“Can’t you just not contact me for just one day?”
Randy grumbled in frustration as he approached Darwin at one of the bars that Darwin often frequented. An hour ago, his cousin had called, inviting him to meet up. And somehow, what issue would be discussed this time was still unclear.
It was a holiday, after all. Randy really wanted to rest at home. However, those hopes and plans were completely dashed because Darwin whined, asking to be accompanied, claiming he was feeling down and needed a friend to talk to.
“Come on, Ran. I’ll treat you tonight. Besides, I don’t have any friends to go out with.”
“Why not ask Kennedy?” Randy retorted over the phone. Having just finished his shower, he sighed lazily, irritated that he was being asked to go out without even having had a chance to relax.
“It’s a bit complicated if I ask Kennedy,” Darwin replied softly. “The other day, I took her out for quite a while. If I take her out again tonight, Luna definitely won’t allow it. Besides, it’s Sunday. Kennedy usually spends me-time with her wife’s child.”
Randy grumbled angrily. He was really annoyed hearing Darwin’s answer, which he felt was biased.
“What’s the difference between me and Kennedy, Win? Do you think I don’t want to rest on a Sunday like this? Don’t I want to relax?”
“Ah, come on, Randy. You’re relaxing every day anyway. Plus, Kennedy handles a lot of work too.”
“Ridiculous! I actually have more work than Kennedy,” argued Randy, not accepting it. It’s easy for Darwin to say that he’s been relaxing more than working.
“Come on, Randy. Keep me company tonight.”
“Why not ask Vivian?”
“I’m not crazy!” Darwin exclaimed as Randy suggested meeting with Vivian, who happened to be his girlfriend. “If I meet up with Vivian, it’s like committing suicide. Besides, I don’t even know where she is right now.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? How could you not know where your own girlfriend is?” Randy replied skeptically.
“How am I supposed to know where Vivian is? She even changed her phone number on purpose, and Veronica did that. I don’t even know which company Veronica put Vivian in. I’m truly cut off from Vivian for the next six months.”
“Well, that’s good,” Randy remarked. “So you can forget about that troublesome relationship.”
Darwin scowled in annoyance. He knew that Randy had never liked Vivian and had never approved of his relationship with her. So, it wasn’t new for Randy to be brutally honest like this.
“Alright, let’s not argue. I seriously need a friend, Ran,” Darwin whined again. “Won’t you feel guilty if I get drunk and no one’s there to drive me home? Are you really okay with letting me drive alone and end up in some trouble on the road?”
An irritated sigh could be heard on the other end. Randy hated it when Darwin whined like this. He was old enough, after all. But his behavior was just like that of a child.
“Fine, Fine! You’re so annoying. After I get ready, I’ll come after you. Just let me know where we’re meeting tonight.”
So, like, Randy intentionally came late with the idea that Darwin would be waiting for him when he got to the Bar. But when he arrived at the place, turns out his cousin hadn’t shown up yet. That just added to Randy’s frustration.
And then, when Darwin did show up, he didn’t even apologize a bit. He was all caught up expressing the troubles he was feeling.
“I’ve been annoyed for so long, Ran,” Darwin said, taking a sip of the wine he had ordered.
Randy just gave him a look. He was still annoyed because Darwin had really messed up his schedule and made him wait for a long time. Randy adjusted his sitting position, pulling his chair forward a bit, and a moment later, he finally spoke up.
“What are you actually talking about? Seriously, I have no idea.”
“Veronica, Ran. She really went out to dinner tonight.”
“With Sean?”
Darwin nodded again.
“Yeah, with Sean. What really bugs me is that she clearly lied to me.”
Randy furrowed his brow.
“How did she lie? What did she say?”
“Before she left, Veronica asked me if it’s okay to go out with Deasy.”
“And then?”
“She wasn’t honest that she was going with Sean, Ran. She was really determined to lie to me.”
“Maybe she really just went out with Deasy.”
“No way,” Darwin shook his head repeatedly. “I’m sure she went out with Sean. In the afternoon, I accidentally overheard her talking to Sean on the phone about dinner.”
“Talking about dinner doesn’t necessarily mean they went out together, Win. You’re just overthinking it. Instead of asking me to meet up, why didn’t you just follow Veronica wherever she went? Just to make sure if she’s really with Sean or not.”
Darwin sighed lazily. He wasn’t interested in following the advice Randy had just given.
“Ugh, that’s so annoying. It’s like I’m going crazy trying to follow Veronica everywhere.”
“Well, if you’re not even interested or crazy about her, why are you acting all frustrated now? Seriously weird!”
Randy sighed in exasperation. Darwin was so inconsistent or something. From his words, his cousin denied and vehemently claimed to not be interested in Veronica.
But, if you observed his behavior and actions, it was completely different. Randy felt that Darwin’s pride was just way too high.
“Anyway, I’m really annoyed tonight.”
“Why annoyed again, Win?” Randy quickly retorted. “Are you upset that Veronica went out with Sean?”
“That’s one of the reasons. On the other hand, I hate that she’s lying about everything.”
Randy squinted his eyes. He was tired of explaining things to Darwin who was rambling on without making much sense.
“I already told you, it’s not for sure that she went with her ex.”
Darwin remained quiet. Instead, he signaled the waitress and ordered another drink for the evening.
“Why are you ordering tequila now?” Randy protested upon hearing Darwin order a different type of drink from the Bar server. Before this, his cousin had already finished two glasses of wine.
“To get rid of my frustration and headache,” Darwin replied casually.
Randy smirked dismissively. He was pretty sure that after this, Darwin would just be a hassle.
“If you want your heart and mind to calm down, you should just get closer to God, Win. Seriously, just focus on your spirituality,” he suggested with a serious expression. He was really committed to his words. “But if you need an instant solution, just order a bunch of alcoholic drinks, who knows, maybe after this, you’ll have a direct meeting with the Creator.”
Darwin pressed his lips tightly together. He wanted to curse, but he realized he really needed Randy’s presence right now.
***