The 100th Guy (English - Unedited)

[CHAPTER TWO] Count...

UNEDITED
Chapter Two
COUNT Your Blessings

“What else do we have here?”
          I bit the top of the pen in my hand as I was thinking what else do I ‘lack’. The doctor said my sickness was getting worse, and in no time I would be totally different. And before all of those could happen, I would make sure that I had done everything good I could. So here I was, counting the blessings in my life, knowing what things I had done and what else should I do.
          “God. Check. Family. Check. Community. Check. Friends. Check. Charity. Check.”
          I got my phone in my pocket and tried to call the few people closest to me. Maybe, they were aware of something I did not but should have. I was thinking they would be able to help me.
           “Hello, Philippe Jan Lim,” I greeted Jane; I tried my hardest not to laugh because I just read her name in a manly way. No friend would want to hear her friend cry out that she had a man’s name straight into her face. Or ears.
          “Don’t you ever call me that way! I’m not Philip Jan Lim! I’m Filipa Jane Lim!” I inched away my phone from my ear when she shouted. “How it spells is not how you read it!”
          I laughed, imagining how red her face could be. “I was just kidding! Why so furious?”
          “You just called me Philip Jan! You know how I hated it! What if I call you Avril? Won’t you hate me too?”
          “Of course not. There’s Avril Lavigne. I got company.”
           Jane finally surrendered. “Fine. Why did you call? Changed your mind? You want me to send you home?”
          “Ah— No. I just want to ask you about something.”
          “Go on. Hit it.”
          I straightened my body as if Jane’s right in front of me. “Ah… Jane… What do you think is missing in my life?”
          “Missing?” she asked in high tone. “Missing what?”
          “I mean… What do I lack? What aspect of my life is missing? At what aspect should I do something about?”
          “Why are you asking all of a sudden? Where are you? Do you want me to come there?”
          “Ah, no, no. I’m fine, Jane. Just… just answer my question.”
          “What’s missing?” There was a minute of silence before Jane could answer. “Boyfriend?” I did not answer, waiting for her to say more. “Hey, that’s right. You have not had a boyfriend! Don’t you feel miserable?”
          “What?” I uttered in disbelief. “How could you say that! Is having a boyfriend a requirement in a woman’s life? Does that make me unwomanly and weak if I don’t have a guy holding my hand?”
          “Hey, I did not say something like that!” she said, obviously defending herself. “I was just asking. You are already twenty-one years old and you still do not have your first love! I mean… it’s part of life! Why isn’t it part of yours?”
          “Jane, you know… Having a boyfriend is not really a prerequisite to live a wonderful life. It is just a trend, and I am not going after the trend. I have originality.” Jane just laughed and said nothing but laughter. “Hey, what’s so funny?”
          “What originality are you talking about?” she said in between laughter. How dare her, seriously. I would really tear her garments off only if she was beside me. “Just admit that you… are… inexperienced. And you need some.”
          “Shut up! I’ll just call you later. And you should ready your weapons.” I hung up first and she was still laughing like having no boyfriend since birth was a curse to every single-since-birth woman’s name.
          I just dialled someone who I thought could give me a better answer. “Avril,” I greeted him, and then I asked the same question which I asked Jane.
          “Just go home. It is already four p.m. Where are you?”
           “Avril, I’m fine. I swear. I will get home safe and without anything bad happening to me. I just need your answer right away. Now.”
            “Boyfriend. Then tell him to send you home.”
            I said goodbye to him before he could lecture me about him courting Flip, and that I should get a boyfriend who was like him. Maybe, he was just peeved because I was not yet at home.
            I tried to call Flip, my Dad and Mom who were both in Paris, and even Dwaine! And they all answered the same.
           “Midori, a boyfriend will complete your life. Your brother and I will soon get married. You need someone who would look after you.”
            “Get a boyfriend, my daughter. A fine one!”
            “You should get a boyfriend, Midori. Just make sure he is more handsome than I am.”
           I just ended up knotting my forehead while looking at the skies. How do you even get a boyfriend? Do you just grab one and hold his hand? And what? A boyfriend would complete my life and would look after me? I did not get everything at all. Seriously, I did not find the significance of having one. I was able to live happily for twenty-one years without having a guy to go out on a date with. Maybe this just meant one thing-- my life was already complete.
            I was about to go home when my phone suddenly rang.
            “Hello, Jane?”
            “What happened to your quest?” she said emphasizing her last word.
            “I just realized that there is nothing more that  I need. You guys all answered the same. Boyfriend. I lived my life for twenty-one years without having one. Sure, I can survive ‘til the end without him.”
            “Midori, you know, I just learned something today. The acronym KJ was popularized when you were born. In short, you are a killjoy! Do you want to grow old alone? Don’t you imagine how sad that could be?”
            “Who said being alone is sad? Many people are in a relationship but they are lonely. Which just means that you can be single but happy.”
            “Midori… Vivero… Listen… Listen… very… well!” Jane said with spaces in between every emphasized word. “Just try going on a date! Even just for a day, or even an hour! Go out with someone! If you cannot find anyone then just grab that Dwaine friend of yours; no doubt he will go out with you! And besides this is just a date. Just once, Bessie.”
            “Dating Dwaine is something crazy.”
            “Then be crazy! You only live once! Just have that one day experience of being in love and being loved.  You will not lose anything, I promise. Just…” I heard Jane choked. “Just don’t give your… hmpf!”
            “What hmpf?”
            “Forget it! Just go on a date and be happy!”
            Jane hung up before I could even answer. I was just left with my mouth hanging open. She ditched me twice today. Maybe Jane needed to change her outfit, a torn dress would fit her perfectly. In the end, I just walked my way home. Why would I do what Jane asked me to? She was half-human, half-crazy.
            As I was walking, by chance, my eyes landed to the place on the other side of the street. The arch on the entrance read, Enigma. As I could remember, it was a lovers’ park. Be a place for lovers, of course, all the kinds of lovers in the world were probably there. My feet stopped walking and my eyes just watched the people there. A woman was walking whilst embracing the man beside her. Two couples were kissing under a tree. A guy was resting on the lap of another guy. Two teenagers who resemble each other’s faces were seated hand-in-hand at the swing. There were also people who were alone, maybe waiting for their sweethearts, or maybe just fantasizing… or waiting to meet someone.
            Should I also try? Would it be worth it? There were people who have their own love lives, but there were also who have none, but at least they were trying to find theirs. I did not think it would be harmful to also wait. At least, I tried. Even before my sickness would restrain me from being… happy.
            I just closed my eyes and knew that my feet were walking on its own towards the other side of the street, to Enigma.
           Whatever would happen to me today…

            Let the destiny decide.

******

“One… two… three…”
          I started counting all the guys who would pass by me. I decided to ask the 100th guy on a date. I did not know what could happen and how would I do this. At least, it would be fate who would decide; and that was still a mystery to me. Because I really never believed in fate, but now it seemed that I could not depend on anything but Fate. I would not just tell him who I really was so he would not be able to find me on Facebook. And I would make sure that this day would be our first and last meeting day.
            Screw this.
           “Twenty-four… twenty-five… twenty..s…s…six…” A lump seemed to form on my throat when the twenty-sixth guy who passed was not a straight guy. He was cross-dressed, even more fashionable and more revealing than what I was wearing. My heart thumped nervously. What if the 100th guy who would pass would be gay? How could I even make sure he would agree?
            “Fifty-eight… fifty-nine… sixty… Manong, ice cream!” I called sixtieth guy, who happened to be an ice cream vendor, to buy one of his ice creams. I went back to the bench and ate my ice cream. Then, I realized something. What if the 100th guy would be an ice cream vendor? Would we have an ice cream date on a bike? I shook my head to erase the picture I had in my mind.
          “Seventy-seven… seventy-eight… seventy-nine… E-eight…” My eyes followed the eightieth man who was running after a crying woman. I knotted my forehead as I was thinking what could have happened. No woman deserved to cry just because of a man.
          But what if the 100th guy who would pass by me was just like him? Probably, I would just kick his butt off and tell him to get a life.
          “97… Lord! It can’t be him! He’s too young! I don’t want to be accused of child abuse, oh please. Good he’s just the 97th.” I was relieved. The boy did not even mind how muddy his hands were but he was just running like he was saying “Who cares?”
          “98… Ah… What is this? Lord… Why does he… look like... an alien? Are ETs true?" I covered my mouth with my palms as I realized how callous what I said was.
          “99… Lord! Can I just take him? He’s so hot and handsome! My… am I dreaming? Please Lord? And besides, there is only one difference… And… maybe I skipped counting one person. Lord, I’ll take him, okay?” The guy was in his complete outfit, bearing his lean muscles; his eyes clearly hazel brown. He was the exact definition of a perfect guy. And seeing all the 98 guys who passed by me, I started to be paranoid thinking what kind of person the 100th guy would be. What was more frightening was the fact that most of them were really daunting.
          “Thank you—” But then the heavens unleashed a loud roar of thunder. The sky was calm and there was no sign that it would be raining. This just meant one thing, “Okay, Lord! I’m just kidding!”
          I breathed deeply then clasped my hands on my lap. This is it. Whoever the next guy who would pass by me would be the one I would ask on a date. It may sound absurd. I even felt like my intestines were swirling inside me, but there was no room for quitting anymore. The moment that I was waiting for was just a few steps away. And whoever that guy would be.
          Let the destiny decide.

          “100…”