CHAPTER 17: A DISAPPOINTING APPOINTMENT
THE GIRL WHO CAN’T DATE
By Eleventh
CHAPTER 17: A DISAPPOINTING APPOINTMENT
PRESENT
‘Going somewhere?”
Ira yelled from the kitchen when she saw her daughter passing by all dressed up.
Noticing that her mother has been busy, she went in to check and was surprised to see a lot of food prepared on the table.
“Are we having a party? What’s the occasion?”
“Well, I am celebrating something and I have guests coming.” She answered checking the cookies she baked in the oven. Standing up, she took notice of her daughter’s outfit. “You’re not going to school, are you? School guards won’t let you in with THAT outfit.”
Raine wore a cropped top and a ripped high-rise loose jeans. Her short hair was half tied into a bun, showing the pink highlights of her bottom hair.
“Got no class today so I’m hanging out with my friends at a café. Anyway, who’s coming again?”
“Usher is coming.” Ira winked.
Raine shrieked. “Reaaaally? We were on a phone call earlier and he didn’t mention he’s coming.”
“Because I wanted to surprise you, duh!” Usher declared as he barged in through the door carrying a box of cake.
“Uncle Usher!!!” Raine greeted her uncle with an embrace.
“You two are really close, huh?” Ira noticed.
“So, what’s the occasion? It’s not your birthday yet.” Usher and Ira exchanged glances and then smiled at Raine.
“You haven’t told your daughter, yet?”
“Tell me what?”
“I will. Today!” Ira smiled teasing her daughter.
“Is she the only one who doesn’t know yet?” Usher added the teasing.
“Okay! What is up, guys? You have to tell me now because I’m about to leave.”
“Do you really have to leave, Raine?” Usher opened the cake that says, “Congratulations!”
“Congratulations?” Raine got even more curious.
“Honey! Can you cancel your appointment today? Today is an important day for me.” Ira pleaded.
Raine felt torn. Her appointment at the café is something considered important to her too. However, she doesn’t want to miss the gathering either.
“You should have told me ahead of time, Mom! I have something important to do today.”
“Everyone’s coming, you know!” Ira pursed her lips with a smile as she placed the plates and cutleries on the table.
“Are you expecting more visitors?” her daughter asked.
“Yeah! Your other uncles, aunties, and cousins are coming. I invited Joey and Camille too.” Then the doorbell rings. “I think it’s them. I’ll open the door.”
Ira left the kitchen to open the door for Joey and Camille who arrived with a bouquet of flowers. Raine could hear them congratulating her mother.
“Camille?” Raine was confused. That wasn’t the name she read in the journal. “Uncle, is that supposed to be Uncle Joey’s wife? Shouldn’t her name be Fiona?”
Usher looked at his niece with a scornful look while taking out some wine glasses from the cabinet. “Fiona? Who’s that? How can you not know Joey’s wife? You’ve met her a couple of times, didn’t you?”
“I did but we were never introduced to each other.” She whispered as the adults entered the kitchen.
Beep!
Raine received a message from Miguel.
[Where are you? I’m here at Coffee Works]
[Still at home. Coming!]
[The owner is here. But I don’t think he’s gonna stay for the day, so you gotta be here now or else you’ll miss him.]
“I’m sorry, Mom! But I guess I’ll have to miss the celebration.”
“You haven’t told Raine yet?” Joey answered. “Your mom finally gave her resignation letter at Grayson Academy. That’s what we are celebrating for.”
Rained got annoyed. She wanted her mom to answer but here’s the so-called friend answering for her.
“What’s there to celebrate when she just lost her job?”
“I didn’t lose it, Raine.” Ira tapped Raine’s shoulder to assure her that it’s okay. She could feel Raine’s frustration. “I let it go.”
“But why? You love your job.”
“I do. I do love to teach. But I just realized that I wanna try something new.” She explained while getting the cookies out of the oven.
“And what is that?” Raine asked again while getting distracted by the smell of butter cookies.
“Your mom and I are going to start a business.” Camille explicated. “A cafe. I’ll do with the drinks while she takes care of the baked goods.”
Raine couldn’t still believe how her mom changed her career, but this is not the time to get flustered about someone else’s decision. She decided to miss the reunion with her uncles and the fun for something she considered bigger.
____________________________________________________
AT COFFEE WORKS
“Is that him? The one with long hair?”
Raine and Miguel hid behind a car parked outside Coffee Works. They’ve been spying on this fortyish man, long-haired, silver-beard, buffed and sexy in fit and plain gray shirt.
“Are you sure he’s not your father? Because no matter how I try to look at it, you just look exactly like him.”
Raine looked at his friend with piercing eyes.
“Do you realize that you’re like telling me that I am not my dead father’s daughter?”
Miguel bit his tongue after realizing his mistake and said, “Sorry!”
Though that was a bit off to her, Raine couldn’t somehow disagree. She has been doubting her identity all her life. Looking different is her greatest insecurity, and finding someone that looked like her makes her feel that she’s close to the answers.
“Let’s go in!”
Raine, at her signal, went inside the café and searched for a perfect spot where she can take a closer look at the owner. They sat at the corner close to the counter where the owner was standing. He was giving instructions to the newly hired staff.
“What’s your plan?” Miguel whispered.
“I don’t have a plan.”
“Ow! Maybe we should order first?”
“Yeah, we should.” Raine looked at her friend intently. “Can you go there and order for me?”
“Sure. I’ll get your favorite.”
Miguel left Raine to get their order. While he was being friendly and acting cute with the attendant, Raine was watching the owner of the café. Then she weaved a heavy sigh and thought how stupid of her to suddenly appear without a plan.
What is she going to do?
Should she approach him?
How? And what will she say?
Suddenly, she snapped out from thinking when she saw Miguel talking to the owner. More agitated when the man looked at her with a smirk.
“Told the man you wanted to talk him!” Miguel said, placing the drink on their table and winked at Raine as he sat somewhere far.
“What?! I didn’t say…”
Raine wasn’t able to finish her words because the old man had sat across her. He leaned his elbows on the table with clasped hands.
“So! How may I… oooh!” Taken aback, the old man scrutinized the lady in front of her. His eyebrows crinkled and thought he was looking at the mirror. “Are you... are you my relative?”
Raine seized the moment and gathered her courage to say the words that she’d wanted to say to this man.
“Sir! I’ll be brazen. This might sound crazy but can I ask for a strand of your hair? I just need a DNA sample.”
The next thing that had happened was beyond Raine’s expectations.
“HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Wait! Oh my goodness!” the old man laughed hysterically. Raine felt so dismayed. “HA-HA-HA! You want my DNA sample? W-wait! Don’t tell me you’re thinking that I’m… oh my, are you? Are you seriously thinking… that I’m your father?”
Raine took a sip of soda.
“I-I just want to…”
“Look, kid! I don’t think I’m your father. I can’t be anyone’s father. Being a father is the laaast thing I’ll become.” The old man can’t keep his grin. His smile was charming but to Raine, it was annoying.
“My mother is…” Raine pushed but the old man silenced her.
“Ssssh! Ssssh! Please… you don’t have to tell me who your mother is. I probably won’t be able to remember her. I slept a lot of girls when I was younger, girls I won’t try to remember the face, how much more their names. Tsk!”
Raine clenched her fist in anger. She couldn’t believe how this respectable-looking man turned out to be a jerk after all.
“You know what, sir? You’re right. I’m probably wrong about my conceptions. I don’t think my mom would date a douchebag.”
The old man was unbothered.
“Douchebag! A lot of people do call me that.” he beamed.
“Excuse me, Mr. C!” The attendant called for the owner’s attention. “You’ve got a call from the branch manager of Iligan.”
“Give me a second, Pauline. I’m coming!” Mr. C, the owner of the cafe, answered the attendant and went to speak to Raine one last time. “I’m sorry to break your heart, kid! Enjoy your drink!”
And he left.
Raine has never been disappointed in her life.