Carolina and The Fan Non-fiction | H.S

Twenty-One

V I V I E N

May 10, 2017

Early Afternoon

Sillons Café, Bloomsbury

"I can't believe I've never been here before," she said, looking out by the window, marveling at the small portion of London streets she can see. "And my family's just from Northern Ireland."

The afternoon brightness burned in her honey brown eyes and brings out the golden in her golden-brown hair. She's much more like everyone around here than I am. Jasmin's half British, but she's lived longer in the Philippines than I have, only making brief visits in Belfast every vacation she could get. This year, however, she decided to make a quick detour over here at London to be with me for two weeks. In return, I have decided to take the second summer term, giving me three months of break until I go back to classes in July.

"To be fair Jas, I've never been to Belfast either," I retorted. "Quits lang tayo."

(We're just the same.)

"Ah, true," she agreed, electing to look back at her plate of carbonara. I do the same, munching on my avocado toast. We comfortably eat in silence.

"The next year, maybe I'll fly back to Manila and you could introduce me to your Lasallian friends," I said, recounting her stories about the new people she met over at college.

"Asahan ko yan Vienie, promise me!" she said, calling me by my nickname she only uses for persuasive matters. The name sounds so soft that it softens my heart and I give in to anything she says. It worked for the weekend parties she dragged me to. It's also the same nickname from my mom and dad and Nana, so I guess it's a family thing at the same time. Jas is technically my sister anyway.

(I'm going to look forward to that, promise me!)

"I'm going to promise when I finally get my hands on a plane ticket," I explained, not wanting to make the decision an entire year before. So much could happen by then. And I'm not saying that things will go wrong, enough for the plan to not push through. I'm just talking about future circumstances that may influence the schedule. "For now, let's just enjoy the break here."

"That's right and I plan to," she said. "I was hoping to meet your friends."

"Oh, you will, maybe on Saturday when they're free from acads," I said.

(Acads—Tagalog slang for school, schoolwork, and anything school related)

Bryon, Zach, and Gracie weren't too happy with me when I decided to take an earlier break than them. But with an explanation matched with pouty lips and puppy eyes, they supported me anyway. I even got them to be excited to meet Jas.

"What're their names again?"

"Bryon, Zach, they're the couple," I described, "then Gracie, she's the one with great fashion taste."

"Right," she muttered, raising an eyebrow. With a careful sound, she added, "and the business mogul?"

"Theo?"

"Theo."

"Oh, yeah him too," I said, hesitation lacing my words.

Theo and I are still friends, although, we're back to being on awkward polar ends. After he drunk dialed me about two months ago, things haven't been exactly normal between us. Every time I see him, I have a hard time separating his blind drunk side to his sober side.