Sweet Surrender
Chapter 4: It's a Small World
After All
Tik yawn as he walked over to the
dining room.
"Didn't you have a nice sleep
last night?" Mr. Pondee raised his eyebrow at him. "I thought you're going
to sleep late like you used to do when you were little."
Tik sat down on his chair. "Yeah,
I was planning to, but Ken already made plan to see me in a cafe today. It
supposes to be lunch, but I guess he wanted breakfast instead." He yawned
again.
"Wow." Mr. Pondee looks at
his watch. "It's better than last time; you actually wake up before
"That's funny Dad." He took
a sip of coffee.
"You know, Ken is already working
in your Dad's company now." His mother responded.
"Really?" Tik raised an
eyebrow.
Mr. Pondee nodded. "Yep, and
don't forget to wake up early tomorrow too for your job."
"You have to remind me."
"Aren't you excite and glad that
you are back to work again with me? Sooner or later, you will become the new
CEO." He took a sip of his coffee.
"I'm happy alright, but waking up
in the morning again just scares me." Tik got up. "Well, I have to
meet with Ken now, so good bye." He left.
"You know?" Mrs. Pondee
asked her husband.
"What? I was like that too when I
was young?"
"Well, I was about to say that
too when you mention it, but I actually want to say that you have a smudge on
the side of your lip." She gestured to the corner of her mouth.
Mr. Pondee's face burned up as he
wipes the smudge off with a napkin as his wife's chuckled filled the room.
-*-*-
Vicky cheerfully skipped on the
sidewalk while carrying a plastic bag. She finally bought that 2% milk quart carton.
She realized that the grocery store she went last night was actually closer to
her apartment than she thought. She must have taken the long road last night.
"I can finally enjoy my Honey Nut
Cheerio now!" She exclaimed as she walked to the crosswalk.
She crosses the crosswalk when she
accidentally steps on a big piece of gum. "Ewww! Well at least,
-*-*-
Tik was driving on his silver 2003
Lexus car when suddenly his water bottle drops to the side of the other front
seat. He lowered himself as his free hand tried to pick up the bottle while his
other hand hold the steering wheel. His free hand barely touches the bottle, so
he scoot his body further. He finally managed to get it. He straightens himself
up when suddenly he saw a woman standing in the middle of the crosswalk. He let
go of the bottle as both of his feet quickly press the brake, and both of his
hands quickly grabbed the steering wheel.
Vicky looks up and saw a blinding
light coming toward her quickly. She wanted to run, but her body won't move
like her mind tells her to. She hated it when this happen. She closed her eyes,
waiting for the pain to come to her. Nothing happen. She opens her eyes and saw
that the car has barely stopped a few inches from her. She sigh a pain of
relief.
Tik got out of his car, angrily.
"Look Lady! Can't you see a car is driving? Why are you standing in the
middle of the road? You want to get kill or something?"
Vicky looks at him closely. She
couldn't believe her eyes. It's him, again. "I can't believe this! It's
you again!"
"Sorry to bust your bubble Lady,
but it's a small world after all."
"You should have seen me a mile
away, but no, you just want to drive fast, showing off how fast your car can
drive." Vicky yelled at him.
He couldn't believe this. She's
blaming him while she standing in the middle of the road, waiting to get kill.
"Miss, I'm not the one standing in the road, grinding my foot on the pave
way!"
"There was a gum on my
shoe!"
"Oh that's a nice excuse."
"What about you, huh?" She
put her hands into the side of her hip.
"I was busily trying to pick up
my water bottle."
"Oh come on, even an older man
can make up something better than that!"
"You know its sounds to me that
you were trying to get yourself kill or something."
"Like I want to get kill by
you!" She turned sideway and walked across the cross sidewalk.
Tik noticed a small plastic bag she
was carrying. The bag may not be transparent, but he knows what it is by the
shape of the bag against it. "You do want the extra calcium and proteins."
Vicky stopped at her track. She
remembers he said something similar like that yesterday night. She was quiet.
She couldn't think of anything to reply back to him. 'Think Vicky, think!'
Tik smirked at her. "I see that
the cat has lost its tongue."
She twirled around quickly. "And
I see that the boy hasn't grown up yet." She smirked at him, seeing the
smirk on his face vanished. With that, she walked off to her apartment as Tik
watch her disappeared as she turned a corner.
-*-*-
"Man, Tik for a good friend like
you, you sure have made this friend over here waited for you a long time
now." Ken replied as Tik sat down on a chair across from him.
"Sorry about that. I have just
had an unexpected event that happens this morning." Tik explained to him
about the mystery lady that he happens to met last night and again this
morning.
"Ha ha. Growing up, that's a good
one." Ken laughed.
"Hey! It's like she want to get
kill or something."
"But she has a gum on her
shoe."
"Weren't you listening to what I
just said a minute ago? Beside whose side you are on?" Tik took a bite of
his breakfast.
"I was." Ken's laughter died
down. "I'm not on no one side because I wasn't there, but I sure want to
meet this lady of yours. She sounds amusing to me."
"Yeah, amusing alright," He
took a sip of his coffee. "So what's the story about you working for my
dad?" He looks at him.
"What? I can't work for
him?" Ken look at him surprisingly. "Don't worry, I won't steal or
kidnap your dad away from you if that's what you are thinking."
"No, it's not that, but it would
be funny if you do."
Ken chuckled.
"Well, I always thought you would
be an architect or a computer technician or something like that."
"Yeah, I do love computer, but your
dad asked me if I want to work for him. He says he will pay me a good amount of
wage. So I say 'ok,' beside, I do get to see a live show between you and your
dad." Tik raised an eyebrow while his fork was barely inches away from his
lip. "I would call it the 'Father mocking the son's show.'"
Tik throw him a piece of roll.
"Hey, like that lady says 'the
boy hasn't grown up yet.'" Another roll came soaring towards him as Ken
can't stop from laughing.
-*-*-
That night, Tik lied on his bed as he
stared at the ceiling. He was thinking about her. He smiled when he visualized
her angry face again. At the exact moment, a knock was heard on the other side
of his door. "Come in." He replied.
His mother came in her night gown.
"Tik, you're not asleep yet? You have to go back to work tomorrow
morning." She walked over to him and sat at the edge of the bed.
He sat up. "No not yet, but I'm
trying to."
"You know, your father is proud
of you, though, he's expressed it in a weird way."
"Yeah, I guess."
"I'm also proud of you,
too." She patted him gently on his arm with a nice smile on her face.
"I know you do, Mom." He
smiled back to her. His mother was beautiful, especially that smile of hers'.
"Well, I will be off now to let
you have a nice decent sleep." She stands up. "Good night, my
son." She closed his bedroom door as she left.
He closed his eyes as sleep won him
over.
-*-*-
Vicky told the story of the man she
met last night and this morning to Aump on the phone as soon as she got back to
her apartment. It had been more than an hour since they talked again.
"Can't you believe that? He almost ran me over!"
"Yeah, but you were trying to
wipe that gum off your shoe in the MIDDLE of the road!" Aump replied from
the other line. "A three years old kid would know better to do that."
"Which sides are you on?"
"No one. I'm not there, remember?
I'm on the other side of the ocean for goodness sake!"
"Yeah..." Suddenly Vicky
noticed how late it was. "Aump, it's getting late. I have to go to sleep now
for my big day tomorrow. "
"It's already night
already?" Aump asked. "I guess it's the different time zone. Well,
good night and sweet dream then! Good luck!"
"You too! Good night and sweet
dream!" She hung up and turns off her lamp as she crawled into her bed and
tucked herself in. She thought it was going to be the last time she will ever
met him again, but boy she was wrong.
