forget me not series – The Romance of Ayin & Will
CHAPTER FOUR
As one grows older, you learn that life is a dance of three steps forward and two steps back.
Just when you’ve figured out a new promising direction, you may have to stall or take a step back to accommodate your loved ones or the world around you.
Or perhaps, you’ve been speeding too fast towards your goal and missed an important turn, and so you’re prompted to reverse.
Sometimes, an answered prayer can be a “No”. Occasionally, time will tell you “Not yet”.
But just like the push and pull of sea tides, one has to flow according to the dance, and have faith that eventually you will get there.
The important thing is to set your eyes on the prize and, no matter what, to not forget to take that step forward.
As she entered the roadside parking lot for her second driving session, she caught sight of the familiar black cap and sunglasses as he stood beside the training car.
He was wearing a sky blue collared shirt this time, paired with khaki pants and the same leather sandals.
“Sir Will, it’s you!” she called out happily.
He removed and put his sunglasses on top of his cap as she approached.
“You must have bribed our secretary,” he said dryly. “She gave me your schedule.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “No, I didn’t. When she confirmed the class, I merely mentioned that I would be very pleased if I got the same instructor.”
Noticing the papers on his hand, she asked, “What’s that?”
He looked down and quickly tried to put these at the backseat of the car, “Uh, nothing.”
She noticed a familiar logo on a starter kit, and grabbed the accompanying flyer before he could hide it.
“The gym!” she looked at him with wide eyes. “Don’t tell me you enrolled there.”
She pointed to the second floor of the building, where sometimes she could see through their transparent glass some of the members cycling or on treadmill from her bedroom window.
“Do you live around here?”
Looking uncomfortable, he said slowly, “No, I live in Mambaling.” Which was about a 30-minute drive from the area.
She let out a peal of laughter.
He hurried to explain, “Well, I was here early and one of their fitness instructors was out promoting. He just went on and on about the gym benefits and finally gave me 50% off for a one-month membership.”
She couldn’t stop grinning. This 38-year-old guy looked cute when flustered.
She lightly tapped her nose and teased, “Kahumok sa ilong” (in the dialect, meaning one who is easily conned or swayed).
He smiled back ruefully and said defensively, “I really was searching for a gym the past months, so why not?”
He looked at her, “What about you? Don’t you go to the gym? This is just beside your house.”
“Nope, I don’t. Too lazy for that kind of commitment. I just run in the park,” she gestured across the street.
A pause. “You know where I live?”
“Saw you enter your gate before I left yesterday,” he said.
Then mischievously, to rattle him further, she teased, “Ahhh, Sir Will. You enrolled in the gym here hoping to bump into me, noh?”
He was speechless for a moment.
And then, giving back as good as he got, answered with a straight face. “How did you know? You totally got me.”
He winked at her as he brushed by to go around the car.
It was her turn to be speechless. She thought he would deny it and continue to be cutely defensive just like any serious guy would.
She had been kidding around. He was, too, right?
He then opened the passenger door of the car and slid inside. “Let’s go.”
As if on cue, her heart started beating faster, “Oh no, I’m driving right away?”
When he just nodded, she went to the driver’s seat. “Am I really driving right now? Not after the driving exercises?”
Him, “Mmm.”
Her, “Are you getting back at me for teasing you about the gym?”
He glanced at her anxious face, “Don’t be scared. I’m here. Remember my secret weapon?” He tapped his foot at the brake pedal in front of him.
She took a deep breath, sent a quick prayer, and buckled up. “Okay, okay. I’m braver than yesterday. Where to?” she said in a firm voice. Just act it out, the confidence will follow.
“Same area as yesterday,” he said. “We’re doing the Reverse module.”
Tensely, she started the car and shifted to drive, then oh-so-slowly, eased into traffic.
She fell silent as all her attention focused on the road, willing every car and people in front of her to disappear.
“Relax. Loosen your grip and just go with the flow,” he instructed in that slow steady voice.
When they approached a busy intersection with no traffic light, she so wished to stop and switch places with him, but her pride wouldn’t let her.
She was so quiet all the while that after successfully crossing, he asked her, “Are you okay?”
She just nodded.
To put her at ease, he attempted at small talk, “So what do you do for a living?”
“Huh?” she looked at him, to see him looking at her.
Just then a car honked from behind. She jolted.
He steadied the steering wheel. “Eyes on the road,” he reminded her gently, then turned to check out the honking car. “Check your side mirror. Just let that car overtake, we’re not in a rush.”
When she instinctively slowed down and moved the wheel to let the car pass, he stopped her. “Just stay on your lane and maintain your speed. A car from behind who wants to overtake will be the one to find a way and opportunity to do so. He’s just honking to inform you so you won’t make any sudden changes. Especially with the signage at the back, he knows you’re a student driver.”
He got all that from a single honk?
“I thought the other driver was angry or something.” She had been distracted there for a moment.
“You will know from the sound of the horn. Unlike that one, an angry honk is long and loud.”
So he can talk to cars? They have a language as well?
After a few moments of silence, he went back to his question. “So, your job?”
“Ah…” she was in between jobs right now so she didn’t exactly know how to answer.
Finally, she said, “I’m on a break now but will probably go back to full time work next month.”
“Doing what?” he asked. She didn’t have time or the inclination to explain her kind of work at that moment so she just shrugged.
He seemed to be more talkative today than yesterday. She would rather he be quiet while she drives so they can arrive sooner at their destination. She was already embarrassed they were only crawling at 20kph.
“Where…” he started to say but she interrupted him. “Shhhhh. Eyes on the road, sir.”
He chuckled. “We’re almost there.”
After a few minutes, “Okay, you may stop beside that tree.”
Gratefully, she did as instructed, and then shifted the car to neutral and applied the hand brake.
“Whew,” she rested her forehead on the wheel for a moment. “Will I ever get used to this?”
He got out of the car, turned and leaned down to the open window. “You will. Especially when I’m the one teaching you — Will is my name,” he joked.
She made a face, “Ha.Ha. Funny.”
It was so unfair, she was so tense and yet he was all smiles, obviously enjoying this.
Driving looks so easy on him, she thought sourly. He just grinned at her.
Once again, he took several cones from the trunk and arranged these at the rear of the car.
He then took the driver’s side to demonstrate and lecture.
“Yesterday was about moving forward. All the maneuver we practised, we will do in reverse today. This will prepare you for parking.”
I aced the exercises yesterday, she thought smugly. This must be a piece of cake.
She couldn’t be more wrong.
She had no problem reversing in a straight line, but when she was tasked to turn left and right in reverse, much more do the figure 8, everything she knew went out the window, even her common sense.
“I am a fairly intelligent woman who graduated with honors, how could I not differentiate my right from the left?” she kept muttering to herself.
Then, “What is wrong with this car, why won’t it follow me?”
Her biggest problem was, she discovered, she wasn’t friends with her side mirrors. She didn’t know how to estimate or read with them.
After about 10 tries, she was ready to scream. She’d had way too many misses.
Her teacher was unfazed. “Okay, relax. Let’s take a five minute break.”
He adjusted the aircon to cooler and turned on the radio, but kept it on low.
Him, “Just keep your mind blank for a few minutes. You’re so tense, just let it flow. Believe me, soon, this will all come to you naturally.”
She didn’t agree nor disagree with him. She was still aghast about confusing right and left.
“Explain it to me one more time, please.”
Switching places, he proceeded to demonstrate in that calm, steady manner what she was supposed to do.
When he finally asked, “Do you get it now?” She still wasn’t sure but she nodded anyway.
They paused for a moment, while she tried to visualize in her head the entire maneuver. She marveled at how easy it was for him.
“Are you ready?”
She nodded.
He said, “Okay, if you perform the exercise well three times, I will treat you to coffee after the session.”
At the mention of her favorite word “coffee”, she perked up. “Deal!”
He got out to let her take over the driver’s seat, and remained outside ready to supervise.
Once she’s buckled up, he leaned down to her open window to add, “If you don’t, you pay for our coffee.”
She glanced up and found his smiling face too close.
Her heart skipped a beat.
“Good luck!” He straightened and tapped the car roof once as a signal to begin.
She was frozen for a moment. Wait, what was that? Does this mean they will be having coffee after the session, whether she misses or not?
She sneaked a glance at him in the rear view mirror. Is this guy flirting or what? Is this his way of asking her out for coffee?
She observed the man, with one hand on his hip, and his black cap and shades on, waiting by the cones for her to start.
He was so cool. In that moment under the sun, he suddenly looked to her like the male lead of a blockbuster drama.
Her heart fluttered a bit.
“Oh no, you don’t Ayin,” she immediately countered. “You’re not looking for a relationship right now. No flirting.”
In her mind, she hurriedly clicked off the TV drama playing in slow motion. Erase, erase, erase.
She stole a glance again at his serious face, “Besides, you’re overthinking this. He must have just meant for the coffee as a reward, just like other teachers do.” She told herself to settle her heart.
Trying to shake it off, she shifted her thought to the delicious coffee instead, until she started craving it for real.
So she was extra focused on getting the exercise right to claim her prize, already thinking of the best cake to pair it with. She was hungry, best to finish this now, she thought.
After giving it her very best effort, she scored 3 over 6 tries of the L and figure 8 reverse maneuver. Not stellar but still, she won the deal.
After storing the cones, he went back to the passenger seat and told her, “Good job! You drive and take us to any coffee shop you want.”
“Yes!” Relieved that she passed the test and excited at going to a coffee shop, she was feeling less nervous and definitely braver driving this time.
She was debating in her head whether she should change to a frappe for a sugar boost, when his phone rang.
He picked up and gave one word answers to whoever was on the other line, “Uh-huh. Oakridge. Fine.”
He was silent for a moment, and then said to her, “Sorry, change of plans. The office needs this car for another student. We need to switch at Oakridge.”
“Sure, no problem,” she said. “The coffee shop is there anyway.”
“Uh,” he cleared his throat. “There’s another student in the car we will be switching to. She needs to be dropped off near our office. We have to cancel the coffee for now. Your house is on the way, so we will just drop you off first.”
“Oh.”
She was more disappointed than she thought. Realizing this annoyed her more, so she said nothing else.
As they neared Oakridge, they could see that the other car was already waiting.
Before she knew it, they were already exchanging keys and settling inside the cars. She had no choice but to follow.
Huhu, bye coffee. She didn’t even have time to order takeout.
Sulking a bit, she slid to the back seat.
She remained quiet and just listened to her instructor and the pretty female student riding shotgun, sharing about her previous driving session.
They were laughing as they segued to talks about migrating to Holland, buying cars and international licensing.
She noted, “This guy’s got good pr. He can put anybody at ease and can flow with any conversation. He can even smile and laugh like he didn’t just break a deal.” She thought sourly.
She caught him looking at her at the rear view mirror. At his raised eyebrows, she realized he was asking her a question.
Not asking him to repeat himself, she just muttered an ambiguous, “Mmmm.”
She knew she was being petty but she really didn’t feel like joining the conversation. She turned her face outside and watched the passing view. She was struggling to answer herself why she was so annoyed.
It was just coffee, right? What’s the big deal?
The car slowed and stopped at a safe zone near her house. She hurriedly picked up her bag, assumed a bright smile, and waved goodbye to both.
Though she wanted to, she no longer asked him to be her next session’s driving instructor. Whatever. She told herself not to care.
She refused to understand why she was feeling the way she was. She just was. So petty and unreasonable, so what?
She looked at the sky and realized it was already sundown. Perfect.
She quickly changed to sweatpants and grabbed her earphones.
With nu metal band Linkin Park’s ‘In The End’ blasting on her ears, she ran to the park.
The late lead vocalist Chester Bennington totally rocked it as he roared out the chorus:
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
Then, after her usual 10 laps, coffee was forgotten.
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Chapter 5 -Changing Lanes
(September 24)
Ayin Quijano 
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