COMPLICATED – Episode 6

Complicated

Written by Princess Juliet

Episode 6

Back in Philippines

Not edited; expect mistakes.

Asking for permission turned out to be a tough one for Atarah, she begged her mother profusely and even had to tell a lie but still, it was to no avail.

“But this is for a class project, mum.” She whined like a selfish child.

“You are asking for the impossible young lady, go to your room now.” Her mother’s voice was stern and her expression a bit cold.

Atarah scoffed, frustrated with her mother’s unshaken demeanor. “Would you rather have it that I fail then?” There was nothing left for her to say.
Gosh! Why is she proving so stubborn?

“You should have informed me earlier about it.” Her mother said defensively.

“But it happened so fast.” Atarah wasn’t ready to give up just yet, something inside her wanted so badly to leave this cage she calls a home even if it was just for one day. She wanted fun. She wanted to feel her grandma’s warmth once more even if it is at the expense of a lie. “I want to do this mum, I want to have the fun I never had as a kid. I’m no longer that little girl who was suffering from an acute leukemia, I’m no longer that sick fragile child.”

Her mother swallowed nervously and carefully avoided her gaze. “I just want to protect you child.”

“I can protect myself mom.”Atarah assured her. “Just let me go, please.” She forced innocence into her voice and that was it, her mother melted, she couldn’t say no any more.

“Fine!” Her shoulders slumped as she heaved a defeated sigh. “But make sure you don’t leave your lecturer side.” She shook a warning finger at her daughter.

What lecturer? Atarah almost asked, but then, she remembered the lies she had told, about going on a field trip to the Philippines for a class project.

“Alright.” She answered with one word and ran into the room afraid that her mother would change her mind.

There she changed into a white fitted blouse, a blue jeans short that revealed her shapely, soft leg and a white sneakers.

Satisfied with her image in the mirror, she threw a few clothes into her handbag and carefully removed the paper drawing from the wall.

“We are going to the Philippines, Gwapo.” She kissed the drawing and tucked it in her pocket before dashing out of the room, she was almost running out of time.

“Bye ma.” She excitedly waved her mother good bye as she ran out of the house and along the lonely road to the bus station.

She waited a little to catch her breath, and then began waving down vehicles when a red sport car with tinted windows pulled up in front of her.

Who is this? She stepped back in alarm.

The rear window rolled down just then and Jayden’s handsome face came into view.

“Get in.” His baritone voice was warm and gentle.

“How…How did you know this place?” Atarah found herself asking and Jayden looked at her as if she was crazy.

“I dropped you off at this exact spot about an hour ago. Do you remember now miss?” He smirked at her.

“Oh yeah? After our little conversation at the school right?” Atarah chuckled nervously. Gosh Tarah, What the hell is wrong with you? She mentally scolded herself, Why can’t you seem to get ahold of yourself whenever this pretty boy is around you.

“Right.” Jayden eyed her suspiciously, then scoffed aloud. “Can you please get into the car now?” He sounded genuinely puzzled.

“Yeah, sure.” Feeling stupid, Atarah slowly opened the car door and got in beside him. “Hi.” She shyly greeted the driver, a tall, lean man with a clean goatee and he just nodded.

“You are five minutes late.” Jayden queried her. He leaned across to close the door and Atarah breathe in his scent, it was a mixture of mint cologne and something she always defined as masculine. “You could’ve just save me the stress of coming down here.” He said after giving his driver a signal to move.

“My mum delayed me,” Atarah bent her head and began fingering her wrist watch absentmindedly.

Jayden glanced at her but said nothing.

“It wasn’t easy convincing her.”

“Oh! Alright.” He stared out of the window and at the setting sun.

An uncomfortable silence surrounded them and Atarah shifted in the seat, getting tensed. ‘Why isn’t he talking to me?’ She let out a deep sigh, fished the paper drawing out of her pocket and stared at it.
It kinda gave her a sense of comfort and she found herself smiling.

“I could have sworn that was a younger me, if only it’s hair were black.” Hearing Jayden’s voice made her cringed so hard.

She turned sideways to him, her gaze lowered and saw he was peering down at the drawing.

“But I don’t have a red birthmark on my face.” He concluded.

Atarah nodded wordlessly and focused her gaze on the tiny red mark she had added to the drawing just the day before. Where in the world would she find someone with the same mark as this? She closed her eyes as she vaguely remembered the last time she had seen him, at the hospital. It was just a brief glimpse but he looked strange, so different with his black hair and………

“You are majoring in fine art, I guess.” Jayden’s calm voice brought her out of her reverie.

“What?” She gave him a blank look and he smirked

“Just saying though! I mean look at this drawing, it is almost perfect, that is if it is not already perfect.” he apparently muttered to himself but Atarah heard him.
She smiled, a lot of thoughts was running through her mind.

“Fine art is it then.” She exclaimed after a few seconds.

~~
The car screeched to a halt beside a large aircraft and Atarah stared at it through the window in stupefied astonishment.

“Are we travelling in this?” She foolishly asked.

Jayden nodded his head in response and stepped out of the car, unhurriedly.

Atarah mimicked him. She closed the door behind her before following him into the large jet plane.

“Oh my god!” She stopped all of a sudden and Jayden looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“What is wrong?”

“I forgot my travel passport.” Came Atarah’s response.

“This is a private jet, filipina.”He smirked at her and took a seat close to the window.

Atarah sat two seats away from him and fastened her seat belt in readiness for the seventeen hours flight.

~~~The Philippines, Manila City~~~

It was early in the morning. The sun was just rising up when the jet landed at the Philippine airport.

Atarah yawned loudly and stretched her upper body before rising to her feet. She looked towards Jayden and saw he was also on his feet and was staring at her with a blank expression.

“Let’s go.” He mouthed and she could feel the warmth of her blush as she slowly walked behind him.

They stepped out of the jet and was welcomed by an overweight man wearing a brown suit and hat.

“Welcome Mr Hobsons.” He greeted warmly with a polite smile. All this while, his gaze was fixed on Atarah. “Is she your………”

“She is no one.” Jayden cut in abruptly and Atarah felt something sharp stab her heart, it made her so confused. “Where is the car, please?” He questioned the man.

“Over here sir.” The man bowed his head slightly and led the way to a white Jeep Cherokee. He opened the rear door and gestured them to get in.

“Erm…”Atarah started to speak and then cleared her throat, “ I’ll find my way sir.”

“But why?” Jayden was surprised.

“My place is at the outskirt of the city, it is a bit far way.” Atarah explained in a tiny voice.

The overweight man looked from Atarah and Jayden with a puzzled expression. “And where is that, if I may ask?”

“The Tondo, Manila city.”

“Oh! Its slums.” He sarcastically commented and Jayden gave him a stony glare.

He dipped his hand in his pocket and took out his business card. “Beep me with your number.” He handed the card to Atarah and she readily accepted it. “I’ll be done in an hour time.” Saying that, he climbed into the car and the overweight man slammed the door shut.

Atarah stared down at the card and silently read the bold words.
“Jayden. A. Hobsons- a medical doctor and a researcher.”

With his pink hair? Interesting!
Briskly, she skipped to the road side and climbed into the next available bus.

Unbeknownst to her, Jayden was watching her the whole time.

~~

She got home just before noon and her grandma was surprised to see her.

“Atarah.” She screamed, and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Yes Nana, it is me.” Atarah was very excited. Being in her grandma arms was the best gift she could ever ask for, she had always longed for it and now it was happening, all thanks to the pretty pink haired boy.

Her grandma pulled out of the hug and gazed at her, eye raised.
“What about your mum? How did you get here? I mean you never told me that you were coming.”

“A field trip, Nana.”Atarah told the same lie. She walked past her grandma and started into her room.

“Uncle Banoy?” She asked after her uncle.

“He travelled to the city for work.”

“And my god father?”

“He is in the town saloon.”

“Alright.” She collapsed on the bed and proceeded to pull off her shoes. “What a long day it has been!” Despite being tired, she was happy.

~~~~

Jayden stepped into the large hall and was welcomed by doctors from all specialties, most of them from different countries.

He halted irresolutely as he had not expected such grand welcome, he wasn’t a fan of fame and crowd either.

For a moment, he contemplated leaving but the loud cheers stopped him.

“Congratulations Mr. Hobsons.” They all stared at him like he was some genius and of course he was.

He walked up to Dr Aidan and they both shook hands firmly.

“Congratulations Jayden.”Dr Aidan smiled at him. “We tested the research cure on a patient with a severe acute leukemia and it was a success.”

Jayden stood there speechless. The surprise had rendered him unable to make an intelligible reply.

“So tell me,” Dr Aidan pursued, “What was your motivation? What challenged you into doing something this great?”

In response, Jayden reached into his brea$t pocket for his lucky charm and stared at it, it was a neck lace that has the letter J inscription on it.

‘My motivation is dead.’ He mumbled under his breathe.

His phone suddenly rang and he pick it up on the first ring.

“Hello Jayden.” A feminine voice rang out through and he recognized the voice in an instant—-it was the pretty Filipino girl calling…………

TBC