This Love

Chapter Thirty- Grand Birthdays and Surprise Engagements

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Chapter Thirty- Grand Birthdays and Surprise Engagements

The bad things stay with you. No matter how hard you try, a professor's lecture will always be easier to forget than the bad things that happened.

I've learned to live with the bad things but I let it hunt me. I let it dictate how I see the world and treat people. The world is cruel. People can't be trusted. Good things come but the bad are just around the corner waiting to happen. For so long, I've believed these negative things.

Until I met him.

I was a teacher in the making but he has taught me much more. Enjoy life, trust people and fall in love.

Enough cheesines. I don't sound like me anymore, do I?

I just hang up the phone from a two-hour chat with Michael. He didn't want to hang up and neither did I so our supposedly quick 'Good night' became two hours. I don't know how it happened but we didn't ran of out things to talk about. Then the last ten minutes we just listened to each other breathe. Weird, I know but I found it peaceful.

He has told me his flight details for tomorrow. Needless to say, I was jumping in excitement for his return. There was something else I should be excited about too. Tonight was the part-time job Jackie has offered me. It was a waitressing job for a catering company. With an awesome pay, if I might add.

I met with Jackie right in front of Mortel Plaza. It was some huge fancy hotel that screamed luxury. We followed a bald man into the employer's entrance. He gave us a brief of what was the occasion and assigned our task.

It was a grand birthday party of Mortel Industries president with 200 guests. What the hell, right? I mean who celebrates his or her birthday with 200 people. That's just insane. Anyway, the hotel has its own catering but since there was a huge number of guests, the organizers called other catering services with their own staff.

Jackie and I were assigned to one of the bars. Since we were knowledgeable and experienced with alcohol, they gave the job to us. Not that I was proud of it. My liquor knowledge was not exactly a turn on. Besides, we'll only serve expensive champagne. Who needs experience for that? The bars were set up on all the sides of the spacious ballroom. We had the one right in the entrance. Ronnie, the bartender was already setting up when we approached him. He instructed us on what to do. We spent the next hour filling glass after glass of the champagne.

By seven, guests have started to arrive. That meant we were on a roll. They gathered by the entrance for appetizers and drinks. Servers came after another with empty trays. We had to make sure everyone had a drink in their hand. That's what George, the manager repeated whenever he passed our bar. My own hands were exhausted from opening bottles.

Business chatter and laughter filled the room. Jackie has shared that almost all of these people in expensive tuxedos and gowns were the country's elites. Powerful politicians, influential businessmen and wealthy professionals. Philippines' richest.

Then Michael should be here. I thought to myself. Maybe he would be if he wasn't in Japan.

When someone announced over the mic that dinner will be served, the three of us sighed in relief. All the guests began to enter the ballroom. Our interest was piqued so we came in after everyone was inside.

The shiny hardwood floors reflected the glass chandeliers hanging on the high ceilings. The cream textured walls were pleasing to the eyes. The right side had around seven doors leading to balconies.

Twelve-seater round tables with velvet covered chairs and tall flower centerpiece consumed the space. There was a stage with a band set-up on the side and a podium for a DJ.

If it wasn't for the white and gold balloons surrounding the place and a huge 'Happy Birthday Frederick Mortel' banner, one can't tell that it was a birthday party. A wedding reception was more like it. To decribe it grand wasn't enough.

We were called to have a break at the kitchen. I must say, it was an awesome meal. A big plate of steak and salad and unlimited champagne. I limited myself to one glass though. I still need to go to Harlow after this. After thirty minutes, I headed outside with Jackie and other servers. We were instructed to stand by the sides just in case the guests needed anything.

The birthday celebrant, a big man wearing a black tuxedo came up the stage for some speech. He had greyish white hair and shiny forehead. He reminded me of Santa Claus. The white beard was the only thing missing.

He thanked his family and guests for making the occasion possible. He seemed to be a kind and gentle man. If he was, he deserved this kind of celebration.

"Buut," he sang. "This night is more than just my birthday. I think I should call my only daughter, Cassandra to share with you all the good news. Cassie, sweetheart? Come up here!"

A woman in a red silk gown came up the stage with a huge smile. She was supermodel-tall and fair-skinned. Her hair was curled into perfection. When she faced the crowd, the low cut of her dress was revealed.

She gave her father a hug. I could tell how close they were to each other. It made me wonder where was my own. Ugh! Feelings and emotions have made me so sensitive.

"Good evening everyone! Happy birthday, daddy!" she exclaimed facing her father. "I'd just like to tell you that what I'm about to announce is my birthday gift to the most amazing dad in the world." She held up her left hand showing off an enormous ring while biting a giggle.

"That's right folks! My only daughter is engaged! I declare this night as her engagement party. I assume you all want to meet the man who captured my princess' heart. Come up here, son. Come on, Michael!"

Did he just say Michael? So what if he did? There's probably a million of Michael's in the world.

Yeah. And my Michael was one in a million.

*****

A man with a familiar, too familiar stance went up the stage. The woman kissed him softly in the cheek and locked her hands with him. Cheers and applause filled the room.

The next few minutes became a blur but three things were very clear to me.

One, Michael wasn't in Tokyo.

Two, he just got engaged to some Cassie right in front of me and 200 more people.

And three, I needed to get out of there.

The air was getting sucked out around me. I couldn't breathe. My heart was pounding inside my chest and I was sweating madly and my head was spinning. What was going on?

"Madi!" Jackie called behind me. "Are you okay? You look pale. Where are you going?"

"I need to go."

"You won't get paid if you don't finish the four hours."

I don't care. "Sorry. I really have to go."

I ran outside. I inhaled deeply as soon as fresh air hit my face. Heavy drops covered the tears that pooled around my eyes. It felt like the sky was crying with me. I didn't stop running. I wanted to be as far as I could from that place.

"Everyone, my fiance, Michael Madrid." the woman's voice echoed in my head like a broken record.

Lie. Everything was a big lie.

Oh god, if this was a dream, please wake me up now. What a nightmare.

Not all surprises are exciting, Madi.

Enough of the sweet and happy chappies, okay?

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PS: Photo of Cassandra Mortel on top.