“You are not taking your car,” Georgie told Jordan firmly.

It was sort of awkward because I didn’t want Vicky to feel abandoned, but then again, I felt abandoned for five days during my stay at their place. And to add to the awkwardness, Jackie and Dannie were standing just a few feet away, waiting for Georgie and Jordan to finish their conversation. Jackie’s head was slightly tipped to the side, obviously listening to whatever the two were talking about.

Their introduction that very same Monday morning was awkward as well, but it was tolerable. Everyone was civil.

Jordan let out an exasperated breath, looked over his shoulder to where Dannie and Jackie were standing, and faced Georgie once more, saying, “Your friends are going to ride with us?”

“No, you are going to ride with us. Just like I rode with you as you insisted a week ago.”

“Okay, you can ride your car--“

Toto, my name is TOTO!

“--next week. I will ride mine this week,” Jordan bargained.

Georgie shook her head. “No extra parking space later for your car. The Red Cross HQ is already full of them and we can’t afford to have a BMW parking anywhere near the vicinity. And you cannot just park anywhere outside the HQ because you might not know if you’ll ever see your car again.

I heard Vicky gasp in horror and fear.

Relax, Vicky, that’s not going to happen if your owner chooses to leave you here. Deep in my engine gut, I couldn’t’ say the same thing for our neighborhood. It was safe enough, but I was not sure how safe it was for BMW’s. I guess we’d know once we came home. It would either be Vicky would disappear or she’d still be here.

“Why do I have the feeling that you have been planning this?” Jordan asked.

“No, of course not! It was not I who insisted I ride with him in the first place when I said I was going to take my own car last week.”

“I did that because there are people in my work place who know you and your family. I don’t think someone from your Red Cross HQ know what is going on between us and our family.”

“Fine. Ride your car. But don’t go pointing fingers if you won’t find it where you parked it at the end of the day.” I had to soothe Vicky once more because she was almost wailing, begging her owner to just leave her there. “Come on, guys, let’s go,” Georgie called to her friends who walked toward me in haste.

Since it was Monday, Jackie had her time with me and she sat behind my wheel.

Oh, I missed you, Jackie girl! Love your new orange nail polish! And your shoes are new, right?

“Well?” Georgie asked Jordan as Dannie climbed into the backseat.

He hesitated for a moment. “How about my bag?”

Oh, yeah. His bag was still inside Vicky.

“It will still be there later. Are you going or not?” Georgie repeated the question with etch of impatience. My friends have work and so do I. We’re going to be late.”

Shaking his head, Jordan walked toward me and followed beside Dannie in the backseat. The latter smiled at him nicely like she always would with people she just met. He returned her smile awkwardly. Honestly, he looked like Shrek cramped at the backseat with his size and his awkward smile.

Once he was settled inside, Georgie pushed my passenger seat back and climbed in beside Jackie.

And then we were off in a completely awkward silence.

*****

“Hey! Watch it!” Georgie shouted at someone on a bicycle.

We were on our way to Bob’s café to get Jackie’s daily dose of caffeine.

“Relax,” Dannie said softly beside Jordan.

“We almost ran over him,” Georgie answered.

“Could have killed him. Ugh, I hate my new shoes,” Jackie added.

It was a very familiar conversation for me, but I doubted about Jordan. He was looking uncomfortable. It reminded me of the first time Dean was forced to ride me with the boys.

Oh, it seemed like too long ago, I reminisced with a sigh.

As for Jordan, he would witness more unwanted things while he was with these three.

“Dean almost dropped by earlier,” Jackie broke the silence while we waited for the green light.

“Got used to taking you to and from work?” Georgie asked.

“Maybe,” Jackie answered.

“He was excited when we asked him to be the driver of the week,” Dannie added with amusement.

Uh, would anyone want to include Jordan into the conversation?”

But the guy seemed busy with his phone, texting or chatting or whatever, and frowning at the same time.

Okay, go on, boys. He deserves to be left out.

The boys were busy talking about Dean and his punctuality, completely ignoring Jordan, when his voice suddenly dominated my small interior by saying, “I told them I will be out of the office for the whole week. Didn’t I make that clear before?” he talked to his phone. “No, you tell them that I am on an important trip out of town and no, I will not cut another deal. Tell them that they can talk to my lawyer. Yes, that’s all. No, just mail the letter and I will get back to you when I can.”

Georgie, Dannie and Jackie fell silent and the only sound, other than Jordan’s angry voice, was the tinkling sound that I made because of the tools that were hidden in my trunk.

The boys looked at each other as if they were in the presence of someone they were secretly making fun of and they were pretending to be respectful. I saw a small, wicked smile cross Georgie’s face.

“Team Ja, Team Ja…Go, Team Ja!” Jackie chanted in a sing song voice as she maneuvered me into the parking space of Bob’s Café.

Georgie threw her a look and she laughed before she climbed off me.

“By the way, how do you like your coffee, Jordan?” Jackie asked.

“What?” He seemed distracted when he looked away from his phone and stared at Jackie.

“How do you like your coffee?”

When he finally realized what she was saying, he answered, “Black, no sugar.”

“Give her some bill,” Georgie ordered.

“No, it’s okay,” Jackie said. Liar! I knew she wanted Jordan to pay for his own coffee.

Jordan was already taking out his wallet and pulled out a card. “My treat,” he told Jackie as he handed it to her.

“Still Team Ja!” we heard Jackie say before closing the door.

We sped to the Red Cross HQ after Jackie came back with the coffees.

In under five minutes, we dropped Jordan and Georgie at the HQ with Jordan looking lost in his very formal attire and a cup of coffee in his hand.

Goodbye, big guy! See you around!

“He is so full of himself.” Those words from Dannie surprised both Jackie and I.

“Yep, so full of himself. He thinks that he can get our vote just because he paid for the coffees. He did not even offer to buy it for us himself. He waited with you guys while I did the work.”

We dropped Dannie at Kumon where she worked as a preschool teacher and then I was back under my lonely Acacia tree in Collins Corporations.

Dean was already there with his own cup of coffee.

There were some nice changes when Jackie and Dean became official after the Brian tragedy. For one, Jackie would always rush to the office so she could have this coffee time with Dean while they sat on my hood under the Acacia tree before they would both enter the large building of Collins Corporations and resume their work with him as her boss and her as his employee.

“I don’t like him at all,” Jackie told Dean as they sipped their morning cup of coffee.

Dean turned to face her and arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure you are not just saying that because you already judged the guy before you met him?”

“Yes, of course! George told us what he is like herself!”

“George has her own reasons not to like the guy, one of which is the fact that she doesn’t want to marry him. As far as I am concerned, he had not done anything against any of you to even deserve your prejudice.”

Jackie narrowed her eyes at Dean. “Are you saying you are Team Jo?”

“Team what?” he asked laughingly.

She explained the existence of the two teams she had created and where she obviously belonged.

Dean’s face darkened a little when he heard Jam’s name. “So you like Jam?”

Jackie looked at him dryly. “Are you still jealous of him? He is a good guy and he and George are so much alike! They can make a good couple!”

“We are not that much alike as far as I know,” he pointed out.

“Still Team Ja,” Jackie insisted.

“Jackie, stop whatever you are doing. Don’t play cupid. George wouldn’t like that and I am sure that Jam is a good guy, but can you also be sure that Jordan is not?”

“Whatever. Again, still Team Ja.”

Yeah, Dean, Team Ja!

“Okay, stop that. Let’s not talk about them.” Dean leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Where’s the report I asked for?”

Jackie pushed him away. “It is on its way. And please, don’t kiss me and follow it up with questions about work. It just isn’t done.”

Dean chuckled and straightened. He took Jackie’s hand and pulled her away from me.

No, please, don’t leave me yet! I can take more kissing. Just not yet, please!

But off they went to work and I was left with the narcissistic BMW. I ignored her after I said good morning and called out to Beatle parked in front of me.

Hey, buddy, care to share some fun stories of your week with the two boys?

*****

George had a lot of fellow Red Crossers, but she was constantly with the same people, her team, whenever she was on duty and if she was not teaching.

George started the short introduction by waving her hand at the petite woman in her twenties. “This is Charisse and she is our phone operator for this shift. She’s still fresh from training.”

“Hi,” Charisse waved at Jordan with a smile.

Jordan just nodded.

“This is Dan,” she continued, pointing at the chubby, tall guy who shook Jordan’s hand firmly.

“I am a nurse like George.”

The look of surprise was apparent on Jordan’s face but George gave him a look not to ask the “nurse” question in the presence of her team.

“This is Fred. He’s a police officer if he is not here.”

“Nice to meet you,” Fred said, taking Jordan’s hand while giving his outfit a curious look.

“And that is Mike. Most of the time, he is our team leader and pilot, the driver of the ambulance,” George explained, motioning her hand at the handsome guy sitting behind a desk. Mike just nodded at Jordan and went back facing the computer.

“So you are here because you are interested to join the Red Cross?” Dan inquired in a friendly tone.

Jordan nodded. George had told him that it was the best excuse they could give everyone to explain his presence.

“So why not start with the training?” Fred asked.

“He is not so sure he wants to join yet. So he is doing what some of us did when we first came ehre. He’s here to observe for a couple of weeks to get a feel of what we are doing,” George answered for Jordan. She then faced him and said, “Just sit wherever you want, just not behind the desks. Don’t touch the radios. Don’t touch the TV. We watch the news 24/7 so don’t change the channel. The bathroom is outside this office, near the ambulance area.”

While she was saying that, the door opened and Perry, their big boss and the head of the Red Cross Bacolod chapter, came in.

“Sir,” George and the others, except Jordan, greeted.

“Who are you?” Perry asked Jordan the moment he saw him, his agenda for dropping by put on halt. One could easily notice him what with his formal attire of collared shirt, dark pants and black shoes.

Jordan stepped forward and held out his hand. “Jordan Ledesma.”

“Ledesma? You know Rolly Ledesma?”

“Rollin Ledesma’s my father,” Jordan answered as they shook hands.

“What is Rolly’s son doing here?” Perry asked, his face surprised and pleased at the same time. He turned to George. “Is he your visitor?”

George’s boss knew her family and he was able to connect the dots in an instant. She nodded. “He’s here to observe. He’s thinking it would be nice to be a part of a volunteer group.”

Amused, Perry turned to Jordan and said, “Well, then, son of Rolly, I hope you will enjoy your stay here. We do great works around here. George, why don’t you take this man with you on your runs?” It would be a nice experience for him.”

“What?” George asked incredulously.

“Why not? If he wants to observe, let him observe everything. His father had been sending our chapter generous gifts over the years and this is one way to pay him back.” He looked at Jordan and added, “If you want to start volunteering, just say so. You can start training as soon as you want to. George here is one of our best instructors. She can teach you a lot.”

Jordan just nodded, he himself lost. “I will still have to see if I am fit for this environment.”

Perry laughed. “Young man, Red Cross is home to a lot of different people, whatever their status. Our chairman for one is a former senator. Everyone fits here if they are just willing to go through the rigid training and if it is in their heart to serve and help. Feel at ease here, but follow the rules. I don’t care who you are or who your father is even though we are friends. Once you step inside our premises, you are on neutral territory. No one is boss around here because we are here to serve without expecting anything in return but the experience and satisfaction of serving. Everyone does their part, observing or not.”

George almost wanted to laugh when she saw Jordan hesitate for a second before he nodded and shook Perry’s hand once more.

Back in his world, he was the boss. Right here, right now, he was stripped of all title.

*****

Their first run came when they received a call from a bystander at one of the streets of Bacolod. It was reported that there was a vehicular accident involving two motorcycles.

Charisse gave the caller instructions after jotting down the address and the landmark.

George and the others were already moving to the door.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s go!” she cried at Jordan who seemed surprised.

“I think I will pass this one,” he answered in a hurry.

“You heard what Perry said. You’re coming with us in our runs. Let’s go!”

“You can just tell him--”

“Jordan,” she said as she walked near him, her voice only audible to him, “I did everything you wanted back in your place. And right now, I am telling you to go with us because I don’t want to be called by the boss asking why I did not follow his suggestion.”

“I can talk to him--”

“The guy is too proud of what we do here and you will only be wasting your time explaining why you want to observe everything here but at the same time you don’t want to go to the runs.”

“George! Come on!” Mike barked from outside.

“Coming!” she answered as she looked at Jordan.

“Fine,” he answered, taking his phone with him.

“And next time, wear a proper outfit,” George added as they walked out the door.

George noticed the discomfort on Jordan’s face as Mike sped down the road.

He was seated at the head of the ambulance, behind the front seat, his hands tightly gripping the handle mounted beside the sliding door of the vehicle.

The ambulance was the typical one with cabinets and supplies at one side, a stretcher at the center and a bench at the other side where Dan and George were already sitting. Fred was at the passenger seat.

All of them, except Jordan, had emergency kits around their waists, all busy doing something to prepare for the rescue.

George was busy listening to additional information Clarisse was relaying through the handheld radio. “Secure your seatbelt,” she told Jordan. He was wise enough to do as she ordered, his face not looking good as Mike increased the speed.

When they arrived to the scene, there was a pack of curious onlookers surrounding the victims.

“Step aside!” Fred shouted. As the crowd control guy, it was his job to free the scene of any people who could only delay their work. He was immediately talking on the radio, contacting traffic officers to respond to the scene ASAP.

“What are you doing here?” George shot at Jordan when she saw him standing beside her. She was kneeling beside one of the victims who still had his helmet on while Dan was with the other one.

“I thought you wanted me to tag along--”

“Then make yourself useful while the other volunteer group arrives. Get us more splints.”

“What?” The look on his face made her roll her eyes. He was obviously not used to getting ordered around. Well, he better adjust.

She sighed and looked at the ambulance, her eyes squinting against the blast of sunlight. Mike had already opened the back door. “See that small cabinet by the back door? Open that and you will find more splints.”

He hesitated for a moment. His shirt was almost drenched with sweat. Obviously, he was not used to being out in the field as well. Finally, she saw him walk to the ambulance.

When he came back, George was already done with her initial assessment. She had a bigger emergency bag opened beside her. The victim was unconscious but pulse and breathing were noted.

“You brought the wrong ones. Get me the longer ones,” she told him when she saw the splints he was carrying.

To her surprise, he obeyed and went back to the ambulance.

“Don’t touch anything,” she told him again when he returned with the right splints.

“Are you ready to mount?” Mike asked after a few minutes, holding a long board.

“Just one more splint,” George said and after a few seconds, she was done.

In less than a minute, they were able to strap the victim in the long board and loaded him to the stretcher. Dan came back to help them wheel the patient to the ambulance when the other volunteer group, Amity, came just on time.

“Hey! Come on!” George shouted at Jordan after she closed the back of the ambulance. Jordan immediately climbed back inside the vehicle through the side door. “What were you waiting for back there?” she asked.

“We’re done here?”

“What else did you expect?” she asked, putting a BP cuff around the patient’s uninjured arm.

“Nothing.”

“Next time, don’t climb down. You’re not trained to do this yet.”

“Don’t mind her,” Dan said beside her to assure Jordan.

*****

“I never knew you are a nurse,” said Jordan after they dropped the patient at the nearest hospital. She had told him to wait inside with Mike while they endorsed the patient to the emergency room.

“Not important,” she said under her breath. “Let’s not talk about that.”

And he respected that by staying silent.

Unluckily, there was only that one run during their shift. It seemed that people in Bacolod were keeping safe and healthy, George thought.

Their lunch was what they could manage to find in the pantry which was canned sardines. George cooked the rice while the guys waited.

“You guys don’t have a stove?” Jordan asked as he watched George make arrange the wood to start a fire.

“We don’t have the budget for that,” she answered curtly. “If you want a nicer lunch, you can just walk to Lacson street and buy one for yourself.”

He looked tempted but he shook his head. “I am fine with whatever you can serve.”

That surprised her. Jordan Ledesma eating sardines?

The rest of the shift was spent waiting for calls, watching the news and making reports. George became busy with Mike, talking about her scheduled classes for the new batch of trainees. She had let Jordan do whatever he was doing with his phone, not really bothered whether he was comfortable or not.

When it was time to go home, George caught his attention by saying, “Let’s go. Time to go home.”

The relief on his face was noticeable. He looked tired.

After they said their goodbyes to the others, they went ahead and walked out the HQ.

“Don’t tell me we are going to walk home,” Jordan said dryly.

“No, we’re going to ride the jeepney.”

“I thought Jackie is going to drop by and pick us up?”

“She’s doing some grocery shopping. We’re going there.”

“Georgina, honestly speaking, I am tired as hell.”

“We went to just one run, Jordan,” she pointed out as they walked to Lacson Street.

“We can just get a taxi.”

“There’s the jeepney,” she said, ignoring his suggestion. She walked on ahead and he unwillingly followed behind her, climbing inside the cramped jeepney.

His face was not looking good as he sat across her, his hand gripping the bar over his head for support. Sweat was running down one side of his face, his shirt still drenched with his own sweat, and George couldn’t be more than happy to see him suffer.

She thought of the things he would have to go through when they came home later.

Her friends, especially Jackie, were not really the common hospitable type.