Untitled (Chapter 2)

A soft knock on the cottage door tore through Nina's sleep-dazed brain. For a while, she was disoriented at the newness of her surroundings.  As soon as she looked around her, she realized she wasn't in her own room, but in a cottage at Buli Island.  She was on vacation. She doesn't need to wake up early so she could race with others for bus rides and elevators. She closed her eyes again, resolved to catch up on a good late-morning sleep.

The  knocking sounded again, a bit louder this time.

Nina was left with no choice. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and stretched her arms.  She stood up and unlocked her cottage door, half expecting a resort steward to be waiting outside.

But half of herself expected Matt to be there.

She shrugged the thought aside, wondering what is happening with her.  It isn't a common thing for her to react strongly to a male.  But Matt sparked her interest.

It wasn't Matt though.  It was, indeed, a steward waiting at the door.

"I am sorry for disturbing you, madam.", said the steward, "but there's a call for you at the information desk."

"Thank you." Nina replied. " I'll take it right away."

Nina crossed the sandy path to the main building.  The receptionist flashed her a welcoming smile as she came in and told her, "Please take a seat, madam. Your sister said she'll call again in a five minutes." Having said so, the girl went on to rummage through a stack of papers. Visitor's records, Nina concluded.

The phone rang. The receptionist smiled at Nina and signaled that she pick up the phone.

"Hello?" said an unmistakable male voice at the other end of the line.

"Oh, hello.  Please hold the call while I call the receptionist, sir." she replied

"Not for me, miss." Nina told the receptionist as she handed the telephone.

The girl, whom Nina knew to be Grace as indicated by her identification card, took the phone from her and spoke into the mouthpiece, "Hello, Buli Resort. Anything I can do for you, sir?"

Grace smiled at Nina and handed her the phone. "It's for you, madam."

Nina took the receiver from Grace. She had an inkling it was Matt.

"Hello, Nina. Matt here.", the voice on the other end said. "What's your schedule today"

"Hello, Matt." , replied Nina, trying to hide the excitement in her voice."I planned to sleep late so I could feel how it is to wake up at noontime, laze around and do nothing."

"Hmmm, sounds like there's no room for me in the plan." Matt feigned indignation at what Nina said.

Nina phrased a quick retort, "How about you, Matt? Have you no plans for today as well?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. Unfortunately, you were part of the plan. Having heard you say you planned to spend half the day alone, I guess, I might need to modify it." through the phone, Nina could almost make out the challenge in Matt's voice.

"Well, my plan's open, Matt... in the afternoon at least." she played along. "Are you willing to bargain?"

"Beggars can't be choosers," if Nina didn't know Matt, she could believe the man was genuinely disappointed at having been turned down." I'll take whatever crumb you throw my way."

Her answer was a hearty peal of laughter. Nina guessed it was loud enough for the few people in the room to hear because they looked at her, apparently amused.

She heard Matt laugh as well.

"See you then, Nina. I'll be at your door at three.", Matt curtly said before hanging up.

Nina placed the phone back to its cradle, a smile breaking on her lips as she thought about the arrogant manner through which Matt invited her company. Well, what could she say? Should she have declined the invitation?

She headed for the resort restaurant and ordered coffee. She really isn't fond of heavy meals in the morning. She could make it through the day even without solid food, it seems. But never without her coffee. She finished her cup and headed back to her cottage.

A ringing sound from the inside of her cottage made her remember she hasn't brought her mobile phone with her to the information desk. It registered 6 missed calls --- all coming from her idiot of a sister, Geneva. She smiled to herself when she remembered their conversation the night before.  Silly of her sister indeed to have mentioned about her bringing a man back home when right beside her was a man whom she hardly even knew about. But of course, she could hardly blame her sister.  How could Geneva possibly know Matt was beside her when she said that stupid statement? She took a deep breath, took the seat beside the window and waited for the phone to ring again.

Lounging lazily at the foamed bamboo sofa, she thought about herself.  She didn't usually do it anyway. She was used to doing things as they came because of her busy schedule. She hardly ever had the time to even think that she needed to be away from everything familiar for her to realize that she is nearing her thirties. Oh yes, a couple of years more and she would be thirty. Hardly a spinster, but old enough to risk being left behind by the marriage bandwagon. Did she long for romance? Oh no, she hardly ever thought of that. Her work has taken away much of her time --- nothing much left for herself.  Her life revolved around her work.  She loved the students, she loved her peers. She loved her profession.

But a small voice within seemed to taunt, "Aren't you lonely, Nina?"

Indeed, isn't she lonely?

No, she argued with her taunting mind. She isn't lonely, never ever felt lonely.  For how could a busy school teacher be feeling lonely when everyday, she is lost among the jovial and expectant faces of her students?  How could she be lonely when she could barely breathe with all the paper works she needs to accomplish? How could she be lonely when no matter how fast she thinks she does her work, they pile one after the other? No, a teacher can not feel loneliness.

"Aren't you fooling yourself, Nina?", that irksome small voice joined in again.

Irritated with the way her thoughts are going, she stood up, entered the small dining area and helped herself to a can of juice.  She opened it rather mindlessly, consumed the contents in big gulps and stood by the window, looking  out to the inviting blue waters of the sea. What is happening to her? Why did she start thinking about being lonely and alone when only two days ago, before she departed her Del Valle Subdivision home, she thought she was alright by herself, for all the days of her life?

"Gather yourself together, Nina Salgado.", she murmured to herself, "You will be alright by yourself. You don't need another liar to turn your life around."

The sound of her mobile phone ringing broke her train of thought.


(unfinished chapter)

to be continued...