“Hey!”
I flinched in my seat when Jack suddenly appeared in front of me, banging her hand on the counter.
“Jeez! Jack!” My hand automatically went up to my chest as I gave her a shocked look.
“Whoa! What’s going on? Why are you zoning out?” She asked instead with a light chuckle, ignoring the look I gave her.
She then checked the time on her wristwatch before raising an eyebrow.
“It’s only 9 in the morning, so what is this— daydreaming?”
“Tss! Of course, not! I just have something in my mind!” I replied, looking at the newly arrived customers who were now walking towards the counter.
She motioned one of the available staff to come over and assist them at the counter while she grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the office.
“What are you doing?” I asked her, confused by her action.
“Nah! I just want to know more about your thoughts,” she giggled. “Because I feel like something is not right,”
“What the heck— what are you talking about?”
“Okay, let’s take a seat and you— start sharing what’s on your mind!”
“Jack—”
“I don’t believe it’s just something,” she emphasized the word ‘something’.
“And what do you mean?”
“I know it’s someone!” And then again, she emphasized the last word.
I was about to respond but hearing the last word made me stop and straighten my seat.
“See? I know you too well, dear friend!” And since I was already cornered, I couldn’t do anything but sigh. “So, let me guess… you saw him,”
“Who are you talking about? Who did I see?” I raised an eyebrow and asked her, still pretending to be oblivious to what she was saying.
“Aww! Come on, Sam! I know you saw him!”
“Who’s him—”
“David! David Garcia! The man you let go two years ago but has never left your mind since then!”
And there… I was left speechless in my seat.
“Oops! I got it! You saw him this morning, didn’t you?”
“You saw him too?”
“Hmhm… with a girl in front of the supermarket this morning before coming here,”
My mouth hung open for a few seconds upon hearing the word ‘girl’ but I tried to hide the surprise I felt by avoiding her gaze.
“Ahh…” I said, slowly nodding but still not meeting her eyes. “Actually, I didn’t see him this morning. It was yesterday… near the flower shop,”
“Oh, wow! So… did you talk to him? Did you ask how life has been for him in the last two years or how he was doing now?”
“No,” I shook my head.
“O-Okay… did you even greet him or say hi?”
“No,” I shook my head again.
“Jeez— but why? I’m sure you were excited to meet him again but what happened? Why didn’t you walk over to him and greet him with a simple hello or even a just hi?”
“I- I didn’t know how to, Jack,” I lowered my gaze.
“What do you mean you didn’t know how?”
“Besides, he didn’t notice I was there. It was just me who saw him yesterday but I think he didn’t notice me.” I replied, ignoring her question.
“That’s the point— you should have approached him for him to notice you!”
“I didn’t have the courage to do so,” I sighed, choosing to be honest with how I felt. It’s true. I honestly didn’t know how to approach him when I saw him yesterday. It wasn’t just because I didn’t have the courage but because I was afraid. I was afraid to find out that after the last two years, he had moved on and had already found someone… someone who would care for him and love him… the thing I wanted to do myself but lost the courage to even talk to him.
“Ohh…” was the only reaction she gave me.
It’s been a month since I decided to come back here to New York and help Jack manage our coffee shop business but it’s been two years since David and I went our separate our ways in San Francisco. And it’s been two years since I realized what I really felt… that he was the one I wanted and that he was the one I shouldn’t let go of.
It took me a few months to realize that my relationship and feelings for Luke were long over… that I could no longer reciprocate the love he was giving me even though he said he had already changed and was ready to stand by my side as husband and father to our daughter.
I tried… God knows how hard I tried for Cali, but it turned out that when a person’s heart has already been tired and given up, you can no longer do anything to change it, no matter what you do or even how hard you try.
So I decided to talk to him and end whatever kind of relationship we had back then… well, except for being parents to our daughter. I filed for divorce despite Luke’s refusal but he agreed eventually through the help of our daughter Cali. It was her words that finally convinced her father to agree to sign the divorce papers and let me go.
I know deep inside it was hard for her because I know every child’s dream is to have a happy and complete family… the very thing we both failed to give her. But despite everything that happened, she supported whatever decision we made and never even once complained.
It took her a while to get used to the situation we had until one day I was surprised, she came to me in the room and told me to go back to New York if I wanted to be happy again. I didn’t even have to ask her why she said those things… her smiles and the words ‘because I love you Mom’ were enough to understand what she meant.
“You’re zoning out again,” A deep breath escaped my throat when I felt Jack’s hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure it’s just about David that bothers you? Come on, you know I’m always here to listen,”
I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at her. “I know,”
“So, what’s your plan?”
“What do you mean what’s my plan?”
“What are your plans now—- I mean, are you really not going to talk to him? And if one day you met him on the street, would you avoid him again?”
“I don’t know, maybe I would say … hi… that’s just it.” I shrugged. “You said he was with a girl, right?”
“Yeah, but to lighten up your mood, we’re still not sure what relationship he has with that woman, so it’s better not to jump to a conclusion,” she smiled. “Do you want to visit him at the hospital where he works—”
“No! Why would I do that?” I felt my heart skipped a beat with her question.
“Or do you want me to tell him that you’re looking for him?”
“No way! Don’t you dare do that, Jackeline!” I growled at her but she just let out a mischievous laughter in front of me.
“Alright,” she shrugged. “But on a serious note, Sam… nothing will happen if you just come back here and avoid him every time you see him,”
“I’m not avoiding him, Jack, maybe I’m not just ready to approach him,”
“And when will you be ready?”
“I don’t know—”
“When you see him happy with someone else already?”
And that led me look at her, with my mouth hung open and speechless.
“Just a little piece of advice, my dearest friend, once you see him again, go and talk to him. Make an effort! Say hello, ask him if he still works at the same hospital he worked at two years ago or if he has been transferred to another hospital whatever you can ask, ask him just to make conversation!”
But I just replied her with a sigh and a hesitant smile.
“Jesus Christ, Samantha! Remember, you’re not Samantha Soriano if you can’t do the same thing you did 12 years ago, duh!” She said rolling her eyes but that made me frown.
“What do you mean—” I haven’t even finished my question but she interrupted me already.
“Why don’t you hire a man to follow him and yeah… you know… like the one you did back then to get your ex-husband’s attention—”
But this time, I was the one who didn’t let her finish her sentence as I grabbed the throw pillow and threw it at her.
“Jackeline!”
“What? I’m just giving you an option—”
“Option your face!” I playfully glared at her as she laughed at my reaction. “Are you seriously suggesting that I seduce David?”
“Uhuh! You’ve already done this before, right? So I’m sure you won’t have a hard time doing it again this time,” she shrugged as if she was really that serious with what she was talking about.
I chose not to open my mouth and was left giving her a death glare.
“Fine, just kidding!” I just rolled my eyes when she threw the pillow back at me. “Well, it’s up to you now whatever your plan is… just talk to me or ask me if you need help or anything, alright? You know, I’m the number one fan of your and David’s love team even then,” she winked.
“Thanks, Jack,”
“No worries,” she stood up. “Let’s go back outside, we don’t know when we come out— we’ll be surprised to see David as one of the customers…” She purposely hung her sentence so I turned to her. “… together with his girlfriend,”
I simply raised an eyebrow and brushed off the thought as I followed her out. But deep inside, I was hoping he was really there except for his girlfriend… if ever he already has.