I feel for you. I hope you don't lose your trust in me just because of a mistake that I didn't intend because I wanted you not to get angry and hurt.”
He kissed my hand.
"I'll go, I'll be back when you're ok."
He let go of my hand and was about to leave but I couldn't stand him either so I immediately called.
"Jr.," He turned to me. "Don't do it again!" He smiled and then approached me.
"Are we ok?" he asked.
"Why do you think I can sleep when we get into a fight?" He approached me and then kissed my forehead.
"No, sorry, love."
"What do you call me?"
"Love, because I love you." I stopped shivering while smiling. "That's thrilling." Simultaneously poke at my side.
"I'm tickled," I say stubbornly.
"Tell me first, love," he said then poked my side again.
"Jr. that's enough!" I shouted.
"Love." He said with a grimace and then poked my side again.
"Love, that's enough." He stopped tickling me and then stared into my eyes.
“Always remember, Mia, no matter what happens I love you very much. You are not the first in my heart, but no matter what happens you are the last and I will never leave you.” I saw that his eyes were red. "Only death can separate us."
Here I saw the tears.
"Hey! Why are you crying?" I also cried questioning him. Jr. suddenly hugged me tightly. He didn't speak the more he just tightened his hug on me.
Jr. held my face as he closed his eyes.
WE ARE here in mom’s garden. He was sitting on the grass and I was lying on his lap.
"Hey what are you doing?" I asked when he place her hand on my face.
"Nothing, I'm just memorizing your face."
“What do you memorize? It’s scary, it’s like you’re saying you’re going to be blind.” He laughed because of what I said.
“No, that's what mama used to do to us. It's as if when someone leaves and we miss them, we'll just hold on to anything that's closed and you'll think the face of the person who missed that thing is as if we touched him as well.”
"Really?" I stood up and trimmed him.
"Yes,"
"Isn't it almost the same shape as the face when you touch it, it's not like the nose because there's a bulge when you feel it, you know if it's a nose or a piercing."
"Come on, try." He lay down on my thigh.
I closed my eyes and touched his forehead, his ear, both eyes, his nose, his mouth, and his whole face. I did that to him over and over again before I opened my eyes.
"Hold on to it." He took the plywood that mama had set aside at the side of his plant. He put it in front of me. "Hold that and think of my face when you touched it."
I did what he said, I touched and thought of what I had touched earlier while closing my eyes. Jr.'s forehead, ear, eyes, nose, mouth, and whole face. It was as if I had imagined the face that I had touched earlier.
When I opened my eyes I saw him smiling.
"What?" he asked.
"We can separate now, I can hold you anywhere as long as I close my eyes."
He pouts because I said so.
"Hello." We turned to Janel followed by mama and papa.
"They're already here," Jr. said then stood up first. "I'm going home so you can rest and you need to be beautiful on our wedding day."
Of course, it's only been two months and we've been married.
"Jr!" the five of us looked at each other when we heard a loud call to Jr.'s name from outside. "Jr!" again shout whoever was outside as the gate rattled.
We went out together to see who was that noisy and Janel and I was both surprised to see Amanda.
"Hey!" Janel shouted and then Jr. squeezed my hand.
"Who is that?" mama whispered.
"Sister of Jr's first girlfriend who also likes him," Janel replied.
“What? why she's here? Then she looks drunk,” Dad whispered.
"What do you need Amanda?" Jr. asked the woman calmly.
“JR! I LOVE YOU!!!!" she cries that starting to grab people’s attention.
"That bitch" said Janel.
"Hey!” mama scolded.
"Go home, Amanda, I'll call a tricycle to take you."
"NO!" its stubbornness. “Jr,‘ don’t you love me too? Jr I love you but Ade also loves you so I let her. But I really love you Jr.” She says while kneeling.
I don’t know if I will feel sorry for her or be annoyed. I understand that it’s hard to love someone that don’t love you. But not in the part where you have to scandalize and beg to be loved back by the person you love.
I may not have experienced it yet but just in case, even with Jr., I will not beg him to love me.
“I don't love you, Amanda, I like you, yes, but I didn't love you, it's been a long time, we were still in high school, our batchmates already have grandchildren.”
"NO." then she stood up. “What's with that woman and why can't you leave her? Is it because she looks like Ade, I also look like Ade! She's my sister after all! Is it because of the clothing? I can do the same. Tell me, what do you want Jr? I can do everything that makes you happy so you can love me back.”
"Desperate," Janel said laughing. "You are nothing compared to my sister no matter what you do. You're just wearing make-up but that habit of yours stinks and the smell is even more pungent than rotten fish.”
I never heard mama scold Janel, not even papa, and was also quiet.
“Why, how clean is your sister? Didn’t that she go with a drug pusher?”
"Stop!" Jr. shouted.
“Why, isn't it true! That she stinks even more than me, because her boyfriend disgusted her before leaving, you just came back ------”
She didn’t finish what she was going to say because I gave her a taste of the crunchy slap. Even my parents did not move because they were both surprised.
I grabbed her from Jr.'s grip and then held her cheek tightly.
"You have no right to judge me because you do not know me and you do not know what I went through. I’m not as dirty as you think just because I became the ex of a drug pusher who truly loved me. Not like you. The person you love doesn't love you, you're still begging to be loved back. Maybe you lack care and love of the family so you are begging for the love of others.”
I threw her away to let her know I was joking. She hit Jr. so he didn't fall completely. But she also straightened up and approached me immediately.
"How dare you!"
“Don't go near my daughter. Or else I will hit you with this flower that is even more expensive than your face,” said mama.
"I'm going to sue you for slapping me!" she shouted.
"Is that so?" After I said that I also slapped him on the other side. "There's a couple, add to the case."
I ignored them because I am done with her. I heard Jr. shouting at Amanda while the woman was crying.
‘I’m going to beat you up more so you have a lot of reason to cry there.’