Her Flaws

Chapter 13

I had to keep in mind that I was a fugitive who was on a run. I must not trust anyone. The manslaughter act I did was no small matter.
“Sorry.. I couldn't hear that?” He asked.
“Oh, I am just on a picnic too. I also love to travel. I usually travel alone.”
“We're clicking here.”
“Just because we have a same preference, you can't say we're clicking.”
“Oh, may be.” he continued after a short silence, “You're too blunt. I like that.”
I said nothing but smiled. I finished my sandwich and took a glass of water, making an excuse: I went upstairs to my room.
I fell on the bed thinking about all that had happened the other day. It was about yesterday and it felt like decades passed. I remembered the day a week ago Aunt Ember visited us. She tried to make me understand that dad loves me. But she could not convince me. I told her each and every fold of my life. I told her how dad used to beat me up for no mistakes. I told her that when I was a junior at high school, I had a friend, Kang Jae Hyuk, and he was just a friend. There was nothing between us ever. Dad got to know about him and I kept telling him, “He's just a friend!”, he had found no evidence of a relationship anywhere, not in the chats, no phone calls and anywhere. But he beat me up like I had married him secretly. I still remember he slapped me nine times. One slap on the head, and the other eight on my face, alternatively on both sides of the face. I told her a lot of things like that. Then she stopped trying what she had planned to do. She stopped trying to convince me. I had a serious argument with her too. She's a good woman who has always been there for us. My mom trusts her a lot. I wonder what's happening there and what they might be doing right now... Ah!
Now I had to think what to do. I must find a job, otherwise how will I even survive. What if I asked that man for help? And what if he's a cop? He seemed strange already. Well, I'm a damn fool, to not ask him for his name.
I thought about a hundred things. Then I examined all the newspapers I had brought from the lounge. I couldn't bear if they had given my description in the newspaper. Otherwise, I just had to stay hidden for about six months very cautiously, and then the case would get untouched, and I could be able to get things better for me. But for now, it is all too dangerous. May be I should go out and have a round to know this place more.
I didn't have to look uncommon or suspicious. I just wore the scarf over the coat around my neck, and put on the cap. It is so cold in November here. Even though, the coat wasn't branded, but it was a lot more warm and comfortable than the branded ones I always used to wear. I regretted not going back to home for a while. I left a lot of things behind. My journals and diaries, some clothes that I loved, candles that I made myself, those seven books of The Chronicles Of Narnia, and the poetry books and my heart shaped sunglasses. I missed all that now when I had nothing to do. And I regret not getting graduated. I had planned a party for myself after I throw the graduation cap up in the free air. But nothing of that sort happened and there I was, hopeless, with so many regrets.
Finally, I decided to go out after a lot of thinking and planning. I didn't even have a phone. I had sold it on my way to Valenzuela. I didn't want to get tracked down. And I couldn't afford to buy a sim card and get tracked down. At any cost, I had to stay away from technology.
When I went out, I took a long deep breath, it felt so good. I took a thorough view of the surroundings. On the other side of the road, from the guest house, there could be seen and heard the glistening sea. I crossed the road and walked towards the bay. The coast was clear. And I was feeling so free and good and sad and all at the same time. The sunset looked so amazing that I had never seen such a beautiful sunset ever in my life. I was wondering if I were to be happy there. Why didn't I visit this place before?
Well, if I had visited this place before, and my family knew about it, the chances of getting caught would be much higher than now. I bought a roasted sweet corn with lemon and oranges and sat on a bench now. The sun had almost sunken in the disappearing foam of the farther stretching and never ending sea. The sky was now purple and blue and at a different spot, orange and the pattern formed by the white clouds was spreading all over. And suddenly, the wind was colder than before. And I felt a shiver running down my spine when I realized the breeze was blowing up and it was uncommonly cold there at the coast. My nose turned red and my cheeks turning pink, my hands all cold and I stood up. I felt as if I'm left alone at the coast. I didn't realize the moment when all the people left at the sunset. Now it was darker. The orange pattern that was on the sky before had now disappeared. It was all purple and dark blue and it felt like black too. I was slowly walking, crossing the road. There were barely any vehicles at that hour. Pasig doesn't feel like this after sunset. Even there are more people at midnight than here at the sunset. Suddenly someone pulled me so hard that I ended up being in someone's arms.
“What the hell is...!” I yelled but I didn't get to complete my sentence just as I saw a container truck passing in front of me. I was crossing the road so slow and so lost that I didn't even realize there was a truck coming.