Marven’s First Novel, chapter #14

“Simply Visiting”

One afternoon, Aldo's cousin, Greta, showed up at his door and he admitted her. He asked her what her visit was about as he bade her sit down. She replied thus:
"It seems that our friend, Dr. Michal, is missing you. Can you believe it?" She sat down on the bamboo sofa.
"Really?" Aldo replied puzzled. "Yes, that's unbelievable." He made his way to the kitchen. "Tell me about it."
Greta heard the sound of the spoon clanging against the cup, and she guessed what Aldo was doing. "Don't bother, Aldo. I won't be long. I still have to cook." She said this because she was on the same errand as before and was actually carrying large paper pouches of ingredients.
"It's the least that I can do considering the good news you're about to break to me." Aldo reappeared at the living room carrying two cups of coffee, one for Greta and one for himself. That's the only way to explain it in case you're wondering why. Then he handed one to Greta and sat opposite her carrying the other. Of course that's how it would go. "So?" he started.
"Michal was at my house yesterday and at another time before that."
Aldo flinched a little bit at hearing this as he was sipping from the cup and looked as if he regretted missing the instances Greta just mentioned. "Oh, was she?."
"I wouldn't come to talk to you if those were just normal, ordinary days and I didn't notice something. But I did. There was something different in her. She seemed a little disconsolate and listless lately, which made me a little bit concerned."
"Oh... Really? Poor Dr. Michal. I wonder why."
"Maybe it has something to do with you."
Aldo almost spat out the coffee in his mouth as his lips were on the brim of its cup. "About me? How?"
"I don't know. Maybe you had a little quarrel... lovers' quarrel, if I'm seeing it right."
"I wish," he said, smiling jestingly, as he slowly placed the cup on the table. "I mean, it would be an honor for me to affect someone like her in such a way. But maybe it's not about me. Maybe she's just going through something. Maybe she has a problem at home. Maybe she's just stressed and tired at her routinely work because, as you know, being a doctor can be a little bit monotonous as far as I can understand... Someone as beautiful and intelligent as Michal? Why would I matter to her?"
"Right. Yet, apparently, you do because Michal is nice doesn't want to offend any person. Plus, you too have been talking to each other... and have become close, as I've observed, to the point that she's now wondering why you don't seem to want to be anywhere near her anymore."
"That's awesome. But no. I ain't got no problem with her. She ain't got no problem with me. I just got busy, I think." Aldo would have announced that he has got reunited with Margaret and they're now together again, if Greta has ever heard of her in the past. In fact, he has started visiting her in her house and they're now off to a brand new better start. But he decided against it and continued, "I'm not avoiding her. I don't hate her. In fact, I like her."
"I know that," Greta quickly caught him at his word and paused to look smilingly at him.
Aldo realized too late that he worded his last sentence rather loosely, that it could be biasedly interpreted, if not twisted, by Michal's fellow woman which is his cousin. "What? No. I didn't mean it like that. But well, okay. You win. You got me."
"I don't know the half of it to be honest, and I'm not intending to pry."
"I mean, who wouldn't have a crush on her? I'm just being a typical male in response to such a beauty. But I seem to be the only one who can handle such a beauty for some reason. I don't understand. Maybe I'm the right one for her."
"Anyway, I'm getting concerned. If her recent behaviors have something to do with you, then you need to fix it."
Aldo frowned. "How? What should I do? What does she expect me to do?"
"Just reassure her. Make her understand whatever your reasons are for being long absent in her life."
"Are you going to convene us again in your house?"
"No. She said that in the past, you've been trying to get to her stubbornly. And at one time, you even devoted a whole day visiting her at work."
"Okay? So what?"
"Well, I think that's what you need to do again no matter how embarrassing."
"No matter? All right. If that's what you think is right."
"Just be friendly and civil about it. Okay?"
"Yes. You got it."
They talked more about other topics; and after that, Aldo led her outside the door.
"Be kind to Michal. Okay?"
"Yes, I will."
Days passed. As soon as Aldo found time, he set out and did what Greta advised him to do. On his way, he became extremely self-conscious of what the people outside might think of his errand as he makes his way to where he's going. Before, he was very numb to these. He was crazy. Now, he's feeling the pinch of every step. All he could say was that this errand is utterly stupid.
After a minute or two of walking down the sidewalk of the main road, Aldo finally reached the gates of the community hospital and stood by its concrete and steel fence facing the street, trying to appear as if waiting for someone he would meet up with on the road. He felt as if he would melt with each passing moment; but then he scolded himself, regathered his thoughts, and concentrated on the fact of that this person, Michal S. Roberto, is whom he chose to love and care for. He may have ceased feeling it passionately now, but at least he still does so objectively.
Fast forward to a few minutes afterwards, Aldo was still there exactly where he stopped and stood. Then he heard Michal's voice calling out his name, and he turned around. After covering a few meters, she stopped on the other side of the fence and faced him.
"Are you just okay there? Would you like to come in?" she started.
"No. I'm fine here. Thank you."
"I'm glad to see you finally taking time to talk to me again."
"You know that I'd love to talk to you any moment of the day. It's just..."
"Liar. That's not what I'm seeing."
"I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"Definitely not. Your presence here is a nice distraction."
"A nice distraction. I'm not used to that. My presence in any given place is usually obnoxious."
"It's been a while."
"Yes, it has. I found a little bit of difficulty in finding time for personal matters, including my still unfinished woodworking project."
"Angelica mentioned something about that."
"She did? That's true. How's she, by the way? Is she there?"
"Yes. Do you want her to join us?"
"Nah. Maybe next time."
"Next time?"
"Yes. Unless I'm already becoming obnoxious here and you don't want me around anymore."
"No. Come back here any time you're vacant."
"Sure, I will. I mean, we're friends. Right? The three of us."
Michal was surprised and dumbfounded for about five seconds. Then she replied, "Yeah. We're friends."
"Thank you. It's nice to have friends. We gotta."
"I was afraid you would no longer show up because you got angry at me again."
"Why would I be angry at you?"
"Because I think I remembered insulting you. I uttered harsh words to you which you may not have expected to come from me."
"Do you want to know the truth?"
"Yes."
"I couldn't thank you enough for what you did to me. You did me great service. It didn't come the way you thought it did, unfortunately. Sorry."
"So you're not angry at me?"
"No. That's silly."
"Okay. Thank you." Michal looked down.
"Listen. I'll never get angry at you. Not today, not tomorrow. Stop worrying about it. There's nothing in you that can ever cause any resentment in me. I'm realizing that now more and more as the days went by. To be honest, I wish to get near you again in the same way that I did before, but now I feel I'd just rather stay here outside."
"What? Why? What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know. I don't know why I even said that. There's just something in you that I can't quite put in words yet."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. I can't find the words to describe it."
"Was it something you've said before?"
"No. I don't think so."
"You don't think so? Okay... I think I know what you're talking about." Michal looked away and gazed abstractedly.
"Tell Angelica I came here today and that I might visit her any time."
"Yes, Aldo. I will."
"I just came here to check up on you and see whether you're still healthy."
"Thankfully, I still am. Thanks for your concern for me."
"Of course."
Days passed. Aldo made true to his word as he again found time. Now he was seen walking Angelica back to work on a brightly-sunny noon. When they came at the gate, there was Michal standing at the front yard near the benches staring at them with blazing eyes.
"Angelica," she shouted reproachfully.
"Yes, Michal," Angelica replied good-naturedly.
"I've been searching for you. Where have you been? I need to talk to you."
"Oh. Sorry. I was just gone for a little while. Aldo was with me. What is it?"
Aldo interposed, "I'm sorry I didn't see you earlier, Michal. I tried but I couldn't."
Michal neither responded nor looked at him. Then addressing Angelica again, she continued, "Now, come here. It's important."
"Okay," Angelica replied humbly and started stepping towards her. "By the way, Aldo said he wanted to show me around the neighborhood this afternoon.
"What was that? I didn't hear you."
Angelica smiled, understanding the sarcasm. "Yeah. I know. But I've been working here years, and I haven't done it. I mean, why not? Aldo seems very eager to show me.
"That seems to be all he knows to do."
"Would you like to come with us? I think it would be better if it's the three of us."
"What?" Michal smiled disdainfully. "That's exciting. But no, thank you."
"Hey, you've changed," Aldo commented without being heard.
"Okay. I'll still go on with it, though, for a change." Then turning to Aldo, she said, "Bye, Aldo. See you later."
"See you later, Angelica. That was very nice of you. Bye." Aldo turned, chuckled, and walked away. But then he remembered forgetting about Michal, and he apologetically and proactively said goodbye to her. "Bye, Michal," he said, looking at her and waving his hand.
Michal neither replied nor looked at him but fixed her fierce eyes on the approaching Angelica. But this only lasted for as long as Aldo's eyes were fixed on her too. As soon as Aldo looked back before him, she chased him with a remorseful gaze until he went out of sight. As soon as Angelica got to her, she asked her an important question about work.
Later that afternoon, Aldo took his friends Angelica and Michal on an afternoon stroll around the community plaza. It's a central park of sorts where communal activities are held and is mostly enclosed by a steel fence except in the vehicle terminal areas. There are two, and one is located near the basketball court. Aldo got his friends to circle around it counter-clockwise. Yes, friends, because Michal finally agreed to join Angelica in going along with Aldo's trip. Angelica was walking beside Aldo, and Michal beside Angelica but a little bit aloof.
"It might just help if you know the area where you work in case your services would be needed in homes. Am I making any sense?"
"A little," Angelica replied.
"Or I'm simply proud of and want to show off the place where I grew up because as you can see, this place is a little too well-planned for us poor people. It actually felt like a maze to me when I was straying around here as a child. I mean, as an impressionable little boy because I'm still a child."
"This isn't actually bad," Angelica commented sincerely.
"Thank you," Aldo acknowledged bashfully. "Is this the first time you ever saw this area too, Dr. Michal?"
"Yes," was the languid reply of the person addressed.
During the entire stroll, for the most part, Aldo talked to Angelica because she was the one beside him while Michal constantly kept herself a little aloof and excluded herself from the conversation and just looked quietly at the movement of people and objects in the surrounding.
When they were done circling around, Aldo took his friends to the terminal; sat and waited with them on the waiting bench for another minute more; and then stood up, said goodbyes, and walked away towards home. As he was going farther away, Aldo said to Angelica:
"I forgot to mention something to Aldo. Kindly save my seat. Will you?"
"Okay. Sure," Angelica replied naively and servilly.
Michal ran towards Aldo; and when she saw him walking peacefully down the sidewalk, she shouted, "Aldo," at him reproachfully to his ridiculous nape.
As a result, Aldo turned around like the headless horseman. "Oh. What is it, doc," he said.
"I just want to make sure you're okay too."
"What? Why? I'm very okay." Aldo carrierd himself in a way that convinced Michal.
"Well, uh... Okay. You seem to be. Good."
"Yeah. Listen. I forgot to tell you guys that I may not be able to get back at you right away because I will have to attend to many things in the days to come, including my still unfinished woodworking project. Please tell Angelica, but not right away and not directly."
"I will."
"Thank you."
"Why are you doing all of this, anyway?"
"Why am I doing what?"
"This. All of this... pretentions."
"Pretentions? I'm not pretending. Or maybe I'm pretending a little bit. But I'm just doing what needs to be done, what I think is right."
"What is it?"
"This is me not giving up on you if that's what you're trying to get at."
"Oh." Michal was perceptibly dumbfounded.
"So you understand now."
"Yes. Thank you."
"There you go."
"So what you said to me remains true?"
"It remains true to the present day, up to this very moment. Nothing changes. Okay? Stop worrying about it."
"Okay. Thanks for clarifying."
"No problem. Let's not talk about it now. It's already a given. It's past being a point of any debate. But I still have to be away for a very long time. I think I'm done with pestering you."
"What? You're not pestering me. You never were pestering me."
"That's not what I heard."
"From where? No. Maybe I just exaggerated, but you were never pestering me. You never pestered me. Let me make that clear too."
"Fine. I believe you. So are we okay now?"
"Yeah, we're okay," Michal replied looking down, contemplating. Then looking up, smiling, she added, "Yes, Aldo. We're okay. You don't realize how happy you made me today."
"Anything for you, girl. I guess my errand today was a success."
"I believe it was, whatever that means," Michal replied, still smiling.
"So goodbye?"
"Yeah. Goodbye. For now. Because I hope to see you soon. Okay?"
"Take care of yourself. Will you? There is only one like you in this world."
"You too."
"Bye, Michal."
"Bye, Aldo."
Michal was consistently smiling in each of her replies to Aldo's languid remarks. Then the two of them almost simultaneously turned their backs, he to go home after a long day and she to rejoin her friend, Angelica.

tentatively titled, The Simple Adventures of a Simple Simpleton
by: Marven T. Baldo