I heard somewhere that dates are the sweetest fruits but for some reason they could not be converted into refined sugar for everyday use. I would say that their human counterparts are Jackie and Dean because, really, I could not even describe how their relationship evolved to the cheesy one I had to suffer every now and then.

They would steal kisses while onboard and Dean would drop, if he was in the mood, the most nerve-wrecking lines you could only hear from songs after a kiss or before that.

And I was grateful that I was not within their fifty-mile radius right now because I needed a break.

Georgie was driving me out of town again and I knew where we were going based on her grip around my steering wheel. I was very certain she was eager to get to our destination as fast as she could and then leave as fast as we came.

She was going home again.

Did this trip have anything to do with that Jordan Ledesma guy?

I wanted that guy out of the picture. Jackie’s crazy problems were enough to drive me crazy as it was.

When we finally arrived, my earlier theory was finally proven because right there where Georgie used to park me was the BMW of no other than Jordan Ledesma himself.

Plate number JDN000. Yes, it was that same customized plate number I very well remembered.

Georgie parked me right beside the BMW and climbed out. She stayed there watching the BMW with her chest heaving and her hands on her hips. She was trying to calm herself down, I knew it.

When she walked to the house, I prayed I had supersonic powers because I desperately wanted to hear what was going on inside.

Hey there, I said to the BMW.

It didn’t answer. It ignored me like I was just some yellow poop on the ground.

Racist, I muttered. I didn’t bother to build rapport with the car once again.

After a long, awkward silence on my part (the strongest I had to endure), Georgie finally emerged out of the double doors. Well, she actually slammed the doors open, turned around and slammed them shut with her full might.

Ah, yes, the bratty side of Georgie not most of us would often see.

She stormed toward me and to my full surprise, she didn’t immediately climb onboard. She took out her tool bag and then the knife.

My headlights almost popped out of their sockets once again.

Hey, Georgie, what the hell are you doing? I asked after her as she stormed to the BMW and stabbed the right front tire.

No! What the hell is wrong with you, boys? Tire killers!

But she was not even hearing me--if she could--because unlike Jackie, she didn’t mind the sudden blaring of the alarm. Instead, she walked to the left front tire and stabbed it as well. Next were the back tires.

She climbed inside me and started my engine. It was that same time when Jordan Ledesma ran out of the house, Georgie’s family tagging along.

“Georgina!” her mother, an older version of Georgie, cried out in anger.

“What the hell did you do?!” Jordan Ledesma’s angry voice cried out but Georgie drove off without a word.

“That was Jackie-inspired, Toto,” she told me as we exited the large gates.

I was hoping you wouldn’t say that, I groaned. 

*****

Jackie was feeling weird the entire day in the office.

Almost everyone in the office was stealing meaningful glances at her and she had a strong inkling why.

“I know a secret,” Karen said in a sing-song tone.

Jackie snapped her head at her friend. “What do you mean?”

Karen winked at her. “Oh, nothing. It’s just that someone saw you climbing out of boss Dean’s car this morning.”

Jackie opened her mouth to say something only to close it again because she didn’t know what to say.

“Don’t worry about it, girl. It’s not like it is a crime to date the boss,” Karen uttered with a wink.

She chose not to say anything. Instead, she just popped the Coke Dean left on her table that morning. He was out for a meeting with the other big bosses so she spent lunch with Karen and now they were back behind their desks.

When she thought no one was watching, she took out her phone and turned on her data connection.

She would delete Dean’s fake Facebook account right now.

But before she could do that, she saw another message from Brian.

You make Jackie cry and I will hunt you down. I don’t care anymore.

I am always watching.

If her phone was not worth six months of savings, she would have thrown it across the room. But she had worked hard for it so she chose to think things through.

What should she do now?

Don’t take down the account just yet. Keep tabs on Brian’s threats.

Okay, that was a good argument.

But she had to tell Dean. He had to know so he could make necessary actions. Maybe get Brian fired? After all, the threats were pretty legit.

Decided, Jackie mustered all her courage. She really had to tell him.

*****

“What’s wrong?” Dean asked her later that afternoon.

They were walking together to where Beatle was.

Jackie was looking at her phone with a frown. “George is not coming home. She said she’s staying somewhere out-of-town.”

“And that’s unusual?” he asked, unlocking Beatle’s doors.

“No, not really, but she has been acting different lately. I am worried.”

“She might just be going through something she doesn’t want you boys to know,” Dean said once they were inside Beatle.

Jackie looked at him dryly. “You, too?”

He frowned. “Me what?”

“You just called us ‘boys’.”

He shrugged. “It sounds cool. And who doesn’t get carried away with Troy?”

Jackie sighed exasperatedly.

“You told me you are going to tell me something.”

She straightened in her seat. “Yes. And this time, no interruptions.”

“What interruptions?” he asked as he turned on the engine.

“No kissing me while I am trying to say something.”

He snorted. “Then you have to stay away. Stand in one corner of the room.”

“Or at the doorway. You might want me to leave the moment you hear me out.”

He stopped the car just as before they exited the parking lot. “It is that serious?”

Jackie averted her gaze. “Yes. It is about Brian.”

Dean drove Beatle to the side, turned off the engine and unfastened his seatbelt. “Okay, tell me now.”

“What? Here?” She could now picture herself stepping out of Beatle and riding the jeepney home because Dean would definitely not like her revelations.

Dean shrugged. “Why not? What do you want to tell me about?”

Her heart started to hammer once more. “Why don’t we eat first?”

“Jackie,” he said impatiently.

“Just take me home first and then we’ll eat. I promise I’ll tell you about it after that.”

“Okay,” he said after a long moment of silence.

Jackie wanted to punch herself. She should have grabbed the chance. She should have not let fear stop her.

*****

They were near the apartment when Jackie received a text message from her mother.

Come by the house as soon as you can.

“Go back,” she said to Dean.

“Jackie, if you are trying to buy some time--”

“No, no, it’s not that. I need to go home.”

“We are heading--”

“I mean my real home. My parents.”

Dean stopped the car. “You mean you want me to drive you to your parents?”

The look on his face almost made Jackie laugh. But he was seriously looking scared that she had to say, “You can just drop me somewhere on your way home. I’ll just come by later your place for that talk.”

He didn’t say anything at first. He was looking anxious but when Jackie was about to open her mouth, he shook his head and said, “No, I will take you there. I just need to change and maybe we can go get something to bring and eat.”

Jackie’s eyes widened. “Don’t you think it is too early for you to meet my--”

“Well, it would happen anytime soon. So why not now?” he said and started to head to the direction of his house.

That might not happen soon if you find out about my lies, Jackie said inside her head. She was not sure if taking Dean home was a good idea.

*****

Georgie took me to the usual place where she would think, drink and talk to herself.

We were in the middle of a sugarcane plantation, actually. There was a clearing in one of the vast sugarcane plantations just outside Bacolod and I was not even sure if it was okay to go there and park under the big, Nara tree. George sort of accidentally stumbled upon the place and we had been coming here every now and then along with her other secret places.

“I hate this!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. “Fuck everyone!”

That was the first time I heard Georgie get that angry.

Georgie, what’s wrong? Just tell me.

But all she did was kick the grass with her sneakers. Even the trunk of the Nara tree couldn’t run away from her wrath.

Okay, keep calm, Georgie! God, what’s wrong with you, boys?

“I want to get away. I want to disappear. What the hell!” she continued.

Fine, do your thing. Just don’t start kicking me because I am telling you, I might not survive that.

*****

Jackie’s parents were cool folks.

They welcomed Dean like he had been a constant visitor.

If someone was shock, it was Jackie.

“I thought there’s a problem?” she said as her mother ushered Dean to the living room.

“What problem?” her dad asked, reading the newspaper. He was already seated at his usual spot in front of the television.

“Ma, you told me to come over as soon as I can. I thought there’s a problem,” Jackie said.

“I just wanted to see you, that’s all. You haven’t visited for weeks now.”

“I have been busy,” she lied.

Dean looked at her with raised eyebrows. She shot him a warning look.

“Hijo, go get us some plates from the kitchen. This food looks delicious,” her mother said to Dean.

“Ma! Dean’s our guest. I’ll go get the plates,” she said, heading to the kitchen.

Dean was fast to jump off the couch and go after her. “It’s okay.”

“Sorry about my parents. They always act like everyone is a family.”

“I like it. No pressure,” he said, watching her as she gathered some plates.

“And they like reading the obituary,” she added grumpily.

“The what?”

“Obituary. They always check if someone they know has passed away. I am serious,” she added when he started laughing.

*****

After eating the sotanghon guisado Dean and Jackie brought, the interrogation began.

Dean was back in the hot seat. And it was a sight for Jackie to see him so discomposed.

“How long have you known Jackie?” her dad asked, now looking Dean squarely in the eyes, the paper he was reading earlier was long gone.

“Long time, I guess. We work together.”

“He is my boss,” Jackie answered.

“Really? Can you give her a raise?” her mother asked, returning from the kitchen.

Dean laughed. “I am afraid not.”

“How long have you been dating?” Mr. Ramos asked.

“Not that long,” Jackie answered for Dean. “Weeks.”

Both her parents nodded.

“Where were you born?” her mother asked.

“In the States.”

“And why are you here?”

“I didn’t like it there. I transferred back in the Philippines after high school.”

Jackie was listening intently now. She had never known details such as this from Dean. It surprised her that she didn’t know a lot about him after all.

“How about your parents?”

“My dad is still in the US. My mom passed away when I was in college. No siblings.”

When no questions followed, Jackie finally spoke up. “Done? Over? Are you happy now?”

Mr. Ramos leaned against his chair and asked, “How strong of a drinker are you, Dean?”

Dean looked at Jackie with a smile and his gaze went back to Mr. Ramos. “Not as strong as your daughter, I guess.”

“Well,” Jackie’s dad slapped his hands. “Since I am a bored, retired engineer, I guess we can fix that problem. We have all the time in the world.” He got up and looked down at Dean inquisitively. “Well? Get up.”

“What?” Dean asked, his voice etched with nervousness.

“I can’t carry one case of beer anymore, boy. I’ll need your help.”

“Pa! We have work tomorrow and Dean cannot--”

“Jackie, cook us something good,” her father cut in, not hearing her argument.

*****

“Where’s Josie?” she asked her mother.

“Your sister’s having her night shift today. She won’t be home until tomorrow.”

“And why was she not here now?” she asked, looking at her watch.

“She’s with a friend,” her mother waved a hand to brush the topic off. When Jackie didn’t say anything more, her mother leaned against her and whispered, “He is hot, Jackie.”

“What?! Ma!” she cried out. She turned her head to see if Dean heard a word, but it seemed that he was into the conversation he was having with her dad. The four of them were sitting around the garden table in the lawn just outside the house Jackie’s parents owned.

“But I already gave you the sex speech, right?” her mother asked again.

“Ma! Oh God, please, don’t start!”

“Jackie, I am serious. I hope you remember that one.”

“Yes, I can very well remember every word. Now, please, stop that.”

Her mother laughed and joined the two men in their conversation about the music industry.

*****

“I hope you’re not drunk,” Jackie said to Dean when her parents finally stood up to retire for the night.

“Of course not,” he said with a smile. He had his baseball cap on and his face was hooded, but his eyes were glistening against the light coming from the lamppost just outside the gates. And he was holding an old, acoustic guitar Jackie’s father owned.

“What’s with the guitar, anyway?” she asked as he strummed the guitar with a tune she couldn’t recognize.

“Your father asked if I could tune it right for him,” he said, turning a knob on the guitar and plucking the string attached to it.

“Can you sing a song?”

“What song?” he asked absentmindedly, his focus on the guitar.

“Something I know.”

“Like what?”

Jackie shrugged. “Something Tagalog?”

Dean looked up to the sky. He appeared to be thinking.

“And then I’ll translate.”

He looked at her incredulously. “What?”

“I will translate it in English. What?” she asked when he just laughed, “We do it all the time with the karaoke.” When he just chuckled and shook his head, she challenged him by saying, “Well, if you can’t do it, that’s fine.”

“I know some Filipino songs,” he contradicted.

“Then let’s try it!”

He arched an eyebrow and Jackie sensed that he was accepting the challenge. “Okay, let’s see the extent of your English vocabulary.”

“Huh! Try me!” she said with confidence, crossing her hand over her chest.

“Okay…” he said as he thought of a song to sing. When he began, Jackie immediately recognized the song. It was one of the songs her father used to sing to her mother when they were young.

“Ipagpatawad mo, aking kapangahasan,” he started in a very soft voice she never thought he had. He raised an eyebrow at her when she didn’t say anything.

“Oh, right, sorry,” she uttered.

“That’s not really the right translation,” he said with a chuckle.

“Please forgive my boldness,”she said with a grimace, thinking the translation was awkward.

Dean just nodded and continued, “Binibini ko, sana’y maintindihan…”

She squinted an eye at him as she said, “My lady, I hope you understand.”

“Alam kong kalian lang tayo nagkatagpo…”

“I know we just met recently,” she said, now trying to sing the translated words.

“Ngunit parang sa ‘yo, ayaw nang lumayo…”

“But from you I no longer want to be apart,” she said smugly, proud that she was able to quickly think of a translation.

“Ipagpatawad mo, ako ma’y naguguluhan.”

“Forgive me, I, too, am confused.”

“Di ko masisi na ako ay pagtakhan. ‘Di na dapat ako pagtiwalaan.”

“I won’t blame you if you doubt me. You don’t have to trust me.”

Dean was smiling now as he continued to strum the guitar. “Ngunit parang sa ‘yo, ayaw nang lumayo.”

“But from you I no longer want to be apart.”

“Ipagpatawad mo, minahal kita agad.”

Jackie looked at him and the smile they shared was something only the two of them could understand. “Forgive me, I loved you in a flash.”

When her last word registered in his brain, he laughed and reached out to her. Jackie was crushed against his chest as he bent down to plant a big, exaggerated kiss on her forehead.

“Ready to go home?” she asked.

“Just one last tune test and we’ll go,” he answered and went back to his original task. “And you have to tell me something, right?”

Jackie’s smile disappeared. She swallowed and nodded. “Yeah,” she said weakly. She reached out and grabbed a bottle of beer for strength.

***To those who wish to know more on the English translation of the song I featured, you can check out the external link. That one is the original version, but the video on the side is by Noel Cabangon, whose version of the song I like best. :) P.S. Jackie's translation is fully my own. :)