Beloved (3 page)

             
He drove her home and walked with her towards the door of her house. Then, all of a sudden, he kissed her on the lips. She was surprised by his move, but she kissed him back in return.

              "Goodbye and goodnight, Violet", said he.

              "Goodbye and goodnight, Jacob", she answered and then went inside her house.

              What a great night indeed. He was so happy that he had dinner with her. When he went back home, he was still smiling from cheek to cheek. It was already eleven o'clock in the evening, so he just made sure that Furball has food and water in case he gets hungry and thirsty, and then went straight to bed.

              When he woke up the next day, he was already lying down on his bed with Furball on his side. He stood up and headed to the bathroom to wash his face. He then changed his clothes to his walking attire. He went for walk with Furball. When they got back to the house, they were already very thirsty and hungry. Good that Furball already has bowls filled with food and water. All that he has to take care of is himself. He drank a glass of cold water and prepared his breakfast. He made two buttered toasts and a cup of coffee. He then read the daily newspaper while consuming his breakfast. He saw Violet in the newspaper advertising a new perfume.

              "You know what? I dated this very beautiful woman last night Furball, and she's really beautiful inside out. I hope that you're going to meet her soon", he told Furball.

              Furball looked at him as though he could understand what he is saying.

              "Not only that you have a Daddy, but you will also have a Mommy soon", said he to Furball.

              Furball wagged his tail to show him that he is happy.

              After breakfast, he took a bath, dried himself and put on his shirt and pants. He had another photo shoot with Violet, a pictorial about her latest movie entitled Travel where she plays the leading role of a wife of a very rich man. The movie is about the lifestyle of a very rich couple, who is able to travel anywhere they want to, as they own a big fishing business. A business that is able to supply food to millions of people.

              "Hi Jacob, how are you today?" she greeted him.

              He almost couldn't answer her, to him, she's just looking more and more beautiful each day. She is wearing blue jeans with an elegant beige blouse that looks quite formal and presentable for the photo shoot. Her hairs are also colored brown and he noticed how nice and shiny her hair looks. Since the photo shoot is held outdoors in the garden of a beautiful mansion, her hair just glisten when they are touched by the rays of the sun.

              "I'm fine and how about you?", he quickly answered her.

              "Great, thanks. This is surely a nice day. I mean I feel so lucky to be able to work with you and this is such a wonderful place to be", said she happily.

              "This place is truly beautiful indeed. There are lots of herbs like mint, rosemary, thyme and basil, flowering plants like roses, daisies and tulips and fruit bearing trees and plants like calamansi, santol, guava, avocado, coconut and mangoes and vegetables like potatoes, carrots, cabbage and lettuce that surround them and there is also a swimming pool. The garden was surely well taken care of, the surroundings are so clean and refreshing.

              "Yeah. I like this place a lot. It's just like being one with mother nature. I like the sound of the birds chirping in the background. I also like the smell of fresh air", said he.

              "The flowers too in the garden are so beautiful. I would like to plant some of these herbs, flowers, trees and vegetables at home. Maybe I can ask the owner later if I can have some seeds of her plants", said she.

              Before they began the photo shoot, they were first served with some snacks, pasta with olive oil and different kinds of herbs, buko (coconut) pie and calamansi juice, all came from the fresh produce of this particular garden.

              "Wow, this is so incredible. The food just came fresh from this garden. I think I will start planting my own garden at home - something similar to this garden. Maybe I can even use the herbs, flowers and fruit for my restaurant", said he excitedly.

              "That's what I'm thinking too", said she. They were so happy and excited that they didn't realize that they were already hugging each other. They refrained from hugging each other and proceeded to enjoy the snacks that were served to them.

              They proceeded with the photo shoot after having snacks and brushing their teeth. Then they took a break for their lunch wherein they ate Roast Chicken with Buttered Vegetables, rice and iced tea for their drinks.

              After lunch, they continued with the photo-shoot. It was already nearly night time when they're done.

              "Why don't you go with me to my restaurant and let's have dinner there. I promise it would be my treat this time", said she smiling at him.

              "Sure, I would like to come, thank you for the invitation", said he.

              "Well, I'll just meet you at Cuisine, then", said she to him.

              "When he arrived at Cuisine, she was already waiting for him. She is sitting at a table that is set with plates, spoons, forks, knives and glasses with ice cold water for two people.

              "Wow, that was quick of you", said he looking surprised.

              "I called them beforehand. That's what's great with having a mobile landline in your cellular phone. Thank God, we don't have to wait for a long time to get things ready for our dinner. So, what do you want for dinner?", she asked him.

              "I'll have crab and corn soup and pan fried chicken", said he to the waiter after looking at the menu.

              "I'll have asparagus soup and sizzling seafood", she told the waiter.

              "Wow, you really are into seafood, the last time you ordered something I remembered that it was also seafood, right?" he asked her.

              "Right, I try to avoid eating meat. I only eat seafood, vegetables and fruit. I do this to keep me healthy and I also want to live long, you know. It's for my future children and family", said she.

              "Wow. I can't believe how similar we are in so many ways. I eat meat but no fat and I exercise everyday by walking my dog Furball. Both of us also love animals a lot. Maybe this means that we are meant to be together forever", said he.

              "Yeah maybe", she said smiling at him. She is just so happy hearing those words from him and she just couldn't stop smiling. Luckily their orders arrived.

              "I would like to add Strawberry Cheesecake for dessert. How about you, what would you like for dessert? I'll recommend the Chocolate Surprise", said she.

              "Okay. I'll have the Chocolate Surprise then", he said to the waiter. I'm so excited what the surprise would be", said he to her and the waiter.

              After a while, the waiter came back with their orders and desserts. The waiter placed what looks just like a plain Chocolate Cake but then he poured hot chocolate syrup at the centre of the Chocolate Cake and all of a sudden the middle melted into a chocolate syrup.

              "Oh, what a nice surprise", said he.

              He was very happy eating and enjoying his meal and dessert and Violet too was savoring her meal and Strawberry Cheesecake.

              "So, were you really surprised?", she asked.

              "Yes, I was. Wow, it was nice to have surprises like that compared to just eating the cake without the surprise.

              "That was nice, I mean with the surprise and all. I really enjoy eating meals here at Cuisine. Every meal is a different kind of experience for me. I would like to taste each dish that is listed here on your menu. I would like to bring my family here as well", said he.

              "Yes, I hope you can. They are always welcome here", said she.

              "So anyway, I would like to thank you for this dinner treat. I owe you another dinner, maybe when my restaurant is finally open. You will be one of the first people who will get to eat at my new restaurant", said he. 

              "Thank you Jacob. I hope everything is going well with building and setting up your new restaurant. If you need any help, I'll always be here for you", said she.

              "Yes. I know. That's one of the many things I like about you Violet. You are always ready to lend a helping hand to those who need it. I can't thank you enough", said he.

              "I guess it's time for me to leave now. Bye for now. I'll be calling you", said he as he walked out the door and into his car.

              When he came home, he was greeted by Furball who was excitedly wagging his tail obviously looking so happy now that he has arrived.

              "Well, hello there Furball, your dinner is ready", said he to his dog as he poured dog food and water into his bowls. After that he took a bath and went to bed. He tried hard but he couldn't sleep. So, he stood up and went to his table and wrote some lyrics for a song about Violet. He will be singing the song together with the accompaniment of his other band members. The title of the song will be "A Song For Violet". For the lyrics of the song, he wrote:

Before I met you, my life has no meaning, no real purpose

I have nothing but my own greed and selfishness

But you taught me how to love and how to care

For the poor and the needy you are always there

You are my life, my all, my everything

You take away my loneliness and sadness

And replaced it with joy and happiness

Oh my Violet, I love you so much, I can't imagine what my life would be without you

I want to build a house for you and our unborn children

Because of you my life became better

So please stay with me forever and ever

God has blessed you with so much because you are a good person

You help those who are less fortunate for all times and season

May we live forever until the day

That we stop breathing come what may

Only I know how much I need someone like you in my life

Nobody can replace you, Oh, I want you to become my wife

              After he's done with the lyrics of the song, he practiced the tune with his guitar. He would be playing this song with his band later on. He went to sleep after practicing with his guitar.

              The next day he spent the whole morning taking photographs of other models who are working for an advertisement of clothing and bags. The advertisement will be printed on a magazine which is being released monthly. He had two days off for the whole coming weekend. During his break from his work, he called Violet.

              "Hi Violet, how are doing lately?", he asked.

              "I'm doing fine. How about you?", she asked.

              "I'm great. Well, you know what? I would like to ask you if you want to spend the coming weekend with me. We'll go to Boracay. We will leave tomorrow and then we'll be back early Monday morning", he told her.

              "That would be fabulous and I don't have anything planned for this weekend and also I don't have work tomorrow", said she to him.

              "Me too. I don't have work tomorrow and the whole weekend. Well, just be ready with your things by tomorrow morning. Don't forget to pack up your swimsuit for the trip", he reminded her.

              "Sure thing. I'll start packing my things as soon as we're done talking. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited", said she.

              "Okay, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then", said he.

              "Okay. Bye for now", said she.

              "Bye! Until tomorrow", said he.

              He was so happy that he's going to see her again. He returned to his job of taking pictures of the models and when he's done, he went home, but before that he bought his take out dinner from a Chinese Restaurant. When he arrived home, Furball was waiting for him. He gave him dog food and poured water for him in his bowl and packed up his things for his trip the next day. After that he ate his dinner and went to bed.

             
He woke up the next morning, took a bath, ate his breakfast, left a lot of dog food and water for Furball and then called Violet.

              "Hi Violet. Good morning, so are you ready for the trip?", he asked.

              "Yes. I'll just have to pack up some sandwiches and juice for both of us in case we get hungry during the trip and then I'm all set to go", she told him.

              "How about if I'll be there to pick you up in about one hour?", he asked her.

              "Yes, that would be great. I'll see you in an hour then", said she to him.

              "Okay, thank you so very much for being so thoughtful about the snacks I mean", said he.

              "Oh, it's nothing. You're welcome. Good thing I remembered so we don't have to buy. I'll continue to pack the sandwich so we can go. Bye see you later", said she.

              "See you later, bye", said he.

              He put down the phone and checked his bags to make sure that he had packed everything the night before. He also brought water for both of them in case they get thirsty during the trip. He said his goodbyes to Furball and left his house to pick up Violet.

              When he arrived at Violet's house, her parents opened the door to let him in.

              "Come in. Please have a seat while waiting for our precious daughter. She went to get her bag upstairs. So, do you want coffee, tea, milk or anything?", asked her mother.

              "No thank you. I'm okay. Or else we might be late for our trip", said he.

              Just then Violet arrived ready with her bags.

              "We understand. So, you both take care okay? Please take care of our precious daughter", said Violet's father to him.

              "Sure I will", said he.

              "Bye Mom, Bye Dad. We'll be back on Monday. I'll be missing you both until then", said she to both of her parents.

              "We'll be missing you too sweetheart. Take care both of you okay? Bye!", her mother called out as they went to the car.

They left Violet's house and arrived at the port just in time for the passengers to board the boat that would take them to Iloilo and from there they would have to travel to go to Boracay Island. Boracay is a small island in the Philippines, which is very famous for having lots of resorts because of its white sand beaches. There are also a lot of bars within the island. It attracts thousands of visitors from all over the country and all over the world, though most tourists prefer to go to Palawan, another island famed for its beautiful beaches because, for them, Boracay is just too crowded and commercialized which in a way lost the natural beauty of the island.

              Since it's a long travel to Boracay, they talked almost all the time during the trip.

              "So, it's quite surprising that a guy as handsome as you have no girlfriend. I'm sure, there are lots of women who like you", said she.

              "Well, thank you for the compliment. I had a very serious girlfriend back in college, but she broke my heart and left me for another man, someone who was older and richer than me. It was really bad, because she was my first love and I wished that it would be for forever. I can really say that she will always hold a special place in my heart forever", said he.

              "Oh my God! You don't know how much it hurts for me to hear you saying that!",said she looking pained.

              "Well, you don't have to worry Violet, because she may be my first love and no matter how much I wish that my first love could last forever, well it didn't work out. She broke my trust and I could never trust her again. You are my love now and that's what's important. I have never admired any woman the way I admired you. In fact, I will give you twenty percent of my salary every month and you can add it to what you give to the charitable organization that you support, to the poor and to the stray dogs and cats at the shelter. She may be my first love, but you are the greatest love that I've ever had in my entire life", said he.

              "Thank you so much Jacob for supporting me with my charities. I guess we are just so lucky and I see it as a responsibility for us to help out the poor and the less fortunate people in our community", said she.

              "By the way, if you don't mind, I would also be meeting an old friend back in college who owns a bar there in Boracay. In the meantime, you can take time to do your shopping while I meet him", said he.

              "Okay sure, I don't mind. That's a good idea since you guys don't like shopping as much as girls do", said she.

              "That is not very true. There are some guys who also like shopping", said he

              "Okay, but at least I won't feel pressured and be on a hurry while I shop", said she smiling at him.

              They ate their snacks and fell asleep for a long time and then after transferring from boat to bus and boat again, they finally arrived in Boracay Island. The first thing that they did was to check in to their hotel. They went up to their room and deposited their bags there. After that they went downstairs for their dinner. They had Pesto Pasta with Squid and Mint Iced Tea for their drink. They talked about his first love because Violet keeps asking questions about her.

              "So, where is she now, I mean your first love? Do you have any news about her?", she asked him.

              "The last time I heard from her, she is working as a fashion stylist for a monthly magazine and that was about last year. She has a degree in fashion design. In fact, she designs her own clothes", said he.

              "Wow. You know what to tell you frankly, I feel insecure about her because I know how most of us feel about our first love. Most of us wish that our first love would also be our last but that only happens to so very few people. I did have a first love, but we broke up and until now we remain as good friends. It's better that way for us, because we are not very compatible with each other to begin with. We don't agree with many things and we always argue with each other", said she.

              "Yes I know that we all wish for our first love to last forever. Well, as much as we would like that to happen, it rarely does because first love happens when you are still very young and you don't even know yet where you can find a job. I guess that is the reason why most people really want their first love to last and can't seem to forget about him or her. There are exceptions, of course, for some people who want to play around and those who are afraid of commitment", said he.

              "It's just so sad and I just couldn't help but cry thinking about it", said he while wiping his tears away with his handkerchief.

              "You know, I'm just so thankful for you for inviting me to visit this beautiful island", said she.

              "You are most welcome", he said and then he kissed her again and again. "I am hoping that we could also go to Palawan next time", he added.

              "Yeah, me too. It's also nice there. Come on, let's go back to our room in the hotel now. We have the whole day tomorrow to explore the whole island", said she.

              They asked and paid for their bill. They left a huge tip for the waiter before leaving the restaurant. When they got back to their room in the hotel, they took a bath together, made love and then fell asleep in each other's arms.