Second Chances (Kathneil FF)

Second Chances - 15

Second Chances - 15

She called in sick the next day.

Which worried Kevin to his wits end.

He was not able to sleep the night before, preferring to watch his old videos with Inessa, instead.

And for the first time in a long long while, the videos actually brought smiles to his face.

By 6.30 in the morning, he was already at the filming site with Gene.

Although Kevin has opted for the body double, the professional in him still insisted to be at the site for any thing Director Molina may need him for.

Which the latter did, and Kevin had to put in two close up action shots for the scene.

But he was done by 11 and naturally headed straight for the games centre.

+++

"Hi, Ms Kamila, good morning," Kevin greeted as he entered the games centre foyer.

"Aah... Mr Rodrigues, good morning," Kamila smiled. "How may we help you today?"

"Has Anita finished her morning classes?"

He asked and ruggedly leaned against the reception table, short of giving Kamila palpitations.

"Oh? Didn't she tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"She's on medical leave today. We had to cancel her classes," Kamila supplied. "She's not feeling well."

+++

Half an hour later, Kevin and Gene found themselves walking up the steps to the fourth floor of an old apartment building.

"The security is non existent here," Kevin muttered with disapproval.

"Yeah, Kuya, she didn't even notice me following her last night," Gene complained. "Happily skipping up the stairs to her place."

"She was skipping?" Kevin smiled at his cousin.

"Yeah, she was pretty cute actually," Gene grinned, before frowning again. "You made the right move to ask me to follow her last night. This place is too open, but at least, it seems clean."

"Yeah," Kevin answered distractedly, looking around him.

"You think she's really sick, Kuya?"

"I don't know Gene, she seemed fine last night."

"Yeah, I know, and happy too."

Kevin stopped in his tracks and faced his cousin.

"I'm actually scared, Gene. I couldn't sleep last night. But I was happy, so excited. And for the first time in years, I started to watch our old videos again. Especially those fan made ones."

Kevin smiled sadly and continued.

"But does she feel the same? I mean, I know she's probably thinking how weird this whole thing is, but I know she felt something last night and I have a feeling that she'll soon come around and start remembering."

Kevin rubbed the back of his neck tiredly and continued.

"So, why is she sick today? Is she scared of what's happening?" Kevin asked his cousin, knowing the latter would not have the answers he was seeking.

"Come on, Kuya, let's not mull over this. Let's just see if she's at home," Gene decided and started pulling Kevin up the remaining steps.

+++

Looking at his cousin for affirmation, Kevin knocked on the front door.

It was protected by an old fashioned pulled grilled.

"You sure this is the right apartment?" Kevin asked after getting no answer from his knocks.

"Yes, definitely," Gene said confidently. "Look, I even took a picture."

They knocked again, trying their luck.

"Hi, can I help you?"

The two boys immediately turned at the voice.

As they did, the lady who has just come out of the apartment next door, gasped.

"You..." Joanne exclaimed, her eyes widening as she stared at Kevin in surprise.

"You know me?"

"No, no I don't," she said, hurriedly turning the other way, making her way towards the stair case.

"Wait! Don't lie," Kevin called out. "You do. You do know me!"

Joanne turned back towards Kevin and Gene, and sighed.

"Where's Anita? You know her right? Your neighbour."

"Yes, of course I know Anita. she should be at work."

"Well, she's not."

"She's not?"

"No, and she's not answering my knocks either."

"You know her? You know Anita?"

Joanne was surprised.

"Yes," Kevin nodded. "We had dinner together last night."

"You did?" Joanne asked in surprise, clearly not expecting the piece of news.

"Yes," Kevin nodded again. "Please... do you know her number? Could you call her, please. I'm worried. She's supposed to be working today but she called in sick."

"She's sick?"

"Well, that's what her colleague at the hotel told me," Kevin said.

Joanne quickly rang Anita's number, twice, but to no avail.

"She's not picking up her calls," she frowned, and tried again.

As soon as she punched the speed dial again, they could here a faint ringing of the phone.

Coming up the staircase, around the corner.

As she turned the corner towards her apartment, they could see Anita struggling with plastic bags of packed food and other purchases while digging into her canvas sling bag for her phone.

At the sight of Kevin, Gene and Joanne standing in front of her, Anita stopped in her tracks.

"You," her accusing eyes stabbed Kevin directly. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you?"

"Why?"

"Why? I thought..." Kevin helplessly tried to find a justification.

"What? What are you thinking?" Anita's voice slowly begun to rise, her hands shaking, all the questions from last night came flooding back. "Who are you, really? Whare are you from? Why are you here?"

"I thought we've already talked about this," Kevin was sweating now. He was really and truly scared at the turn of events. This Anita was clearly upset, so different from the sweet smiling girl he waved goodbye to at the hotel lobby last night.

"No, we haven't! Seriously," her voice significantly lowered yet her eyes growing wild. "You just told me that you are here to shoot a drama. But why are you here, really. In front of me? Now?"

"Inessa..."

"No!" she suddenly screamed, dropping her plastic bags, bring her hands to cup her ears. " I'm not Inessa! I'm Anita!"

"Anita...Anita, sayang..." Joanne caught hold of Anita's flying hands. "Please, I think we need to get in, people are looking."

Anita looked at Joanne blindly, clearly distraught.

Slightly further down the hallway, a mother and daughter peered from over the treshold of their front door, to witness the scene.

"Please, honey, come," Joanne gently tried to coax her friend. "Let's go to my place. I think I may be able to help you."

Joanne looked towards Kevin then.

"Help both of you."