Once In A Lifetime

Chapter 28: The Mishap

"Confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud."

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Denise slowly opened her eyes as the morning sun begun to break on the horizon, sending the warmth of a welcoming new day upon her face. She felt the heaviness and aches upon her body, tempting enough to close her eyes, and go back to sleep under a comfortable sheet. Slowly, she remembered Caroline lying next to her and turned to face the sleeping beauty. When she reached for her, she was surprised to feel it was empty. I can't believe the sleepy head is up this early? She thought still half dozing. Then, all of a sudden, she realized something.

"Oh my God. Where am I?" Now she was fully awake, eyes wide opened, sitting still, looking around the unfamiliar room and holding on to her memory. Gradually, everything was coming back...

Maines View University. 3:00 in the afternoon.

The line for the late comers in the Registrar's Office was long enough. Students, old and new, were crowding at the office's entrance waiting for their priority number to be called. Denise gathered herself and waited for her turn. Her number was still a far- off from the one being served. All the benches along the hallway were occupied. So, she was standing since morning and her legs were about to give way. She did not imagine college enrollment would be hard. Transferring from one office to another, securing the signatures of so and so, filling up seemingly endless forms of different sorts, these and many more were just unbearable and came as a shock for her.

"Are all universities like this?" She asked the guy standing beside her who was obviously an old student with his newly trimmed hair and fresh look despite the day's challenges at the campus.

"I can't tell. I've never been into another school." Shrugging off his shoulders and curiously casting her a lingering look. "Are you a new comer?" He asked smilingly, revealing his good set of white teeth.

Denise nodded and said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah sure." He responded with a deligthful smile, still fixing his gaze upon her.

"What's the last trip here?" She asked shyly and almost a whisper.

"Last trip is at 4pm. Two hours travel from up here down the mountain trail until you reach the town proper. Why? Are you going down?" He asked curiously hiding his intrusive gesture.

"Yes. Got an important appointment at 7 in the city."

"A date?" He sounded meddling.

"No. Meeting a girl friend." She saw him smiling as if feeling relieved with her declaration.

"What's your priority number?" She showed him her number. Without second thought, he declared, "Oh...I'm sure you can't make it." He watched her reaction of dismay. He regretted for a moment his honest opinion. With stricken conscience, he consoled her saying, "Okay...Here, let's swap number."

"Oh, you don't need to do that," dismissing his suggestion.

"I will be glad to help you. Here, take it." He insisted, took her right hand, replacing her number with his.

Moment later, Denise was entering the Registrar's Office grateful for the good Samaritan she just meet. On her way out from the office, she saw him standing and still waiting. She approached him and said, "By the way I'm Luisa Denise Romano, just call me Denise," extending her hand to him. He received it, squeezing firmly and said,

"Arthur Salazar , at your service, ma'am." And they both laughed.

They walked together until the admin entrance. For the first time Denise saw the beautiful scenery sorrounding the campus on the mountain top. The late afternoon glow cast a distinct brightness revealing the grandeur of the place, almost touching the sky.

At the admin entrance, Arthur was instructing her to leave her campus gate at the guard house and from there, to take the short cut going to the campus terminal when a sudden car stopped in front of them. From behind the driver's seat, a woman leaned and called out.

"Hey, Arthur, do you need a ride? I'm going to town."

Denise saw a fair looking lady wearing a heavy cosmetics, and leaning against the car window, glued her gaze only at Arthur.

"Hi, Bianca. No, but how about sharing the ride to our new school mate?"

"Oh... Arthur, no need. I can manage." Before Denise could completely decline, Arthur already opened the door, introduced her to Bianca, who although quite hesitant, welcomed Denise inside. Then both girls bade goodbye to him.

"Where are you heading for?" Bianca asked her with a force smile.

"I'm going to the city. But you don't really need to do this. You can drop me off at the terminal."

"None sense. What's your name again?"

"Denise and you are..."

"Call me Bianca. Arthur and I have been going together for quite a long time. And I don't remember him having a friend..." She paused and deliberately looked at her from head to foot.

"Oh, we just know each other in the line at the Registrar's Office and I asked him the schedule for the last trip because I was afraid I couldn't make it." She said giving her a sheepish smile. Why do I need to explain things to this lady? Is she jealous? Looking at the seemingly unconvinced woman sitting beside her, she thought of placating her by saying,

"You're lucky, your boyfriend is a gentleman. He just helped me out with the enrollment."

"Oh really?" Bianca was thrilled hearing "your boyfriend" thing and took the opportunity to pretend as his girl.

"He is that kind of man...so natural of him to do good to anyone without exception.'

Denise sensed she purposely emphasized the without exception phrase to make it clear that the guy had no special attention to her.

"You're right, I'm a lucky girl for having him and he's lucky too for having me."

Denise was trying to ignore the irritating and pathetic bitch beside her. But, she had no other choice but to be good to her for being a disguised good Samaritan.

When they reached the gate, the driver handed the girls' gate passes to one of the guards on duty. And started their journey with limited discourse to complete silence. The two girls dozing off until the stillness was broken when the car swerved out of control for losing the break, screeching along the runaway until it hit the trees along the road side. While the car following them, coming from behind, colliding itself to a fast on-coming car. Both of them hit head-on, flipped over and exploded.

The moment the car hit the trees, Denise presumed she was dead while Bianca with sustained injuries, nevertheless was screaming at her idiot driver. I dragged her out and calmed her. Until everything went black.