A Series of Hankering Events (ON HOLD)

Chapter 6

Two days after MD left I got a text from him.

MD: I can't do this anymore, Liza.

Me: What? ... are you?

MD: I'm sorry but I'm not coming back. 

Me: MD, you promised. 

I called him but he didn't answer. 

MD: Don't call me. Don't call me ever. I'm sorry but I can't do this. 

Me: Pick up the phone. 

MD: No.

Me: If you are going to do this to me at least have the decency of telling me straight from your mouth. 

MD: I'm sorry. 

Me: You coward! Pick up the damn phone! Tell it to me yourself not in the most cowardly way possible. Man up damn it. 

MD: Goodbye, Liza.

Me: No! MD! Don't do it like this!

He didn't reply.

Me: You damn coward! I can't believe this!

No reply. 

That was it. Days passed and nothing. Months passed and nothing.

March 2011, 11th Grade

I was out with friends. Yeah. I made friends. There was still my best friend Jomy of course. In addition there was Damon, Robert, Franshi, Nana and Kare. We were all on one table, splitting the three Chinese food orders we bought. We were laughing rather loudly but we didn't care much since there was no one in the restaurant. I was making a joke along with Kare when my phone rang. It was a phone number I did not recognized. I considered ignoring it but curiosity got the better of me. 

"Hello?" I answered. 

"Liza?" 

"Who is this?" I questioned. 

"It's MD's (of course he didn't say MD) grandfather." 

My whole world crumbled. My friends knew about MD and when they heard me repeat what MD's grandfather had said they were all silent and staring at me. I stood from my chair and walked outside so that I didn't have to feel my friend's eyes on me. The eyes of worry. I hated that. 

"Oh. Why Are you calling me?" 

There was a long pause 

"I need you to call MD. I need you to talk to him when you are out of school. Can you do that? I'll give you his phone number." 

MD's grandfather gave me the number and made me promise I wouldn't tell MD that he called me for such a request. We didn't talk much after that but he did  keep insisting on me calling MD. I don't know why and for what but his tone of voice was of urgency. I walked back into the restaurant when I hung up and all my friend's eyes turned to me. I sat and continued eating. Some them tried to get me to talk but I couldn't. What would I say? That MD's grandfather called me so I'd call MD. They'd ask why and I didn't have the answer to that. Eventually they stopped asking me and in my mind I blew out a breath of relief. That day in particular was tormentingly slow. I watched the clock time and time again only to find that it only advanced one minute. I tried to distract myself. That is a lot easier said then done though. Sweet release was mine in the end. The last bell rang and I bolted for the door, leaving behind a confused Jomy and Kare. Mom was already there waiting for me. When we got home we ate along with my step dad and after they both disappeared into their room I showered and threw myself on the family room couch. I searched for MD's number. I clicked on call and it began to ring. My heart raced with every ring and for a minute there I thought no one would answer but the ringing stopped and I heard a noise on the other end. 

"MD? It's Liza." 

He hung up. I blinked repeatedly as I stared at the phone. He hung up on me. Then I remember that he once told me to never call him. My chest ached and I began to write a text. 

Me: Don't be a child, MD. I just want to talk.  

MD: I can't talk. 

Me: Yes you can. 

MD: No. I can't. It hurts. 

Me: What happened back then doesn't matter anymore, MD.

MD: No. I mean talking hurts. 

Me: Why?

MD: I got into a fight. The guy got a good swing at my throat. 

Me: Ouch...

MD: Yeah...

Me: Then I talk and you answer back by text. Sound fair?

MD: Sure. I guess. 

I plugged in my headphones and called. He answered. 

"Hi." I said.

There was a lot of talking from my part, and a lot of texting from his. We spent the night talking and more or less catching up. He had an ok life and so did I. I missed talking to him even though he didn't say a word. Little by little he explained how he got into a fight. According to him the other guy looked way worse. Tch. Testosterone. He did speak once though and it sounded raspy and forced. It was the question I was fearing.

"Why did you call me?" 

I was silent for a bit and I came up with the best lie I could.

"I just wanted to talk. I hated how we left things." He bought it for a little while until he realized something else. Something I didn't think about either. For this question he also talked.

"How did you get my number?"

I froze in my seat. I was paralyzed from head to toe as I stared, wide eyed at the ceiling. 

"I..."

"How?" He spoke again. The horse tone of his voice only made it worse. 

"You're... grandfather." There goes my promise on not telling him about his grandfather's little call to me. It's not my fault though! The old man should have thought that through.

"No. I don't believe you." 

I got angry. He took me for a liar? How dare he? I looked up his grandfathers phone number and said it out loud for him to hear.

"Sound familiar?" I said, annoyance clear in my voice.

He was silent and eventually he accepted it. I asked him if he had any idea why his grandfather would call me but he had not a single clue. We talked for a little while longer before I had to go. He asked if we could talk again some other time and I said yes. When I hung up I lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling for a while. My heart was racing and I realized that I still loved him. Love just doesn't go away that easily.