Why I Have To

Chapter 5

September 10, 2015

Jade's POV

I walked into a restaurant as a strong scent of Italian spices wafted through the air. I scanned the place, and there, at the seat adjacent the window, I saw who I was looking for.

There she is.

Her dark locks cascaded her face as the subtle rays from the sun gently graced her skin, her sultry eyes intent on looking at the skyscrapers through the glass. Her backless beige dress enhancing the color of her tanned skin. She's still as beautiful as ever.

I held my breath and at the count of three, I let go of my fears and slowly walked to where she was seated.

"Cathleen." I said as I reached her table.

"Jade." She nodded and pointed at the seat in front of her. Gauging me to take a seat.

"It's been so long, Jade. How long has it been? 3 years?" She said as she sipped from her glass of red wine.

"Yeah." I said. I'm the one who asked her to meet me but for some reason, I can't find the right words to tell her.

"My assistant told me that David has been pestering her of my whereabouts. So tell me, what do I owe you this pleasure?" She smiled.

"C'mon, Jade. I don't have all day."

"I'm sorry, for what happened before." I said shyly. She flicked her hands as if to tell me that it's nothing when I noticed a glistening band on her ring finger. She noticed me staring at it and I saw how subtly she tried to hide it.

"You're engaged? Married, perhaps?" I asked as a tight knot is starting to form in my chest.

"Yes, I'm engaged. And it's not what you think. I'm marrying someone else."  She said as I sighed in relief.

"So it's still her then? Althea?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

"I don't know. It still hurts... What you did..." I said not able to form my words.

"I guess now's the time to explain. Isn't it why you looked for me after all these years of not answering my calls?"

I nodded.

"Jade, after you left... Althea had no one."

"But she's the one who left me, remember? Even if she did, I still came back for her, right? I always come back. But then... You... You came along...I thought we were friends?" I said as I held back my tears.

"We were. We are. And please don't ever think that I stole Althea from you, because I didn't. I couldn't. You know how much I've like her ever since, but I respected what you have. But honestly... I tried. God help me, I tried. I thought I could. But it's still you, it's always been you for her, Jade. I could never compete with that, and I would never want to."

"But... But?"

"Please let me finish, Jade. The day you saw us was the day of Tatay's wake. I kept her company that night because Batchi was at home taking care of Marinelle."

"Tatay's gone?" I asked as a lump formed in my throat.

I didn't know.

"Please let me finish, Jade." She said impatiently.

I stopped talking as tears started to fall from my eyes.

"I'll be honest with you, Althea tried to come up to me. She was drunk and she was looking for you. She kept on calling your name as she cried when she tried to kiss me. That's when you entered the room."

"You didn't even let me explain, and Althea was so drunk she couldn't even find the energy to stand up and talk to you."

I remembered that day, I was so hurt and mad that I couldn't even think straight. I ran up to them and slapped them both in the face as I furiously walked out the door.

"I didn't ran after you because Althea passed out after you stormed out of the room. I had to take care of her. So I let you go thinking that I could call you and explain afterwards. And that's what happened. Nothing more happened after that. I couldn't take advantage of her, especially as I saw how much she still loves you. I could never compare to you, Jade. She will always be yours."

"I thought..." I mumbled.

"Yes, you thought... You never let me explain, Jade."

"But Althea could talk to me..."

"Would you believe her?"

"I don't know... But she could try..." I honestly said.

"I think you should talk to her, Jade."

"What for? She let go of me so easily. She didn't even try to find me." I said as fresh tears started to pool from my eyes once more.

"Then why are you here? What is this for then?" She asked.

"Closure?"

"Come on, Jade. You're still as stubborn as ever. You won't find closure with me. I don't think I'm the right person to talk to. I think you just wanted to know if Althea and I are together or something." She smirked as she took a piece of bread sticks from the basket.

I guess she's right. I don't even know why I'm here, I just wanted to talk to her. I guess I wanted to know what happened to Althea. I was at lost for words when I remembered something.

"I found this notebook." I said as I took out the black notebook inside my bag.

"Oh. So you found it." She smiled.

"Read it, Jade. You don't need me to know the answers. It's all in there." She placed her phone inside her bag and stood up.

"It's nice to see you again. Don't be a stranger, Jade. And please, read that." She pointed to the notebook and kissed me on the cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Cathleen... And... Thank you... For taking care of her when I couldn't."

She smiled and walked away.

I drove away from the restaurant and went back home. As I entered my room, I immediately laid on my bed and started crying.

Tatay's gone... I wasn't even there for her when she needed me most... And Cathleen... They weren't even together... I was so confused that I thought I would find answers from Cathleen but it just gave me more questions.

So I unzipped my bag, took the notebook out and opened it on the next page.

Author's Note: Sorry for the short update. I'll try to post a new chapter as soon as possible. And I'm sorry if I keep switching from Tagalog to English. Please bear with me. Thanks! Vote and comment! :)