BE ABLE TO THINK

lright, ladies and gentlemen...” The party host

started to speak at the front.

“It seems everyone has already arrived and

we are ready to sing a happy birthday song for our celebrant.”

Everyone clapped. “May we call on Ms. Marla to walk at

the front?”

Marla walked to the front. She is stunning. All eyes were on

the celebrant. She looks all grown up in her pink off-shoulder

mermaid gown. She also had a chic headband on her head.

Her friend is looking radiant. Marla is like a male version of

Arnel.

“Let’s all sing a happy birthday song,” the host said again

and started to sing so the crowd would follow.

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday, Dear Marla.

Happy birthday to you.

The song is finished and it’s time for the celebrant to blow

her cake and make a wish.

“Thank you, everyone,” Marla said to the crowd.

“So, now it’s time for you to blow out the candle and make

a wish.”

Marla nodded on what the host said and closed her eyes.

She made a wish and then blew out the candles.

Everyone clapped and said happy birthday again.

“Shall we go and get some food now?” Arnel suggested

after Marla blew her cake.

“Sure!” Mary Ann answered.

“I am already starving,” Arnel said. “When you are at a

party, there are a lot of ceremonies you need to do along with

others before eating,” he said that made her chuckle.

“Sounds like you don’t like parties, huh?”

“Just a bit. I mean, people go to parties to show off what

they have?” he said that surprised her.

She stopped for a second.

“Oh, I am sorry that’s based on what I have observed but

this party is my sister so only those people close to her are

invited.”

She just nodded. Well, she isn’t also a party girl but she

attends once in a while. Well, Cathy always takes her with her

just like this night. Her grandmother only allows her if she's with

Cathy. She isn't allowed to attend a party, especially if it's a night

party if she is just alone.

Her grandmother knows that Cathy has a driver and car

that's why she's confident to allow her to attend and Cathy never

breaks the promise of coming back early.

All of us went to the buffet table. It's in the corner near the

back door of the house.

There is a lot of food being served to the guests.

They served chicken barbecue on a stick, grilled pork belly,

and chicken lollipop. They also have pasta like spaghetti and

fried noodles. She could also see her favorite, fried chicken and

there are also steamed vegetables.

There are a lot of other foods that she could see but she isn't

familiar with.

Mary Ann grabbed her plate and started to fill it in.

She put little spaghetti and a piece of fried chicken on her

plate and Cathy also had the same.

She is about to leave the buffet table when John puts two

pieces of chicken lollipops.

“Try this,” he said.

She was a bit surprised but she managed to respond.

“Thank you,” Mary Ann answered with a faint smile.

She looked at John's plate.

John's plate has steamed vegetables, chicken barbecue, and

chicken lollipops. “It seems that he doesn't eat rice. It’s probably

his way to maintain his body,” she said in her mind.

Arnel's plate has grilled pork belly, steamed vegetables,

and rice.

The two men voluntarily held their plates and they all sat

back at their table. They were in the middle of our meal when

someone approached their table and gave wine to John and

Arnel.

“How about you ladies? Aren’t you going to try having a

drink even just for tonight?” Arnel asked them.

“No, I don’t think so,” Mary Ann answered.

“Sorry guys, as much as we wanted to, if I like to take Mary

Ann with me to the next party in the future, we better not try,”

Cathy responded.

Arnel shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, it so happened that I am the one who asked

permission for Mary Ann. Her grandmother won’t allow her

anymore if she smells her alcohol once we come back home.”

Arnel just nodded.

“Also, speaking of, I promise your grandmother that we will

be come home early.” Cathy turned her eyes to Mary Ann.

“Okay.”

“I will just text the driver.”

They heard a ring.

It’s John’s cellphone.

“Excuse me,” he said pointing to his phone.

They all just nodded.

While they are waiting for the driver to pick them up,

suddenly, Mary Ann feels she needs to use the washroom.

“Cathy, I think I need to use the washroom.”

“Oh, let me—”

“I am a bit familiar with where the washroom is. I should be

okay.” She smiled at Arnel.

She left Cathy and Arnel busy talking.

Going now and then to the house when they were in high

school, she’s already familiar with Marla’s house. It seems

nothing has changed.

She went up to her room, so she could use the bathroom in

Marla's room.

Far from what she can imagine, entering Marla’s room will

be the way for her to lose her femininity to someone she doesn’t

know.

She gave herself to someone, even his face she didn’t see.

Mary Ann tried so hard to sleep and even with her eyes

closed it is as if she could imagine what happened back in

Marla’s room.

She can't quite imagine how she was so quick to give

herself, especially since she has given the thing that she should

only give to the man she loves, or to the man she can marry.

What else can she be proud of herself now?

She just kept crying with remorse.

Mary Ann knew that even if she cried a drum of tears, it

wouldn’t change the situation. She wouldn’t be able to reverse

the time and be in the same place again.

She cried and cried for the whole night. She didn’t even

notice what time it was. She almost heard the first rooster

crowing down until her eyes finally fell asleep.

Meanwhile, John was lying on his bed and staring at the

ceiling of the room. If only he could just go back to the hotel

where he is staying, he’d rather not, but Arnel already advised

him that he could stay at their house as long as he wanted.

He let out a deep sigh. He wanted to leave because of what

happened to him and the woman earlier to one of the rooms at

the house.

Well, staying at the hotel is the original plan anyway. He’ll

spend the night there and then they will go fishing the next day

with Arnel’s family but everything has changed.

He’d rather be alone to think.

He ran away from his family and called Arnel who offered

him to stay with them. He needed some space or distance,

whatever you call it while he still had his sanity. Their family is

going through some issues and he wanted to stay away for a

while.

His parents had been fighting almost every day that he only

wanted to be away from their house to avoid hearing all those

words coming out from his parents.

He would have taken Diane with him but the problem was

that she had to go to school

He went to Arnel without Diane.

Arnel is his friend and classmate from when he was in high

school. He almost wandered all the places in the country but not

Arnel’s. He was able to go place after place because of trying to

escape the family issues they have.

Adrian, his best friend, has been left behind in another

country.

He did not go home because he was addicted to his studies.

He already graduated but he wanted to get a master's degree.

He wanted to get richer even though he was already the sole

heir of their family.

He always says that everything that he does is because of

his childhood sweetheart. He wanted to prove something to her.

That woman is very lucky. He wished that his friend could

find his happiness.

John remembered something. He put his hand inside his

pocket and pulled something that had been wrapped in a tissue.

John was holding a piece of earring that he found in the

bathroom of Arnel's house. He had an idea who owned the

earrings he was holding.

He could not be mistaken that Mary Ann was the owner of

the earring.

Tomorrow he will also ask Arnel and Marla to help him go

to Mary Ann's house.

His tongue is still playing, his lips bitten by the woman; he

smiled like crazy reminiscing about what happened earlier.

He seemed to want to hug the woman again and lock her in

his arms.

He took the vacant pillow, pinned it to his thighs and he

covered himself with a blanket.