Staying Within The Lines

forget me not series – The Romance of Ayin & Will

CHAPTER SEVEN

When one is on a break, it is often too tempting to just cruise endlessly, singing along to Simba’s Hakuna Matata.

It is so easy to forget time and get comfortable driving around in circles, with no goal or destination in mind.

That is, until reality knocks on your car door and tells you in the middle of an empty road that you’ve run out of gas.

Then you realize, you should have gone sooner to where you really wanted to be.

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Ayin already had a plan.

About a month ago, she made a bet with herself that if she ever conquered her fear and learned to drive, she would accept the new job offer from one of Cebu’s first and leading resort chains.

She has always loved the beach and when she visited the main resort during her interviews, she fell in love with the place.

She was attracted to its laid back vibe, quite different from the hustle of city hotels.

The associates were either in sandals or white sneakers. Definitely no high heels, yey, she could bury her feet in the sand.

The only thing holding her back from saying yes right away was that the main resort or corporate office was located in Mactan Island, more than an hour drive from her place in the city.

The taxi commute would be a total drain on the pocket and the regular jeepney route would be too long and complicated.

She didn’t want to move from her home, either. So the only option left was to learn to drive.

Halfway through her driving training, she has decided to accept the job offer. She was to start work the following month.

Soon, her self-imposed break would come to an end, but she was already excited with her new destination.

The new goal was to prepare herself mentally and physically to embrace this new work life.

She didn’t have time anymore for much else, but at the very least, she still had a few weeks to practice driving.

At this point, she only had one driving module left – parking. But because this was quite complicated for beginners, it was split into two sessions – vertical and parallel parking.

On Thursday, her fourth driving session, Ayin just took it for granted when Will showed up again and announced that he would just be the one to complete teaching her driving course.

She ignored the butterflies in her stomach. He wasn’t part of the plan.

Just stay on your lane and focus on the goal, girl, she told herself firmly. The important thing was to finish her driving lessons.

So there she was, trying hard to accomplish vertical parking in between two big trees.

The distance between the trees could fit two cars. Still, she was jittery as she tried following his instruction to park butt-first.

She was too afraid to hit the cute car. She figured that if it were a sumo match, the car would definitely lose to the big tree.

Slightly shaking his head, he took out a mini white board and black marker, and proceeded to illustrate once more how to park butt-first, then head-first.

She hung on to his every word, and leaned over to watch his hand draw in sure, bold strokes the different car positions and the direction it was supposed to go.

When he asked, “Do you get it now?” She just nodded slightly.

Noting her lack of confidence, he decided, “Let’s review first your reverse coning.”

He was right, she felt more at ease with the cones than the trees. At least they were plastic.

He set up two parallel lines wide enough to fit one big car. “Remember, when parking, note the two parallel points and stay within the lines.”

After several tries, she made some improvement. Then finally, she managed to park between the trees.

Taking it a step further, he said, “Let’s go to the parking lot near your house. It’s not too crowded there.”

She gulped but nodded.

It took him about five demos at the parking lot before she would agree to take over the wheel.

They only had the parking lines as guide. Like a chicken, she kept getting out of the car to look down and familiarize herself with the parallel lines on the ground, so she could visualize their position in her mind before she relied on her side mirrors.

The first few tries, the line kept disappearing below the car. She kept taking up two parking spaces.

But by and by, under his patient coaching of “stop”, “turn” and “go”, she finally found a way to stay within the lines.

On the second successful try with no coaching, she squealed, “I did it! I did it! I parked between the lines!”

She was overwhelmed with gratefulness for unlocking yet another driving achievement.

She was emotional but was able to restrain herself from jumping and hugging him.

Then he said, “One proud teacher here!”, throwing her a big, dazzling smile.

Before she knew it, her right hand acted like it had a mind of its own.

Like in a dramatic slow motion where she didn’t know where to click the freeze button, her fingers found their way to his left ear and then pinched, pinched, the soft fleshy bottom part of it…

…for a mortifying few seconds.

He froze.

She also froze.

Their eyes met.

She was embarrassed beyond belief. And yet, after quickly retrieving her hand, she managed to school her face and just acted like it was no big deal.

She faced front and tried to cover the awkwardness with excited babble. “I think I can do 10 more tries. Shall we do another one?”

She did not dare to look at him again.

“Let’s go to another parking lot. Which mall do you usually go to?”

“Ayala, of course, the nearest one to my house.”

“To Ayala, then.”

Ironically, her embarrassment made her totally forget she was nervous about driving.

Simply relieved that both her hands were now occupied with the wheel, she drove quickly to the next destination.

An hour later, since they were already at the mall, they went up to the roof deck for a cup of coffee.

Him, “So… tomorrow’s your last session.”

Her, “I haven’t tried night driving. Is it okay if we started after dinnertime tomorrow? You can teach me about lights, too.”

He nodded, “Let’s practice parallel parking at I.T. Park.”

I.T. Park was the only 24-hour commercial block in the city due to foreign BPOs or call centers in the area with night shifts. For night practice, they didn’t have to worry about curfew or closing hours.

Him, “You’re used to going out at night.” It wasn’t a question.

Her, “I’m not a morning person.”

Him, “Same here. Good thing your class schedule is always in the afternoon.”

Still him, “You party a lot.” Still not a question.

She narrowed her eyes at the way he said it. “You seem to know something about me.”

Silence. A few seconds passed as he considered his coffee. Then slowly, he let out a guilty grin below his black cap as he lifted his eyes to hers.

Him, “I saw your photos on Facebook.”

She almost spilled her coffee. She burst out laughing so hard, a few heads turned their way.

“You checked out Facebook!” Still laughing. “You said you didn’t like it.”

Ruefully, he smiled. “Got curious about what the fuss was about. You were so passionate showing it to me. I asked my secretary to create a new account for me. She’s a Facebook expert, too.”

Furiously, she tried to recall what she’s posted and if she’s had any embarrassing tags lately.

She realized her account was set to public.

Mostly because with her previous PR work, she used to promote events and share photos to a lot of people, even those not on her Friends list.

She forgot to adjust her privacy settings when she resigned.

The images in her FB albums were mostly from hotel events where she’d had to put on full make up, suits or party dresses with a perpetual smile on the face.

Not everyone knew the occasional pain behind those smiles after standing two to four hours, sometimes even more, on high heels especially at cocktail parties.

Her, “Ah, so you saw those pics. Don’t be fooled by the glam and glitz. That’s mostly for work. Believe it or not, my team and I worked very hard on those parties – worked hard before, during and even after the events. We barely had personal time to actually “party, party” in those days.”

Him, simply, “You looked pretty.”

Her heart raced.

Suddenly shy, she lowered her eyes to her coffee and took a sip.

Her, “Actually, if it wasn’t for work and it were up to me, I’d rather spend my time barefoot at the beach.”

Him, “Yeah, I saw your sunset photos by the beach. Where is that?”

Her, “Different places, but mostly from my father’s hometown up north, Medellin. I’m usually there if I’m not in the city. It’s about 3 hrs from here. That’s another reason why I took up driving classes. Can’t wait to go on a long drive there.”

He nodded. “A long drive is actually the best way to build a new driver’s confidence on the road. We also offer that service at the school.”

He sipped his coffee. “I can guide you on your first long drive there, no extra charge.”

He smiled. “Just buy me coffee and I’m good. Let me know when.”

Because her heart was already thundering too fast for comfort, she tried to slow it down by just taking it by the horns and pushing it out there.

So, deciding to test the waters, she said flippantly, “Hmm, first the compliment and now this very kind offer. Why are you being so nice to me, Sir Will? Careful, I might fall for you…”

He looked into her eyes for a moment, trying to see if she was joking.

Then slowly, as if thoughtfully considering it, he nodded his head and said in mock seriousness, “Hm, that’s okay… just take your time. I don’t mind.”

He took a sip of coffee, then added, “Let’s talk about your feelings when you’ve graduated your driving course already.”

Noting the teasing glint in his eyes, she knew he was pulling her leg. This guy didn’t want to be beaten at this game.

Playing along, she pouted, “Why only then?”

He shook his head, acting like he was deeply apologetic. “Sorry, you’ll have to wait. We instructors are not allowed to fall in love or be in a relationship with a student in session.”

Her, “Says who?”

Him, “The driving school owner.”

Her, “You’re the owner.”

Him, “Yes, I made the policy myself.”

Laughing, she rolled her eyes. “So old school.”

Then, raising her eyebrows at him, she said, “Don’t worry, I already disqualified you the moment I saw that towelette hanging on your shoulder.”

“Aw, really?” He grinned. “Sayang, I would have accepted you.”

Her, shaking her hand, “Nah, I just remembered that I have a new goal in life now. You’re not part of the plan.”

Him, “Hm.”

Her, “You wouldn’t want me, either. You’re so old-fashioned and I’m a complicated woman who doesn’t want to get married. You’ll just be wasting your time.”

Him, “Who says I’m old-fashioned?”

He pointed out, “I’m already on Facebook.”

Then, remembering, he told her, “By the way, I sent you a friend request. Add me.”

“Oh?” She checked her Facebook on her phone.

Suddenly, she looked at him, stunned. “Your complete first name is Remuwil?”

Ruefully, he nodded. “Weird, isn’t it?”

In that moment, she felt the rush of butterflies in her stomach.

She knew that name.

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A few weeks ago, she had a dream that was so vivid and detailed that when she woke up, she thought it happened for real.

In this dream, she was in a spacious room enveloped in hazy blue walls and lined with big white beds accented by Uratex-like cushions and soft covers.

The beds were all empty save for the middle one she was sitting cross-legged on.

In front of her, the sun shone beautifully through the French windows, streaming through swaying green leaves and casting a soft glow inside the room.

She thought she was in heaven.

Strangely, she was talking to a younger Marisa Tomei, an American actress with a pixie cut.

Strange because she wasn’t even a fan of the actress. She just knew that she starred in a romantic comedy with Robert Downey Jr., her celebrity crush, entitled, “Only You.”

Vaguely, she remembered them talking about finding “The One” in this lifetime.

She was telling Marisa that there is no such thing as ‘The One’ in life. She’d already fallen in love twice, each time thinking they’re ‘The One’, and yet both of them are gone.

They argued. Ayin insisted that, yes, you can fall in love, many times in fact. But there is no such thing as ‘The One’.

Marisa pouted, “That’s not true. He just hasn’t arrived yet. You can’t give up.”

Just then, the PA system sounded looking for Marisa.

“You’re leaving?” Ayin asked.

“Yes, I have to rush. My flight leaves in an hour. I have to meet someone.”

Marisa was already by the door with her handbag clutched in both hands, when she suddenly pirouetted and shouted, “Ayin! His name is Remuwil. Find him on Facebook.”

It didn’t make sense just like most dreams don’t.

Ayin shouted back, “Remuwil? What an ugly name. Sounds like Rumpelstiltskin. Could be he’s a bad man.”

Marisa gave a tinkling laugh. “Don’t be silly. Remember the name – Remuwil. Check your Facebook.”

Marisa rushed out. The light faded and she woke up.

—

Later, she did search for the name on Facebook, but there wasn’t one. Who would have a name like Remuwil, anyway? Sounds like a jumbled word.

So, she left it at that – just a dream.

But the weird thing was, while people mostly forget what they dreamed in the night, this one stayed with her for days. Even then, she could still remember it vividly.

She was not a superstitious girl and she really didn’t believe the dream meant anything.

However, the name coincidence was just too freaky at that moment.

She got goosebumps.

Way more goosebumps than when she was driving during her first session.

Unsettled, she kept the dream to herself, not telling him anything.

With a trembling finger, she clicked ‘Confirm’ and told him they were friends now.

Then she sipped her coffee and fell silent as she tried to sort out the messy conversation going on in her head:

Romantic Ayin:
Is this a sign? Have we met him? Ooohhh, is Marisa right? Is he The One?

Stubborn Ayin:
This is not a sign. We don’t believe in ‘The One’.

Working Girl Ayin:
If this was a sign, why now when you’ve got other places to go? We’re busy. Step on the gas and move on, girl.

Rational Ayin:
Maybe it’s just premonition that you’d meet a man named Remuwil, but that doesn’t mean a romantic involvement.

Stubborn Ayin:
This is not a sign.

Singer Ayin:
It’s just a little crush (crush)
Not like I faint every time we touch…
It’s just some little thing (crush)
Not like everything I do, depends on you
Sha-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la

Angel Ayin:
Relax. Purely normal for a student to have a little crush on a great teacher.

Stubborn Ayin:
This is not a sign.

Devil Ayin:
You barely know him. Don’t you think he has a girlfriend or still hung up about his ex-wife? He’s just a natural flirt and playing with you. (evil laugh)

Sensible Ayin:
So, just stay on your lane, girl. Don’t cross the line. We don’t have time to pursue someone.

Then a few sips of coffee later, Dominant Ayin quieted them all down.

She stole a glance at the man across the table and sighed.

Who was she kidding?

The bottom line was… she likes him.

Yes, she didn’t know him well. A new relationship wasn’t in the plan. With her new schedule soon, she didn’t know where to fit him.

Nevertheless, she finally admitted — she likes him.

That moment when her fingers touched his earlobe, she knew.

She knew she had already strayed outside the line.

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