Restitution

Ryan has been staring at the bangle on top of his table since he put it there after his meeting with Jenneth. It has been an hour since that happened, and he has not done anything but stare. And sigh. If only his sigh could be contained, he might be able to collect enough air to fill a large balloon.

He sighed once again. Darlene has become smarter as years go by. Smarter, or cunning? He chuckled at the thought. He wonders where she got her wit from. Definitely not from Kenneth. His friend might be smart, but not that kind of smart.

He looked at his watch. Ten thirty. With a thirty-minute drive, he might arrive at CPRU more or less at eleven in the morning. That's the lunch time break for elementary students. Perfect timing to meet and talk with Darlene.

He grabbed the bangle then went out of his office. He told his secretary that he's having an early lunch break. Then he proceeded to CPRU to visit his lovable kid friend.

The guards in CPRU already know him, as he always goes there not only to visit Darlene, but also as a supplier of the said university. That is why he has easy access to wherever he wants to go inside the campus. Anyway, he's not a bad person so it's okay for them to trust him like that.

Darlene and her friends were about to take their lunch break when Ryan saw them.

"Uncle!" Darlene is excited to see him again. Their relationship was back to how it was after they settled their misunderstanding last Saturday.

"Is it your lunch break already?" he asked as he touched the kid's head.

"It is."

"Can I have lunch with you?"

Darlene's eyes glistened. "Your treat, Uncle?"

Ryan smiled. "Of course."

"Yay!"

Ryan talked to Darlene's friends, telling them that he needs to talk to their friend privately. He just promised them that he'll leave money to Darlene for them to have ice cream later after class.

So Ryan and Darlene proceeded to the cafeteria and ordered food. Ryan is not the only adult there, since there are some parents or guardians who accompanies their children during lunch. Also, some of the teachers and school staff also eat lunch there. The food that they serve are all healthy Filipino dishes, as assurance that the food is safe for the kids to eat.

"You did something naughty," Ryan said to Darlene when they are already seated and started eating their lunch.

"Hmm?" Darlene looked at him, her mouth full of adobo and rice.

Instead of answering, Ryan gave the bangle back to her. Darlene was dumbfounded.

"Jenneth went to the office this morning. She gave that back to me. Good thing your dad was not there. If ever I might have been agitated, I could have accidentally told him about the letter and your mother's request."

Darlene's face saddened as she felt guilt. "I'm sorry... I just did that because I want to meet Aunty Jenneth again. I felt like you wouldn't help me if I asked for your help. Didn't you say you don't want to fulfill my mom's wish?"

"Actually, I was impressed."

Darlene looked at him.

"I never realized you could have done such scheme. Now I'm wondering where you got your wittiness. I sometimes think I'm your real father and not Kenneth. But that's impossible. Me and your mother never had a relationship; romantically, that is. She's not my type."

Darlene giggled at what Ryan said, but she was obviously disappointed with what he said next.

"I asked Jenneth about Sam, and again, she said she doesn't know anything about her. She just knows that Sam is in the US, and that she already has a boyfriend. She said she might have been married now and decided to stay there and settle down."

"But Uncle, what if we're wrong?"

"Huh?" Now, what could this kid be thinking again?

"When you gave the letter to me, you said that you've already forgotten about it. You just saw it again recently, so you remembered you need to give it to me. What might be the reason why you've seen it again after a long time? It might be destined to happen."

"You seem to be watching a lot of TV series. Don't be like your Grandma Marie and stay away from those mushy shows."

"Maybe, Mom led you to the letter. She made you see it because she wants something to happen."

"If your mom wants something to happen, then she should be the one doing it instead of asking us to do it. Isn't she nearer to God than us? She could just wish from Him to make your daddy happy. Instead of us who has limited time and opportunities here on Earth."

Darlene did not reply. Ryan then continued explaining.

"Yes, we know that Sam is in the US. But it's such a big country, like 50 states. And if ever we were able to know what state she is in, the next question is on what city? It's just so complicated. We cannot just go there, because your father might get suspicious if I told him I'm going to the US for a vacation."

Darlene is obviously sad with what he said. That made Ryan feel sad as well.

"I'm very sorry, Lene..."

"You're right, Uncle," Darlene said sadly. "Mom should be the one who needs to make a way for Dad to be happy."

She smiled at him, but Ryan felt the sadness in that smile of hers.

"Don't worry. Your mom will not let your dad down. Tin loves Kenneth so much that she will surely do everything to make him happy again."

Darlene tried to smile again, but just like her previous smile, it did not reach her eyes. Ryan felt bad as well. If only he can do anything to help his beloved goddaughter.

After his 'lunch date' with Darlene, Ryan immediately went back to his office. Kenneth has not yet come back, which is a good thing. At least he doesn't need to explain where he's been, or where did he have his lunch.

He tried concentrating on his work again. Yes, he had just finished a set of furniture, but he could definitely start conceptualizing for the next design set. That's how he has been since they started the company. Design as much as he can so that they have fresh ideas to offer the customers all the time.

He tried to look for inspiration. He decided to look at his old designs, and coincidentally tumbled upon the purple love seat that Jenneth was looking at earlier. He stopped flipping through the designs, as his mind went back to the scene that had just happened earlier.

Jenneth stood calmly there, like he's just an old acquaintance that meant nothing to her. She exemplified someone who has totally moved on from everything that has happened nine years ago. And that thought kind of gave Ryan an unwanted feeling of distress.

"Nine years... She was gone from my life for nine years. Then suddenly, she will come back to my life, come back to my world just like that. Like nothing happened... She acts as if she's really not affected with what happened to us before. Has she really, totally moved on?"

He remembered how composed and confident she was earlier. It probably made her look so appealing to his eyes, so attractive that he can't help but notice how beautiful she looked.

"How can she be that beautiful now? So sexy? She's not like that before. She doesn't even know how to fix her hair properly. Then today, she's even wearing makeup. Her dress looked perfect on her. Is that what the Metro has done to her? It made her look chic and fashionable. She's also not wearing glasses anymore. Her eyes looked so beautiful... Oh shit!"

Ryan saw Kenneth by the door.

"What the heck!" Ryan said, his reaction so surprised like he has seen a ghost.

Kenneth just chuckled as panic manifested in Ryan's whole being.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to enjoy watching you," Kenneth answered as he went near his table.

"Shit!" He leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes. His head seems to throb with what is happening, as well as his thoughts.

"It's okay, Dude. At least, sometimes it's your turn to get bullied."

Ryan looked at him sharply, which made Kenneth laugh.

"Stop it, will you? It's not funny."

"Did Jenneth really become more beautiful? Does she look sexier now?"

"Shut up!" He's feeling more and more embarrassed.

"Did you fall more in love with her?"

"You really won't stop, will you?"

Kenneth shook his head as he continued laughing. Ryan watched him, and in the end, he got caught with his laughter, making him chuckle at his misery.

"Of all the old acquaintances I could meet again, why does it have to be Jenneth?" he asked.

"Maybe because it was meant to be. That it was fated for you to meet again and fall in love with each other again."

"You sound like you're the one who's fond of watching teleseryes, and not Darlene. You both say the same thing."

Kenneth laughed again. "It was my mom. She watches with her, though I hear them sometimes."

"So that's it..."

Kenneth smiled. "So, you saw her again this morning?"

"Who told you that?" Ryan started panicking again. What if Kenneth finds out why Jenneth came?

"Our staff told me. He said that might be the reason why you're so inspired." Kenneth grinned.

"She... she just gave back something to me." Ryan looked away.

"Your heart?"

"You really don't watch teleserye?"

Kenneth grinned again. "Or her heart? Did she give you her heart again?"

Ryan looked away, then sighed. "We will never get back together again. I had my chance. I ruined it and let her go."

Kenneth did not reply.

Ryan continued. "I had the most perfect girlfriend, but I was too dumb I let her go. Good thing she didn't slap me when she saw me at The Coffee Club last time. That would be too embarrassing."

He let Kenneth gaze at him. Not just because he doesn't know what else to say that will not reveal too much about how he's feeling. He's also being cautious about the letter and his secret with Darlene.

"You know, stop moping around. Let's just play basketball," Kenneth suddenly said.

"Basketball again?" Ryan scowled. "You just beat me every time we play."

"At least you will have a diversion. Come on! I will lend you some playing clothes."

"So you're the one who's lending me now, huh?"

Kenneth smiled. "I'm rich now, so I can lend you my clothes. If you want, I can just give them to you."

"So boastful."

"You robbed off of me," Kenneth replied. "Let's go!"

"It's not yet five!"

"Who owns this company?"

"Wait, when did you learn to abuse your authority?"

Kenneth smiled again. "Stop arguing or I might change my mind. Come on!"

The two of them went out of his office together.