Hearts for Rent

“Two weeks... but it feels like two years already,” he said to himself.

“Is she still the same?”

A familiar feeling occurred to him. It was like the way when he first dated Anne. Goosebumps running down his spine. Mixed emotions whirling within him. Nervousness. Anxiety. Excitement.

Anne. She's not pretty but she has these expressive eyes. Her face is crowned with a glorious long straight hair. Her body highlighted with curves in the right places. Attractive – that's what she is. She has this magnetic force that could make you stare at her for hours.

With a brave attempt to make friends with her, he invited her one weekend to go out. She accepted the invitation and he celebrated for his effort. It was their first date.

He met her in front of their office building that day and went to the mall. He remembered the feeling sitting opposite her while sipping coffee. Watching her as she gracefully place sugar on her latte. And, wishing to more than just hold her hand in the darkness of the cinema house.

Being with Anne is like enjoying a good nap in a lazy afternoon. There's this certain comfort that he can't explain. He knows she feel the same. That's why he thought of asking her to be his girl only when his mom arrives.

She agreed.

They are sweet as a couple in front of his mom. Everything came out naturally like all of what they're doing is REAL.

“What happened to us?” he mumbled in the air as he continued walking North going to Anne's place.

“It has to be this way,” she argued to herself as she place her bulky travel bag on her side. She has been there in the terminal for already an hour. All she's doing is wait patiently for the next bus to arrive and take her away from her crumpled world.

Bus rides.. She remembered Ching. His always being insistent to accompany her in going home. How he would gently hold her elbow and guide her in crossing the street. The royalty treatment she gets from him. She miss those days. How she hope to be with him again. But it's quite impossible now. Their charade is over.

She fell for him when she's not supposed to. It was all her fault, she thought. She wasn't careful and now he feels so shattered. “Everything's just a show,” she reminded herself.

And the memory of that dreadful night came back to her. The dream-like scenes turning into a gloomy nightmare right before her eyes. His words stabbing her heart.

Without a warning, tears ran down from her eyes. Pain has once again returned, she thought.

“She must know that I really love her,” Ching said as he opened the door of boarding house. He went upstairs with a slight hint of urgency. He can't wait to tell it to her.

He found her bedroom door locked. Quite unusual since he knows that she's supposed to be home already. He decided to open the door with his duplicate key. He invited himself inside to wait for her.

To his amazement, the room is almost empty. He can't find a trace of her belongings anymore. What was left are just the cloth hangers and the bed.

The bed. It was where he devoured her one evening when he was in rage at her. He was so furious and jealous that time. He was fuming with what his eyes had witnessed. She was so happy and drinking with some guys in a bar without his knowledge.

And that night flashed back like an old movie. He pretended not to know anything about her escapade. He treated her so sweetly till she gave in to him. He was so triumphant. He pounded on her without any gentleness despite her pleas.

Then, he remembered her question after what had happened.

“Do you love me?” Anne asked as she embraced him.

There was silence.

“I LOVED you, “ he answered. And, she snuggled closely to his chest.

Then, he continued.

“I LOVED you. but my ideal girl doesn't come cheap. Very unlike you, right? You're a bitch just like any girl your age.”

With that, he fell asleep not hearing her sobs. He was too drunk and his ears has become deaf.

He felt so weak at the memory of that evening. He laid himself to the bed in the hope of getting back his strength. But when he placed his weight on the bed, he felt something has just got broken.

He slipped his hand under the pillow and tried to reach for the object. It is a photo frame. A broken photo frame with a picture of him and Anne.

They were smiling sweetly. This photo was taken during a dinner with mom, he recalled.

He didn't know that she cherished it. that she even had the picture placed in a nice frame.

He felt like crying. Anne is gone. Looks like she's not coming back in that room anymore. He doesn't know where to find her.

He stared intently at the broken frame. It's blue color teasing him of how blue his days are going to be.

But what pierces his heart even more is the frame's design. The stylish wooden lettering painted with baby pink and sprinkled with glitters.

It says: “Priceless”.

(07/28/07)