A piece of the past…

“Until when?” George demanded angrily.

“Does your mother know?”

“Until I can make it on my own. Until I can get Tessa out of that house,” she answered George. “She doesn’t have to know. She’ll think I am lying,” was her answer to Jackie.

The three of them fell silent. Dannie could only pray with her eyes open as memories of the previous night flashed in her mind.

He would sometimes make her do things any child should not ever go through.

When she was small, she thought it was his way of loving her as her father. The things he did to her made her uncomfortable. Later, they made her feel dirty.

She had wanted to tell her mother, but made threats.

He’d touch Tessa, too, he had said. And he’d kill all of them. The same words over the years had caused her fear.

So she kept her silence.

Until that day she could no longer bear to be quiet. She had to tell someone or she’d go insane.

George had an idea, but it was still a shock. Jackie had started crying hysterically.

George was already talking about plans but she was not listening. She was thinking of Tessa. Her sister had to be safe first.

PRESENT DAY.

It was all or nothing for Troy my boy. And we both knew we’d be in trouble the moment Dannie woke up.

She wouldn’t stay asleep for long, Troy, I told him.

And I was right. Dannie baby slowly came awake and she did not move for quite some time, blankly looking through my windshield. The sky was getting dark. I counted until she moved her head to look out her side of the window, a frown slowly sneaking its way in her beautiful face.

Oh, baby, if you only know…

Troy almost turned to stone when he noticed Dannie waking up and looking out the window. His eyes were fixed on the road like glue and I saw the movement of his throat as he swallowed in anxiety.

“Troy, where are we?” Dannie baby, the ever innocent child, asked.

“Somewhere north, I guess” Troy answered, obviously trying to sound normal. Oh, you have thought that far, didn’t you? Let’s see how FAR you’ve come prepared for what comes next, my boy.

This time, Dannie baby was sure he was up to something and she was starting to look angry. “Troy, where are we exactly?”

“We are actually on our way to Dumaguete,” he answered.

Okay, that was fast. You shouldn’t have told the truth while driving, buddy. Not safe at all.

But Dannie was not the hysterical type so she took a few seconds to calm herself, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Her hands were balled into fists. “Let’s turn around now, please. I want to go home.”

Troy gulped once more but guessing on the speed of my wheels, we were not going to do any U-turn. “Danica, hear me out first—”

“Stop the car now, Troy.” Dannie’s voice was strong and cold by then.

Okay, so I am just THE CAR now. Great, DANICA.

“No,” Troy said, shaking his head. “We’re going to Dumaguete. You need a break. I need a break.”

“You are kidnapping me again.”

True, I agreed.

“We’ll go home in time, don’t worry.”

“Troy, I am trying not to do something stupid right now. You are crossing some boundaries here,” Dannie said with a warning tone.

“Boundaries I should have crossed before you decided you want to become a nun,” Troy answered, his voice serious. Okay, buddy, keep your calm now. That was a good line, by the way.

“Troy, how many times do we have to talk about this? Why do we have to go ‘round and ‘round about THIS?” Dannie asked. “All I want is to just—”

“Return to the way things were before I told you I am in love you?” Troy finished for her. “Danica, I am not willing to return to that hell ever.” He threw her a glance before turning his eyes on the road which, by the way, was almost stark black if not for my headlights. “Wait,” he said before Dannie could say anything. “You have to know that what I am going through right now cannot be compared to what I went through before I confessed everything to you.”  Dannie closed her mouth shut, rendered speechless. “I’d rather have you or nothing at all.”

My bumpers almost fell off at the same time Dannie’s mouth dropped open. “Troy—” she started but he was vigorously shaking his head.

“I am never going to be alright being your friend, Danica. I’ve been that for years. I’ve been pretending to be that for years. So don’t say that being friends is going to work. It will be bound for a great disaster, at least on my part. That’s what I have always believed ever since you came back. I tried but it is not working no matter how much you want it to be just like before. It will never be the same for me and you know it is not going to be the same for you as well. So let’s make one thing clear: I will be your lover or nothing at all.”

“Troy, you know—”

“I know! I know, okay?!” Troy’s voice boomed loud inside my small compartment and doors almost fell off their hinges. Someone’s really angry! “I know, okay?” he repeated in a lower voice. “I know,” he said, swallowing. His grip on my steering wheel tightened. “But I can’t accept it. Not now, maybe never. So I am taking my last chance.” He threw her another glance as he said the last word. And he continued talking, facing the road. And I guess it made him a bit more confident that way because the words just started rolling out of his mouth. “I won’t risk my chances of going to heaven by kidnapping you away from Him but I at least have to try. At least once, Danica. So, please, just let me figure everything out inside my head. Let’s figure this thing out without the let’s-just-be-friends-again option. Just a few days and then I’ll forget about you or—if fate and the Lord will allow it—I’ll have you. But I won’t be your friend again until someone else comes along to prove that you’re not the right one but I highly doubt it will ever happen because I know it is you. I’ve known it for years. I just need to make you realize the same thing without pissing God. I am not threatening you about not being your friend if you choose to take the same path you chose. What I am just saying is that I can’t be your friend if you won’t have me because it will hurt like hell. So, before I decide to unfriend you, I will be selfish right now because I am doing this for myself. But I am not threatening you. I just need to know how we’ll end up before we unfriend each other.”

I knew Troy talked a lot, but it was one of those rare moments that I actually listened to every word he said. Man, you’re on a roll tonight! My windshield could barely keep up with that speech!

Dannie just looked at him, her eyes hooded by the shadows of my interior. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but I had a feeling she wanted this as well.

You guys need a proper closer. Or a new beginning if Dannie would allow it. I have to vote for Troy on this one, Dannie baby. You both need this. No friends to bother you. No mother to come knocking on your door. No weddings to prepare for. Just you and him and that distant possibility—whatever it is.

And yeah, I guess he has a point about being lovers or nothing at all. He’ll be hurting the most if you go back to the convent and I guess he’ll heal faster if he unfriends you or something. But that sounded like a threat, right?

I had one worry though. Dannie was not comfortable being with a guy for hours. How would she deal with Troy for days?

She slumped back against my passenger seat. “Two.”

“What?” Troy and I asked in unison. Of course, only the human was heard.

“Two days. That’s all.”

“I planned for a week’s stay but I’ll settle for five.”

She shook her head. “You can’t take me away that long, Troy. You know I have things to do for the wedding. The bride will kill me if I—”

“Those two will walk down that aisle with or without preparations. The wedding and everything else will still be there when we get back. Five days, Danica. Just five days. Then you can do whatever you want. Remember, we might not be friends after this trip. You better make the most out of it.”

Nice one, buddy!

Danica closed her eyes and thought about Troy’s offer for a long time. I was pretty certain she was not taking the “unfriend” status seriously though she should.

She was not putting up a fight about turning back so we were pretty much on our way to Dumaguete.

“Fine.”

He flashed her his boyish, satisfied grin and she shook her head like a fish vendor tricked by a buyer for a lower price.

We drove for another five minutes without any sound but my engines. And the call came.

It was from Jackie.

“Where the hell are you?!” Jackie’s voice demanded when Troy answered his phone.

“We’re on our way to Dumaguete,” he answered with confidence now that Dannie had agreed to his deal.

“Dumaguete?! Are you crazy? Troy, you bring her home now. I don’t believe she’s going on her own free will.”

“Well, she is,” Troy said, his voice etched with hesitation. “Well, after my emotional speech, she agreed. You want to talk to her?”

“YES!”

He gave the phone to Dannie who took it and said, “Jackie.”

“Please tell me the truth. Did you agree to this?”

“I can hear you, Jackie,” Troy said dryly.

“Yes, I guess,” Dannie answered slowly.

“What the hell are you two going to do in Dumaguete?”

Dannie turned to Troy who only shrugged.

“I don’t know. He’s not telling me.”

“Give the phone back to him.”

The phone was back in Troy’s hand. “Try doing something stupid and I’ll come after you!” Jackie’s warning was serious. “I’ll let George kill you. Remember, Brady. One wrong move. One.”

“Come on, Jackie. You know me. I’ll take good care of her.”

“I won’t repeat myself, Brady. You’ll just be dead before you know it. And Dean wants to talk to you.”

I could picture out Jackie pushing the phone at Dean and pacing around the living room of the apartment while Georgie was asking her questions. “Hey, man, you really did it?” Dean asked with amusement.

“You knew?!” Jackie and Georgie’s voice asked from the background.

“Hey, we talked about it but there was nothing solid—ouch!” Dean’s voice was saying. Dannie and Troy patiently waited for the brawl to be over with Jordan’s voice shouting at the boys to let go of Dean’s neck. “Hey, Troy, Tata’s at Lee’s house, by the way,” Dean said when he was finally free from his attackers. “And you have to go online later.”

“What for?”

“You know what for. The appointment,” Dean said mysteriously.

What the hell are the two of you talking about?

“Okay, I’ll try,” Troy answered. “Can you do me a favor?”

“What?”

“Can you ring Coco Grove for me? We will need two rooms tomorrow night for four nights. And any hotel in Dumaguete for tonight. My hands are full right now so…”

“Sure. But Coco Grove? Isn’t that in Siquijor?” Dannie’s head snapped toward Troy at the mention of the island.

He noticed and he hastily finished the call. “Yeah. Thanks, man. Tell the boys to not go after us and just let us be. ‘Bye.”

“Siquijor?!” Dannie asked, her eyes wide. “You did not tell me we’re going to Siquijor!”

“It’s just a couple of hours away from Dumaguete, Danica. It’s not like I am shipping you off to another continent. And I haven’t been there. Jordan said it’s a great place to think and be alone.”

“I don’t want to—”

His phone rang one more time and Dannie snatched it out of his hand before he declined. “Yes, Jackie,” she answered.

“Now that I have thought about it, I think it’s best you stay away from Bacolod for a while.”

Dannie frowned. “Why?”

Troy was frowning as well with disbelief.

“That LADY came by earlier. Jam just told us. She was looking for you.”

Dannie’s face twitched a little but she did not reveal anything more of what she felt. But Troy’s face registered fury.

“So yeah, we think you should stay away for a while. We’ll handle things on our own if ever she comes back again. Just be safe, okay? And tell Brady to check in three times a day or we’ll—”

Troy snatched the phone from Dannie and talked to Jackie. “You bet I will, Jackie. I trust you’ll kill me if I do something stupid. ‘Bye.”

He disconnected and a different kind of silence followed. It was like two different kinds of gasses were inside me. Troy was emitting a really strong one while Dannie’s was soft and calm but dangerous at the same time. They were both worried and angry, and they were worried and angry about the same thing: her past.